Merry Christmas!

Hope your Christmas is not so much like this...

(last year)

and more like this...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Happy Birthday Abigail!

It's your "Happy Day" Abigail!

I cannot believe you are 2 today.

You are the biggest blessing in our lives,

and our love for you grows every.single.day.

Happy Birthday sweet girl.

dear Abigail . . .

Abigail Joy....

you will be TWO this Christmas Eve, just a few days away.

I cannot believe how fast time has gone since the day you came into our lives.

All 6 pounds and 13 ounces of you.

Such a little person with such a huge spirit.

You have filled our lives and hearts with a love that

we had no idea was possible to feel.

You have changed your Mama's life and melted your Dada's heart.

We had NO idea what was coming when you arrived that day.

No idea the amount of love we would experience.

You have brought so much JOY to our days through your personality and beauty.

God is already growing you into an amazing girl,

and I literally cannot believe that I get to watch that growth every day,

it is my biggest privilege in life.

Your main nickname is "Bug", which we have called you

since you were about 2 months old.

We also call you "punkin", or "sweet pea".

You LOVE people.

You do not know a stranger and love talking to anyone who walks by!

You don't even like animated shows - only shows with actual people for characters.

You talk about your friends at school all the time,

and love going each week to play with them.

You love giving hugs and kisses to people when you say bye to them.

Your favorite show is Fresh Beat Band, you ask for "Beat" every day.

You even pray for the characters every night

when we list off what we are thankful for.

You have such a draw to music, and are constantly "singing" words to songs you've heard.

You recently started humming as you play, which just warms my heart.

You ask your Dada to dance with you every night when he comes in.

You are VERY spicy (but also very sweet!).

You are becoming quite the toddler and have a very strong will,

but we remember daily that God has made you

a STRONG woman in Him already,

and that His purposes for you will be ones that require such strength and confidence.

We pray constantly for Him to prepare your spirit for whatever is to come.

Abigail, you have a MILLION words already, and you LOVE to talk!

It has been amazing to hear you blossom into having "conversations" with us

(though just a few words, we can totally talk back and forth).

You have a few made-up words, like "nuk" for "sit"

and we all have incorporated them into our own vocabulary.

You love to color and play with "pay dough".

You LOVE to read!

most of all, you LOVE to be outside and playing on a playground,

or even just tossing a ball.

You love your "Pinka" (your pink blanket), and take it everywhere we go!

It is such a comfort to you and I am so delighted by that.

(and I'm glad we have four of them!)

You also still love your paci very much, which I am totally okay with as your mommy.

Just like nursing, I know you will be done with it when the time is right.

That's just how you operate.

You are about to have your world rocked with a new baby sister,

but I cannot wait to see how you interact with her.

You already hug and kiss her in mommy's tummy,

and you love to "squeeze" water on the baby during your bath.

You are going to be the BEST big sissy and

life is going to be SO much fun with the two of you!

I am jealous she will have a big sister like you.

Your daddy and I could not be prouder to be in your life.

We are truly honored God chose US.

Happy Birthday sweet Abigail,

...we love you...

sharing hearts over here.

Sugar and Spice birthday!

My precious girl...

my SUGAR and my SPICE...

is turning two on Christmas Eve!

Yesterday we celebrated with a few family and friends,

and so I wanted to share a little of the party with you!

I couldn't help but think of the Sugar and Spice theme,

because it truly describes my

up-and-coming two- year-old!

We had a great time due to amazing help from my mom, my mother-in-law,

my sweet friend Jessi who came in town, and my hubby!

Lord knows this bout-to-pop preggo mama needed all the help I could get.

I maybe should not have put on a party in my state,

but I just HAD to celebrate my little girl,

and make it all about her,

especially before her world gets rocked with a new baby any day!

we made "sugar skewers" and "spice skewers",

and they were so yummy!!

we also had some fudge, spicy cheese krispies, grape jelly meatballs,

puppy chow, tortilla rolls, sugar and spice pecans,

and of course cake!

some juice boxes, sparkling grape juice, water...

and some vino and beer for the parents!

I put a few sweet pics of her around,

which made my heart just melt every time I saw them.

the sweetest thing happened during the party...

starting with one of her bff's Caden (Jessi's little boy who came in town),

kid after kid came up and gave Abigail a big hug.

it was PRECIOUS!

...lots of birthday love for my sweet girl...

in leiu of gifts,

we asked for people to bring books to donate to a children's hospital,

(more on that in a different post)...

bc we are trying to teach Abigail that "stuff" is not important

and that giving to others IS.

But of course, the grandparents had to bring a few gifts for their baby girl...

she loved opening the packages as much as the gifts themselves!

She got some new "runny shoes"

(running shoes), and just LOVED

trying them on and modeling them for all of us.

(SUCH a girl...look at that little pose!)

It was a SWEET party...

and I can't wait for the actual day on Saturday!

My birthday girl is getting extra special hugs and cuddles this week...

It's her last week of being ONE,

(isn't it cute to say someone is "one"?! we LOVE that!)

and possibly her last week of being MY only one.

{tears!}

Happy Birthday week Abigail!

that was my lovely - here's some more lovely for you:

celebrating A . . .

Today is party day for my little A...

She will be TWO (what?!) on Christmas Eve!!

(but we are celebrating with friends and family today)

I have already been an emotional mess, being 9 months preggo...

and about to celebrate that my firstborn is turning 2

does not help with the spontaneous tears!

I can't wait to share pics with you from her party...

and in the meantime, I am enjoying this last week of Abigail being ONE.

BTW with the holidays, birthday, being preggo and exhausted,

and the coming new arrival...

I will not be hosting Pictureless Post Sundays anymore.

But i SO apprecuate those of you who linked up the last few months! :)