Our Guinea Pig--A Tribute

Happy Birthday to Melissa! Today she is 20 years old, and we are so proud of her. She has been an awesome daughter from the very first day. She has tried and tested our parenting skills, and somehow was able to survive all of the programs and plans that each first-born must endure. She has been our guinea pig, and we could not have asked for a more rewarding science experiment! Melissa, thanks for coming! And, thanks for coming first!!

Here she is at her first birthday party chewing on her first Cabbage Patch doll. We could tell from the start that this was a girl with real potential. We knew she would amaze us, and she has!
I have the happiest memories of Melissa's childhood. There were the times when she wanted to be Pongo, and I walked her around on a leash. She also wanted to be Tiger Lily. I would tie her to a chair and then be Peter Pan and save her. One of her favorites was Belle. I would be Gaston, and she would throw me out of her room every time! She and Emma played "Russian Emigrants" and other games that required costumes and dolls. If Melissa was missing, she was reading a book, and I loved sharing books with her. Our favorite memories are telling her stories, singing "Scripture Scouts", and her command to us each night to, "Pat my butt!"

Time passed quickly, and before we knew it she was in school. The years were marked with recitals, awards assemblies, spelling bees, etc. Suddenly, she was a senior.

Then, she graduated.

Then, she was gone!

Now, as we adjust be being long-distance parents of an adult child, she continues to be patient with our plans and programs. I keep telling her, "I'm still learning how to do this!" One thing we know for sure is that she will continue to excel and make us proud, but, most importantly, we love who she has become! Happy Birthday, Melissa!