Today, this little girl with the blue, blue eyes, the Rapunzel-length curls, and the adorable bouncy half-walk/half-trot everywhere she goes…is turning three. I think I said the exact same thing when she turned two last year, but in some ways, I can’t believe she’s already been in our lives for three whole years. And in still others, I can’t believe she’s not older.

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Before the twins came, I was worried that she might resent them because she’s always been such a mama’s girl, but it turns out I was fretting for naught. She’s the cutest little mama and loves to take care of “Evy an No-wa.” IMG_4969-001

She’s the most endearing combo of total girly-girl (“MAMA! I wear my TUTU!!!”) and dig-in-the-dirt tomboy (while she’s wearing that tutu, naturally).

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And she’s tough. She rarely cries when she falls or “bonks” her head.

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{Daddy’s already scoping out a big enough shotgun to scare the boys away when she’s a 16-year-old with those ridiculous lashes}.

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Della has been known to throw a tantrum (or 200), but even my closest friends are rarely privy to a Della meltdown since her natural disposition is happy and winsome.

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{Unfortunately, she’s learning to “work” that grin. Don’t let it fool you. She can be a bit of a stinker with a stubborn streak. But usually, that smile is genuine and like a bright ray of sunshine on a dreary day}

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We’ve never cut her hair, and I live in dread of the day that she gets those pudgy little hands on a pair of scissors and decides to give herself a “trim.”

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Everyone says that she looks like a mini-me because of her fair skin, blue eyes, and brunette curls, but my mama laughs and says, “Yes, but have they seen Shaun when they say that? She looks just like her daddy!”

Thing is, both are true. In my humble opinion, she is the perfect combination of all of our best features, and sometimes, I feel my breath catch a little when she cocks her head, and a curl falls across her eye.

But, while I’m certainly not complaining that God has blessed her with physical beauty, what I desire most is for her heart and her spirit to be her loveliest attributes. And I can truthfully say that her most attractive features are her unbridled, generous smile and infectious giggle. I pray that she will always be a source of encouragement, friendship, and joy to others. So far, that’s exactly what she is, and I can’t wait to see how she develops and grows.

Actually, I can wait. Because she’ll only be three and small for a tiny “wittle while” (one of her favorite phrases, as in: “Mama, we go pick up my brudders in a wittle while?”). I just want to lock away all the small, seemingly insignificant details of this stage away in my heart—the way her hair smells when she burrows under my chin to read with me, the way she charges off toward Softa’s (my mom’s) house without a backward glance, only to freeze mid-curl-bounce, turn back, and holler, “MAMA! I need a TISS!”, even the way her bottom lip wobbles when she’s in trouble—but I know I will forget some (I already have).

So, I take lots of pictures. I blog. I pray. And I try to remember to filter my reactions through my love for her.

Sometimes, it’s easy, like when she twines her arms tight tight around my neck and whispers, “Mama, I wub you.” Other times, it’s doesn’t come quite as easily. Like when she tries to boycott dinner (again) or sneaks off into the corner to poop in her diaper two seconds after I had her sit on the potty. 

But it’s always worth it. Love is always worth it.

P.S. These pics are from our lake trip. I promise I didn’t put her in a tutu swimsuit in November.

P.P.S. I promised to reveal the winners of all of our giveaways today, but I’m going to go eat lunch with my birthday girl instead and reveal them tomorrow when we have our second Mombassadors interview (plus yet another fabulous giveaway I know you’ll love!).

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