for my girls.

June 5th, 2004...the day that I married my high school sweetheart.

Mr. Farmhouse and I had been together for almost four years by that point, and I knew that June 5th was the beginning of our "happily ever after".

Then along came some other important dates.

​December 30th.  April 6th.  June 11th.

The three most important dates in our married lives...the day our sweet girls made their debuts into our family.

My friend, Crystal, at Photography by Crystal captured these amazing images (and several others!) of my girlies this past summer. 

Sidenote: I can't wait to share with you some more of her work when my wall art comes in next week!

I have looked through these images over and over and over again.

How is my Harlee-girl almost eleven years old?

When did my Claire-bear become old enough to want to change school districts this year and move away from her mama?

How is it that my Mattie-moo is sleeping in her own bed all night, speaking in complete sentences, and pulling up her favorite song on YouTube all by herself?

These pictures have really reminded me that my babies aren't babies any longer.  

The older girls have already had a few "friendship struggles" in the last few years.  

Those moments where you want to just rescue your child and tell them exactly what to say and how to handle specific situations when they get their feelings hurt.

Those moments where you are so worried that they are going to or have already hurt someone else's feelings.  

Those moments where you just want them to choose the right thing...to say the right thing...

We've all had these moments in parenting, right?

Moments spent praying that they will be a light in a dark world.
That the world won't dim their lights.
That they will shine, even when life gets hard.

I'm not alone in this...this time spent worrying and fretting and praying over my children, right?  

As I looked through these photos of my girls Saturday afternoon, I started to subconsciously make a list of my hopes and dreams for them.

1. That they would be kind and encouraging to others.

I want them to be good students and to try hard in their respective activities.  I want them to work to be the best athletes they can be and to get good grades,  I want them to practice their musical instruments and contribute to keeping our household run smoothly. 

But more than that...I want them to be kind.  I want them to be a good teammate, to show good sportsmanship.  I want them to be includers, not excluders.  I want them to see a need in a friend and meet that need.  I want them to smile and to encourage and to give of themselves to help others to find good in the world.

2. That they would learn contentment and joy in everyday life.

I want my babies to understand that "stuff" is not important and people are.  I want them to be content living in a hundred-year-old farmhouse the same as they would be content if we had built a brand new home. 

I want them to know that sometimes playing outside all evening is a better option than saying yes to every single extracurricular activity out there.

I want them to understand that we can find joy in a sunrise or a sunset or laughter spent with sisters.  

3. That they would find a passion and pursue it.

At one of the teaching conferences I went to last week, I saw an amazing speaker named Tara Brown speak about educators and parents being a Spark Champion for our children. 

I want my girls to find their own sparks and pursue them.  What drives them?  What are they passionate about?  What purpose do they feel they have in the world?  

I want them to find these things and to work hard to learn more about them and to use these passions for good.

4. That they would build lasting relationships with a small group of friends.

Some of my very best friends are the girls that I spent my elementary years with.  We have connected on facebook, text often, and sometimes don't see each other but a few times a year.  

I want this for my girls.  I want them to connect on a deep level with a group of girls that they can grow up with.  I want them to band together with these girls and share kindness in the public school system.  I want them to push each other to work hard and to be their very best.

They are both blessed to already be forming these friendships in their classrooms, in their school, at in our church.  I'm so very thankful for this and I pray that these relationships continue to grow through the next several years.

5. That they would meet a faithful & generous man someday who will complement them in marriage the way that their daddy has done for me.

Yep.  I'm already praying for their future husbands.

I know that God is preparing someone for each of them. 
Someone who will complement their gifts and talents and fill in the gaps where they are lacking. 
Someone who will encourage them to love on others and to give of themselves in a dark world. 
Someone who will be a daddy to my grandbabies and a helpmate to each of my sweet girls.

I pray daily for my girls.
For the decisions they will have to make on this day.
For their friends.
For their teachers.
For their future husbands.
For their hearts and their minds and their physical protection.

I know that we will fail them miserably sometimes as parents and I just pray that God can move us both through these times and help us grow through all of our mistakes and mishaps.

I hope that when my girls grow up, they can see that we tried our hardest as parents.

I hope that they realize that they have a built-in best friend in each other and that there is no love like a sibling's love.

And I hope they can see that the best way to live is to love God and to love people.