My How You Have Grown . . .

Today is our baby's 20th birthday.  Wow! How time flies . . .

Mitch and Amanda - 1993 - ages 2 and 1

 Laughing and a running, skipping and a jumping . . .

I saw you just the other day.  My, how you have grown . . .

Do you remember when we used to sing . . .

My Brown-Eyed Girl

(Selected lyrics from "Brown-Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison - 
The song here Daddy sang to her - and still does.)

Dave and Amanda - 2012 - ages ? and 20

I've held it all inward, God know's I've tried,

But it's an awful awakening in a country boy's life, 

to look in the mirror in total surprise

at the hair on my shoulders and the age in your eyes . . .

Amanda, light of my life!

(from "Amanda" by Waylon Jennings - the song for which she's named)

From the months and months of colic . . . to baby dolls that went everywhere she went . . . to learning to ride a bike (we forgot to explain hand brakes so she just ran into the car to stop) . . . to hours clipping pictures of "dream fashions" from magazines . . . to sneaking out after curfew and being caught a block from home . . . to decorating her first apartment . . . it's been a whirlwind 20 years.  And I wouldn't trade a minute!  Ok, maybe a couple of minutes, but it's been a blessing!

But do you understand what that means?  No more teenagers!   Can't say I'm shedding any tears over the passing of those years - but maybe a few over how quickly children grow.  But they grow into wonderful friends.

Happy Birthday, Amanda!