Happy Birthday, Miss A!

Today is the sixth birthday for our fabulous, wonderful, sweet oldest daughter! What a fun day!

She began the day waking up in a room full of balloons before eating a donut breakfast (her choice!). During the school day, lots of fun stuff happened.

She had been asked by her kindergarten teachers to bring in her violin (v-v-violin... can you guess what letter we learned this week?). I brought it just before lunch and helped her show the class how she prepares her violin and what she's learned so far. She told me later she was "so, so nervous!" She did a terrific job and I am so proud of her. She has been "playing" for a year, but just recently has really taken it upon herself to focus and buckle down. With her being the impetus and motivating force, she's really working hard and making great progress. She always reminds me now when it's time to practice, and adores her violin teacher.

After lunch, which we ate with her class - and by "we" I mean myself, Little Guy, and the twins, whew! - we shared little Blue Bell ice cream cups with the kids. Yummy!

She had asked for tater tot casserole for dinner, so we ate that with a small chocolate cake I made over nap time. She was disappointed that it wasn't her "real", Frozen-inspired cake that's happening for her birthday party with the girls in her class on Saturday, but she did concede that the other cake was still good! (Sigh... You win some, you lose some...)

She opened her presents after dessert. Her favorite was a dress-up set from the Disney movie Frozen. (Which, by the way, we obviously all LOVED!) She had been asking for one of the costumes ever since we saw the movie. It felt so good to make her happy, and treat her to something she really wanted. We'll never have the money (nor the inclination) to make their every wish come true, but it's fun to come through on the small things.

When I think back our time with Miss A, I feel so many emotions. The biggest one, probably, is gratitude. I am so thankful that she came into our lives. I'm so thankful she was saved from a negative situation and is now safe. To think about where she could be right now is incredibly scary. I'm thankful for the police, caseworkers, lawyers, and the other foster parents for keeping her safe until she was brought to our home.

She was the first one, the child who made us "parents". We are so grateful to God for answering those prayers, even if they happened at a different time and in a different way than we had originally anticipated. I'll never forget seeing THAT EMAIL pop into my inbox asking us to consider taking her in, and THAT PHONE CALL announcing to us that we had been chosen as her foster-adopt parents. Our lives were forever changed and, in a way, felt like it all was finally beginning.

She paved the way, taught us how little we knew about parenting, and grew our hearts bigger every day with the love we all shared. She has been a fantastic older sister, bravely loving her siblings with all her heart, no matter how long they stay with us.

Yes, she's a stinker. Must be because she's my child. My parents promise constantly that she really is exactly what my biological child would be like. She's got my stubbornness, my firstborn bossiness, and an OCD-like attention to details-that-matter-to-her-and-not-anyone-else-like-who-HAS-to-have-the-green-cup-today-or-which-hand-she-HAS-to-hold-while-crossing-the-parking-lot. But she's our stinker.

She's our stinker and we wouldn't have it any other way.

We're so blessed to have this little girl be part of our family. I can't wait to see the awesome things God has in store for her. I know she will do great things for Him, and be a mighty ambassador for those who need our compassion and help the most.

We love you, big girl!