Three

Three years ago today a beautiful burst of blond hair entered our world and we met our precious Carrigan Grace. Her pregnancy was at a difficult time for our family and even her labor (in two different hospitals!) was stressful.  But her actual birth was a lovely, tender moment and when the midwives handed us our third daughter we knew that God had indeed given us a very special gift.  We loved our blondie from the start.

She was a delightful baby and never to be undone by her older sisters.  As she grew into her independent personality we saw our Ward characteristics but with her specific charms. She's certainly on her own time-table.  She walked, talked, and potty-trained at different stages than her sisters.  We joke that in many ways we had this parenting gig figured out--and then she came along.  Amalia and Brinnly never knew that they could get out of bed without our permission.  Until Carrigan taught them.  Most days, she runs into our room around 6:30 am and announces "Boo!" in light of "Good Morning".

We had Carrigan as the "baby" of the family longer than we had either Mali or Brinnly in that role.  What a blessing it was this year to have 1:1 time with her at Target or "Oakmont" or simply at home while her sisters were in school.  But already now she's asking when her first day at preschool is and now she too is a big sister supreme.  Delaney's belly laughs are the loudest for Carrigan.  They are partners.

Carrigan Grace, your smile and headful of blond curls delight us daily.  We probably too often look past your disobedience because it is just too charming.  Seriously, what other three-year-old threatens to "punch out" any potentially mean teachers?   We know you are too sweet for that, regardless of your words say.  You will always be the little girl that cuddles up to her daddy every Saturday and Sunday for naptime and the one who believes her mommy that certain books are "cuddle-books".  You love the Brown Bear series, classic movies like Annie and Heidi, the color green, any fruit, and swimming.  You have the same food/drink tastes as your mommy, scream at the sight of peacocks, and won't put up with anyone thinking you are "little". We watched you the other day at your first gymnastics class, amazed at the girl you have already become.

We are so blessed to have your as our daughter and thank God every day for you. He knew exactly what we needed very early in the morning of July 21, 2009 and it was better than we ever could imagined.  We can't wait to see what this next year brings.  We love you, we love you, little dinosaur.

Amalia's Birthday, Part 2

By her request, we had a small family party for our new 6-year-old starting first with a swim in our cousins' pool.  Since it was roughly 100 degrees outside, it was perfect timing. We headed then to Grandma & Grandpa's for pizza and ice cream.  (Grandma Sandy had taken her to Red Lobster for Coconut Shrimp for lunch earlier in the day). Mali spent the rest of her evening modeling her new bathrobe.  We now call her "Diva".  All she needs is a trailer and make-up crew.  She's pretty excited to use her new "slippery" sleeping bag from Grandma Deni too. Watch for it to make an appearance in August!

Five

Five years ago today a brown-haired, blue-eyed beauty made us parents.  She had stretched my belly for 41+ weeks and stretched our patience for 12+ hours in labor but it was all worth it.  For some reason (my size, maybe?) we thought she was a boy. But the minute we pulled back her swaddling blankets and declared "GIRL!" to all of Allegheny General Hospital, we knew we had exactly what we wanted.

She entered the world happy, bold, and strong.  For the most part, those word still describe her.  We often comment on her fearlessness.  Her smiles are accompanied quite often with hands on her hips and a "determined" tone in her voice, but really, she just wants to be in charge of at least a few things in her life.  Namely, her choice of outfits. I can't imagine that will get any easier anytime soon, but at least she's content in most other areas.

This hasn't been the easiest year for Amalia.  Our move was a big change for her.  She missed her school and her Michigan friends and family.  This time, she was old enough to understand exactly what moving away meant.  But she coped well.  She's grown closer sisters in many ways (when she's not bossing them around) and we all learned a lot through reading and cuddling together.  She loves her Pittsburgh friends and being back at the church where she was baptized.   And Kindergarten is only a few months away!

The princess trend hit us hard here this spring and Mali can still be found most days in some form of a princess-fairy-ballerina costume.  After a long run with orange, pink is now the color of choice.  Nothing interferes with her afternoon "screen" time and she's also a big fan of baking, dancing, art, science, and just plain exploring. She'll probably always be a daddy's girl but she and her mama have enough in common in their personalities to keep us close.  

We love you, Amalia June Ward for the precious gift from God that you are to us.  Thanks for training us a parents!