having eleven daughters....

Suzanne Eleanor 17, Emily Anne 33, Mirielle Joy 28, Sonja Kathleen 15, Margaret Cheryl 21, Mali Rose 24, Kathryn Grace 20, Evelyn Joy 18, Abigail Marie 31, and in the front, Miss Camille Anaya 10 and Miss Charlotte Claire 11.
Today is Mali's birthday. (Mali is Lydia's mom, this pic was taken three years ago this summer, before we met Miss Lyd, it seems impossible that we survived without knowing her!)

The five-girls-in-a-row-in-five-years are now 21, 20, 18 1/2, 17, and almost 16. How indeed did that happen? When we were at Disney, there was a family with four little girls in matching dresses, and ha, I realized WHY people stared at us, ha, but I thought to comment, "Wait 'til they're teenagers!", but didn't. Because first of all, when your little girls still let you dress them in matching pink dresses, there is no way in heck you can imagine what it's like when they grow up and develop minds of their own. You also can't imagine the multitude of blessings that come with being there with them as they grow up and turn into their own selves. You may well be able to get a glimpse of the battles lying ahead, the battles of will and of attitudes and maybe even the slamming of a few doors, but you won't know how fiercely you will still love them, how you will admire their strengths and abilities.

My daughters are so different from each other. Emily has the best memory, she excels in history and remembers conversations, song lyrics, and medical terms with ease, but she would be the one who would forget her water bottle at the park. She is a hard worker, loves hikes and bike rides and the big outdoors, but a good book and a rainy day...yup.

Abigail is an accountant, she likes lists and organization. When she was little, we used to call her Bert (from Sesame Street...he had a paper clip collection). She has a worrying personality, but she is also the best driver, calmly pivoting through traffic...

Benjamin...from my sweet baby Benjamin Bunny, to the toddler nickname of Hurricane Hugo, to the cool and extremely challenging teenager, Ben has the biggest heart. He has grown into such a thoughtful young man, responsible and reliable and capable...

Mirielle...she's a force to be reckoned with. You won't call her, "Honey", or "Sweetheart". (even though she is, ha.) She stands up for what she believes in, her faith in God is strengthening. She is a hard worker too, she has lots of initials behind her name now, RN, BSN, and OCN. She is an oncology nurse. I LOVE traveling with her, we went to Ireland and drove across the country together, and were still friends when we got there, ha.

Mali Rose...she is an excellent mama! Lydia is like a mini-Mali, so much spunk and personality! Mali is a hard worker too, she manages to work full time as an RN, and be a good mommy too. Mali is funny and quick, but she is soft and kind, she is a giver, doesn't backbite anyone, ever.

Margaret: Her baby is due any time now! It's hard to reconcile the Margaret who gave me such a hard time as a teenager to the Margaret who is married and almost a mommy, because we get along so well now. She wasn't terrible or anything, just strong-willed. Her strength is a good thing, she has principles and is firm in what she believes. And, she didn't like dogs growing up, now she has two, they're her kids...for now.

Kathryn...oh Kappy Sue, how sweet you are. Kap is the work-out queen, and an excellent big sister. She homeschooled for the last few years of high school, and was so diligent to learn what she was supposed to. She has a good head on her shoulders, and is trustworthy and fun, too.

Evelyn...Ev is so reliable and she can figure things out, and doesn't need to be told twice what needs to be done. She is smart and quick-witted, and full of wisdom and advice. She's a reader, and she is a doer.

Suzanne...she learned to crochet from watching you-tube videos, and now you rarely see her without a new project spinning into being, like kitty hats, or a blanket. She made me a wonderful scarf. She is a staunch conservative, lost some friends at school for finally saying she didn't believe in abortion, no way no how, and Miss Suze has the softest heart. She is funny and sarcastic and she looks at me over the top of her glasses, and I look at her over the top of mine.

Sonja K...Sonja is more liberal in her thinking, and likes to argue her points. She is silly and sweet and very strong. She recently pierced her own ears, she already had one hole in each, but that wasn't enough, she did it herself, second holes. Was I thrilled? no. But she has such a good heart, and would do anything for me.

Charlotte Claire...Char is yacky and sweet and energetic and the most flexible child we've ever had. She is capable and independent and she LOVES the dogs. She can bathe them and feed them, and they sleep in her room. She trained Sunny to jump through the hula hoop.

Camille...Cam will always be The Baby. She still wears this giant blanket sleeper pair of jammies, and I call her the big baby, but shh, she doesn't know it. She still perches on the arm of my chair at least once a day. She is always busy with something, right now she is making seals on envelopes with the glue gun and old crayons. She doesn't get bored, and she has to have a book to read as she falls asleep at night. She is a first class speller, and learns things fast.

Anyway...off I go...Evelyn has only study halls for the rest of the day and wants to be picked up from school...