Hallie is THIRTEEN

My most precious Hallie Belle,

THIRTEEN!!! How in the WORLD are you a teenager?!? I’m absolutely blown away that thirteen whole years have passed since the moment they placed you in my arms and I heard those incredible words, “It’s a girl!” I remember the tears immediately falling down my face and knowing in that instant that my life would never, ever be the same. And somehow, thirteen years later, I’m still completely overwhelmed by the gift of YOU.

Oh Hal, you are absolutely exquisite. You are strong and confident, hilarious and spunky, incredibly driven, tenderhearted, thoughtful, and kind. You are fiercely independent and yet love your people with your whole heart. You are absolutely gorgeous, but somehow the person you are on the inside is even more beautiful. People are drawn to you. Little kids adore you. Your friends love you. You make people feel included and important and loved. And I am constantly blown away that out of all the moms in the whole world, God picked ME to get a front row seat to your incredible life.

This year has been another one for the record books! You competed Level 8 gymnastics again and continued to pour your whole heart into the sport you love so much. Gymnastics requires a level of discipline and toughness that most people will never understand, and you just keep showing up and working. And all that hard work paid off when you finished your season THIRD ALL-AROUND AT REGIONALS!!! I was so stinkin proud of you! Watching you compete will forever be one of my favorite things because I absolutely LOVE watching you do something that you love.

Then you were invited to USA Gymnastics DEVO Camp, which was such a HUGE honor and another reminder of just how incredibly talented you are. Unfortunately, your stupid broken toe had other plans and you weren’t able to go. I know you were disappointed, but I was so proud of the way you handled it. You didn’t sulk or let it steal your joy. You just kept moving forward. You are so incredibly resilient, my girl.

And somehow that disappointment turned into a pretty amazing adventure because you and Dad are headed to NEW YORK CITY!!! Just the two of you, exploring Manhattan and seeing Hamilton ON BROADWAY! I mean…COME ON!!! You absolutely LOVE Hamilton and I can only imagine your face when those first notes start playing. I know this will be one of those adventures you remember forever, and I love that you get to experience it with your Daddy. From DEVO Camp to Broadway isn’t exactly the original plan, but sometimes Plan B turns out pretty darn amazing.

This year has been filled with so many other beautiful, ordinary moments too. You love youth group and being surrounded by your people. You love music and somehow there is ALWAYS a song playing wherever you are. You sing constantly, dance constantly, and have absolutely no problem turning any room in our house into your personal stage. 😂 You’ve been completely consumed with The Hunger Games, and honestly, Katniss seems pretty fitting for you—fierce, independent, brave, loyal, and willing to fight like crazy for the people she loves.

And now you’re a TEENAGER.

I’m not exactly sure how I feel about that.

Because I can so clearly see this incredible young woman emerging in front of me, but I can also still see my tiny Hallie. The little girl with the gigantic open-mouth smile whose entire body would shake with excitement. The girl who wanted everything fancy and loved princess tea dates and shopping with Mom. The little sister Zack couldn’t stop snuggling and the big sister who could never resist getting her hands on every baby within a ten-mile radius.

She’s still in there.

And I hope she always is.

I hope you never lose the part of you that dances when a good song comes on. I hope you always laugh ridiculously loud. I hope you keep trying things that scare you. I hope you keep dreaming enormous dreams. I hope you continue walking into rooms with that incredible confidence God has given you while always noticing the person standing quietly on the outside. I hope you remain fierce AND gentle, strong AND tender, independent AND deeply connected to the people you love.

Because Hallie, that’s the magic of you.

You are so many beautiful things all at once.

Thirteen years ago, I prayed that you would grow to “exude confidence and grace.” I prayed that you would be “amazingly strong, courageous, and dignified, yet incredibly gentle and kind.” I prayed that you would dream big and love deeply.

And my goodness, Jesus has been faithful.

Because I’m looking at that girl.

She’s YOU.

I hope you always know how deeply loved you are. Not because you’re an incredible gymnast. Not because you’re smart or beautiful or talented. Not because of what you accomplish or how many people love being around you.

Simply because you are Hallie.

You are a cherished daughter of the King. You were masterfully created by the Creator of the Universe, and there has never been and will never be another you.

And I am the luckiest mom in the world because I get to love you every single day.

So again today, just as I have throughout your precious life, I pray this prayer over 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 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, she will be walking into High School. I’ll hear Hallie Elizabeth Pentz announced as she walks across the stage to receive her diploma. And someday, perhaps I’ll see her Daddy walk her down an aisle, glowing with your love as a beautiful bride. Or watch her hold her own baby in her arms for the first time and gaze into that precious face, and I know it may be in that moment that she finally gets the smallest 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 demonstrate your love for Hallie in a tangible way in hopes that it will give her the smallest peek 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 darling Hallie Belle, I don’t have words big enough for how much I love you. I could write a million pages and take a million pictures and still never capture the wonder of who you are or what it feels like to be your mom.

You are my precious girl. My shopping buddy. My adventure girl. My fierce little force of nature. One of the greatest gifts Jesus has ever given me.

And somehow…

YOU’RE THIRTEEN!!!

Happy birthday, my exquisite girl. Keep shining that gigantic light of yours. I will be right here, ridiculously proud, cheering louder than anyone else for every single second of it.

I love you to the moon.

Love,

Mom