Braids

Karis is in a fun stage these days.  One of the things I find fun is playing with her long blonde hair and making her look "so pretty" as she will say when I'm done.  She is at the point where I can braid it, but have only done so a couple times...afterall getting a 20 month old to sit still for a long time is quite the challenge!  But it's fun to see her than look in the mirror afterward and say, "so pretty"!

Here are some pictures from our first braiding session:

Steve and I tell her often that she is so pretty and that God made her that way.  But we also try to make it just as much a point to talk about inward appearance as we do her outward appearance.  It's always funny to see the look on her face when Steve is trying to talk with her about her inward beauty!  I know she doesn't fully understand it now, but we desire to lay a foundation now that we will continue to build on as she grows as a lady.  We want her to know that beauty isn't just outward, especially in a culture that infiltrates us with that message (especially to women).  I have been challenged lately with how I view my entire beauty...having a post pregnancy body can be a bit discouraging to me at times...however it is not what makes up my entire beauty.  So as I desire to teach my daughter that her inward beauty is of great importance, I strive to examine myself and polish my inward beauty so she will see what we mean when we talk about inward beauty.