Birthday Presents for Daddy

It's tough to find a gift for Daddy's birthday that is useful and meaningful and cheap!  It's even more difficult to find something that the kids can make without it being too "girly" and "crafty".

BUT OH, we had fun with this little treasure!
 Super-Hero inspired paper weights!

We got the idea from one of Abby's craft books: "Family Fun: Cut and Easy Crafts."

The kids went outside and found 4 good sized rocks from the driveway.  We brought them in, washed and dried them.

Then I put them in the oven on top of aluminum foil for 15 minutes at 350*.

Pulled them out and put them on a paper plate and let the kids color/paint them with crayons.  The crayons melt onto the hot rock and creates a really cool, shiny look.  To add the swirls, we used a 2nd crayon and pressed it down in certain spots until it started to run.

BE VERY CAREFUL with little ones however...Caedmon will be the first to tell you that it HURTS if you touch the rocks!!  They are HOT! 

We also created a Mod Podge version.  The kids took red tissue paper and Spider-man stickers and pressed it onto a rock then painted over it all with Mod Podge.  A couple of hours later, it's perfectly shiny and set!

So, from left to right we have: Red and Blue for Spider-man, Black and Yellow for Batman, A Spidey Mod Podge, and a Green Kryptonite (my favorite one!)  Superman paper weight.

Dear Hubby is rockin' it out in his office today!

Happy Birthday, PJ!

Happy 1st Birthday, Caleb!

This time last year, I was in the hospital enjoying chocolate cake and holding my newborn! <sigh>

 In my hospital room after you were born, I had the song "You Revive Me"  playing on repeat during my entire hospital stay.  One thing that the Lord really impressed upon me during that time was to rest in Him and allow Him to revive me.  I'm so glad I did.  Now, I have such sweet memories of being still before the Lord, while enjoying my newborn!

You've learned a lot in the past year, Caleb Justus!  Some of your favorite things right now include: food of any kind, laughing at your brother, playing with your sister's hair, snuggling with Mommy, rolling around on the couch, cruising the furniture, all music and staying up late to watch  "Art and Music" with Daddy.


Happy Birthday, Caleb Justus!! 

It is 6:15am and it's his birthday...can we wake him up yet????

Enjoy your last few minutes of sleep, buddy!

I love my diapers from Aunt Becky!

Breakfast at the "big" table!  Now that you are one, you can join us! :)

1st gift is from brother.  Caed picked out his old plate, bowl, toy keys and toy dog for Caleb.

Yay! Keys!

Both Abby and Caedmon included notes for Caleby.  Abby's said "Abby love" and had a heart, and peace sign. Caed's said, "I love you, Caleb from Caedmon"

Abby gave him her old doggie and froggie

He likes ripping paper.

  I love Maddie's face. She's like, "Who is that OTHER Wonder Woman?"

Super Kids!

Super hero Little People.  He was thrilled!

Finally has his own laptop from Auntie Des and Maddie!

Loves his blocks from Nana and Poppy!

Little People farm (Abby's and Caed's first Christmas presents! ha!). Always a big hit!

Every party needs a pirate.

Yay! 

Yum!

Yum!

Yum!

Bath to follow!

Thank you Uncle Robbie for my boat set.  I love it!

Happy Birthday Mom!

May 23rd is my Mom's birthday! It is the 4th anniversary of her 16th birthday!  Isn't that special?  She becomes even more dear to me as the years go by! 

My earliest memories of my mom are ones of comfort.  I used to love to cuddle up next to her as we watched tv.  When I was hurt, heart broken or just nervous about something, her hugs were always, always enough to help and give me strength.  I think that one of my favorite "tasks" as a mom, myself, is being the one to comfort my kids when they are sick or sad.  I love being that person for them, and I think it is because I had such a good model of that comfort and love.

My mom is unbelievably strong.  She probably doesn't see her self this way, and would never admit to you that she has such deep strength within her bones...but let me tell you, I've seen this woman endure A LOT.  When most people give up, she steadily keeps moving forward...day after day.  She is fearless when it comes to facing obstacles.  My kids have learned a phrase this year at school "I don't give up, I persevere".  Every time they recite that line, I think of my mom.  She is an excellent example for me and her grandchildren.

And the patience this woman displays...I can't even tell you all the many ways I've tested her in this area.  I claim most of any gray hair she has!  If I could have just 1/4 of the patience that she has, I'd be rich! Thank you, Mom, for putting up with SO. MUCH. 

Mom is also very funny. From humorous stories on the phone, to comic strips that she sends through the mail, she loves to laugh and always looks for ways to brighten our days! She and PJ have a very special relationship. We love to joke about how PJ was actually her boss when he proposed to me.  He was a youth pastor and she was the church secretary.  How could she have said no when he asked permission to marry me?!  Mom and PJ  love to pick on each other and laugh together.  Sometimes, I think she even loves him more than she loves me! :)

 Her creativity shines through in the little details she draws on envelopes of letters she sends, in the ways she has decorated her home and in her ability to make and decorate cakes.  For years, I have taken for granted all those cakes she made for me.  She could do anything I asked for from little-girl Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony cakes to great, big, fancy, gotta-have-a-fountain-under-it, wedding cakes!   I used to pour over the Wilton cake catalogs and dream of my wedding cake. When the day finally came,  I took my two favorite pictures and my mom created it perfectly!

Her grand-kids think she is absolutely wonderful!  I asked them today about why they love Nana-Banana.  Here were their answers:

Caedmon: She opens popsicles for me when I feel lonely.  She plays with me. She gives BIIIG hugs. She lets me play with her typy-thingy (calculator). She's cool. I love her.

Abby: She is fun and funny. She lets me have sleepovers and camp-outs.  I love her hair and glasses.  She is the awesomest-cool!

Caleb: Thuuung! (I think only Nana knows what that means!)
 

Mom, you are a woman of most (awesomest) excellence and you are leaving a rich legacy! I am learning to be a faithful mommy because I have you to look to.  I love you so very much!  Happy Birthday!

Happy 4th Birthday Caedmon Alexzander!

1 month

1 year

2 years

3 years

4 years

I simply cannot believe that Caedmon is 4...I can't believe we made it this far! :)

This morning, he woke up asking if it was finally his birthday.  When I told him yes and that he is now 4 years old he started jumping around and squealing: "I'm 4! I'm 4! I'm 4!"   Such an exciting time!  I love his enthusiasm...even at 6:28am!

I interviewed Caedmon today because I love discovering how he thinks and processes life.

 Me: Caedmon, what were you doing this time 4 years ago?
Caed: Camping out inside.
 <this was funny to me because he was, in fact, 2 days past his due date>

 Me:  Do you remember being born?
Caed: Yes!

Me: What was it like?
Caed: It was good, but I was sad and cried because I couldn't eat chips yet.

Me: Before you were born, did you play any games in my belly?
Caed: Yes! Mario Brothers!

 Me: Do you remember what you were thinking the first time you saw me?
Caed: I remember that you were pretty.
<melt my  heart!>

Me: What did you like about being 3?
Caed: I didn't like being 3.

Me: What is the best thing about turning 4 years old?
Caed: That I get to eat dairy free pizza and I will obey.

Me: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Caed: A scientist

I love you SOOOOO much, Caedmon-Roo!  I can't wait to see what this year holds for us!! Happy Birthday, son!

Happy Birthday Desiree!

Today is my best friend's birthday! She is now, officially, only 1 year younger than me!  In honor of the birthday girl, today's post is about Desiree Gentala, my bestie!

One of the funny things about our friendship is that we both have bad memories, maybe that's why we've been friends for so long! In preparation of writing this blog, I had to actually brainstorm with Des about the details of how our friendship began.

Way back in 2004, our husbands were in seminary together. They became fast friends and so naturally wanted to introduce the wives into the friendship. My first meeting of Des took place outside the Gentala apartment, which happened to be in the same neighborhood as ours, literally 2-3 minutes away from each other. We headed to the annual Liberty University Block Party, and spent the evening enjoying  a lot of great laughs and lively conversation. I loved hearing Des and Luke's stories about going to school at LU, their friends and memories and how they met. I felt sure that this was the beginning of a great friendship.

The four of us went to a play at LU together (though none of us can remember the name of the play!).We had them to our apartment for dinner and talked late into the night. Likewise, they had us over to their place.  Such lovely times.

And then it happened.  We played the game that nearly ended our budding friendship. Luke and Des love board games.  Neither PJ nor I grew up playing a lot of games, but we thought it would be fun.  Des pulled down the game "Don't Make Me Laugh", explaining that the point of the game is for one team to try to make the other team laugh.  READ:  If you want to win, you don't want to laugh.   READ: Terrible game when you are just getting to know each other because no one (especially people-pleasers like me and my beloved bestie) wants to make the other person feel bad and not laugh at their jokes. READ: awkward. Soooo....long story short.  PJ and I lost, by a landslide. (But I'll let PJ explain to you why we lost).

And that was the end.  Life got busy.  All 4 of us were working and/or in grad school.  We lost contact with our new BFF neighbors.  I wondered if it was because of the game.  Des wondered if I just didn't like them.  We never talked about it again.  In fact, we rarely even saw each other.

Then about 2 years later, we ran into the Gentalas at Wal-Mart.  I was pregnant with Abby and Des remembers that I was buying Activia yogurt. It was a slightly awkward scenario, but so very pleasant.  I walked away wishing that we could revive our friendship because I really liked Desiree.

Annnnd...from there, Neither Des nor I have any recollection of what happened next. We moved to a new apartment when Abby was 11 months old and some how Des and I reconnected and became instant friends again.

I loved those days.  We took an online class together and we hung out every week drinking coffee, making food, sharing and growing.   And we have been best friends ever since.  We have now added 4 kids to the mix for our almost weekly get-togethers, so it is often difficult to focus on conversation with all the interruptions, but it has been such a joy to watch our kids grow to love one another as well!

In honor of Desiree Gentala, and our 9-ish years of friendship, here are 9 things about her for which I'm thankful:

1. She is crazy-funny!  I love her stories.  She can always find the humor in situations and make me laugh. Even if we both have to write down the event on post-it notes just to remember the funny details, it's always delightful! (And yes, we have each brought post-it notes, full of information to talk about,  to our weekly coffee dates...which reminds me, I need to buy more post-its!)

2. Des is fashionable!  She is my guide in fashion. I jumped off the fashion train somewhere in the early 2000's and then hit the brutal rocks of motherhood and t-shirts.  Des keeps me up-to-date with what looks nice from scarves and shoes to hair and accessories.  She is definitely, my go-to person when I need fashion help!

3. She is genuine. I love this about her!  Des knows herself well and she seeks to know others well.  She doesn't hide the fact that she has struggles in her life.  Rather she uses those struggles to reach a common ground with other people.  She is amazingly good at conversation because she makes other people feel so comfortable and important to her.

4. She is a pray-er.  She prays for people.  I know for a fact that she prays as she walks each day.  If she says that she is going to pray for you, you can count on the fact that she will. She is one of only a handful of people that I can text and say "Please pray" and I KNOW that she will!

5. I am completely convinced of this one.  I have never met someone as giving as Desiree.  This girl seeks out opportunities to serve others, it's almost like breathing for her.  From meal trains to late night runs to Wal-Mart to buy cosmetics for a strange (and sometimes vain) best friend, Des is always willing to help someone in need.

6. Des is healthy! She strives daily to honor God with her body.  She eats well and exercises well.  She is doing it right and it inspires me to take better care of my body.  Des has come a long way in this journey and I'm so very proud of her for it! 

7. She is an amazing wife and mommy.  I've watched her interact with her beautiful daughter and I'll tell you this: Des is consistent!  I have a lot to learn from her in this department!  She is doing an amazing job with Maddie!  And she loves her husband.  She strives to honor him with her words as much in private with a close friend as she would in public.  Luke, know that Des has your back through thick and thin!

8. She loves coffee as much as I do.  If you know me, you know this is important. And she knows my cream to sugar to coffee ratio. 

9. Des has a brilliant British accent which makes sophisticated events much more fun!  And with the accent, comes a vast and wonderful knowledge of British tv shows and movies.   She has great taste!

And 10. (Because I hate to end on an odd number): My daughter Abby is totally CONVINCED that Desiree is her dear friend too.  Caedmon calls Des "Auntie".  Abby calls her "Friend".  And that is because Des ALWAYS includes Abby into the conversation as an equal.  Des, thank you for making Abby important as well.  You know that means the world to me! 


I've always heard the saying: "Be careful of the company you keep."  It's true, friendships mold us.  I'm so thankful to share a friendship with Desiree because she helps me go deeper in my relationship with Jesus.  She encourages me to keep going when I'm ready to quit.  She helps me see the good in others.  I am a better person for having known her! 

Happy Birthday, my friend!

Happy 6th Birthday, Abby!

It was Mother's Day 2006 when I found out that I was pregnant with Abigayle Grace. I took the test that morning before church (and then I took 6 more in later weeks because I JUST couldn't believe it!). I had not even told PJ because I wanted to surprise him later in the day.  That morning, I said  "Happy Mother's Day" to every mom I could find.  There must have been something different in my tone because more often than not I received a kind smile and some form of "Maybe some day soon I can wish YOU a Happy Mother's Day."  Each time I just smiled and thought, "Sooner than you realize!"

And then on January 8, 2007 at 8:09pm, I held the most beautiful little girl I've ever seen.  And she cried...and cried...and cried...until PJ held her.  She's been a Daddy's girl since her very first hour!

 I was a  nervous 1st time parent (still am in some ways!). We slept, if you can call it "sleep," with the lights on for the first 6 months of Abby's life.  Eventually, Abby learned to sleep through the night, and so did I.

At 15 months, she was talking in short sentences.  Her first sentence was "It's a bug!" as she inspected some ants on the sidewalk.  One of my favorite memories is of her first trip to the zoo.  She was determined to feed a small blade of grass to a giraffe. That night she talked/babbled for 45 minutes about her experience at the zoo.  Some things never change. She still loves animals and talking! 

When Abby was two years old, she asked us if she could get her ears pierced. Her Daddy told her that she had to wait until she was 6.  It seemed so far away at the time.  Now we are here, and Abby has not forgotten her Daddy's words. Introducing Abby's new "rainbow daisy" earrings:

She was so very nervous.  The ladies at Claires were trying to be helpful when they told her that it does not hurt as badly as shots. All she heard was "shots" and then the hysteria broke.  One lady even pinky promised that it would not hurt. She lied. As soon as they did one ear (because Abby wouldn't let them do both at the same time) Abby screamed "IT HURRRT!"  Why lie to the poor girl?  We told her over and over on the way to the store that it would hurt, but that it wouldn't last for long.  Thankfully she was her happy self 10 minutes later.  I'm very proud of her.  We gave her the option to leave but she insisted that she wanted to go through with it. She conquered her fear and is asleep with a smile on her face now...if she is actually asleep.  She's so excited that I don't think she has stopped talking since we left Claires!

 Each new phase with our first born seems to stretch us as she paves the way for her younger brothers.  But through it all, we are growing and enjoying the process.  She is a delightful, creative, funny, and kind young lady, and I'm so proud to call her my daughter!  I love you, Abby!  Happy 6th Birthday!

Caleb Justus: Another Campbell Birth Story

Our Memorial Day menu consisted of: grilled steak, grilled onions, grilled pineapple, deviled eggs, and fresh cut watermelon, Klondike bars for dessert. Yum!  All weekend, I had been looking forward to this meal. The steak had been marinating since early in the morning!

The day was a lazy one (except for the major cleaning I compulsively did earlier in the day, including standing on a chair to clean my ceiling fan...not such a smart idea at 9 months pregnant!)  The kids spent the afternoon playing outside in the water and we were simply enjoying the day with my mom.

PJ first grilled the pineapple and set it down on the kitchen table.  I walked past and sneaked a piece on my way outside.  I laughed to myself as I remembered a friend telling me that eating pineapple would cause me to go into labor.  PJ had just put the steak on the grill and it smelled amazing!  I wanted to clean up the yard a little before dinner and bent down to pick up the sunscreen off the ground...and then it happened.  My water broke!  I laughed...that pineapple really works!!

I yelled over to tell PJ, who thought I had just sprayed my shorts as a joke...um...no...it was the real thing!

The next 15 minutes were surreal.  I sat in the bathroom while PJ tried to find fresh clothes for me and gather our bags. Caedmon suddenly became completely engrossed in a train track...he wouldn't stop looking at it, playing with it, talking about it...coping through distraction!  Abby, poor little Abby, sat with my mom.  She is a nervous talker.  I couldn't tell you anything she was saying in that moment because she was literally laughing and crying and talking hysterically all at the same time.  Finally she burst into full tears and said, "What if he is born and he is mean to me like Caedmon is sometimes?"  Oh my poor little dear.  I hugged her and assured her that we would be with her to walk her through this!  I'm so thankful for my mom's presence.  It was a wise choice to have her stay with us before my due date!  Thanks Mom! :)

We were ready to go to the hospital, with my water still gushing...but there was the matter of the steaks.  Should we take them?  They weren't finished cooking yet. Should we wait for them?  Should we just go on and eat them later...but I had been looking forward to them all weekend.  We debated for a few minutes and then decided to go on without them.  A choice we regretted all. the. way. to. the. hospital.  And so we stopped at Burger King before going in to be admitted.

By this point I was starting to feel my contractions and was eager to get admitted and into my room.  Of course the nurse told me that I couldn't be admitted until it was confirmed that my water had actually broken (even though I sat on the waterproof pad, gushing as she spoke).  :)

With my previous two births, I was induced.  My water broke with Abby, but was only a trickle.  With Caedmon, my amniotic fluid was really low, so the doctor sent me to the hospital to induce.  So, I've never actually felt a contraction without the help of drugs.  I was surprised to be hooked up to the monitors and discover that what I had been feeling the entire day before and thought was only Caleb moving around, was actually contractions.  Cool!  I also was thrilled to find out that I had actually dilated to 3cm...I've never made it past 1 cm on my own.

By the time I was admitted, it was close to 8pm and I was sure that I would have the baby by midnight. So I walked and walked and waited and waited.  By 11pm, my contractions had stopped and I was still only at 3cm.  Finally things picked back up around 2am.  I was so sleepy and ready to be done.  I asked for the happy epidural man around 2:30 so that I could get some sleep.  When he came into the room, the only thing I could think of was the old doctor on "Despicable Me" and Gru saying "Why are you sooo ooold?"  He was really old...but very friendly and good at his job.  And I have to be honest, I love the no-pain that epidurals bring.

I was able to rest until about 5:30 when I felt some pressure and knew it was time to push!  Caleb was born at 5:57am and the first thing he did was pee all over the place! He didn't even have his cord cut yet before he let us know that his plumbing worked just fine! :)  I even got to hold him before his cord was cut, which was kind of neat.  PJ cut the cord and the nurses began cleaning him up.

He wasn't crying but whimpering instead...it was a little scary. A mommy always wants to hear that cry...but the nurses suctioned out some mucus and he began to cry a little more "normally."  It was at that point that one of the nurses said, "He has teeth."  What?  My newborn has teeth???

Sure enough, he had two large, purple bumps on his bottom gum that looked like teeth.  They have since shrunk quite a bit, but we have an appointment with a pediatric dentist next week to find out if they really are teeth under the gums or just cysts.  And then we will figure out how to proceed from there.

My little man snuggled with me until time to move to the Mother-Baby unit where I slept finally!

I feel so blessed! He is snuggled up with me now as I type.  Caleb is a sweet, quite little guy.  He has an adorable smile, but you have to work hard to get it.  He's a tough audience, so far, just like his sister was!

Having three kids has its challenges, but many joys as well.  I love watching Abby and Caed take care of their little brother. And I look forward to watching all three of them grow closer to one another!

And Baby makes Five!

Happy 3rd Birthday Caedmon!

Caedmon, Caedmon, Caedmon!  You are 3 now!  I honestly can't believe it! It was only last year that you could barely talk, and now you can  give me a reasonable explanation as to why you simply had climb on top of the table to reach the ceiling fan and attach Spiderman  to the string before jumping down.

Well, life has certainly been nothing shy of an adventure since you came into our family, and I'm so very thankful for you.  Your life has added depth and richness to my own life and to our family.  So in honor of your 3rd birthday, here is a Birthday Blog dedicated to you and 3 ways in which your personality has developed this past year!

1.  You are a hero! No adventure is too big for you! Not only do you pretend to be every hero from Batman to Fireman Sam, but you also genuinely care for others.  Each day, you dress up in a hero costume and create situations in which you can come to the rescue.  Some days there are "fires" in the kitchen and you grab my hand to lead me to safety.  Other days, the "bad guys" are in the city and you give me, Daddy, Abby (and sometimes even Sophie) super-hero names so that we can join you in the battle against evil!  Always, always, you save the day! But in "real life", too, you don't like for people to cry.  You are quick to hug and quick to forgive.  One day at Kids Cove, I watched as you attempted to scare off a 7 or 8 year old boy that was growling at all the kids. Abby had tried to climb to the top of the tree, and the boy growled at her making her cry.  After hearing Abby's story, you said, "I'll go check!" and ran away in effort to locate the growler.  Then you came back and reported that you told him "No!" I love your spirit of courage.  I pray that it grows and becomes deeply rooted in wisdom! :)

2.  You are a lover!  Oh my word, I have never known a little boy to be so loving and affectionate.  From the day you were born, you have enjoyed snuggling close.  You still like to hold my hand and you hug and kiss me all the time.  One of my favorite things during the day is helping you settle down for nap time because after all your chatter ends, you snuggle in close and either hold my hand, or stroke my face until you fall asleep. More often than not your final words before drifting off to sleep are "I loves you, Mommy."  I loves you too, sweetheart! Very much! And my absolute favorite is when I cook your favorite food.  Once while I was standing at the stove, you leaned over and hugged me and said, "I loves you SO much when you cooking." :)  And some days if I cook a food you particularly love, you can hardly sit still long enough to eat it because you are touching my arm and thanking me and kissing me for cooking your meal!  I certainly will know what to tell your future wife some day!

3. You are comedian! If there is one thing I've learned from you Caedmon Alexzander it would be to laugh.  You are able to find the humor in almost any situation and your laughter is contagious! One of my favorite things to hear you say is "It's my JOKE!"  You are able to find the joy in life and invite others to join in.  Every day is a new day of joy to you.  I love your light-hearted spirit, it brings life to our family!

Happy Birthday, Son!  Always remember that Mommy and Daddy love you and are so very proud of you! You are a most excellent little brother to Abby and I look forward to seeing you grow as a big brother to Caleb!

Baby Caedmon's 1st full day home.

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Caedmon turns 1!!

Diving into the cake at age 2!

My hero turns 3...or...is it 5?...No, definitely 3!

Abigayle Grace

My Dearest Abby,

I can't believe you are 5 years old now!  Mostly because, I remember being 5.  I remember wearing a blue shirt and walking outside with my cousins who were 6 years older than me, and I distinctly remember thinking that I knew more than they did. This is one of my first memories, in fact.  So believe me when I say, I know what it's like to be 5! 

I thought I would tell you a little about why we named you Abigayle Grace. Waaaay back in the year 2002, Daddy and I were sitting at a coffee shop discussing baby names.  We were not yet even dating...but that day we scribbled on a napkin the names of our 4 or 5 kids that we would one day have if we decided to get married. (I think we both knew then that we would get married very soon!)  :)  I wish...oh I wish...I still had that napkin.  But the first name on our list (and the only one I remember with clarity) was Abigail Grace Campbell. 

We loved this name because Abigail means "A father's joy" and Grace means "An undeserved gift".  Since it's such a common name, we determined to add our own flare by changing the spelling.  We must have had an entire sheet of notebook paper with different variations scribbled all over it.  Finally we settled on Abigayle.

These five years have been filled with joy and I am often breathless as I think about how much of a gift you are to our family. In honor of your birthday, Abigayle, here are 5 ways that I have seen you grow this past year: 


1. You've grown in your compassion for other people.  I have joined with you as you pray for your friends and family who are sick or sad  or hurting.  I've listened to you try to calm your crying brother with soothing words and hugs. And my heart swells each time someone is getting "picked on" and you stand to that person's defense.  You have a heart for people.  You are sensitive to their needs, and I LOVE that about you!

2. Your sense of humor has grown in major ways this year!  You make me laugh with each of your knock knock jokes.  I love hearing your songs that you create, especially as you try out different rhyming words.  And my favorite is when we both hear or see something funny, then look at each other and laugh our heads off!  You bring joy to life in our family.

3. I'm amazed at your growth in responsibility this past year. With 2 and at one time 3 pets, you willingly feed and water them without complaint.  You offer to wash dishes and clean windows just because. And on days when I'm exhausted, your willingness to serve is such a blessing! There was even one day when Caedmon refused to let me change his diaper.  He only wanted "Sissy" to do it.  Instead of refusing, you went into the bathroom and said, "Ooo-kay!" I love your willingness to step up and take on extra tasks without expecting anything in return!

4. Oh how I have enjoyed your growth in imagination and sense of adventure.  You've created your own comic book series called "Adventure Girls" and I can't wait for you to publish these stories one day!  I enjoy hearing about each new character and the super powers that she possesses. I love playing in the yard with you and going on monster quest hunts for porcupines and meerkats. I never know what each day will hold in your world, and that is exciting stuff!

5.Finally, I've been really impressed with a new sense of giving to others that I've seen in you. Sometimes I think you pamper your brother by letting him have the toy that you are playing with...but as I look more deeply, it seems that you just want him to be happy and are willing to give to him.  When you have friends over, you are willing to share your toys and even your newest nail polish.  When you have two snack cakes, you save one for your Daddy.  You are an example to me, my dear!

You told me today that you are nervous about being 5.  You said that you are afraid that you may not be able to handle it.  First, I want you to know that I believe in you.  You will be able to handle anything that comes your way this year. And for those things that come up that you may feel uncertain about, you can count on me and Daddy to walk with you and help you along the way.

This next year, my prayer for you is that you will continue to grow in knowledge, the things you know in your head.  I pray that you will continue learning and enjoying the process of learning.  But I also pray that you will grow in your heart knowledge.  I pray that you will learn to trust more deeply and will not be afraid.  There is a verse that I learned a long time ago: "When I am afraid, I will trust in you. " Psalm 56:3.  My prayer is that you will learn this year to put your faith in Jesus and trust Him more and more. 

Abigayle Grace, it is my absolute joy to be your Mommy.  I delight in you. If I could line up all the Abby's in the world and pick one out to be my little girl, do you know who I would pick?  I would pick you. Every. Single. Time.

Happy Birthday, 5 Year Old!!!
Love,
Mommy

Five years and counting:

Baby Abby about 1 month old

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

4th Birthday

5th Birthday