Rachel, My Joy

My four children truly are the light and and purpose of my life and I'd love to share a little more about what makes each of them extraordinary, unique, and special to me (don't you think this would make a great scrapbook layout topic? Creating layouts for each child on what makes them your joy?). Today, I want to give you a glimpse of the sweet relationship I share with my daughter Rachel.

Rachel has always been a lovely, kind, and innocent child, but don't let the initial impressions fool you—she also has an impish and curious side, particularly when there is something she wants. When she was little, that "something she wants" was typically candy. MY, she had a sweet tooth! This layout featuring photos of her when she was just 18 months old perfectly captures her personality. Shortly after Halloween that year, the house was quiet even though all the kids were home and accounted for…except for Rachel. We went on a hunt for her, calling her name, and finally found her hiding out in Jared's room. She had discovered Jared's trick-or-treat loot and was in the process of slurping, sucking, and chomping every last bit of it down (and wearing much of it on a new outfit I'd just dressed her in!)

But it didn't stop there. Oh, no. One afternoon, David and I took a stroll around the neighborhood, leaving the kids at home (so we thought). Rachel was about three at the time. As we walked down the street, we heard a distinctly familiar little voice calling, "Hi, mommy! Hi, daddy!" We looked up at the window of a neighbor's home (their master bedroom to be precise). Rachel was waving at us from the window! We rushed over and I called up to her: "Rachel! What are you doing?" She replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "I'm looking for candy." My goodness, I could have died. The neighbors weren't home and she had entered through a partially opened garage door—just wide enough for a cat (or a small child, apparently). The challenge: the front door was locked and she couldn't find her way back to the garage! David and I had to coach, coax, and coddle that girl like a mouse through a maze. To this day, I don't think I have ever told the neighbors the story!

Today, Rachel is an independent adult—but still my sweet girl. She works full-time for Close To My Heart, so David and I are both blessed to see her frequently. I LOVE the relationship she and David share—here are just a couple of photos of them together, and I think it's immediately evident that they enjoy each other's company. They share a very similar personality, and love to tease each other and make quippy jokes. They love to volley goofiness back and forth, back and forth until I have to interject, "Enough, you two!" (Hey, sometimes, somebody has to be the grown-up!) Whether Rachel is dressing up for glamour (see photos of her styled for a beauty/hair show) , or just hanging out at home, these two make a great pair.

One of the things I love about Rachel is her natural maternal sense. All of my children are great with kids, but Rachel connects and plays with them so eagerly, so happily, it's not just something she can DO, it's an activity she will CHOOSE. The kids she loves best are her seven nieces and nephews—she'll roll around on the ground, make funny faces, sing crazy songs, and tickle and laugh like she's one of the kids herself. And they feel that love and connection so sincerely from her, they just flock to her whenever she comes for a visit. Check out these fun photos of her playing with the grandkids—can't you just sense her genuine love for each of them? I love it!

And yes, sometimes she and her niece Belle REALLY go to town—at Halloween, Belle let Rachel experiment on her with some ghoulish zombie makeup. I think the results were pretty convincing!

I asked Rachel to create a layout for my blog, and not surprisingly, all her photo choices featured her and Belle clowning around together. Aren't they darling?

Clowning is a pretty big part of Rachel's style, even if it's not with members of her family. When she moved into her own apartment last year, I really felt like she had grown up and moved on. But no, she's still my silly, fun-loving girl (thank goodness). Here she is with her roommates dressed up as "kissing bandits" for Valentine's Day. They were on a secret mission to deliver lipstick-covered valentines to unsuspecting guys and then ditch before being discovered.

What can I say? We love our kids, we raise them the best we know how, then we delight when they become great, kind, contributing adults—whether they're living with friends or playing with nieces or laughing with dad or learning to manage their own finances. Each of these new milestones is a step I treasure with Rachel because it ALWAYS has joy connected to it. When Rachel was little, that was even my nickname for her: "my joy." Because she was! And she still is!

I look back on photos of us together and that joyous spark she has just lights up my world. I couldn't get enough of her. And even though she doesn't live at home, I still can't get enough of her—this last photo is one of my current favorites of her:

She was getting ready for a date one night in her apartment. She was excited about it and wanted to look just right. We had been talking about the date and texting back and forth, and she snapped this photo of herself and sent it to me so I could see her and be a part of her special evening. See, they may move out, but they don't have to move on. I love being a part of Rachel's life—she brings me joy!