Eden is three

eden is three! 

and she is crazy, and fun, and dramatic, and emotional, and passionate and a die hard fan of team agaba.

life goes by so quickly and i rarely take time to really consider the weight of things.  i notice and try to remember, and document, but still precious moments just slip by.  and somehow, without me even realizing it, three entire years have slipped through my fingers like sand.  i promise you its not for lack of trying to hold on.  its not for lack of trying.  its just an impossible thing to freeze time, or even slow it down.  i have enjoyed eden's life so so much and i have tried so many times to figure out how to keep her little.  but its all for naught, and she is growing up in spite of me.  and this is a reality that both thrills me and fills me with sorrow. 

when i say that i have enjoyed eden's life, what i really mean is that being her mother is the most incredible gift and i never could have imagined how wonderful she would be.  she is an incredibly vibrant, joyful, crazy, wild and affectionate girl.  she learns quickly and is endlessly curious and shares herself freely with those she loves.  she is, without exception, the most outgoing and social human being i have ever encountered.  her love is huge.  she loves her people and her life so so hard, and its just fascinating to observe.  she bounces and runs through her days, only ever walking when she's in need of a nap.  her memory is a thing to behold, for better or worse.  she remembers the tiniest snippets of experiences and conversations and recalls them at the most random times.  at least they seem random to me.  i am sure they make perfect sense to her.  

and dont get me wrong.  she can be incredibly stubborn and difficult and she never stops talking.  seriously, unless i invoke my right to silence and sanity, she would literally talk to me allllllllllll day long.

and she is me, in so many ways. some of them thrill me like how she is social and talkative and loves to have an audience.  some of them worry me like how she is stubborn and strong willed and can be incredibly a bit overwhelming for introverts.  

but then she is also robert.  she is goofy and silly like him and loves to make people laugh and smile.  and she loves rwanda and learning anything and everything about it. 

and she is also so much her own person with opinions and thoughts and likes and dislikes and habits and quirks and all these magnificent things that God put in her alone.  just in her. she is my goose, my eedie beedie, my isimbi, my peanut butter, my eden

she says things to me like 'mama look at me...do you like my beautiful?  and 'mama, great job cutting those tomatoes, im very proud of you, you are a great helper.'  

she frequently looks at me and asks me to smile (which she pronounces 'smyo').  and when i do, she says 'you love me, i know.  and you will always always love me and always forgive me even when i disobey.  because you love me'

she loves when people read to her and has a million questions about every illustration, right down to the expressions on peoples faces.  

she is memorizing Bible verses and the children's catechism and she asks me endless questions about God and the 'Holy Goose'.  she loves to pray, especially after being disciplined, and she seems to genuinely want to understand more about who God is.  

she adores her baby sister and talks to her in a silly high pitched voice.  she loves to pet her head and tickle her and tell her all sorts of things.  

she loves her best good friend evelyn with all her little heart.  

she loves her cousins and uncles and aunts, even uncle paul who threatens to put her in the garbage can.  

she thinks her gramma j hung the moon and that dr. papa j can make anyone feel better (and its true, he can).  

and she loves robert and me so well.  she loves to take care of us, tells us she misses us when we go, asks us if we are 'peeling well' and reminds us that she really thinks that we are wonderful (wandypoll)

i could go on and on, as i am sure any parent could, about the glories of watching your child grow and learn and become who they are.  especially a first child, when every single phase they go through is an entirely uncharted course.  

i just have to say it has been an amazing journey so far, and i am so glad that i get my front row seat to the eden show.  let me tell you, there is never a dull moment.  wonderful, yes. exciting, yes.  heart-warming, yes. frustrating, yes.  exhausting, yes.  but dull, not even a chance.