Our Little Lady

Our Little Lady is six years old. Time has flown! Watching little ones grow seems to augment the speed at which days turn into weeks then into years... With God’s help, we’re trying to cherish the precious, fleeting moments.

Elizabeth continues to be a great source of joy. By God’s grace, we are constantly reminded that she is a trust – on loan from Him. What an awesome, humbling responsibility! (In early February, I paused to jot some notes – lest in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, the timing of events and milestones blurs.)

Enjoying her little “Secret Place” in the back yard

In December, Elizabeth became an avid reader. She continues to learn by leaps and bounds. Upon realizing that Spanish has only five vowel sounds, she taught herself to read Spanish, too, while we were in Uruguay in late December and early January. Her doing so is extra special to me because Jona did the same as a young boy...

Having fluctuated between speaking mostly Spanish as a baby and young toddler, to rejecting it while in K-2 and K-3, to picking it back up during short visits to Uruguay, she now speaks more Spanish than ever – thanks mostly to the fact that we speak primarily Spanish to her baby brother. We are constantly amused (and delighted!) as we hear her speak quite fluently to DJM. She loves to tell him what to do – especially if there’s opportunity to tell him not to do something! But, in general, she continues to be “Best Big Sister” to him. And he adores her in return.

On the plane, traveling back from Uruguay

She continues to love drawing and often surprises us with drawings of events or objects she experienced or saw in the past. Some of her latest artwork includes Uruguayan themes! And she continues to love drawing “manger scenes” – with lots of detail.

Probably my all-time favorite!

During the last year or so, she also designed several of what she called “tracts.”

When not drawing or reading, she is constantly on the move. (Her Daddy often says that she went from crawling to running – and has never stopped!) She is a delightful juxtaposition of “princess” and “tom-boy” rolled into one! Favorite pictures of mine include moments when I’ve caught her in mid-air:

At a random rest area in Iowa in early October 2011

At Plaza Independencia in Montevideo in early January 2012

She continues to be tender-hearted, and we’re very thankful.