it's a girl!!

just yesterday, we received the most startling news in our lives.

it's a girl!

or it seemed like just yesterday.

our sweet "son" that we were expecting surprised us with "herself" on her birthday, and i can remember her daddy exclaiming, "IT'S A GIRL!!" as he cut the cord. of course he heard the doctor's proclamation just moments before, but he thought the dr. was kidding—since he's the one who told us the ultrasound said "boy." 

so began her life. always full of surprises.

with a brother just 18 months older, there was little she wasn't willing to try. she was the daring one, the one who would dive in first and ask questions later, unlike her more cautious older brother.

she can drain the threes, run like the wind, hit homers and tackle with the best. but you'd never know it to look at her. when unbeknowing people pick teams for sports, they're always surprised that the girl picked almost last can pretty much whup their butts.

always a surprise.

yet girly. always accessorized. dressed to the nines. shops like a pro. up until peer pressure reared its ugly head in second grade, everyone debated on whether or not the girl even owned pants.

while her brother practically had his own language as a preschooler, we joke that her first words were, "please pass the gray poupon, mummy." she was articulate and precise in her diction and that attention to detail has been a hallmark of hers throughout her life.

projects completed way ahead of the due date (who does that?). meticulous with her work and always concerned about her grades. because of her hard work and persisitance, she graduated with honors, was a tennessee scholar, and is ready to venture out on her own to begin college in (gulp) five weeks.

my how time flies. it ain't a cliché for nuthin'. the past 18 years have been a joy, a blessing and it will be so fun to watch her continue to grow up. because, after all, she's just our little girl.

happy birthday, baby girl. may you continue to shine from the inside, may your heart be overflowing with the love of Jesus so that others may know Him, too. may He guide you carefully along life's ragged path, and may He always be the Lord of your life. we love you!