Wednesday, August 7, 2013

July 31st - A Day to Celebrate

To My Precious Gift, Mia -

We prayed for your arrival for many years! What I didn't know in our time of waiting was that God had you in mind from the beginning...if I had known what an amazing little girl you would be, I think I would have found more joy in the waiting.  When you arrived on the evening of July 31, 2012, I was immediately in awe of God's blessing. And when we picked your middle name to be Joy, I don't think we knew how fitting it would be. You are ALWAYS so full of joy! You make your momma smile in the middle of the night for early morning feedings - you will soon learn how significant that is for me:) 

You have so much personality wrapped up in that itty bitty body of yours! You are smart and charming; you are a delight; you smile about 90% of the day; you love to play with your baby dolls; you LOVE to walk laps in the house; you like it when mommy chases you; you enjoy bathtime; you give kisses to those you love (and to the animals in your books); you wake up full of life - ready to start your day; you love to be around people; you like to look at the pictures in our hall and tells us about them; you absolutely love to be outside; you read books to yourself and crawl in mommy's lap to have them read to you; you are learning to share; you are beautiful and capture everyones attention with your gorgeous eyes! And here are some of the things you are not - you are not a good eater (which makes your mommy worry); you do not like your diaper to be changed; you do not like the word "no"; you do not like to stop playing; you are discovering a bit of an attitude when things do not go your way.  All of these things (and much, much more), make you who you are today. After just one year of your beautiful little life, you have become a treasure to those around you - especially to your mommy and daddy!

Daddy and I pray for you every night! We pray you continue to grow and discover this world through the eyes of Christ. We ask God to protect you, especially when we cannot. We pray God prepares your heart for Christ and that your life with glorify Him in a mighty way! And Mommy continuously lifts up praise to our Heavenly Father for giving you to us!!!  You could not be more beautiful, from the inside out, and getting to call you my baby girl brings such joy to my heart and to every moment of my life!  We LOVE you Mia Joy!!!

















A Little Catching Up

Well July was a whirlwind of adventures - so I got a little behind on my blogging.  Hopefully Mia naps long enough for me to catch ;)  Arantxa came for a visit during the end of June/beginning of July. We a special treat to have her back for a short time. And since I was sick the last time she was here, this visit was extra special. We actually got to do fun stuff together and hang out at the house without me throwing up! But of course the highlight was seeing Arantxa and Mia start their life-long friendship!! Just last night we were able to let Mia "talk" to Ara over skype. She smiled and danced, gave kisses and told stories.

While Ara was here, we took our annual 4th of July trip to my parents' house in FL. Mia loves the water, doesn't mind the sand, and simply LOVES to be outside. She also did great in the car for the 9 hour drive! The cowgirl pictures were taken in their backyard - where we spend countless hours each day.














Shortly after we return from FL, we headed to Colorado for the Anderson family reunion. We stayed on a beautiful ranch and enjoyed time with extended family. Mia had an ear infection and stomach issues from the medicine she was taking for it - so there was a lot of sleepless nights. But we pushed through and had all kinds of adventures during the day. I think Mia's favorite was chasing her cousin Aaro around the lodge! There was also horseback riding, rock climbing, mini-golf, fishing, lots of eating, lots of stories and beautiful hiking.