My Daughters

My girls are best little friends ( but that doesn’t mean they don’t fuss with each other every now and then – I just want to keep it real with ya’ll!  ) and I have been hearing them talking to “Kellin” quite often.   I just thought it was a doll they named Kellin but the other day Bob and Sarah were talking and she told her daddy, “Kellin is my imaginary friend!  She is my only friend other than Sophia.”   So, the other day, the girls were talking to Kellin and I asked Sarah if she was in the car with us and Sarah replied, “Of course, Mommy!  She is sitting in my seat belt with me!”    Another silly thing about Sarah these days is she has invented what she calls a “hiccup-giggle”.  Well, let me tell you that it is neither quiet nor feminine!  Every time she starts using her “hiccup-giggle”, Bob and I look at each other and roll our eyes but end up smiling because it is just so obnoxious!   The hiccup-giggle has got to go!

Well, Sarah has changed her mind about being a vet.  Since she was just a wee little girl, she has wanted to be a vet.  But, that changed this week.  Now she wants to be a “zoo nursery worker and feed the baby animals”.  Yessssss – she is MY girl!  : )   If I could choose any job in the world, it would be working in the maternity ward, giving babies their first bath and handing the clean, wrapped babies to the mamas.   Sometimes I just look into the green eyes of my daughter, and I see myself through and through.

Sarah is “training Rosebud”.  She loves running with Rosebud and taking her leash off and teaching Rosebud to stay along side her.

Every morning at family devotions we pray together.  Sophie prays for her little friends Esther, Ashton and Diana and her Mamas and Papa.  Samuel prays for his Uncle Jesse, Uncle Tim and Uncle Stephen.   Sarah Grace prays for the little boys and girls that don’t have a mommy and daddy and for the ones that don’t have any food to eat.  There have been times she has prayed for the less fortunate with tears in her eyes and a shaky voice.   Sarah remembers the visits we made together in Brazil, bringing food to children that didn’t have anything to eat; delivering milk to homes where the babies were crying from hunger.   She remembers.    I pray every day that Sarah stays close to God every single day of her life and that this girl of mine will yield herself to whatever God has for her.

Ahhh, my sweet Sophie girl.   I just cannot get enough of this one!   Do you ever get overwhelmed in a good way with what you have?  The other day I was doing dishes and looking out the window at the clouds passing by and I heard Sophie on the couch, “reading” a book and I just got this overwhelming feeling.   Just as those clouds were passing by, so were those seconds passing by – I will never get those seconds, minutes, hours, etc. back.  I dried my hands, realizing that time passes by so quickly.   I plopped down on the couch next to Sophie and read to her.  I kissed her chubby cheeks and twirled my fingers around her pigtails.    I get so sentimental when I think about the time passing … the moments passing.   I just do not want to take for granted what God has given to me nor do I want to miss a moment savoring my children.

Well, Sophie and I made a blueberry pie together the other night as we had some wonderful guests visiting our home who work with the Billy/Franklin Graham Crusades.  (There was a great turnout here for the crusade last weekend – thousands of Estonians present with over 1,000 desisions. )

I thought I would share the recipe if anyone out there would like to make a blueberry pie soon.  It turned out pretty good although I am not sure if the picture looks very appetizing.

* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 5 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 5 cups fresh blueberries
* 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
* 1 tablespoon butter
DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon, and sprinkle over blueberries.
3. Line pie dish with one pie crust. Pour berry mixture into the crust, and dot with butter. Cut remaining pastry into 1/2 – 3/4 inch wide strips, and make lattice top. Crimp and flute edges.
4. Bake pie on lower shelf of oven for about 50 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

And as I write all of this about my girls and they have been asleep now for a little while, my son is singing in his room next to me.   He is singing “Holy, Holy, Holy – He is Holy, Holy, Holy … I want to praise You …. I want to praise You”.  I am truly blessed.  I think I will go snuggle with him and read to him about snakes.   Life just doesn’t get much better than this!!