Happy Birthday Big Girl!

Emma turned three on Sunday, and I am dedicating this post to her.Emma was born on a Thursday at 10:59 am. On her due date. No matter what I tried to make her come any earlier, she wasn't going to. I swear, babies develop their personalities long before they ever make their debut to the world. She has always done things her way-how she wanted and when she wanted. I am not saying that she's like that in a bratty way, she has just always been her own person. Emma has always been like a ray of sunshine (to borrow an expression from my mother-in-law) in our family. Here she is, a little over a year old, doing what she does best: looking at a book. She loves books-we have to read at least three books to her every night before bed (and that doesn't count the ones we have to read before bath time). She has always had the cutest smile, she is usually pretty happy, and she loves to laugh. Two of Emma's favorite things are her daddy and being outdoors. This is her and Aaron last summer up in Rock Creek Canyon. I love this picture, the dirt all over her face, and her funny smile. She and Aaron had been chasing (and catching I might add) lizards in the brush. In a lot of ways, Emma is my little sidekick. She loves to sit on the counter and help me cook. She likes to go grocery shopping with me and she likes to help me with the babies. I love to hear Emma laugh. Here she is cracking up over the past weekend at my dad's hotel room in Atlanta (he was down here for a nursery show). She was laughing so hard. I don't remember why, but whatever it was must have been pretty funny! Here is Emma with her birthday cake. Complete with the sprinkles and the "crazy candles that don't blow out" and chocolate icing (her favorite) that she asked for. She pretty much had a Cinderella present themed party. We are going to Disneyworld in October, and since she hasn't seen any of the Disney movies (except for Finding Nemo), Aaron and I thought it would be a good idea to start renting some of them so she would know what was going on at Disneyworld. Anyway, Cinderella was the first one we rented, and Emma has become obsessed. My mom got her the Cinderella "diva-d" and a Disney Princesses lunchbox to keep all her stuff in. I got her a little Cinderella doll with different dresses from the movie. She loves it all, and drags the lunch box to bed with her at night and puts it on her nightstand before going to bed. Here is Emma trying to blow out her candles. Since she requested the trick candles, they didn't blow out very easily. Careful what you ask for kid, you just might get it!

There is a line in a book that Emma loves called "When I Was Little: A Four-Year-Old's Memoirs of Her Youth" by Jamie Lee Curtis. It says: "When I was little, I didn't know what a family was. When I was little, I didn't know what dreams were. When I was little, I didn't know who I was. Now I do!" This (in a way) sums up my feelings on my own life since Emma has been a part of it. When she was born, I felt like I suddenly had more purpose and direction, I had a real family of my very own, and I knew what it was to have dreams-not for myself, but for her. I hope and pray that I can be the kind of mother that can help her realize and achieve her true potential.

I feel so lucky to be her mom. Happy birthday my big girl! I love you!