I started this blog when our girls were babies...I mean Scott and I were basically babies too. I know blogs are really a thing of the past. Y'all for a few years I did a really great job of printing my blogs into books at the end of the year...I got them out for Mal's grad party and OH. MY. GOODNESS. What a gift to my heart!! I am SO thankful I documented so much of our lives. I had forgotten so many of my own stories. I wish I would have kept writing as the kids got older and life got busier. Even if I only printed it for our own eyes each year. Sigh...is what it is. But I just HAD to dust off my old bloggity blog to write about Mal's final chapter at home before she takes on the world! It just doesn't seem right to not send her off with an entry from mama! Here we go...
Mally my Pally...my first born baby. Look at YOU!! Look at all those CORDS!! You my darling are a GIFT to me. I am, of course, beyond proud of all you have accomplished and how smart, dedicated and hard working you are!! I am, of course, so proud that you spent your high school years at Olathe North in the Distinguished Scholars program...National Honors Society, English National Honors Society, Senior Leadership, Newspaper Staff, BAND, band leadership, 4.598 GPA and the list goes on... girlfriend...you kicked high schools butt!! Fo'sure!! But here is the real deal...you, my precious daughter, are an empath. You are FULL of LOVE, LIGHT, EMPATHY, COMPASSION...you are the first to lead the way in changing ANY injustice...you are the first to see and FEEL the hurt of others. Sometimes I worry and always I PRAY over your soft heart. You feel SO deeply. It is hard for you to forgive when the hurt to you is deep and that, you got from me...I SO want to take that part away....BUT...I am thankful Jesus chose you to have ALL of your gifts combined because together with your intelligence and your character and your HEART you are going to be an unstoppable world CHANGER!
As we close out your 12 years of education at home with us...I give THANKS! I give thanks to SO many beautiful educators, schools, friends, FAMILY and EXTRA MAMAS! I know you know that it takes a VILLAGE, my precious girl. Yours has been, SO FULL! You had such a unique experience of attending schools in Texas, Florida, Canada and back in forth in-between Olathe....specifically Blackbob. We have been protected, loved, prayed for and blessed by SO many amazing people. I could never find the words to thank our village. We all gathered together last Friday to celebrate you and your dear friend, Paige. I know you girls felt the LOVE!! Your mamas sure felt the LOVE too...
It has taken me nearly a whole entire week to even ATTEMPT to form words of love and thankfulness for the village that came to show you and Paige LOVE. One side note...my biggest mistake that I have taken note of for Miss Whit in 2 years is not hiring or assigning a photographer.. I tried to snap pics right at the beginning before it got busy to get myself going and then I got distracted with HUGS AND TEARS AND LAUGTER and just became a full on ridiculous MESS that I never took another picture....not even a family shot of the 6 of us!! Like, what in the actual WORLD!!?? All I can say is I never in my whole life will recover or forget the amount of people and love that was showered on us. I am HUMBLED!!
Speaking of still being totally young... we are going to move right along to these people....SO thankful to you my Pally for saying...mom we NEED a college bestie pic!! You did a better job than me with pictures!! Every one of these people held you in the hospital....are you kidding me? I can't even form words through my tears. They stood by us on our wedding day, they danced many of nights away at Bootleggers in the Burg with us...okay Val and I did the dancing but our guys were always nearby....I don't have words for what these humans mean to us. I am so thankful you have been loved by them, Mallory. Our village is strong and beautiful...
OH Mal...our Cheryl and our Bean....Auntie Cheryl threw your baby shower!! She threw my wedding shower too...our Vickers...there are not enough words for me to form in order to express to you the significance of letting people in and not letting them go. We have made so much family along the way that God chose for us...I can't wait to see all the family you keep adding to our crew as you adventure along your way. I know this...our whole damn fam will open their big ol' hearts and loving arms to embrace them like we have known them all along!
More fam jam!! Auntie Steph was pumped to get her shot with the Marching Mal poster!! And our littlest cousin crew!! We sure ADORE our Wagners!! Look at our Oldest and Youngest together!!! Sobbing!! I love you babies to infinity and beyond!!! You already know the only thing that even compares to being a mama to you and your siblings is being an auntie to my 2 sisters babies! I am so stinking thankful y'all know and love each other SO well!!!
Speaking of being an auntie...I totally failed on getting Graybeal family pics but I am so thankful Auntie Cheryl snapped this one with Aunt Stac! So thankful for her love of you!!
I massively failed on getting pics of all our Blackbob fam but I got a few1 I LOVE this one because our beloved Mrs. Henderson not only taught you 2nd grade but she taught Scotty in 1st grade!! I mean our love for her is just not even explainable!!!
Speaking of Blackbob families...these mamas...the amount of times you stayed at their houses or their girls at ours...the amount of rides shared... talent shows, field days, field trips, near losses, actual losses, laughter, tears, joys, triumphs, hard times and good times. It is so hard to build a community like this and I am just so darn THANKFUL for what we accomplished loving each other and our babies!!
So I know you and Char are going to laugh at Tina and I for the way this picture is shared but whatever ;) I can't write you a post about your party and the closing of this beautiful chapter without a special note about our Char-Char....my beautiful girls. I love you both so much and I am so thankful that you have been a part of each other's stories since the very first day of kindergarten. The amount of life you two have shared is just mind boggling. I am so proud of you both and humbled by the way that no matter what life brings...you are sisters. Hold on to this your whole life my Mal...I know you both can't imagine at 18 but you will be there for each others weddings, and hold each others babies in the hospital and party the night away when those babies hit huge milestones. I love you girls!
Enjoy the few scenery shots I managed and the few I borrowed from you...I am sorry I didn't get more photos. I am SO thankful for the friends, family, friends that ARE family, teachers, childhood friends, college friends, students, co-workers and on and on and on that came to show YOU love! I am humbled, I am thankful. May you bottle up all the love and tuck it in your heart and carry it to Lawrence with you. Anytime when things seem like too much just know you are prayed for and you are loved and you have a village that will show up in an instant. Mallory, I adore you. I am proud of you. I am thankful you are my daughter. When we move you in to that dorm room in August....I will see this.... I love you forever and always, Mama.
