This Girl

I FINALLY finished Hallie's birthday post... four months late! Whoops! Life has been crazy hectic since September, and even more so since January. I feel like it's slowed down a little now, so hopefully I can return to being a somewhat-regular blogger again!

This girl, this Hallie-Girl.

What can I say about this crazy girl?

This girl drives me absolutely crazy, yet keeps me sane. All I ever wanted was to be a girl-mama, and this girl made that dream come true. She turned my world upside-down.

(Not that she's girly, of course! I wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea about this little sassafras. Oh, she loves her princess toys and stuffed animals, but this girl can be more wild and noisy than both of her brothers.)

This girl, this Hallie-Girl.

What can I say about this beautiful girl?

I am constantly in awe of her confidence. Regardless of what everyone else is doing, this girl has a persistent desire to be her own person. Maybe it's because she is surrounded by boys, maybe it's because she's like her mama and likes doing things counter-flow. Either way, this girl is one of a kind.

(When every other girl on the planet was asking for Frozen birthday parties, this girl wanted Katerina Kitty Cat, from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Do you know how difficult it is to plan a Katerina birthday party? Very. So Mama decided to go with Frozen.)

This girl is (finally) starting to get along with her brothers, using her extraordinary imagination for good instead of torture (haha). Watching the three of them play together makes my heart happy. This girl is always eager to help, eager to mother, eager to serve.

This girl, this Hallie-Girl.

What can I say about this spicy girl?

This girl is quirky, dramatic, sassy, and loud. She's got these eyes that are always lit up with some sort of mischief. These eyes with a color so hard to describe, I just call them "Hallie eyes." When asked what color they are, she has been known to respond with "sparkly!"

This girl is bold. This girl is risky. This girl punctuates everything with an exclamation point. This girl is always finding that line she isn't supposed to cross and walking it like a tight-rope (gets that from her Daddy).

This girl knows how to push all my buttons, but she's always pushing me to be a better mama, a better person. This girl is my refiner, the one who exposes my flaws so that I can bring them to the Lord.

This girl, this Hallie-Girl.

What can I say about her?

She's a rare jewel, a unique gift, and one that I am thankful for every single day.

Happy birthday, Wildflower... even if this post is four months late!

Some of my favorite pictures of your third year + fourth winter.