Let us, then, be up and doing, with a heart for any fate.: Little Miss Lauren turns 5

About 4.5 years ago my big brother called and asked if I would be his new daughter's Godmother. I'm not sure I can think of a time when I was more honored than that day. My brother has, since my very first days, been my hero. He is 8 years older than I am and intolerably cool (especially when I was an awkward 4th grader and he was the captain of the football and lacrosse teams as a senior in High School). When I was little and he would get home from practice I let him "teach me" his new tackles that he learned that day. I'm pretty sure I had to agree not to cry, and sometimes it took everything I had not to, but it was always worth it to get to hang out with him. More recently he has become one of the best fathers I've seen; a guy who always talked about his future sons has moved flawlessly into the Princess parties and manicures that come with being the father of two girls.

Here we are in the glory days. Check out those stripes. I guess I've always been fashion forward...

It was also an honor because of how awesome my own Godparents are. Who wouldn't want to be friends with this guy? Almost everybody looks just as delighted as Lilly does when they get to hang out with myGodfather/Uncle Chuck...

So I felt that I had a lot to live up to. I got to attend Lauren's baptism, but beyond that it didn't feel like there was much that I could do as a Godmother for a little baby (except love her like crazy, which came pretty easily). So I decided a while ago that I wanted to give her a bible at some point when it seemed like she was ready for it. I'm not sure that she is spiritually ready :) but since Lauren is getting closer to reading now, it seemed right. So goal #46 was to get Lauren a Bible. I had been looking for a while for one that seemed appropriate for her, and then I found this little number...

Just her style- pink! So I sent this to Lauren for her 5th birthday, today. My family tends to be really good at writing an inscription in books that are gifts, and that is usually my favorite part about the book, so I inscribed this one with some words that I hope will be meaningful to Lauren for years to come, but mostly I hope the book itself will be meaningful to her. I think it is an excellent source for telling us all how to have a full life. Not a life with the fun sucked out of it in the name of obedience, and not a book that gives people an excuse to hate anyone, but one that tells us how to love and trust, and challenges us to be what our Creator knows we have the potential to be. I hope she will see the same truths in those pages.

Here she is reading it this morning! So cute!

Lauren is such a fun little girl with a sweet, fierce heart. One day at preschool she got in trouble for hitting one of the little boys in her class. I think my brother was proud of her already without hearing the explanation because he hopes she won't date until she's at least 35. But the rest of us were more proud when we heard that the little victim had been bullying another kid and Lauren knew he was being mean. So she popped him. Sure we're supposed to tell her not to hit, but I'm pretty sure she got a high 5 from everyone in our family that night.

Here are some of my faves of little Lauren: