Sophie turned eight!

How did that happen? Eight years old? She can NOT be eight years old. But her birthdate is September 17, 1999, so it adds up to eight years old somehow.

Sophie is a lot of life wrapped up in a dynamo of a body. She is lightning and thunder, she is a hurricane, she is energy. But in the last few years, she has developed a softer, gentler side that is so beautiful. She loves to give kisses, to comfort us when we're struggling, to draw pictures and write notes to us. She is remarkable.

Our trial with Sophie is to know what we should do to help harness who she is. She is very talented at gymnastics, she is good at both piano and violin, she's a fantastic reader and a wonderful student, a good artist. She has a very pure and high soprano voice (she can hit an F above high C). She has natural grace and showmanship and loves to dance. She has a good eye for photography. So many gifts! But she is overwhelmed right now and struggling and she is still so young. How do we know how to help her, to let her have a rich and full creative childhood, full of time to explore the world on her own terms, and yet allow her to develop the talents the Lord just seemed to dump on her? A lot of prayer is involved, I know that. It's a balancing act.

Our eight years together have been a joy. We love our Sophie.