I should not go here, but...

I am going to be honest...this is painful. Looking at pictures from a quick year ago are a hard thing to do, but also a great reminder to "enjoy, enjoy, enjoy" these sweet days with my little girl.
We went Christmas shopping this morning and had a great time...this too can be painful with an 18-month old, but she was a trooper as we went from store to store. I realized that if we stop for frequent snacks or even a quick book read, she will hang in there for much longer. It is fun at this age too because I can shop for her with her and she has no clue...and will be just as excited to see it again on Christmas morning (sounds like someone else I know, Chrissy!).

As with all of God's gifts, they are more than we can imagine. Hadley, you have surely been that for us. You have amazed me, entertained me, tested me (already), softened me and blessed me unexpectedly. You are a gift for a great God.

It is hard to believe that this will be our last Christmas as a family of three. Bobby and I were discussing this on the way home from a night with friends and I think it "hit him like a ton of bricks" that we were expecting our second child. When does this happen? Not "when did it happen" but when does that young day-dreaming couple become a married couple with two kids, a lot of bills, babysitters (that is still strange for me), a trashcan overflowing with diapers and a grown-up car filled with goldfish and kid songs...

I don't know really have the answer, but it definitely happened and your (my) life adjusts and you realize that this is where you are to be. You still savor time alone day-dreaming with your (my) adorable husband, but you also find that eating goldfish while singing "she'll be coming around the moutain when she comes" happens to be a good day. I will leave with a quote that I read on a blog that I like...

"The fundamental mission of motherhood now is the same that it always was: to nuture, protect and instruct children, to create a home environment that enables them to learn and to grow, to help them develop a heart for God and His purposes, and to send them out into the world prepared to live both fully and meaningfully."