Five

 You all know how much I love celebrating birthdays. 

(If you don't know, I LOVE celebrating birthdays!)

My oldest child had a birthday recently. 

She turned 5. 

FIVE.

(How did she get so old?!)

Her birthday was on Sunday this year, so we planned some special treats before church:

Her requested vanilla cake with chocolate frosting:

 

Cake for breakfast is the BEST.

After church (where the very thrilled birthday girl received many happy birthday wishes), we surprised her with a trip to the zoo.

Our friends joined us, much to Ava's delight.

Included was a trip on the train. Not a huge train, but the first ride ever for the girls, and Ava got to blow the whistle since it was her birthday. That made her day!!!

It was a very special day! 

We finished up at Wendy's (nothing too fancy, but time commitments back in town didn't allow for an extended meal). 

A couple days later, we went to Pizza Ranch with my side of the family and celebrated a few family birthdays that evening.

The following weekend, we were visiting Mr. Wonderful's family, and had another special birthday celebration with them.

Each celebration was special for Ava, and she felt very loved and enjoyed. :) 

................................................................................

Ava is in Kindergarten, and learning reading, writing, math, spelling, science, history, and all about her world. She loves school, and always begs to do her workbooks!

She prays well, and I know she prays with a clear faith-it is remarkable to see her prayers answered so evidently. One example is that on nights she prays for good dreams, she has them. This is a huge answer for a girl who struggles with scary dreams.

As Ava continues her fifth year, our prayer for her is that she continues to grow in the grace and knowledge of her Lord Jesus Christ. She has professed faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we see her growing in Him. Every day she makes choices to honor God, to respect her parents, to put others first, to be a helper, to use kind words, and to encourage her sisters. This is an enormous blessing and encouragement!

Ava....I love you forever.

Lucy, Three!

We parents always decorate, at least a little. 

Good morning, Birthday Girl!!!

Lucy is all about hand-on, messy play. 

(Her mommy is trying to let her make more messes...)

She got sidewalk chalk paint, a bubble gun, a sparkly tutu, binoculars, a preschool workbook, and birthday money (used to buy a new doll bed and doll clothes).

As I'm sure you can imagine, these were incredible for my dance-loving, creative 3-year-old. 

My silly, sweet, creative girl loved having a birthday! 

We went to Pizza Ranch for supper a day early, and she was sung to by the girls' softball team who were doing Tip Night that evening. 

Lucy turned bright red and crawled onto my lap! She was happily overwhelmed by the attention!

The evening of her birthday, we had tacos while we watched Frozen.

We ended her birthday with chocolate cake! The candles were blown out faster than I can blink. I think it was a most anticipated moment!!

 Lucy is a friend to all, but naturally shy. It is a huge step out of her comfort zone to talk to strangers. She pushes Ava to be more daring and explorative, and Ava encourages her to obey boundaries, and do "big girl" things such as drinking from a lidless cup or emptying the dishwasher.

She is so sweet with Olivia, but definitely can be bossy big sister. If Olivia does something that Lucy disapproves of, she will grab Olivia's heels and pull her away from a situation. I can always count on Lucy protecting Olivia, but it will always make Olivia angry. :-)

Lucy recently had her first ride on an escalator, and also got her first big bike.

She knows most of the alphabet, can count to 20, name most shapes and colors, and is learning her numbers. This fall she will be ready to jump into full preschool work.

She says "restaining" wall, "sank you", and is only just starting to say a proper "L" sound. (It's still usually replaced with a "w" sound.) 

I love my May Day baby! She lights up our home with her singing and silly antics, and keeps us on her toes with adventurous, and naughty, decisions. 

Happy Birthday, my darling Lu-Lu!

Ava Grace {4}

 September 28th...

that day my life changed forever.

This little girl revolutionized my world

and threw me into the arena called Parenting.

For all the wisdom I thought I possessed, 

she has proven me inadequate over and over again.

And for all those times, God has shown that He is the only true parent,

and I am just a vessel. 

 Through Ava, God has taught me about 

honesty, integrity, humor,

balance, silliness, structure,

holiness, strength, and honor.

 

 (One year)

Through her eyes the world is a different place,

and yet we are very similar.

She is strong-willed, opinionated, and almost desperate in her quest to make everyone else follow the rules.

 (Two years)

 She is learning right from wrong.

Her vocabulary stumps adults on occasion.

She loves to sing about Jesus.

Memory verses are getting stored away; her heart is tender toward God.

(Three Years)

Now, I am four years into this journey that no one warned me about.

No one told me the way my heart would break when her feelings got hurt,

or how much anxiety when she is unsure about a new task.

I had no idea the frustration she would cause, or the excitement she would take everywhere she goes.

 

She sings, tells stories, narrates adventures for her toys, dances, and loves to be crazy.

Her whole world is a place of twirling happiness...

it hurts when a harsher reality cracks her sphere of sunshine.

 

This girl has the potential to be anything she wants to be.

She can travel, explore, or stay and have her own family.

The future has endless potential for Ava.

 

Ultimately, in everything she does, our desire is that she have God first,

that she choose the Lord Jesus as her salvation.

May her true purpose be in Christ, 

and may that shine to others.

 

Love you forever, sweetheart.

I am so glad you are my daughter.

Ava's Birthday

 Happy Birthday!

Red streamers all around.

We surprised her with a parade (part of our local Oktemberfest).

 This included seeing one of her favorite friends, Allison, and making new friends in Allison's cousins.

 Oh, and there were Minions. That was probably their favorite part.

Then her favorite, Pizza Ranch, for lunch. She eats the chicken and not the pizza. But hey, it's the best chicken, no joke.

Then the blackboard picture:

Favorite Color: Red

Favorite Food: Pizza Ranch Chicken

What I want to be when I grow up: A Woman (so she can eat gum)

The big gift this year: A new bike!

(She needs a lot of practice.)

 She isn't naturally adventurous, so it was a big deal to get on a big bike and pedal!

 Eventually, Scott just put the thing up on blocks so Ava could practice pedaling and not worry about crashing. Haha! She looks at her feet...so you see the safety risks...

Ava said it was the best birthday ever! 

She certainly is the most wonderful oldest child I ever could have had. 

Happy 4th Birthday, Miss Ava!

Lucy Turns Two

 May 1st, 2013

Miss Lucy had a fever, and was not feeling so well.

After nap her fever had broken, so we were able to do some simple birthday celebrations.

Pizza Ranch (the favorite) for supper

Then birthday shopping.

Then home for cupcakes.

Vanilla with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles, as picked out by the
Birthday Girl.

All 3 girls got in on the fun...

Lucy even picked out the pink spiral candles. 

Just like her quirky, sweet little self.

And a doctor play set for Miss Lucy.

She loves, loves being the doctor!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Lucy!

Your energy fills my day with activity, and your creativity never ceases to amaze me.

You love your big sister (and sometimes you love to annoy her),

and you are so sweet and kind with your little sister. 

Thank you for asking for cuddles when you haven't had enough.

I love the nights we cuddle before bed, and you sing every song with me.

You have the most hilarious sense of humor, and your grin lights up my day!

You are clever-you know colors, shapes, and you want to learn the letters and numbers.

You love tutus, and dancing, and wearing many skirts at once.

You don't like rules, so every time you choose to obey it is a big decision.

You want to do every single thing Ava does. I'm glad you two are so close in age, so you really can keep up with her and enjoy so many things together.

I love you, little girl who wants to be all grown up. 

Happy Birthday!