Hallie is FOUR!!!

My Darling,

Happy 4th Birthday!!!

I find myself sitting here on my computer amazed that another year has flown by. I absolutely love this time to reflect on the wonder of who you are. I browse through pictures of you from past years, watch 'your movie', watch videos of you singing and dancing and re-read the past letters that I've written to you. And again, I am nearly speechless as I try to capture the essence of your personality in words on a page. You, my dear, cannot and will not ever be able to be described by simple words. You are created in the image of the Creator God who is the most amazing and definitive artist of all time. And I'm positive he pulled out all of his best work when He created you. You are everything that makes this world good. You encompass every unique gift that daily reminds me that my Jesus adores me and wants nothing more then to see me smile.  And that's what I do SO often when I'm with you, Dolly. Your songs and dances, your Elsa impersonations and display of ice powers, your wild and crazy facial expressions, your amazing ability to sweet talk your way into absolutely ANYTHING that you could ever want, your love of sparkles, those dang cute pigtails, and that one precious dimple make you into a uniquely gifted and amazingly beautiful miracle. Hallie, simply stated, you are an incredible little girl. And I am absolutely in awe every single day that I get to be your mom.

This last year was a great one and it was full of wild and crazy adventures. You started preschool in Miss Kelly's class last year and you just started your second year with Miss Kelly going three days a week! (Although you are pretty bummed because you think you should at least be in 1st grade by now and keep insisting that preschool is "so boring"...but I'm sure that is not actually the case!) You can spell and write your name - we are just working on getting all of those dang letters in a row on the paper, which is tough with all of that giant creativity and personality in that little body. We took a few fun trips to Bellingham this year (spring break and to visit friends), went to California to visit Grammie, and went up to Whistler for Dad to complete his first Ironman triathlon. The Ironman was great but I don't think you enjoyed riding on the back of Papa's bike in the POURING down rain to watch Dad swim and transition to his bike...your Elsa blanket was drenched and you made it very clear that you were FREEZING! Although a hot bath and a fire took care of that in an instant. You learned to swim this year all by yourself! But that darn YMCA won't let you pass the swim test to go on the waterslide until you are 6 - yet another reason you think you should be older. I asked you how old you were going to be on your next birthday, you responded with "Um...I don't know, 13 or something? Then I can babysit all the babies!" But please don't rush, my dear. Your time will come. For now, just stay small. But we are still having trouble locating and fixing that 'button' that makes you grow small. You thought you found it in your ear but now claim that it is broken and you will just keep getting bigger until we can get it fixed. And believe me, I'm trying my very best!

Oh Hal. As I've been thinking about you and praying for you lately, I cannot help but repeat the word 'brave'. It's been my prayer for you lately that Jesus would make you incredibly brave. I pray that He would fill you with an overwhelming confidence, that you would stand up for the good of all people, that you would fight injustice, and that you would love deeply and be deeply loved in return. I pray that you will fight for the hearts of people around the world and our Mighty Jesus would rescue, redeem, and heal - through you. I believe with my whole heart that you are going to change this world. Your LOVE, your JOY, your SPUNK, and your incredibly dynamic personality will continue to develop into a force that will turn the world toward Jesus. It is impossible to disagree with the fact that you change the vibe of a room simply by walking in. You bring Jesus with you wherever you go and show him off in the most beautiful of ways. People literally just stop to watch you when we are in public places and it's because you have an amazing ability to captivate an audience. You go, baby girl! I am so sad that you are growing so quickly but I cannot wait to see what the future holds for you, my love. The plans that Jesus has in store for you are unfathomable and I will be in the front row of this production of your life - cheering for you, loving you, and praying for you every single step of the way. Hallie, you are a marvelous wonder that I cannot understand but I love trying.

So my Darling, again on your 4th birthday, this is my prayer for you...

Jesus, thank you so much for this gift of life that you have blessed us with.  What an amazing honor it is to be her mom. I pray that your grace would pour out over Hallie's life and that your Holy Spirit would invade every part of who she is. I pray that she would know and truly understand that she is amazingly beautiful. She is the picture of perfection created in YOUR image. You created her as an artist creates a masterpiece and looked upon her and said, "It is good!" Jesus, I pray that Hallie would grow to exude confidence and grace. That she would be amazingly strong, courageous, and dignified, yet incredibly gentle and kind. I pray against any outer influence that says that she is not good enough, or that she is lacking in any way. Lord, I pray that all of her worth would be found in you. God, I pray that Hallie would dream big and love deeply. And Jesus, please guard her heart. Set her apart for you and your will. I pray that your love would envelop her and consume her and she would find herself in you. Lord, protect her heart, her mind, and her body. I pray that your protection would follow her all the days of her life. I am so excited for the days ahead and to watch my baby girl grow into a woman that is chasing after your heart. Before I know it, I will be walking her in to preschool or watching her walk down the sidewalk to kindergarten. And I'm sure my tears will flow as I drop her off for her first day of Jr. High...and then High School. And I am so excited to hear her name announced as she walks across the stage to receive a diploma. And see her Daddy walk her down that aisle - glowing with your love as a beautiful bride. Or to watch her hold her baby in her arms for the first time, and gaze into his/her eyes as I know it is at that moment that she may finally get a glimpse into how much I love her. Jesus, thank you for this precious gift! Please give me wisdom to be her mom...To love her every single day of her life, to encourage her always and to be her biggest fan. I pray that you would be apparent in all of my words and all of my actions. Lord, help me to strive to demonstrate your love for Hallie in a tangible way in hopes that it will give her the smallest peak into who you are. Just as her name means "Praise God", all I can do is praise you for this precious life. May Hallie grow into the amazing woman that you have called her to be!

Amen.

My dear girl, get ready! Jesus has BIG plans for you. I'm so excited to continue to watch as this adventure unfolds. I love you more then these simple words can express...

Love,

Mom