Laura - The Artistic One

Born nearly three weeks early in March of 2000, Laura was tiny.  She weighed less than six pounds. My husband called her the runt of the family due to her size.  She was a shy girl that spent a lot of her time with mommy.  Mommy's favorite author as a child was Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Laura was named for that author.

She was the youngest in our family for seven years.  Her older sisters would play with her for hours when they were all younger.  Laura tried to copy them, and would follow them around to see what they were all doing.  From the time she was very little, Laura loved to be read to and would look through books even if she couldn't read the words.

Her shyness was an obstacle in school.  The teachers never really knew if she was learning because she wouldn't talk much.  However, she would have no problem telling mommy and daddy all about her day when she got home.  Despite her shyness, Laura always got along with everyone.  She rarely had a person that didn't like her.

Laura is very gentle and sensitive.  It wasn't until she was five years old that Mommy and Daddy accepted Christ.  However, Laura liked going to church.  She made friends and seemed to enjoy learning about Jesus.  A couple years after being in church and watching her family live for Jesus, Laura accepted Jesus as her own personal Lord and Savior.

In the third grade, Laura became the first child in our home to be pulled from public school and homeschooled.  Laura was slowly turning into a very angry, dishonest child in the public school system  She was getting picked on, and the school wasn't dealing well with the situation because Laura was so shy she wouldn't tell.  When Laura began to get into trouble, we knew that we needed to make some changes.  However, it wouldn't be until the following school year that God led our family to homeschooling as an option.  Pulling Laura out of the public school and keeping her home, changing her secular curriculum for a Christian based one, and working with Laura on a one on one basis had a profound effect on my little girl.  Over the next few months, the shyness that had been a part of her since she was a toddler disappeared.  Laura began to like to learn again.  She began to be confident.  Her attitude changed.  For the most part, Laura became who I think God wanted her to be.

Now, in our third year of being homeschooled, Laura is a very artistic and hard-working ten year old.  She loves the Lord and wants to serve Him.  She's had to learn to deal with friends that treat her poorly.  She's also learned to make friends with children that aren't necessarily her age or grade.  She's told me that she wants to be a missionary when she grows up, but I think I'll just train her to serve God and see if that is the direction He is going to take her.

Laura's favorite thing to do is to paint.  She's always coloring or painting or drawing.  She also loves to write stories.  She likes to read, but the book has to grab her attention.  She likes to read biographies,  Her favorite book is George Mueller.  Laura also loves to ride her bike.  Wanting to show Laura who she was named after, our family began watching the Little House on the Prairie series last spring.  Laura loves the show.  She has watched all ten years, and often will re-watch the episodes on the seasons we own.

Laura loves being homeschooled.  She also loves animals.  She helps out around the house (we are working on this one more), and she helps out with her little sister.  Laura reads to Megan nearly every school day.  I am proud of Laura.  She brings so much joy to our family.  She's no longer as quiet as she used to be, but she is still sensitive.  She is growing up to be a Godly, lovely young lady.