The heart of my girl...

She is beautiful.  God has given her a soft spirit.  A deeply caring, passionately loving, very discerning spirit.  Sometimes it's hard to treat her like the 6 year old she is, expecting so much from her because she demonstrates so much for us.  She is full of love and compassion and gives it freely to all who is around her, especially if she senses or understands if something isn't quite right.

I can be biased, I know, I AM her mom.  :)  And she still sometimes has her normal six-year-old moments, for sure, but I sure do love this girl and how God has made her.

As I mentioned earlier, I began watching a sweet little boy and his baby sister yesterday.  It's very part time, which is nice, but we love spending time with these kiddos.  Anyway, Emerson was my designated helper yesterday, their first day back, and I'm so glad she was designated!  :)  She searched for things to do with the sweet boy when he was sad his mom left, she held the teeny baby while I got her bed ready, and offered to pull the boys in the wagon and on bikes when it was time to go outside.  She even helps contain my littlest while I'm making dinner (which is a hard job) and loves a clean room (a girl after my own heart!).

I'm so thankful to have her!  Not because of all she does, but because of who she is - the substance of her containing what words can't completely describe, but the words compassion, kindness, and sensitivity hold their places in there somewhere.  She's not perfect, by any means, nor did our parenting have much to do with it, but we do pray over her daily with hopes she becomes someone who loves and serves and strives to understand the heart of God.   
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Braeden, the early riser, was up with me at 5 this morning (I don't normally choose to be up at 5, but had to this morning for an early appointment in a town about an hour or so away), so while I was just getting ready to head out, Jon quickly got him dressed.  He accompanied me to my appointment, which lasted so much longer than it was scheduled to, but Braeden sat so still while we were there!  This warranted donuts for the drive home.  His choice?  The powdered ones, which, of course, made for a fun clean up when we got home!  It was fun, though, to have him to myself.  He filled up our time in the car with adventurous stories of foxes and wolves and the train moving along slowly next to us. 
Then as another treat, both because I didn't take the other two with me and because Braeden did so well, we made a quick trip to the park before we had to be home for lunch.  And it was HOT out there!  I'm not complaining, though, AT ALL! (P.S.  A shout out to Jon who had the house completely clean when I got back from my appointment today.  He sure knows my love language!  :) )

(Don't you love the ears on that hat?!  Ha!)

Hope you are enjoying your summer day, as well, and get a chance to get outside and soak up some sun!