Pennie

I think it's about time I did a post on Pennie, seeing as she's now three years old! 

It seems like only yesterday that I found myself laying in a dark, warm room, gazing up at a screen in the corner, waiting to see our baby and learn if he or she was healthy and on schedule for growth.  I remember it like it was yesterday, anyway.  And I'll never forget the first time I saw those two little bodies on that screen.  Looking back on all that's happened since that day in 2010, I treasure the memories so much.  I remember on the drive back home, having just found out we were having identical twin girls and how I now had to pick out two sets of girl names, and two sets of names just echoed in my heart seemingly out of nowhere….I remember the next time I saw our girls, and how I just felt so favored and privileged.  I looked at each of their faces in my womb and was so happy that I could call each girl by name, instead of Baby A (Pennie Jane) and Baby B (Olivia Caroline).  It was such a wondrous thing, feeling both of my girls move simultaneously inside of my womb. I will never forget those days! And Pennie is here with us, bringing jubilation and glee with her everywhere she goes!

Pennie is our joy and sunshine.  She is such an incredible blessing! Everything is new and wondrous and fabulous to her, whether it be a pair of ducks walking down the street or a surprise lollipop from Mama.  She delights in all things, even if it's only a pretty pink balloon from the grocery store.

Samantha took advantage of a rare sunny day in our neighborhood to take some pictures of Pennie.  Pennie was outside "helping" the girls work in the yard, and she was showing Samantha how dirty her hands were.  I think these pictures are so precious!

I particularly love this picture.  I really, really hope to get a print made of it and frame it! I'm so taken by the way the sunlight gilds her sweet hair so golden as to make it look like it almost glows! She realized here that Samantha had the camera and the look on her face is precious!

She had a little bowl of peanut butter with her, which is one of her favorite snacks, and some grass had gotten into it.  She was telling Samantha about the grass and picking it out.  She's very particular about things like that, very detail-oriented for a three year old.  Everything has to be just right for her!

Sweet little sunshine girl!

Her precious face and her cute little nose just about melt my heart.  We're so, so blessed  that the Lord allowed her to live with us. I'll never, ever get tired of snuggling with her or seeing her eyes light up over things.  She fills my heart and when I look at her, I know that there is a little girl in Heaven at Jesus' side that is the mirror image to Pennie.  I know that Olivia is reflected in Pennie, from her blonde curls to her little snub nose to her beautiful eyes.  I know that when my heart longs for Olivia, I can just scoop up Pennie and love on her, and it does ease my grief on those hard days.

Chip time!

Pennie is growing up in leaps and bounds.  She is super smart and she's curious about everything! The other night Daddy took her and some of her sisters to the store and she was walking around picking stuff up, and she had an armful of fondue and cheeses and crackers, just shopping away! She loves going places and she wants to see everything and touch everything.

Her speech is still developing, and she's a bit behind in this.  She has a lot of trouble with certain sounds, and we think it just makes her sound cuter! I always want to remember the way she says "ovlis" (olives) and "vanilla" (Nutella) and "chowk" (couch) and "ojin" (orange).  She loves to tell stories and has a very vivid imagination.  If she asks for something she wants and I say no, she begs for it! She'll keep saying "please" several times.  She's super great at identifying colors too. She thinks everything is pink! HA!

She's really tall for her age.  She's wearing a size 4T in pretty much everything because 3T isn't long enough for her.  She wears size 9 shoes.  A few weeks ago I got her some hot pink cowgirl boots with sparkly stars on them, and the first thing she does when she wakes up in the morning is put those boots on! She wears those boots pretty much all of the time, whether she's dressed or not! She loves dresses and skirts and bright, sparkly shirts.  With her white blonde hair and her big blue eyes, she looks so beautiful in the neon colors that have come out in most stores.  She's very girly-girl.

Pennie's favorite thing to do is dance to music.  She's quite expressive and so fun to watch! We have a video of her around Christmas, just dancing away.  She loves a lot of different types of music, and to hear her sing along with songs is so cute! She's loves to climb and I have to watch her really closely because she'll climb just about anything.  She loves to run up and down the hall in her little princess panties and her hot pink boots!

Another interesting thing about Pennie is that she's very, very organized and her world is right if everything in it is just so.  She has to have her blankets and pillow just so before she can settle down and go to sleep at nap time and night time.  She likes to line up her Little People and hates it when anything is out of order.  She'll be a good organizer some day!

I'm so grateful for Pennie Jane.  She makes the world a brighter, better, more joyful place for me.  I can't wait to get some pictures of her printed out and framed.  Someone suggested that I get a picture of her all dressed up and kissing herself in a mirror.  I've thought about this, and I think it would almost be like having Olivia here again! Pennie is so sweet and so funny……she's so many blessings rolled into one little person!