i see
i hear
i feel
i pray
i wonder
i hope
i love
i thank

i see imaginary lines on the wall that show how
fast you are growing.
i hear the wheels of your brain spinning as you learn

more and more about the world around you.
i feel my heart skip beats as you become more
independent and adventurous.
i pray daily that i am being the mother that
God wants me to be for you.
i wonder what you will be like when
you grow up.
i hope that you find joy and happiness in a world that is so
full of despair and tragedy.
i love you more than i could ever express in
actions or words.
i thank God for giving you to me to
hold and cherish.

Charming

As I work hard to learn the ins and out of my camera, I tend to have many more misses than hits. But on the rare occasion, one of those misses turns out to be beautiful in its own way. Such is the case with the picture in this post... it has a very dreamy quality that I found charming. With only a few touch-ups and the addition of a lovely poem, it captures the magical quality of childhood - and the beauty of a toddler named Emma.

The poem reads:

A bright and sunny smiling face,

a mix of playfulness and grace,

a fun-loving and friendly way,

of bringing joy to every day,

her little hugs and kisses, too,

the way she works her wiles on you

and sets your heart all in a whirl . . .

These are the charms of a little girl.

(author unknown)