We stayed at the Animal Kindgom Resort at Disney for your birthday. This morning, you woke up sick. You stayed in bed and enjoyed the pretty view until you were feeling better. I am so thankful that you started to feel better and got to have a little time at the pool before we left.
We had such a fun night away celebrating your birthdays. We took you to the Bibidity Bopotiy Boutique, followed by the Frozen Sing Along at Disney Hollywood Studios. It was a night I think you girls will always remember.
Opening day of soccer was a rainy one.
You and your baby doll both got new dresses for your birthday. It was reason to twirl.
We spent the day at the Magic Kingdom in honor of your birthday tomorrow. We had such a fun time going on all of your favorite rides and enjoying time together, just the five of us.
Mimi helped you make a chain to countdown until your birthday. It's almost here.
You will turn five on Thursday. Every year as your birthday nears, I think back on those early days when you arrived almost 8 weeks early. Those days were filled with moments of darkness for me. With questions of uncertainty. With fear. With my own extreme sickness. Often times, I still get very emotional when I think of this time. There was a hope and light ever present amidst all of the darkness. God gave us every thing we needed. Now, every time I see you, I am reminded fully of the light I needed in those dark hours. I am reminded that our plans may not be His, but how His are so much greater. Sometimes it takes days, months, even years to see it, but it is always true.
I love our family night dinners with all of the cousins, aunts, uncles, and Mimi and Popi. This simple weekly tradition is such a blessing. I love that your cousins are some of your very best friends. Family is such a gift to never take for granted.
I read these words by Bob Goff this week.
“The more beauty we find in someone else’s journey, the less we’ll want to compare it to our own.”
We all need to come together to love and encourage one another. We may live life differently. We may parent differently. We may create art differently.
Each of us has a unique journey and God has created each of us with an individual purpose. But, we all need a tribe that we can count on.When do we start comparing? My prayer is that we would all be free of jealousy or insecurity and be able to be a tribe of love and encouragement. I want to embrace those around me and see beauty in each of their lives and I pray that you will do this as well.
You are so sweet and tender with your cousins and you love having a new baby boy cousin to play with. I can't believe there will be ten cousins all living on the same street in a couple of weeks. We are all getting excited to welcome another baby boy into the family.
The wonder of childhood. What a gift it is to see the world through your eyes and to hear your words describing the beauty around you.
Today you were finished with your letter activities and you wanted to work with play dough on the porch. I love that you have always played so well independently.
I remember when you were just a baby and I was talking with Mita. I was so tired from getting little sleep. She told me to just wait; one day, this little baby would grow up and she would be my best friend. Mita said that you would be such a gift and that we would share so much.
10 years passed quickly; faster than I ever anticipated. There are parts of me that mourn the years of yesterday, but then I realize that I have so much to celebrate today. Mita was right in every way. The baby of mine, that is now a young girl, is indeed my best friend. This summer has been a time of growth, questions,and answers. The conversations we share and the light you bring into my world are more than I could have ever dreamed. You are teaching me how to live in today, not looking back or ahead, but just being in the present.
It's been such a fun summer watching the three of you swim non-stop at Mimi's pool.
Love you and your sweet smile and that dimple.
You create art daily. It is your ordinary. Seeing you with a paint brush or pencil bringing your imagination to life is my everyday. There is so much beauty to be found in the mundane. Each time I see you, I see something new. I feel something more. I have learned to not take any of these moments for granted and to find beauty in all of them.
These words from Lysa Terkeurst in her book the Best Yes, elaborate on this in a meaningful way, "Never despise the mundane. Embrace it. Unwrap it like a gift. And be one of the rare few who looks deeper than just the surface. See something more everyday. It's there. We can learn right here, right now, in the midst of all that's daily how to become wise. As we wisely gain knowledge through everyday stuff, grasp insights through everyday stuff, and grapple with the development of discernment through everyday stuff, we'll use what we have to our advantage in making better decisions."
As a family, we have consciously decided to slow down our life. This has given us more time to live and to appreciate these ordinary moments. It isn't always easy to keep this rhythm that we all appreciate so much, but as we do, we really grow and connect in beautiful ways. I have said it before, but the every day is anything BUT mundane. If you ask me, it is extraordinary. Each day is a gift and I pray we will continue to slow down and unwrap it.
We spent the day at the hospital while Pito had surgery. His smile was such an answered prayer when we saw him in recovery.
You and your love of painting. It really is something special.
We got back to homeschooling today. It is never easy to say goodbye to summer. I am so grateful that we get to spend our days together growing and learning.