Happy Birthday Miss Muffit!

Another year has vanished in the blink of an eye. We all wonder where the years go but there is nothing like watching a child grow to remind you of just how fast time flies. My baby is a preschooler now and reminds me daily that she is NOT a baby anymore. Those little hands are evidence that that may not be entirely true just yet though. I look at the little dimples and think back to the days when I stared at a little picture and couldn't wait to hold and kiss those little dimpled fists.

Four years ago today a beautiful little girl was born. She was a tiny bundle of potential and hope and she was a fighter. We will likely never know the circumstances that surrounded that day yet we do know that a great joy entered the world. What a different place our home would be without her laughter! Every smile she brings to my face brings another to my heart.

Paige is 'officially' no longer a toddler. She is able to run, jump and skip. She pedals her tricycle, tries out the scooters and follows her brothers everywhere. At school she has learned to cut on a line, color inside the lines and stand in line. She loves Sponge Bob but only barely tolerates Ni Hao Kai Lan. Noodles and rice are always a favorite while beans are just not happening!

Paige is a kick in the pants and regularly kicks my behind. She'll turn whatever hair I have left gray before I'm 40 no doubt. And I can't imagine our lives without her. What a quiet place this would be and so boring! We have been so very blessed to have Paige for a daughter. God certainly knew what he was doing by placing her in our family!

And finally, I would be remiss to not mention Paige's first mother on this day. Unfortunately Paige's birthdays will always be clouded with a sadness for the mother who couldn't raise her. Whether she was unable to or unwilling is irrelevant because there is little chance that this day passes without her wondering what happened to her daughter. I wish she could see the happy, healthy, precious child she is growing into. Paige will never be fully mine. I will always share her heart with a mother she never knew. I only hope I can raise her to make us both proud!