Natalie

My youngest daughter will be turning 12 soon! How is this possible? It seems like just last week we brought her home from the hospital or it was just recently that she was the same heighth as me when I would be sitting on the floor. I used to be looking down at her and telling how to do things and now its looking up into her beautiful sunny eyes and letting her know how to deal with life lessons. 

I remember like it was just yesterday that common things from her mouth were "I wanna watch Poop (Pooh) bear" or "Can I have chloclate(chocolate) milk?" and a favorite that always made everyone laugh was "Christmas uh lights!" with a lilt on the word lights.

When Natalie was just a few days old (?) my husband came up with her nickname "Nattie." To this day it just seems fitting to call her that. Even though she is taller than me and getting older and smarter by the minute she will always be my little baby. She hates when I call her that. But in my mind she will always be my baby. I think what makes it hard for me to see her as a young person is that her sister is 5 years older than her and no matter what milestone Nattie has overcome it just seems like she will always be too little to do it. Even though her sister did it also at the same age and was so big at it.

They say that every family has a drama queen. In ours, it's Nattie - it's only because she is just like her mom. 

I remember when we had brought our dog home for the first time. She looked at it and I asked her how she likes her new puppy. She said "I never wanted a puppy. I wanted a kitten." Come to find out she had just watched our new puppy (Zoey) and Zoey's sister get into a little scrapping session together; so she was a little scared of it. 

I think if you ask her, her favorite time of the year is winter. She will be the first one to be bundled up to go play outside in the snow. She will be out there for hours, if allowed and then she wants a cup of hot chocolate to make the red in her cheeks to fade. She's so cute!!

If the sunshine ever had a color I think it would be the color of Nattie's beautiful smile. That's what we call her, "sunshine" - so hence she has always had a song just for her in the house - You are my sunshine. I remember when I used to sing that to her when she was just a baby. She has twinkly eyes and when she smiles, she just melts your troubles away. You can always tell when she isn't feeling well, because the twinkle in her eyes, disappears. She can never smile with just her mouth, but when she does, she does it with her whole face. That is a sign of a true smile.

A few years ago Tim and Nattie were in a car accident. I was a witness to it when someone had hit the van from the side. It was one of those moments that makes you think "Did I just see what I think I saw?" The way the car hit our van and where Nattie was sitting in the van, it was like God had sent his angels or His Hand around the area where Nattie was sitting and cushioned her so she wasn't hurt at all. On the same side that she was sitting, the front and the backside of the van was hit; but not the area where Nattie was sitting - in the middle. The only thing that was hurt was our pocketbook. We had just purchased the van and was ours for about 2 months. The van was demolished. But it was one of those moments that you seen God move in a mighty way to protect our family.

Recently, when I was watching her at a game that she was in, she made me so proud. She isn't the best player on the court - she's pretty close though, but that isn't what impressed me. What impressed me is her attitude towards those players who do not do well. She always went over her team player and slapped their hand. Not everyone on the court did that and she always encourages other players. She always seems to be for the underdog. She is well liked in her class and her teachers can never say anything but good things about her. 

Whenever she is watching a television show, she always wonders if they are a Christian. She has done that ever since she was wee little. What child do you know does that? She tries so hard to be older, different. I know she has a lot of growing up to do in her young life.