Celebrating Ava

It seems as if life is just passing me by somedays...errr, some weeks. We have barely caught up on sleep and unpacking, and Jeff is leaving again in less than a week. Man, we've not gotten a lot of sleep lately, and that is really taking a toll. But even in the middle of tired-as-I-can-be, I choose joy. It's hard, and I'm not always good at it, or consistent, but it's definitely a choice. I want my life to be joy-full.

We celebrated Ava's birthday last weekend, and it was such a fun time to catch up with friends and family. We didn't get many pictures (only of the cake/singing part), but we made good memories :) But, we do have some fantastic pictures from amyharbinphotography.com from Ava's 1 year session. We are thankful our path crossed with Amy's some time ago and that she is such a good photographer for our family.

I want this blog to be a place where I am sharing memories, documenting life, and sometimes dipping into future dreams. I don't know that I'm doing that effectively yet, or that I even want an audience reading my thoughts. But I want to try (and I'm still evaluating the audience). We'll see.

A note to Ava:

Ava, you are strong and independent, more than we could have ever expected. I pray that I can help you find your path to be a great leader. You will do great things in life, and I will be your biggest, loudest fan. You are tender and sweet, loving to snuggle up (sometimes) and willing to share whatever you have (sometimes). You are silly, keeping us laughing often, sometimes with just your smile. 

I don't know what I expected before you arrived. But in so many ways, you've exceeded any expectations we could have had. You have stolen our hearts, even amidst the long nights and loud days, you are loved. Beyond measure. This much (arms outstretched). 

Thank you for being a blessing to us. Thank you for bringing your giggly, tooth-filled grin to our lives. Happy Birthday, sweet girl. We love you.

-Mama (Dada and brother too!)