So Proud of My Diva!!

                                        

    

That's my Peanut.  Doesn't she look absolutely BEAUTIFUL??  She's all dressed up in her show choir costume, ready to perform.  And, perform she did.  Her entire show choir gave one ROCKIN' performance, yesterday, that earned them the first place spot in the competition.  Listening to her show choir sing, yesterday, put tears in my eyes with every song that they performed.  

My little girl is growing up so fast.  One minute, she's the chubby faced, cute little bundle of happiness that I nicknamed Punkin', and is now the stunningly beautiful, all grown up *sniff* young lady that you see in that picture.  Where did the time go?

My oldest daughter has always been a passionate person.  She's always had a good heart, a strong desire to succeed, and an ability to light up the room with her presence.  But, I had no idea up until a year ago that she was hiding a talent:  Her ability to sing.  The girl can sing.  That's an understatement.  Her voice gives me chill bumps on my arms, tears in my eyes, and such pride and joy in my heart that I can't even put in to words.  

Yesterday, we traveled to Mt. Vernon, MO, for the Mid-Winter Show Choir Classic.  Peanut's group performed with several other show choirs.  Her show choir, named "The Dynamic Divas" took the stage and just awed the audience with their voices, their choreography, and their ability to own the auditorium and command attention.  I could listen to those girls sing and watch them perform for hours.  They are an amazing group made up of amazing talent, and I consider it an honor to have my daughter be part of it.  We weren't able to stay to hear the results of the competition, but she received a phone call that evening telling her that the Divas had taken the first place trophy home.   

When I look at Peanut, I'm blown away by how wonderful of a young woman she is.  She probably had the roughest time growing up out of all the kids.  Having a mother still in high school, trying with all her might to put food on the table and clothes on her back, and still doing what I could to make her as happy as possible.  But one thing that Peanut has never done is complain about her life.  She has always been grateful for everything she's been through, and like me, looks at her past as the shaping of who she is today.  And one thing I am very happy about is the fact that she has the fighter instinct that I possess.  When she wants something, she goes after it, doesn't give up, and will fight to the death to succeed.  I know with everything in my heart that my oldest daughter is going to continue having one heck of a life, and she's really going somewhere.

We took the two hour car ride home, yesterday, talking about everything and anything.  I love our car ride chats.  I am very happy about the fact that she tells me EVERYTHING.  Her thoughts, her feelings, her random ideas, she lays it all out there.  She's also one of the few people on this earth that I will tell just about anything to.  I have no secrets from my daughter and she keeps none from me.  Although both of us know that neither could keep secrets, because we can both read each other like a book.  And that makes me very happy.  We have the mother/daughter relationship I've always dreamed of having, and it warms my heart to know that the first person my daughter goes to when she needs anything is me.  

One thing I am most certain of when I think about my life is how wonderfully amazing my children are.  All of them. Each with their own unique qualities and talents.  My children are my life, and I think my sole purpose on this earth is to make them happy and raise them to be the very best that they can be. And right now, I'd say I'm doing a pretty fine job of that.  There have been times that I've doubted myself, worried that I'm not doing a good job as a parent, and questioned the decisions I've made about how I've raised them.  But, when I look in to the eyes of my children, I see love, I see kindness, I see happiness... so I am rewarded with knowing I must be doing something right.

Everything that I do is for my kids.  They come first.  Always.  And I don't know what I did to deserve such amazing kids, but I count my blessings each and every day.  

One very happy Momma this morning... and every morning.  

Have a great Sunday, everyone!