In 1986 Ruth, who had just turned 4, and David, 19 months old, welcomed as their new little sibling, Rebecca Rae! Rebecca was born the smallest of our babies, weighing in at 6lbs. 12oz. She came 10 days before her due date. She was a dark-skinned baby, and her little head was covered with curls right at birth!
Here she is at 4 weeks old.
Rebecca was sweet-natured from the start. Here she is looking at her new little brother (John) just 2 weeks before her 2nd birthday. I wonder if she was contemplating how this would change her life--someone taking HER place as the baby of the family! 
Here is Rebecca at 4 years old.
Rebecca's Birthday party when she was 7 years old. We sure used to have some pretty big parties for all you kids every year over at the house in Lauderdale!! (I ran upon many pictures, but of course I couldn't include them all!) But Rebecca, you probably remember the very fun scavenger hunts and other games we played. I had lots of fun at all the parties too! I remember that I usually didn't have any parents stay because I liked to be in on all the games myself!
Ruth the old woman, and Rebecca the kind little boy in the poem I recited and you acted out at Mother/Daughter night at church in 1994. Rebecca is 7 years old, and Ruth is 11.
John and Rebecca that same summer.
Rebecca, remember the Laughing game at your 9th Birthday party?
This next picture is that same fall, 1995.
Rebecca the year she turned 10 holding her very special guinea pig Muffin.
Rebecca and Joseph have celebrated many of their birthdays together! This is Rebecca's 12th Birthday, and Joseph's 4th.
Here was a very typical school day at our house at that same time. Rebecca is doing her assigned dishes while all the rest are crowded around the Monarch Chrysalis ready to open to a beautiful butterfly at any moment. None of us wanted to miss it, and we didn't!! Everyone brought their school to the table to work while we waited. See the lamp lighting it up and how we set it on a pile of encyclopedias so we could see it well? Little Joseph looks so satisfied for some reason!
And here is the big 13 for Rebecca. I noticed that the candy card got MUCH larger after the first one I made for Ruth.
Rebecca's 15th birthday.
And finally, Rebecca's first birthday in our new home in WBL! (2003) Rebecca is 17 years old here.
CEF 2005-The summer before Rebecca turned 19. Esther's 1st year in CEF (13 y.o.) and John almost 17.
A surprise party for Rebecca with some of her Northwestern College friends when she turned 21! (2007)
Family vacation 2008, at Uncle Tom's Cabin right before David and Kelsea's wedding. Rebecca almost 22!
Dear Rebecca, We are all so very grateful to God for the gift of YOU in our lives! May you be blessed with a day just like you--wonderful and beautiful!!HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Love,
Your Family
