My Four Girls

Ada in McDonough - June 14

Ellie and Luke in Best Buy , June 19

June 19, Best Buy, Ellie and Luke

My intention is to not write about these 3 little bits, because their moms are writing about them on other blogs. But they do occupy a good bit of my time and thoughts. As do my four daughters:

Kate

Sarah

Laura Beth

and

Ann.

I intentionally listed the youngest first. That would be Kate. She is Katherine Wilkerson, born February 15, 1988. I was 36 when Kate was born. Her middle name, Wilkerson, is my maiden name. So much has been written in my previous blogs regarding my grandfather, John Wilkerson. I haven't yet told a lot about my Dad, Frank Wilkerson, but plan to do that. Katherine isn't a family name, but it is just so pretty, isn't it? My mother was rather vocal, unusally so, when we decided to call her Kate. She so wanted us to call her Katherine. I don't care if people want to call her Katherine. It was a tough choice, but I do love the name Kate. Kate is a Junior at Auburn University, majoring in Hotel and Restaurant Management. This summer she is on support staff at Camp Maranook. (See my list of websites) She attends Covenant Presbyterian in Auburn. (again, websites) Both Camp Maranook and Covenant have played a large role in growing Kate as a believer. I am blessed by the things she shares out of her experiences at both places.

Kate will be home at the end of July, for about 3 weeks before she has to return to Auburn for Fall Semester. I'll be glad when she gets here. She'll be preparing for some upcoming responsibilities at Auburn, as well as getting her apartment ready to live in. This will be her first time to live in an apartment. Up to this point she has been in the dorm - not her favorite experience, by a long shot, so she is really looking forward to the apartment life.

Sarah is Sarah Edith.

She is my 3rd daughter and has her own blog - the title is My Art and is listed on my list of blogs.

Sarah was born January 24, 1986. I was 34 when she was born. Her first name is a familiar family name, from Charlie's family and from my family. Charlie's aunt, (His Mother's sister) was Sarah. She is no longer living, but I was around her some, and she was a very pleasant lady - cheerful and all smiles. My Mother's paternal grandmother was Sarah. Mother and her sisters called her "Mama Sally". Mother told me that her "Mama Sally" had a very kind and gentle temperament and was the mother of six sons, and four daughters.

Sarah's middle name, Edith, well - that is my mother's name. Edith Nelson Northcutt. Mother was named after "Mama Sally's" husband, James Nelson, because they shared the same birthday, September 6. The name, Edith, isn't used much anymore. Names have a way of returning to popularity. I love it because it was mother. I do think it is interesting that we tend to end up with names that blend with our nature. Sarah is a gentle and peaceful soul, much like Mom. Mother was a bit of a worrier, though, and Sarah is not that. In fact, Sarah always tends to trust that things will work out.

Sarah, like Kate, attends Covenant Presbyterian in Auburn. Sarah is a Senior at Auburn.

I love Covenant for the impact it has had on Sarah's and Kate's spiritual growth.

Sarah, too, was at Maranook, the summer before Kate started there. She was a counselor. That was Kate's intro to Maranook, and this is Kate's second summer there.

Laura Beth is my second daughter. She was born August 12, 1982. I was 31 when Laura Beth was born. Her name is Laura Elizabeth Rhodes Moore. She married Scott on April 29, 2006. She is named after Charlie's aunt, Laura Nona Ray. Laura Nona was a teacher and a librarian. Interesting, because Laura Beth loves books, loves reading, majored in English, got her Master's Degree in Secondary Education. Her middle name, Elizabeth, is, of course my name, but it is also Charlie's mother's name. Elizabeth Ray Rhodes.

You can learn more about LB on her blog, All Things Ada, under my blog list. Ada is Laura Beth's baby(see pictures above) and is named after my great grandmother, Ada Chapman Henderson. She was my mother's Maternal Grandmother. Mother loved her.

Laura Beth is unique in the lineup of sisters because her birthday is in August. The others' birthdays are all within 3 weeks of each other - 12/24: 2/1: 2/15 - That is birthday season for us, and then we jump over to August for Laura Beth's birthday, and now for Ada's on August 5, which is also Scott's birthday. Just a bit of Laura Beth trivia.

Another tidbit about Laura Beth which differentiates her from her sisters is that she is redheaded. See above photo of Ada for the true color of Laura Beth's hair. The sun and highlights and age have changed it a bit, but Ada has Laura Beth's hair. My other 3 girls have blonde hair, like Charlie's. Again, time has darkened it a bit, but I still regard them as blonde.

And my first born.

Ann Bailey Rhodes Barber. Ann was born February 1, 1981. I was 29 when Ann was born.

She too has a blog, titled: The Barbers. (see blog list)

Ellie and Luke in the above photos belong to her, and she is expecting her 3rd in February. I should have a blank space above for this baby's would be picture - because "it" is already having an affect on what we do. Ann is very tired, often sick, but mostly tired - and needs quite a bit of help. Even the knowledge of its arrival has already caused Ellie to be quite "clingy" to Ann. All of that has changed the picture a great amount.

Ann is named after my sister, Mary Ann. Her middle name is after Charlie's great grandfather Jefferson Davis Bailey of Florala, AL. There is so much family history there, which I am sure I will write about at some point. Again, the name thing. Ann, as a little girl, looked so much like Mary Ann as a little girl - it was spooky. Question: Does God even do that? Direct the naming of our children, knowing how he created them. It seems like it. He is sovereign. That is such a mystery which my feeble brain cannot handle, especially in the middle of a hot June afternoon.

Ann's birth ushered me into motherhood. It was her arrival which pulled back that curtain and revealed a depth of loving someone which is hard to describe. I felt it with every birth, but before Ann's I had not experienced it.

Ann is married to Steve. They married October 5, 2002. They lived in Albuquerque(see Hoffmantown Church under list of websites) for 4 years. Ellie and Luke were born in A., NM.

They moved here a year ago, for Steve to pastor our new church, Riverside Community Church. It will soon be on my Website List.

Those are my four girls. I have read through each intro and again, as always, feel guilty for not writing the same amounts, nor the same kinds of things about each one. I am afraid each of them will read this and say, "That's it??? That's all you have to say about me???"

They are all four unique, yet share a few of the same qualities. They are more different, than they are alike. Thanks to God's sovereign grace, through nothing any of us have done, they are all born again - yielding to Him - seeking Him to be Lord of their lives. That is the absolute truth. I don't have any idea why Charlie and I should be so blessed, nor them, but we are. In the end I know, it's all for His Glory, to advance His Kingdom. My prayer: "Lord, Empower us to do what You would have us do." Again, God's sustaining grace.

Plus, He has blessed us with two very kind, believing committed sons-in-law. I don't ever doubt their best intentions for my daughters. That spells S-A-F-E-T-Y.

Here is the flip side for all of us. We have a lot of drama. FOUR GIRLS plus ME!!! Are you kidding? That is a lot of estrogen! And so much of our sinful nature still unbroken. It wouldn't do for me to write some of our worst moments, some of MY worst moments.

They are, indeed, my greatest treasures. I can't thank God enough for the way they are. I've told them this, but if I were in a private place with any one of them - I would confess to each daughter, "You are my favorite". Each one is my favorite. They are each so far beyond where I was at each of their ages. That was always my prayer, that every generation after Charlie and Me, would be stronger spiritually than the generation before it. That is after my prayer that I have begged God that each descendant after Charlie and me would "Love Him with all of his/her heart, soul, mind and strength". I don't want any of my great greats to not be eternally with Christ in Heaven.

Okay - so after this I will speak of my girls, who are extensions of Me - and I will know that I have introduced them in this blog.