FIRSTS

Being the mom of 3 boys and 1 girl (who happens to be the youngest), it is not neccesary to tell you that I am all new to this girl 'stuff'. I am not a tomboy, but I am not high maintenance either- somewhere in the middle I guess. For 6 years, I have reared boys and it has been amazing! Little boys are so special and loving. My mom was right when she said little boys love their mamas! I love to play baseball, football and legos with them. I am even warming up to snakes and bugs and worms! My heart swells to see MacGyver and the boys hanging out and learning life lessons together. I don't even get offended (ok......maybe sometimes!) when it boys only time! So when Sparkler came along, it was a whole new ball game for all of us! I had to almost retrain my thinking to girlie things. Of course when she was smaller, we could still get away with having all boy toys and a playroom full of balls and blocks. But as she has grown, so has her personality and it is all girl! She loves to play baby dolls, carry her purses and wear bows. It has been fun to watch and really quite exciting to see her become interested in these things.


Today, I bought a jewelry box for her.... her first one! It is not real fancy....I mean she is only one but it had a lock with keychain and keys. And of course, I had to buy her some costume jewelry to go in it. When we got home, I showed her the box which she took from my hands immediately. Then she ran off to a little corner to explore her new toy in peace. She turned to me a moment later and smiled a smile I have yet to see.........opened the box........ put on all the jewelry...........took off all the jewelry............put it back in the box..........and then did it all over again! As for the lock latch, she figured out in a matter of minutes! She continued to play with the box and jewelry for at least 30 minutes before dinner. I had to literally drag her away at that point to eat. Once she had finished, she pointed to her jewelry box from the highchair and said, "me, me". After that, she played for another 45 minutes! Each time she opened the box, she would hum or click her tongue in excitement. It is amazing that kids are born with such innate abilities.

I remember and still have my first jewelry box. It is quite humbling to sit before your own child and watch them experience the same things you did as a child. It is incredible to look at your child and see yourself. You can almost watch them see, smell, taste and feel some of the same things you did when you were little. All I can say is that we serve an amazing God!