Better Late Than Never

Its a good thing that Joel and I only have 2 children. I always have good intentions, but I cannot, for the life of me, seem to follow through on them. When I was pregnant with HannahKate, we stopped on the way home from the first doctor's visit and bought a beautiful journal to chronicle my pregnancy. I wrote in it religiously, expressing hopes, fears and dreams for the child I was carrying. When I found out I was expecting Hallie four years later, I kept meaning to buy a journal, but didn't get around to it until about the 6th month. I think there are 2 entries in it.

And so it goes...

For HannahKate's 13th birthday, I blogged about how much my life had changed since she came on the scene. I talked about what a blessing she is and dedicated one of my Weekly Pics to her. Poor little Hallie celebrated her 9th birthday on Tuesday. I've wanted to do something special for her, but my blog-a-tivity seems to have dried up. I cannot come up with a fitting tribute to the child that keeps us on our toes, in stitches of laughter and in awe of her ingenuity.

There was an ice/snow storm in Texas the day Hallie was born. We left early that morning before the weather got bad to go the hospital. Joel's mom and dad brought HannahKate with them and arrived just before lunch. The doctor said the baby was in no hurry, so everyone could relax and get a bite to eat. There was plenty of time, she said...

Hallie was born about 30 minutes later. No hurry, my foot! We should have known then that this little one had a mind of her own. She has been doing things in her own way, in her own time ever since. That is Hallie in a nutshell. She will do what you least expect when you least expect it. Just about the time you think you have her figured out, she changes the rules. When you get to the point you want to scream because she's so aggravating, she does or says something that dissolves all your defenses. I think she's a lot like her daddy...

(Christmas 2005)

So, happy birthday, HallieBeth. You are my sunshine and my sugarbear. I can't wait to see what the next nine years hold.