My Heart is Full ! (ETA: Pay it Forward Winners!)

I'm the mother of an 8 year old! Boy, how old does that make ME?!?!??! I couldn't be feeling more joyful, though. My heart is truly full. TJ has been a joy in our family, just as all my girls have been. I'll admit, though, it didn't start out that way - she was a very fussy baby, though not *quite* as fussy as her cousin who was colicky, so I guess I didn't really notice how fussy TJ was until my mom pointed it out. LOL!

My SIL and I had our babies (my first, her second) only 2 weeks apart - both girls. I admit that I was intimidated, worried that I wouldn't be as good of a mother as my SIL was. I still worry about that! LOL! But it was so fun being preggo at the same time - especially since she got bigger quicker ;)
TJ was born weighing only 6lbs 5 oz - which was by far the smallest of my babies (the rest all weighing in at well over 8 lbs). I felt at a loss at what to do with her. She was this tiny being that I was responsible for. I did my best with her, though looking back I can see that my expectations were sometimes too high :) Yes, the baby of the family, in our case, definitely has it easier. Thankfully, TJ has a happy nature, and though she can be a perfectionist (like her mother) she generally has an easy going and helpful attitude. She is very talented in many ways, and she enjoys sharing her talents with others. She easily makes friends and is enjoying school a LOT. She reads non stop and loves to learn new things - ANYTHING new. She is super excited to start going to Achievement Day Girls activities, which start this Thursday! YES!
There are so many ways that I am grateful she came first. She has been a very good example for her sisters - especially in her zeal to choose the right and be a missionary to her friends. She tries extra hard in everything she does, and can be counted on to be responsible. She has taught me things about faith, patience, unconditional love, and service that I can even begin to describe here. I love her dearly, and am SO excited to see her enter the waters of baptism, knowing what she is commiting to, and being willing to take on that responsibility with a bright smile on her face. Happy birthday, TJ! We love you!

We had a blast of a birthday party yesterday as well, though I'll post more on that another time. I want to spend some of today resting (I gave a talk today, as well as BB). No rest for the weary! LOL! TJ has made such fun friends and she was giddy all day, which might have had something to do with the sugar :D

I was giddy, too, but for a different reason, which I'll post another time ;) Gotta keep ya guessing!

ETA: I wanted to add the winners to this post because I'm gonna be SUPER busy these next few days. Are you ready?!??! Drumroll please....

The winners are:

Okay, so it's hard to see the names, but they are Amy W., Mandy, and Michelle (Michelle, how do you keep winning my blog candy?!?!?) LOL! Okay, ladies - what I need is a photo and your mailing addresses, and I'll get your surprise mailed out! Ooooh, I hope you like them :) Remember, now YOU need to continue this contest on your blog - PAY IT FORWARD! Take care everyone - wish I could mail you all something. Maybe I'll have another contest soon :)