Jillian turned three today and I find myself wondering if you can ever believe you have a (fill in the blank) year old. "Little Janie is 42 today! My how the years fly by!" Jill has been such a joy in our lives. Right now she is in a funny stage. Sometimes she is belligerant and loves to test the waters, waiting until the last minute, and after I have asked her ten times as patiently as I possibly can, to obey. She seems to know the exact second right when I am about to lose it and obeys one split second before. Smart cookie:) However, it is also her sweetest stage, okay, one of them, aren't they all sweet?, and she continually amazes me. The other day I was trying out several different hairstyles until I found something that satisfied me. At one point she said "Oh, Mommy, don't change it. You look so booaful (beautiful)." She tells me that all the time. Today I was doing some dishes and she gave my legs a hug and said "Momma, I sure do love you." I wish I could just bottle that up and listen to it everyday when she is a teenager! Isn't it fascinating the back and forth relationships with parents and children. Disciplining and teaching when they are younger, praying they will learn self-confidence, strength and, above all, obedience to Heavenly Father to lead them in life when they are older. Knowing they will experience hurt but that, somehow, all things will work together for their good? I guess the most comforting and wonderful thing is knowing that she is first God's and that He will guide us in raising her. Anyway, if I sit at this computer for too long late at night I get extremely verbose, and sometimes even a little weepy:) I'll just close by sharing another something she said lately. "Oh, we're home. It's a cage." Break my heart, she already feels like this at three!
