To My Oldest..

I never saw this coming.  I never dreamed that you would be sitting in front of a Christmas tree in 2013, in the state of IA, with a lap full of sweet Chinese toddlers.  At fourteen, you are such a treasure and the way that you are growing into such an incredible young woman takes my breath away.  For ten years, you were the only one.  You didn't have to share, think of others, and it was pretty quiet around here at all times.  It is so the opposite of that now.  Your sisters need so much and quiet is very, very hard to come by.  You willingly give of yourself again and again as we care for them.  You wipe bloody noses while I'm driving, serve noodles and cheese while I'm rocking another, and sit with these sweet treasures in your lap hundreds of times throughout the day.  Watching you with them and thinking about how far God has brought our family is something I absolutely treasure in my heart.  I am anxious to see how God uses all that has happened in the last three years in your life.  You have walked this road alongside us.  You have seen God provide in ways none of us imagined for the sake of these beauties.  You have sacrificed, adventured, and endured just as we have.  Some of the greatest and most beautiful moments of my life are when you are loving on your sisters.  I love you and am blessed to have you as my daughter.  I know that all too soon you will be farther away from us and I pray that you continue to be strong in your faith as you walk your own path in this life.