Grace Ann's Birthday

Grace-lee Ann-lee is NINE years old today. Why does time seem to go by so slowly when you're a child and then when you're an adult the years just whisk by? Watching how quickly your children grow really accentuates the "life is a vapor" feeling. My little girl is almost a decade old. My "baby" is a busy, learning, talking almost-two year old. My newborn is 2 months old! And Matthias has been gone from us for almost three years. There is both grief and joy and wonder in this growing, changing, venturing-out that happens in your children. Part of me wants to pause their growing up, or at least slow it down to a reasonable speed! But I know this is good and right, so I remind myself daily to savor these precious moments with my children!

Here's some pictures of Grace through the last nine years. Some aren't that great of quality because I had to scan them. She was born before digital cameras were common household electronics!! :)

Newborn GraceShe was literally the most beautiful newborn I've ever seen. My other babies were of course cute, but even I have to admit they, like most newborns, were a little funny-looking. Not Grace. She had perfect, creamy skin, dark, dark hair and rose red lips. A little Snow White.

Grace as a terrific-two.



Skip ahead to age 5. Still adorable.

Age 6 at Grandpa and Grandma's Farm.




Seventh Birthday


Eight.


And now I have a nine-year-old! A big sister three times over, a princess and a pauper in her imaginary games, a horse-lover, a creative lover of beauty, trinkets, books, handbags, jelly beans. A young lady, growing and flourishing into a beautiful child of God.