Hallie is SIX!

Dearest Hallie Pentz,

Oh my darling. How in the world has another year come and gone? I have absolutely NO IDEA but this I do know...you are more lovely with each passing day! Your heart is pure gold. You are filled with compassion, kindness, generosity and grace. You are an incredible student, the best little sister, and the very best BIG sister in all the land. Dad and I are blown away at your sweet and gentle spirit and we delight in you and the person that you are becoming. You make us smile everyday with your love of all things fancy. Your hilarious facial expressions, your spunky personality, and your adventurous side make you not only the sweetest, but the most fun little girl I have ever known. I'm so glad that I get to hang out with you every single day. I'm so lucky that I am the one that gets to take you shopping and on princess tea dates. I'm blown away that you call me mom. And I'm the luckiest mom in the world.

This last year has been incredible. You played your first season of soccer and scored SIX goals in your last game alone! You moved into Kindergarten with Miss Susan shortly after you turned 5 and ROCKED it! You were the only kid in your class that did not even get a single 'minute' all year! And of course you won the hearts of your teachers with your hugs and smiles. You learned to ski like crazy last winter and skied Crystal Mountain, Mt. Bachelor, and Whistler! And your second track season was so fun to watch as you were unbeatable in the long jump with a PR of 7'11" and you also won the gold in the 100m your last meet with a time of 20.96 seconds. SO fun to watch you! And then we spent the summer on our new boat which we named 'Betty White'. Tubing, swimming, and BBQing our days away! 

Hal, I know I've said this before, but you are absolutely exquisite. There are not words that can adequately relay my love for you but it is my hope and prayer that you may always know the depth of your beauty and perfection in the eyes of our Creator and of me. You are beautiful beyond measure. You are more precious then the finest gems. Your life brings immeasurable joy to all. Your smile and laughter bless my heart. You are simply stunning and I will spend the rest of my life making sure that you know that.

Again today, I pray this prayer over your life.

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 be loved deeply in return. 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 into her first day of first grade at Silver Ridge, and I'm sure the tears will flow as she goes to her first day of middle school...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 beautiful baby girl, I love you with all of my heart. Cheers to you, my darling. May this year be the best one yet.


Love always,

Mom