I have officially raised a child to adulthood. If you think that’s because I’m some kinda smart lady, think again. Lauren Kassidy is my first child. She has borne the burden of my exceedingly high and unrealistic expectations. I didn’t really know what to expect from a baby, toddler, preschooler, elementary-schooler, middle-schooler, or high schooler until I had the chance to have her in my life. I am ashamed to admit it, but I figured she would be horrible in each of those phases, just like I was. So I braced myself. I cried a lot. I made waaaay too many rules, thus unknowingly setting her up for failure. I analyzed every thing she ever said or did, and figured it was probably bad just like it seemed to be in me.

You can see that I projected a lot of my own fears and failures onto my precious daughter.

She has grown into a beautiful, talented, witty, strong, intelligent, kind, generous human being. And now you know how I know that it had nothing to do with me. It was all the Lord. The only thing I really knew to do was pray. I prayed for her and asked God to help her. And He did.

Lauren has faced many challenges, and yet, she has not let them hold her back. She doesn’t make excuses. She always rises above and goes beyond my expectations. Even those exceedingly high ones.

Due to her graduation, I have already shared photos from her childhood on here. For this birthday tribute, I tried to find some that my regular visitors may not have seen. Without further ado, here’s is a look back at my lovely Lauren:

Our Oldest child at One.

Tip-toeing at Two.

Thrilled to be Three!

First Frolic in the snow at Four.

A Fancy French braid at Five.

Snuggling at Six.

Startled to Swing at the San Antonio Zoo at Seven!

Enjoying VBS at Eight.

Next to Opie at Nine.

Texas at Ten.

Elegantly dressed at Eleven.

Twinning at Twelve! (With her friend, Mary.)

Tasty Treat-maker at Thirteen.

Fun on the Field at Fourteen.

Found an egg at Fifteen.

Sweet at Sixteen.

Stylish at Seventeen.

Enthusiastic at Eighteen!

Lauren has already started her freshman year of college. With the Lord’s help, she has been able to pay her entire college tuition and fees with scholarships and the money she made over the summer working three jobs. Her tenacity and self-discipline are inspiring.

Happy birthday, Lauren! I love you!