A House of Girls

Girls, girls, girls! My house is filled with girls. Some of these girls were born my daughters, some were adopted as daughters, some are just family friends and one is my amazing wife (Karina) who they all look up to. So, why do I need to mention all these girls? Well for one, I don’t have much else to talk about, Chaucer (my lone boy) and I roughhouse, sword fight and play baseball in the house (Karina does not approve) but we spend most of our time hanging out with the girls. There are a lot of emotions that I never knew existed that I’m learning about.

So who are all these girls that dominate my life? They (along with Chaucer) are the greatest blessing I have ever received. They bring joy, giggles, smiles, pleasant smell (usually), and a lot of emotion to our home. They teach me a lot about what it means to be a man and they pretty much ensure Chaucer will have his pick of any girl on the planet when he gets older. This kid is going to be a ladies man!

First, there is my wife. She is a bit nuts, well actually she’s completely nuts. I love her for it. She offers wise counsel, great food (especially her mashed potatoes), hugs (against her will), humor and much, much more. My wife is a leader of leaders yet a failed sinner who struggles to see herself as God sees her. She could just quit there and give up but she doesn’t, she uses her struggles to encourage others.

Karina comforts with the truth, she’s not one who offers platitudes or empty words. She does this for me, our family and the women she leads. Her speech is usually seasoned with wisdom, cutting humor and random One Direction references. She is my best friend, my partner (in life and arguing), my favorite person to joke around with and the snarkiest, funniest person I’ve ever met.

Sylvia is the oldest of my daughters. She’s not my daughter by blood and she’s not adopted by law but you can be sure she is 100% my daughter. I love this kid with all my heart. She is beautiful, witty, smart (like really, really smart), a deep thinker and a great conversationalist. When the whole family is together she’s the one you’re most likely to find me talking to. We’ll be talking about theology or debating politics. I cherish these times. I cherish her. Sylvia is extra special to me because she is family by choice and even through difficult season she has remained family.

Sarah is the next oldest. She is also beautiful and incredibly smart, much smarter than me. She’s a talented athlete, the only person who can give Karina a run for her money in the snark and humor department and a joy to be around. I love talking to her about just about anything. I could literally just sit and listen to her tell me about paint drying and be entertained. She is a tremendous blessing to my life and I couldn’t imagine not having her. Like her sister, Sylvia, Sarah is my child by choice.

These two girls, Sylvia and Sarah, are complete equal to my blood children in my heart and standing in our family. When needing differentiate we never say “real” kids and other kids because they are my real kids. We’ll say “blood kids’ and “adopteds” if we need to note the difference somewhere.

Saphyre was my first kid. I spent a few years as a single daddy with her and despite that fact she’s turned out to be an amazing young woman. It’s fun watching her grow and learn and seek Christ. We have a daddy date every Friday and it’s a highlight of week. She is 100% a teenage, from total domination of bathroom time, to spamming everything she can on Instagram to using the word “like” ever other word. I adore her! Beauty, giggles, attitude and fashion make this girl a blast to hang out with.

Olivia is the most like me. She’s got a mean streak a mile long and a heart the size of the sun. She can be cutting with her words and inflict some damage with her fists but she can also be the most loving, kind gentle person you’ll ever meet. We call her the Fabulous Miss O because of her fashion sense and dive attitude. This kid is just overflowing with leadership. Channeled properly she could be a CEO on any company, left unchecked she’ll be a despot somewhere. Either way, she’s a leader.

Abby is crazy! If you want laughs and silliness, Abby is your girl. She makes up the best silly jokes, dances, skits and games. She had constant minor medical issues her life as a result of having Noonas Syndrome (somewhere on the autism spectrum) and she is a trooper about it all. Specialist and specialist and she goes cheerfully and joyfully every single time. She looks hardship in the face and tickles it. She doesn’t march to her own drum she creates her own instrument and marches to that.

Tessa is the baby and she is spoiled. When I get home from work she runs up to me and says, “Daddy M, daddy M”. This is her way of telling me she is now ready for me to give her M&Ms.  This beautiful baby girl has me completely wrapped around her little finger and she knows it. I can’t wait to see her personality as she grows and get to know her as she begins to talk more. When she gets married her poor husband if really going to have to work to please her because she thinks she is a real life princess.

Ashley is another sort of adopted girl in our life. Her place is a bit more ambiguous though but what I know for sure is that place is in our family. I describe her as the kid sister you raise. She’s the one I serve with the most in our community and at church. We are the sports fanatics and the ones crazy enough to work with teens. I love her like a daughter and fight with her like a sibling. We get on each other’s nerves (because we’re a lot alike) but at the end of the day we are family. Grad student, nanny to the rich and famous, mentor to teens, all around cool girl, that’s Ashley!

Finally there is Aly. Aly is a gift from God to our family. She isn't one of our kids at all but she belongs, she completely belongs. All of the girls above and the boy for that matter adore her. They don’t just like her, they adore her! I've never met anyone as good with kids as Aly. She’s sweet, smart, beautiful, full of questions, and genuinely looks for the good in every person and every situation. She is the most positive a real person I know. I absolutely love this girl as does everyone who meets her.  Aly in also unique in that she brings a whole family of amazing people with her. He parents and brothers (yay testosterone!) have all been a huge blessing to my family. Now we just need to get those boys hanging out a bit more.

Well if you made it this far, I’m impressed! This turned out much longer than the two paragraphs I had intended on writing. This is my life, girls, girls, girls. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I often don’t understand half of what they are talking about, why they are crying what I just did that made them all laugh at me but I love it. I have a great life, a better life than anyone I know.