She is a beautiful, wonderfully made, charismatic little princess.

And when I say "princess," I mean princess! I'm not referring to one of those little girls who like to play dress up and act like a princess. I'm talking about an honest to goodness, tiara-wearing, legitimate princess - or so Madalynn is convinced. Of course, Mike and I encourage this behavior. What we didn't take into account was the zeal with which she would embrace her faux royalty (the "faux" part is just between you and me, of course, as Madalynn will hear none of that). Madalynn truly believes that she is special. I have to admit that I love this quality about my daughter because it is a stark contrast to what I believed about myself when I was a child. It took me years (okay, maybe decades) to walk with the confidence and love for myself that Madalynn so naturally has. I am determined to never squash this quality in her that the world outside has such a tendency to temper.

While some might think that allowing Madalynn to believe she's a princess will cause her to grow up with an inflated ego, I believe we're simply reinforcing to her the way that God sees her (you and me, for that matter). I can't imagine a better start in life for her than knowing who she is in Gods eyes. Not only is Madalynn the apple of her Daddy's eye; she is beautifully, wonderfully made, a royal princess in her Heavenly Father's eye. Having said that, if how we think influences the reality of our walk in life; then I wish I could have grown up with Madalynns same princess outlook on life.

Jul 22, 2009

God Save the QUEEN

Just in case you were having second thoughts about that Vasectomy. Nothing fades out the noise that resonates in a home full of kids. The best way to describe what its like to have a Second child is to imagine that Madalynn is the drummer, Dillon is the guitarist and they are playing two different songs. I am the lead singer just making up the words as I go along while I'm listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing Christmas carols. Next Mike in on stage in front 20,000 people trying to keep the beat to an acoustic version of "God SAVE the QUEEN" by the Sex Pistols. The sound is awful but we are calling it Art.