Kirby cracks me up, warms my heart, challenges me in so many ways I could never even imagine, and sometimes just leaves me completely baffled. She is the perfect Heintz 57 of CR and I. She has his wit that is for sure. She is very "mechanical" just like he is. Stubborn. She says things that sound just like him. But then she has quite a bit of my mannerisms. When she is looking for something, she puts her hands on her hips with just her thumbs actually on her hips just. like. me. She has started to put her hands under her chin when she sits at the bar stools and talks to me while I am getting breakfast ready. She looks like a mini me when she does this. I wish I could freeze frame time right now. These moments for the cookie jar have my jar already full this year. To give you a little bit of her perfect Heintz 57ness (word??): Sunday morning I was in the living room reading my Bible. She woke up and came out of our room and crawled up to snuggle with me. (This is very me - I am a cuddler in every sense of the word). She was rubbing my arm and I told her, "Kirby, do you know that I prayed for you for a long time. Even before I met your daddy I prayed for you. Then both of us prayed for you for what seemed like forever and ever. Then God gave me you. The perfect package and I love you so much." She turned and looked at me (and I prepared my heart for the sweetest return ….) and said with a grin from ear to ear, "I'm daddy's baby girl."
While I was in Montgomery I was asked if I would speak at the elementary school that my mother works at, sharing with the 3rd and 4th grade girls my story with an eating disorder. I was very excited to do this, and it was a really hard challenge for me. I knew that 1) I had to speak in a way that would never put an idea into their head while also getting my points across and 2) since it is a public school I had to walk a fine line about including Christ. Well, you can't tell a redemption story without The Redeemer. I was thankful that Kirby got to sit in on the morning as well. She sat in the front row with all the other children and did not make a peep for 35 minutes. She hung onto every word I said. She answered questions that I asked the crowd. 3 weeks later she repeated parts of my story to me. Talk about a moment for this momma's cookie jar. gulp.
Everyday we walk (or run, fly, skip … you get the idea) to the mailbox after Patton gets up from his morning nap. On this particular day, she was the "line leader" and wanted to fly. Yes, she has panties, a t-shirt and rubber boots on. This was already her 3rd outfit of the day. I think we went through 2 more. Not because of accidents, but because she can't stand to be dirty or wet. AT ALL. I mean, even a sprinkle from the kitchen sink …. just like her daddy in that respect. At this point in the day we had already carved a pumpkin, made baked donut holes, and planted some herbs in pots so you can see why we had to change 3 times.
At Hudson's 2nd birthday party, climbing in the tree house and asking me, "Mommy, why can't I go fly down instead of going down the slide? The slide is too fast and scares me." Yes, the slide scares her but not the thought of flying down from that high up.
I think she surprised herself …she was doing a cheer that she learned from watching Kyleigh practice, and at the end she went down into the splits. We both laughed so hard, and then she asked me, "mommy, what's so funny?"
Rare moment.
When it's been a long day at school and then ballet, we both just want to do this. Funny story, 2 months ago I started something new. If we are at home and she starts to have a "fit" I tell her, "If you think you need to have a fit, then you are going to need to go to your room and when you decide you are ready to work it out, you can come back out." The first 2 times I had to take her and set her in her room. After that, she stops what she is doing, then walks to her room (as if nothing is wrong at all), closes the door, goes and sits in the corner and then I can count to 3 and hear the bawling start. It lasts about 30 seconds, and then she says, "Mommy, I'm done you can come talk to me now." We have a discussion about the fit, why she needed time to get over it, hug, say sorry and forgiveness, then go on about our day. She even took herself to grammy's room to cry while we were visiting them. It cracks me up, but this happens less and less so I feel like it is working for her.
See the sentiment? Daddy's baby girl ...
Teaching Patton about his toes - yes, she is in a dress and bathing suit bottoms. I love allowing her to be creative and Kirby.
Text from a sitter I used a few times in August when I was swamped with edits. Glad to know you can take the girl away from the farm, but can't take the farm away from the girl.
This picture describes us in a nutshell. Animated, love, laughter, JOY … my heart is full. Full.
The other day I got a shot of guilt straight in the heart. A friend of our's kiddo is a year and a half younger than Kirby, and they knew their letters really, really well. Kirby knows some of them, but it isn't something we work on very often. Her letter and word recognition is improving, but its not my main priority. I always have intentions of doing more actual learning activities with her, but we are busy bodies with real life farm stuff, outside play, cooking/baking, Bible verse memory, etc. This isn't the first time I felt this way. I prayed the Lord would take away that guilt in my gut and he did, with the sweetest reply, "My dear child, you are loving your child. You are giving her what she needs. You are more than enough for her; through Me and My strength, you and CR can do this parenting thing. Don't compare to anyone. Strive to be like me and strive to raise a child like me. That is your job." Thank you Lord for that. Thank you. Thank you that my child knows you love her and that you belong in her heart.
"Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6
