I’m continuously awed and humbled that my Father would allow me to be a mother.  At times I feel breathless with the responsibility of it all and want to cry out, “Why me?  I don’t deserve all this!  I’m so unworthy!”  I’m unworthy of the joys, the honor, and the opportunity to die to myself that motherhood brings, but oh, I’m so thankful!  Every time one of my children celebrates another year of life I go back in my mind to the very moment I met them and I just can’t believe it all over again!  Besides the gift of salvation through Christ, is there any better gift Yahweh could bestow?  I’ll take it.  Call me “greedy” for His good gifts, but oh, I love them so much!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATHARINA!

Sweetheart, we are so blessed to have you in our home!  How we love you!

A bonnet and an apron:  two very useful tools for a hard-working prairie girl!  The apron is to encourage her as she learns to serve others and the bonnet is to keep the sun off her face while she picks beans, weeds the garden, rides her bike, makes mudpies—– you know.  The usual.

I know some sissies who think she’s pretty special!  Even if it does embarass her a little!

Kate is well known for her daily deliveries of mud cakes, mud cookies, dirt pizzas, and other such dainties.  She almost always has black, Nebraska dirt underneath those fingernails.  In her honor I thought I would try to trick surprise her with an Oreo dirt cake.  I was hoping for a pout or a whimper at being presented with dirt for a birthday cake.  However, I got this little smile.  After tasting it she informed me, “It tastes pretty good, Mama!”

Caleb enjoyed the dirt.  No, wait.  He always does.

Katharina received a slew of presents in the mail from grandparents and aunts and uncles.  Now she thinks, or hopes, that every vehicle that passes is a delivery truck!  How wonderful to know that people so far away still think of you on your special day!

Compare the above picture with the one below, taken on her third birthday.  Is it just me or does she look so very much more grown-up? Oh my, it really was a blink and look at what happened!  How I pray that I would use this precious, short time I have wisely!

Thank you, Father, for such a delight!  Help us to continuously, moment by moment, word by word, action by action,  point her to You.