Day 7 - Love (13 years of it)

Day 7, and I think that God had a hand in this one for sure.  Today's 31 days of blogging word is LOVE, this word is perfect and here is why.

13 years ago today, I gave birth to two beautiful, tiny, perfect, amazing girls. Yes, I am calling my now teenagers all of those wonderful words, not that they are awesome all the time, we have definitely had some teenage moments already where they forgot where they got their attitude from and that I have years more experience and they should give it up. But today, I can't help but smile and get teary-eyed at the young ladies their daddy and I are blessed with. Here we go...

Lauryn, my second born (two minutes is a very big deal in twindom),you are simply stated: STUNNING. You are stubborn, messy, a brat at times, clumsy, loud, silly, my little chatty cathy, kind-hearted, honest, caring, wise beyond your years, sensitive, and beautiful. My girl you have grown so much in the last year let alone the last 13 years. I can say your messy room reminds me of your Auntie Heather, how you live in there is beyond me.  You are my chatty cathy, and a space cadet multi-tasking is not your thing, but you love a good conversation and can talk to anyone. I love this and I hope you remain that way forever it will get you far in life.  Your heart shines in everything you do, and your love of your family is always at the front.  The smile on Emmalee's face when she hears your voice, says more about your kind-hearted, caring side than anyone can put into words. She loves you and I hope you always remember that, she is a perfect reminder that life is a beautiful thing.  You are my crafting queen you love making things especially gifts.  You work hard in school and your grades show it, and you love volleyball. Middle school could have been miserable but you seem to make the best of it, and I love that attitude. I am always amazed that you seem to have already chosen your career, yes you will make an excellent special education teacher and I know you will reach your goals and more.

Kaleigh, oh the leader of the pack, you are simply stated: AMAZING. You are also stubborn, loud, silly, serious, adventurous, athletic, football-loving, leader, self-confident, honest, mischievous, crazy, and of course beautiful.  You have challenged me since you could talk, with your need to wear basketball shorts and t-shirts all the time, and have your hair so short I am constantly glaring and correcting people who dare to call you a boy.  Funny thing is you don't care, you know who you are and are proud of it and that is the way it should be. You are your dad's sidekick, you love a good adrenaline rush, and give me more grey hairs every day, good thing I hide those well. You love little kids, and cuddling with babies, but you may almost prefer furry babies more.  You carry our poor cat around all the time, and are constantly making sure he knows how much he is loved, at night he gets shoved under the covers so he can't escape and now he seems to look forward to your nightly kitty-napping routine.  You are one athletic thing, you put some boys to shame with your skills and football knowledge, your love of basketball with its fast pace is awesome to get to witness. Watching your ambition and drive, is heart warming, I know we will have some ups and downs over the years, but just keep your attitude and your confidence and we will get by just fine. The sky is the limit.

To my girls, please keep believing your daddy is a superhero, because I assure you he is. Later in life when your daddy lets you date, find a guy like him, I promise you that your life will be full of adventure and love and that is all I can hope for. Remember that I might not do it all right, in fact I will get a lot wrong, but I love you.  I promise to remember that you are still growing and learning also and that perfect is overrated. God has brought us this far, your dad and I are so proud of you both. You both amaze us, bring us to tears, scare us to near death, make our hearts swell with pride, and make life better everyday.  I am excited for the teenage years, scared for our relationship, sad that 13 is here already (what happened to my babies), and thankful for every adventure, memory and moment.  Love you always, even when I want to scream. Happy Birthday my beautiful girls!!!