We longed and prayed for the day she was born. And then, she was born again.

Alyssa has such a sweet, tender and sincere heart and made the decision that she wanted to be obedient to God’s commands and wanted to follow Him for the rest of her life. There has been an old school thinking from my background that has told me, “she is too young or she doesn’t fully understand.” Well the truth is, she doesn’t fully understand and neither do I, right?  Baptism is for the new believer. And I had to put my CofC thinking aside and let her just believe. The Bible tells me, that is enough.

We were able to celebrate this day with most of our family, but definitely missed the rest. Lots of cousins, lots of silliness and lots of smiles. Thank you so much to all of you who have poured into Alyssa. We can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for her.

We will skip right over the fact that I have a 9 year old and focus on the birthday party. I was very thankful that Alyssa had a few friends that she wanted to include in her celebration. She wanted a simple and easy swim party. She actually wanted me to make her cake too, which I loved. I tell Ethan that if I die young, make sure they know and see pictures of all the cakes that I made for them. I spend hours the night before each party perfecting their own special cake. She picked out the colors and a big #9 on it this year.

What can I say about Alyssa Mae at 9. She got into a cowgirl kick and wanted a hat for her birthday. Nana and Papa took her to pick one out and she came back with a matching belt. I thought it was very cute, but where exactly do you wear such things? And I guess she needed a shirt b/c the F4J tshirt really doesn’t say cowgirl to me. She did well in 3rd grade. She made all As and Bs, made a few good friends, participated in Girls on the Run and the talent show, and continued with piano lessons. It is good to see her step out a bit more each year. She has become a bit more “mothering” to Audrey and Megan and plays well on their levels. She is helpful, when she wants to be, and dramatic and emotional. But at the end of the day, her hugs are genuine and sweet. She always wakes up with a smile and a ready attitude. She is a good influence on her friends and I pray already making an impact on His kingdom. More photos.

I was so proud to see my once shy, stage-fright daughter, walk across that big school stage, sit down and play without a mistake. She was slightly hesitant when I suggested she sign up for the talent show. We simply filled out the form together and she put it in her backpack. I told her if and when she was ready, she could turn it in. Next day…she turns it in. She did great in the audition, the dress-rehearsal and the night of the show. Now that she has conquered the stage, I can’t wait to see what is next for her. VIDEO


Nana and Papa were able to come watch.

Alyssa had her 3rd grade musical tonight. I love to watch her on stage. Not because she is showy, but because she is just confident enough to be up there. One year, she may even ask for a speaking part. She had been singing the tunes to Annie for weeks and we had fun watching her preform. Even Megan was singing along.

I love to go back and look at school pictures. I take one on the first and last day of school every year and it is amazing to see the changes. Even though I see her everyday, I look at this picture and can’t believe how big she is. Today, we ventured out together to a new school with new traffic and learned how make our way through the school. She told me she was nervous all morning, but you would have never known by the way she walked into the classroom. We met up with some other 3rd graders and her teacher before the bell and walked together to the cabins. I think they are trying to make portables sound cool. I was trying to take pictures and she was giving me the “no more, mom” look. I ignored her and at least got one last sweet wave before she walked in. No matter how big she tries to be, she is still my sweet one who loves her mama.

We all did well today trying to get in the swing of the school routine. Megan and Audrey played well. The difference this year is her school doesn’t bus any kids. Which means for the first time, I have to do the car rider line. I don’t mind too much having to sit in the car, today was 30 min before I got out of traffic, but the problem is dismissal is 2:45. Right in the middle of Audrey’s nap. And it’s not just occasionally, this is everyday. As Alyssa adjusts back to school, Audrey and I will be adjusting this nap thing.

The girls and I waited in the car, watching the hustle of other parents wondering where and how Alyssa is going to make it to the car. As I am pulling up to the school, I see her walking down the sidewalk toward the car. It was such a good feeling to see her face. I didn’t realize how much I had missed her til I saw her. She had a good day and got along well with a couple friends which is what we continually prayed for. So we are back to schedules, said goodbye to summer and thankful that Alyssa’s first day was successful. And we celebrated like every first day – with cookies!