Ryley Turns Nine

Ryley turned nine today.

And in what has literally seemed like a blink of an eye, we’re halfway to 18. We’re half done.

Oh, I know we’re never actually done parenting; our parents still have a daily impact on our lives in a variety of important, wonderful ways, not the least of which is prayer. But assuming Ryley leaves home and goes to college right after high school, we have reached the halfway point of her childhood…of her formidable years at home.

When I was pregnant with her, I signed up for BabyCenter.com e-mails, which sent weekly updates about the growth and development of our unborn baby. Even after Ryley was born, we continued to receive weekly e-mails featuring growth updates and parenting issues we may be experiencing. They were really helpful. Ryley was surprisingly right on track and in sync with the e-mails….She rolled over for the first time on the very same day I received an e-mail titled “Your Baby Could Roll Over Any Day Now.”  And the e-mails continued. I had no idea how long they’d go on. Sometimes I read them; sometimes I deleted them without reading them. Just two weeks ago, as we were having some trouble with “interrupting,” I received an e-mail titled “Teaching Your Eight-Year-Old Not to Interrupt.” Perfect timing once again. And then, sadly, a week ago, I received an e-mail basically saying, “Good Luck. Your Child Is Almost Nine. This Is as Far as Our E-mails Go.”

And I cried.

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We had a wonderful few days celebrating her birthday.

Last night we had dinner with my aunt and uncle at the Spaghetti Factory. She opened some wonderful presents, including three prairie bonnets that my grandma sewed for her!

A night cap:

A work bonnet:

And a church bonnet:

Also, isn’t that a gorgeous sundress that my aunt sewed for her? Ryley is never lacking for people who love her. :-)

Today has been a perfect day. Ryan and I both took the day off work. We picked up Ryley’s best friend Amirah and went to a miniature water park…big enough to have a lot of fun, but small enough to still be cheap AND let them run around without fear of anyone getting lost.

We all swam. We all got a lot of sun. We are all very tired. :-)

I am so glad we took Amirah. That hadn’t been the original plan. We watch her a lot because of her mom’s crazy work schedule, and sometimes because of some hard things that have happened to her, she can kind of be moody. The last thing I wanted was for Ryley’s birthday/family day to be ruined with bad attitude and moodiness. I kept having this tug on my heart that we should invite her, but I just kept fighting it. It’s our family day, after all.

Then I had this amazing conversation with her mom on Saturday, where she told me that she’s so glad her daughter has us in her life…a stable family environment where she can see what a family is supposed to be like. I am not free to share all the things that she said, but I gained new understanding and clarity about the situation, and I felt God expanding my heart right then and there.

Oh, Jesus. With all of our faults and mistakes and imperfections, we are not a model family. But we thank Him for using us anyway.

God showed me how we have been praying for more than seven years to expand our family….for God to give us more children. And here is a little girl right in front of us who needs a family – maybe not literally, but metaphorically and spiritually, for sure. God has put her in our lives for a purpose. 

So, Option A: we could go to a water park and Ryley could be lonely as she plays by herself; meanwhile her friend sits at home, also lonely.

OR, Option B: we could invite the little girl who needs a family; Ryley’s no longer lonely; Amirah’s no longer lonely; we learn an expanded definition of “family” and spread the love and hope of Jesus.

Option B, it was. And there was no moodiness. It was actually extremely peaceful and pleasant all day long. God was and is at work. :-)

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We are so grateful for Ryley’s life….What an amazing gift she is to us!  Happy birthday to my sweet, sweet girl. It’s been nine years of incredible blessings, and there’s still a whole lot of life yet to live. :-)