So...First Daughter

Today I am thankful for First Daughter.



photo taken by Andrea
This morning First Daughter and I went on a much needed daughter date.
We got all dolled up and headed out to one of our favorite parks for a photo shoot with one of our favorite cousins (and talented photographer) Andrea.

I've been dreaming about photos with each of the daughters.
Perhaps it is motivated by a realization that my one-on-one time with them is limited and will only become more so when Baby Brother arrives.
I want time dedicated to each one of them, and proof that it happened.

I want each of them to know that I love them. That I love spending time with just them.
I want each of them to have time with me all to themselves. That doesn't happen very often around here. And I want them to have pictures to remember being just with mom.

And, I admit, I reap most of the benefit by getting time with each one of them to myself.

This morning it was First Daughter.
She felt special as we shared a closet picking out the perfect coordinating outfits together and posing in front of the mirror.
She gave me advice on whether to go for the black or brown boots.
She watched me blow dry my hair and I helped curl hers.
She watched me put on my makeup while I shared my "wisdom" on natural beauty.
I curled her eyelashes and let her put on some lip gloss.
She had an extra bounce in her step and we walked out the front door and climbed in the car.

She felt a little funny having someone take pictures of us walking along a path, smiling at each other, and sharing some laughs. She tried her best to act natural, but admitted it felt a bit strange. It was obvious that she loved it though as she kept mentioning how much fun she was having being just with mom. I told her I loved it too. It reminded me of when it was just the two of us, all the time.

After the photo shoot we headed over to Magleby's Fresh for some all-you-can eat french toast and hot chocolate with whipped cream. First Daughter cleaned her plate and practically licked the buttermilk syrup container clean. I did too. :)

We talked over breakfast about how it can be hard to be a big sister and how it can be hard to be a mom too. We talked about Heavenly Father's plan for us and how He puts us just where we need to be in a family, even if it's hard. I assured her that Heavenly Father knows how amazing she is, and how much she can teach her little sisters and me.

It is such a gift to have First Daughter in my life. She teaches me and amazes me everyday. We both are learning how to best fulfill our roles in our family, but we both are trying our bests and trying to work together. I hope we can always talk like we did today, and support each other in our efforts.

She has been blessed with a maturity beyond her years. She can understand the importance of the things we talked about and I see her internalizing it. I see her efforts everyday to be a little better, be helpful, be kind, and trying to communicate with her family. These are things that, to me, seem beyond the duties of a six-year-old girl. Yet she does it, and she does it well.

It is a blessing to have her as my first, and at the same time an overwhelming challenge.
Being a mother has exposed all of my weaknesses and magnified them.
I want to be better than I am - for her - because most days I'm not so sure I know what I'm doing.

But I am thankful that she is patient with me, she forgives me, and that she loves me.
Because she is oh so precious to me and I love her oh so much.

And I can't wait to see how today's pictures turn out.
Thank you Andrea!


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