Lillian Rachel is 3!

We celebrated Lily's birthday this week... Hard to believe that it's been three years since we welcomed her into our family!

Lily is so many things:

A bit of a stinker

Joy-filled

Silly

Inquisitive (some might even say nosy!)

Sweet

A fan of snuggling

A Mommy's girl

Sassy

Lily is also determined, independent, and insistent on getting exactly and only what she wants.

I've been asking God to show me how to raise Lily to be a good child. An obedient child. A well-behaved child.

Recently, it's occurred to me that I was asking God for the wrong thing. I need to change my prayer to ask God to help me raise Lily-belle to be the person who He wants her to be. I need to ask God to help ME, not ask God to change her for the sake of who I think she should be.

I want this new prayer to change my heart. I want to be open for whatever plan He has in store for our daughter.

Maybe His plan for her is not tied to her being a good, rule-following child. Maybe it's for her to be a God-following adult. An adult who is determined, independent and insistent enough to fulfill a purpose He already has in mind!

I keep thinking about Proverbs 22:6... That what we do now with Gabe and Lily we do so that as they grow, they won't turn away from the principles we value, but rather include them in their life-long pursuit of God. Maybe all the things that make Lily a challenge to parent now are the things that when matured will make her great for God's kingdom.

I feel so fortunate that God chose me to be this little person's mom - and mom to her incredible big brother. Happy Birthday Ellie-Bellie!!!