ELEVEN

Her birth was nothing less than a miracle. Of course, every mother will tell you that about every child that is born. And for as long as women continue to have children, it will be the same. They are miracles. Children of God.

Meet My Little Miracle
LEXA

For the first months of her life, I couldn't stop looking at her. I counted her toes and touched her head. There was nothing I would rather do than hold my daughter.

When she was 1...
She learned about pickles, lemons, grapefruit, cheesecake, salsa, kiwi, ketchup, olives and more. She liked everything except for peas.

Just before she turned 2...
She drew on the front room wall with a permanent marker. There was a zigzag line all the way down the hall. When I asked her why she did that, she said, "Pretty Mountains, Mommy."

When she was 3...
She became a big sister.
She learned to whistle.
She loved alligators.

When she was 4
We were preparing to move across the country. She was very concerned about making sure that we packed the toilet because it was something she didn't think she could live without.

At five years old...
She taught her brother about the joys of "under panties." He began taking off his diaper and putting on layer after layer of pink and purple panties. I finally had to buy him some of his own "big boy underwear." They had Spiderman on them...Good bye, ponies and rainbows.

When she was 6...
Her teacher told me that she tied the other kids' shoes for them and whispered words in their ears if they got nervous reading out loud to the class. She also forged my name on a note from school.

Birthday #7 brought out the tomboy...
She punched a boy at school and she wanted to change her name to Axel. That would be Lexa spelled backwards.

When she was 8...
She chose to be baptized, she took horseback riding lessons and she finally started to lose some of those pesky baby teeth.

As a 9 year old...
She won the overall prize for the Freedom Festival Art Contest. She joined the ballroom dance team and started taking private art lessons...That would also be the year I found my first gray hair!!!

When she was 10...
She tried out for the show chorus at school and our house has been filled with music ever since.

Now she is turning 11 and I am excited to watch her as she figures out more about who she is. I dread the emotional roller coaster that we will most likely ride together. And I wonder what surprises this next year will bring.


xoMJ