she's growing up

She was born when I was 13 years old. I remember the morning I found out I was going to have another little sister. I was just waking up and still laying in bed when I overheard my parents talking softly in the hallway about how they would share the news with Kellie and me. I leapt out of bed, opened my bedroom door, and let them know I had heard and was excited.

The picture above may be one of the only pictures we have of her between the ages of 2 and 4 in which she’s actually wearing an article of clothing. Luckily, she grew out of that stage.

She is a lot like me. We are social butterflies. Both of us could talk your ears off. We are both perfectionists to a fault. {Insert panic attacks and crying sessions here.} We love working with kids. We have killer dance moves and can tear it up on the dance floor.  Our favorite is Jesus and we both love Him.

She is amazing. She is an A student in advanced classes. She is an incredible artist. She volunteers with the children’s ministry at church. She is an awesome friend and a fabulous sister.

The proudest moments I have had of her are just watching her come into her own. She doesn’t give herself enough credit. She is the epitome of awesome. I will never forget her leading the children in song and worship one Sunday morning. She was on the stage in the main sanctuary in front of the entire congregation full of poise, confidence, and contagious joy. I might have shed a tear or 30 watching her.

I think Stacey enjoys making and giving gifts to others more than receiving them herself. Every Christmas she spends hours making treats, art, jewelry, etc. for friends and family. She is so generous and sweet. The picture below is a sampling from about 4 years ago.

And here are a couple of samplings of her art work these days…

I went away for college when Stacey was only 5. We wrote letters and talked on the phone, but I still feel like I missed her growing up and getting to know her. So this last year when I took the year off from teaching one of the greatest blessings I gained was spending more time with her. I picked her up every day from school and got to help out with school projects and homework. We had old fashioned sleepovers and just had fun together.

I tell her often, but I still don’t think she knows just how proud of her I am. She has grown into a beautiful young lady from the inside out. She celebrated her 17th birthday this week!

Happy Birthday week, Stacey! I love you more than the world!!!