She's 8!!!

Today is Little A's 8th birthday.  She was the baby we had to wait for....the only baby born after the due date....and she was well worth the wait!

Born in the midst of a baby boom, all of the rooms in the hospital were full, so we were wheeled through the tunnels to the birthing center....all while trying to come up with her name.

 It wasn't until after midnight that we finally agreed on a name for our precious baby girl.

The baby boom included 2 of my sisters, so Little A has 2 cousins close to her age.

Since today is going to be busy, I'm writing her birthday blog before it really gets started.  We will have her choice of lunch today: chicken patties.  Not sure what else we will do today, but we must pack.  Yep, we're leaving to head to Iowa today.  It was Little A's choice to leave today because she wants to celebrate her birthday in Iowa with her grandparents and cousins up there.

This morning, we woke her up singing "Happy Birthday" to her and then we sent her on a mission (she wants to be a spy).

We couldn't give her this bike and then leave!  Even though it's pretty cold outside, I hope she has a chance to try it out.

Tomorrow evening, we will be having Little A's favorite meal: enchiladas.  Along with a chocolate birthday cake frosted to look like a Minecraft creeper.  Hopefully it turns out ok.  I'm not much of  a cake decorator!

Here's some Little A facts:

She loves owls.....even before owls were everywhere.  I remember having so much trouble finding stuffed owls one year, I ordered some online and I think 1 or 2 of them arrived late!

Little A has inherited the artist gene from her dad.  She has always loved to draw and create things.  When she's not playing her favorite video games, she's drawing or putting together a project she came up with on her own.

She is such a cuddle bug.  She is the sweetest little cuddler ever.  She hates saying goodbye and loves to just snuggle up on anyone's lap, especially mine or her daddy's.  She is also very good at taking care of us when we're sick, bringing us drinks, checking our temperature, and making sure we're comfortable.

Little A has a bit of a goofy side, too.  She loves getting a hold of an ipod and taking mounds of pictures of herself and tons of videos.  Some are quite funny.  Whenever she gets a camera on her, you never know what kind of look she'll give you.

Not too much of a girly girl, she still enjoys dressing up, but with her own style.  She also isn't afraid to get down and dirty.  She may have inherited that from me.

Little A gets along well with her sister, and really well with her brother.  On any given day, I will see her and her sister dressing up or playing with ponies.  Or I will see her and her brother running through the house with Nerf weapons or just wrestling and pounding on each other.  Even though her brother is 5 years older, she can still hold her own!  She's very friendly and easily makes friends and is like a big sister to her younger cousins.

She's growing up so fast and I look forward to seeing the beautiful young woman God is creating her to be.

Happy 8th birthday, Little A!  I love you!!!

Winter

I am one of those crazy wackos who loves winter.  I get excited at the first sight of a snowflake.  I enjoy breathing in cold air and watching my breath come out in steam.  I love wearing my hat, winter coat, gloves, and my boots.  I simply LOVE winter.

Winter, it seems, gets the most complaints out of every season and it makes me sad.  I understand that people don't like to be cold.  And I get it that driving in snowy/icy weather can be a bit scary or frustrating.  And shoveling and scraping the car are probably the least favorite winter activities.  Every season has its downside....so why does winter have to be the one people hate the most?  That I don't get.

I hate summer.  But, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy it when it's here.  It's part of life, it's part of the whole earth going around the sun.  It's how God created this world to be.  I might complain about the heat, humidity, and the bugs, but I don't whine about it all. summer. long.  I've accepted it as part of God's beauty.  I do find things I like about summer....I love to swim.  My kids play outside more.  Summer brings many fun vacation memories.  Summer is not all that bad.  It's just at the bottom of my list of seasons.

Spring is ok.  I love thunderstorms, I love rain, I love watching the clouds for possible tornadoes.  But then again, mud comes with all of that.  Mud just makes things dirty....well, mud IS wet dirt.  So, spring isn't awful to me.  I rarely complain about spring.  Perhaps the annoying thing is that sometimes I need a jacket and sometimes I don't.....often times within 10 minutes.  That little breeze just makes spring not very enjoyable.  And spring means summer is coming.  I know many people love spring because everything is blossoming again, leaves are returning on the trees....and I couldn't care less about all of that.  Still, spring has its good things that I can enjoy.

Fall is like the opening act (because obviously, winter is the main event).  We get a taste of the cool air.  Fall is prefect for camping out in the back yard, having bonfires, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows.  Yes, I realize those could all be done in summer, too, but the cooler weather makes all of those activities way more fun!  The trees turn beautiful colors...yellow, orange, red, purple, pink...and the colors are all scattered.  I wonder what fall would look like from the clouds?  How amazing that would be to see!!!

Why do I love winter so much?  I love the snow...the beautiful white covering everything, falling so gracefully.  Sledding used to be an annual event and I miss the freedom of being able to go sledding all winter long.  Skiing is really fun, too.  Being outside with friends, snowball fights, building snowmen, being pulled behind a tractor on an inner tube....Then inside, we get hot chocolate with marshmallows, a funny family movie, and playing games.  Hot chocolate just isn't as tasty when it's not cold outside.  I was born in winter, so it's just a part of me!  Iowa winters used to bring a lot of snow and would stay for months!!!  I remember going sledding during recess at school (I guess kids don't play outside for recess when it snows anymore.....I was almost heartbroken when I found this out.)

So, when people continuously complain about winter, cold, and snow, it makes me sad.  Sure, one little complaint is understandable.....after it's been around awhile.  But at the first sign of winter, the first snowflake, the first time the thermometer drops below 32*, what are you whining about?  This is God's creation!  God's beauty!  When you whine that we must have winter, I feel like you're whining about the amazing seasons God has created for us to enjoy.

I know many people hate winter.  But, instead of calling snow "gross" or wishing it were a different season, before winter even really starts, just find the good things about winter.  And thank God for it.  Then, if it's still cold and snowy by February, I'll allow some complaining.  I won't be, but each season gets its turn, and I accept that.

I plan to be thankful through each season, no matter what frustrations it brings because God created all seasons and I choose to enjoy each one.