A birthday without a post?

How could I neglect to record and celebrate my daughter's birthday? Well, she got sick at preschool (which meant an early trip, and abbreviated in-class celebration), and we came home to find that the roof had sprung a leak. So there was not much time for anything.

Now the roof is patched, and Elisabeth is in bed, so there is a bit of time.

I have loved the past year for a multitude of reasons:

• Bedtime is now a peaceful, happy routine.
• Bathing is happy, as getting water in your eyes isn't the end of the world.
• Elisabeth loves to help: cleaning, doing dishes, etc.
• She can make responsible decisions.
• She can make a polite request instead of falling to pieces.
• She can enjoy a book that doesn't have pictures on every page.
• She can solve problems rather than simply reporting them.
• She can share, even when she'd rather not.
• She initiates sharing!
• We can enjoy talking about a shared experience.
• She is even more affectionate and articulate. (Elisabeth regularly comes up to one of us, unprompted, and says, "I love you, Mommy [or Daddy]!")

I am so thankful for my daughter, and for her fourth year of life. What a wonderful gift of grace!