Happy 7th Birthday, Finley!

Today Finley is seven. This morning, she came out dressed in an ill-fitting sundress (too short, and too wide). I had planned to stop at a store on the way to a friend's house to let Finley pick out a toy for her birthday. But seeing the dress she had on, I suggested that we go pick out a new dress. She jumped at the chance. In the store, she immediately focused in on a paisley-flower-print sundress and convince Zivah that she, too, should get one. Great. You know how I LOVE to dress my kids in matching outfits. But that is Finley, and really, it shows how sweet she is.

When Zivah was born, I was a little worried that Finley might not appreciate the fact that she nearly shared a birthday with her little sister, but I needn't have worried. Finley loves the fact that their birthdays are so close and can have a combined party.

Finley is a giver. Finley is a thoughtful giver. I love that about her. She draws pictures of racecars for Joe and pictures with lots of green for me. She gave away a Disney princess nightgown to a little girl she knew loved princesses.

On the 4th of July, my mom asked who wanted to say the blessing for the food. I was a little surprised when Finley raised her hand. Along with the typical 'thank you for this day', without prompting, she asked Jesus to help Uncle Mike, who was miserable with a sore throat, to feel better. Later when her cousin Laurel burned her foot, she stuck right by her side, offering her lemonade and little drawings to cheer her up until she felt better.

Finley sees things that other people miss. She loves to pick flowers, finding the tiniest wild flowers and appreciating even common 'weeds'. And frequently, she'll suddenly stop and snatch up a frog that I wouldn't have seen until it jumped.

And this is just a little glimpse of the wonderful person Finley is ... I love you, Fin!