Lila Ruth

 Weird. That is what my animated daughter, Lila, will tell you she prefers to be called. She doesn't like "normal" and she never has. She has always lived on the outside of the box, marching to the beat of her own drum. As a baby, she rarely cried. She had this huge open-mouth smile that made her appear as if she was laughing, but no sound came. It was simply a ginormous smile that inspired her dad to call her his little bass... By the time she could walk, she would play quietly by herself until she became tired. Then she would toddle herself into her bedroom, lay herself down, and take a nap. If she couldn't climb in her bed, she would sleep on the floor. At 2 years old, she knew every word to 'Lovin, Touchin, Squeezin' by Journey. She has always hated seeing me cry, and even as an infant, she would make silly faces or laugh real loud to get me to smile.

By the time school came along, there was no holding her back. This kid is smart. And, I don't mean- oh I'm her mommy, so I think she is brilliant in all she does- kind of smart. I mean her IQ is probably through the roof. School has always been so incredibly easy for her. Never struggling in any subject. Never bringing homework home, never studying, never getting less than an A. She faithfully makes the principals list (sounds bad, but it's actually a really big honor. It is above A honor roll, I guess..) and shrugs when she tells me about it. She doesn't think it's a big deal because it is so EASY! While showing me her massive amount of awards and medals from this year, she came across her art award, "And of course I got an award for art. We all knew I would. I mean, I am a really good artist." I have been teaching Lila the art of being humble. It is hard for her, because she is so smart and talented, but I think she will figure it out.

Lila's heart is as big and as squishy as they come. She will pick out the saddest face in a crowd and become their best friend. For life. She loves like Jesus. Big. Huge. Holding nothing back. Once you are in Lila's heart- you are hers. Forever. She will never judge you for what you have done and she will never condemn you for what you screw up in the future. Her heart is forgiving and she forgets quicker than most. While she often wants to control the situation, she will step aside and let you go first on the big slide. Even though my Lila is smack dab in the middle of these 5 girls, she absolutely wouldn't have it any other way. Being the oldest would mean more responsibility, which she tries to shirk whenever possible. Being the youngest would mean not having 2 younger sisters to play with, teach, boss around (lovingly, and don't worry- they love it), and be looked up to.

This girl has the biggest, brightest, shiniest, funniest, kindest personality you have ever seen. She is going to go places and do big things. She is a natural leader and somehow seems immune to peer pressure, which leads me to believe she will change this ugly world into a much more beautiful place. She loves to worship Jesus and learn about all that the Bible has to teach us, which adds to my assumption for her future. Lila is... Lila. Incredible, beautiful, outgoing, hilarious, creative, unique, intelligent, compassionate, loving, and..... well.. weird.