Spotlight on......

After an email I received from Lindsey, I have decided to start doing little tidbits on each of my children individually. I think that, though most of the people locally know my children and the ups and downs of our crazy life, I should really introduce each of the kids and their various personalities etc. That way everybody can get to know our family a bit better and I will have memories to treasure should I ever go back and re-read this at some point in the future.

This day's spotlight is on Jessica.
Jessica is our oldest at 13. She is very sweet spirited though she comes with a mean streak at times (just ask her dad). I love her so very much. When I found out I was pregnant with her Larry was at military training. I told him over the phone and he said that he did cartwheels and was hooping and hollering all the way back to his barracks. We were both excited to be having a baby though we were both still pretty young ourselves (21 and 22). Not knowing how my body would be during pregnancy I would go to Larry's work (Subway) and spend many evenings learning how to cross stitch and reading books anticipating contractions and labor and the meeting of our daughter. Finally after 2 weeks past our due date the doctor went ahead and induced us. She was a beautiful baby at birth weighing in at 8lbs. 10oz. She definitely was the beginning of a lot of changes in our lives.

We knew we both wanted to homeschool our children so we bought books and started teaching her at such an early age. (Larry was homeschooled and I always knew I would homeschool because I didn't care for public school too much.) She is very intelligent.

Jessica has faith in God that I can't even begin to describe. As a young child she knew that God answers prayers and she would pray about some really tough situations (Larry and I separating) and God heard her little cries and answered prayers. When I wake her up in the morning her bible is still open on her bed from her previous evening devotional time alone with God. Her desire is to serve God with all her heart. She wears a ring for purity on her left hand to remind her of a precious gift she will give to her future husband.

Change for her is very difficult for her to swallow though. In the past two years she has endured moving, changing churches, our becoming of foster parents, our daycare, puberty, and now adoption of her new siblings. It has taken a lot of time to adjust each of these though the latter at times is still most difficult. She is beginning to bond with her new siblings. She trusts us though knowing that we have prayed for our new additions and God's confirmation time and time again.

I really wouldn't know what I would do without Jessica. She is truly my right hand. She loves me so much though she sees faults in me that other people outside our home don't see. She is very responsible and can run my house if I needed to be gone for an extended amount of time. She will make a wonderful wife one day (though thankfully she isn't interested in boys right now...Still wishing arranged marriages were legal though ;) ) God has a mighty calling on her life and I believe there are great things that are going to happen through her ministry whatever it may be. She has a LOVE for little kids that is remarkable. She loves helping people. She is growing out her hair right now so she can give it to Locks of Love for people to make a wig. She has over 15 inches right now (if we were to cut it at shoulder link) but she wants to wait until it touches her bottom which it's really close.

I cried this year when she turned 13. I get emotional when I think of how little time I have with her before she becomes an adult. I sometimes think what if I screwed my daughter up (though I could probably blame her daddy for some of it LOL) I only have so little time left to "bring her up in the ways of God." I know she will always be one of my best friends. I believe she will be a child that will want to visit often whereever in the world she may want to live. She still calls us "momma" and "dadda" and will always be our "baby girl."