The 1st of Many Birthday Blessings

Who knew that one of life's biggest blessings came in the form of tiny fingers and toes. A cute button nose and a smile that is unforgettable! Over the past year, I have realized that the gift of a child is one of life's greatest joys! Yesterday was Amelia's first birthday and it seems like only yesterday I was meeting her face to face for the very first time! I will always cherish that moment. I can't even imagine what life would be like without her in it. This precious baby girl has enriched our lives more than we could have imagined. I never knew my heart had the capacity to love SO much until the day I held her in my arms!

As a little girl my biggest dream was to grow up, get married, and have babies! I wanted to be just like my mom. Giving never-ending love and showing my children how to live a life that pleased God! My mom was the perfect example and for that I am thankful. She instilled in me all the tools that I need to be great mom! (Although, I still have a long way to go). So let this be a birthday promise to you, Amelia.

I, your mommy, promise to love you and smother you with hugs and kisses everyday.

I promise to sing to you and pray over you every night before you go to sleep.

As you get older, I promise, to fix your hair just like mine and let you borrow my lipstick and shoes from time to time.

I promise to paint your nails and paint your toes

I promise to always be a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, and a hand to hold!

I love you Amelia! Happy 1st Birthday!

Amelia Then...

Amelia Now!

( I started taking pictures as soon as she woke up)

Big girl birthday smile!

Just Wanted to Share...

I caught Amelia playing with her new nursery rhyme bear that she got as a birthday present from Grandpa Bob, Crystal, and Meghan! Thanks again! She loves it! Amelia's birthday is tomorrow and I can't believe how much she has grown up in just one year!! We will be celebrating this momentous occasion on Saturday and I think I'm more excited about it than her!! Hope you enjoy the video!

What's new with Amelia at 11 months...

I am so sorry to keep many of you waiting on the newest blog post! Things have been crazy busy on our end. We are gearing up to move back to Louisiana at the end of this month and if you've ever had to pack up and go with a child, you know how stressful life can be! Despite some of our recent anxieties, we have managed to break away and have some fun while we are still here!

Amelia is 11 months and 2 weeks old now! Crazy, I know! Her birthday is quickly approaching and my mind is constantly juggling around different ideas to make her day extra special! All the baby books and magazines say to keep your child's first birthday small and simple! HA...well...I'm pretty sure half of our church congregation will be in attendance to this grand affair! Amelia is a church baby and everybody LOVES Amelia! It's a good thing I rented out the kids park!

Amelia is getting so big and it amazes me how smart she is! She is pulling up on furniture and cruising around. She loves to watch Dora, The wonder pets, Baby Einstein, and Sesame Street....and she actually laughs when they do something funny! It's so cute! She scoots all over the place and her newest accomplishment is pulling herself up to a sitting position from lying on her stomach!!! Now, we are just waiting for her first steps!

She is doing well with feeding herself and loves to eat french fries, strawberries, any kind of bread, and CHEETOS!! I know....what a healthy appetite! She takes after her daddy in that category!

She has also mastered the task of waving "bye-bye" and blowing kisses!

A couple weekends ago we took Amelia to the pool for the first time and she loved it!! Just take a look for yourself!

The water was freezing that day! But she didn't seem to mind a bit! Ah, you gotta love her!