Happy Birthday Coconut!

Dear Lony Rae,

     I cannot believe that you are three! When you turned one I said you were no longer a baby. When you turned two I said you were such a toddler. Today I say you are such a big girl, no longer a toddler! Every year I reflect back to when I first met you in my womb. All of the complications that came with having you in my belly we got so excited each time we heard your little heart beat. It was just another sign that God was working a miracle in keeping you alive.  From about 5 months into my pregnancy you were ready thought you were ready to come out of my belly. But we all knew it was way too early. Now you are asking to go back into my belly. A matter of fact, you cry when I tell you that you may not go back in.  Someday you will laugh about this. You also want two sisters NOW, someday you will know how much you were asking for at the time:). I think I have convinced you that your kitty, Minnie, is your sister.
   If someone asked me to describe you in just a few words, I believe I would say: She is funny, full of energy, and a girl with a golden heart. You have stolen a lot of hearts of a lot of people. They love you so much, I hope you grow to know them more and how much they mean to you.  Just in the past two months you like to talk about your day, usually you start the conversation. You are able to put two things together. For example if you hear a song at home you may say "we sung that at church" or "we sing that at my school". You are learning what is right and wrong and how to tell what you should do.
   The thing that I love the most about you is how big your heart is. You like to play with your friends and make sure that they are included in your play. If someone is crying you want them to feel better. Every night you pray for your friends and family. Since December you have prayed that your friend Camryn to feel better (what you didn't know is that he had cancer). When I told you this week that Camryn is better, you knew who his healer was and you were sure to claim it! This is the beginning of a servants heart. I pray that God will continue to grow in your heart and that you never forget him. And if you do forget him, I pray you find him again. I pray that you always remember the scripture that is planted in your heart, the songs that you rejoice in, the belief that God can do all things. One day you will find out how big your God is and how much in time of need, when no one else is around He will always be beside you.
     you love to play with babies, princesses, trains, and outdoors. You love princess and ballerina movies. Sometimes I can convince you to watch my movies if you think there will be a princess in it:).
    At your birthday party this year you wanted to have Minnie mouse, and Minnie Mouse we had! You were really involved in the party planning, from the cupcakes to the people that came. We did a bounce house and I believe you could have played in that for hours:)
   Today I wish I could bottle you up and keep you this little forever, but I know that one day you will be running out the door into some young mans car while barely telling me bye and that you love me, you will no longer want to admit that you are my girl. Some day you will marry a prince of your own and have children. Some day you will be a great mommy. But today I want to enjoy you thinking that boys are good for friendships and that baby dolls are real. Today I want to embrace you and the big heart that you have. I will enjoy you wanting to help make dinner, even though sometimes its easier to do myself, because someday you will not think I am cool.
   You are a beautiful girl that will forever hold a huge part of my heart. I am praying for your growth in the Lord as daddy and I show you.

   Thank you miss Londyn for letting me be your mommy I am thankful for you my little Coconut!

Merry Christmas and all that it means!

Christmas is most definitely my favorite time of the year. Everything about it: The weather, the meaning, the tree, the presents, baking, family, a cozy home filled with p.j.'s, hot chocolate, Christmas music, and a beautiful fire in the place.

This year we added some traditions to our family's Christmas for the sake of Londyn and we loved them!

 Last year we started the talk of Jesus' Birthday. This year we went crazy about it! Londyn LOVES birthdays! and COULDN'T WAIT for Jesus' to come around. She loved sharing the story of his birth and all the conversations that led up to his birth. I'm not sure how out of the whole month it was out I missed a picture of her telling the story. Christmas morning we were so excited to sing Happy Birthday to our Savior.

Another tradition that we started this year was bringing Ruby, our elf on the shelf, to our home. Ruby was loved by all but especially a little blond curly hair little girl. Ruby was a blast and we were sad to see her go but so excited that she is helping Santa out at the North Pole for next year. Ruby left Londyn a cookie to help with her leaving our home.

Londyn brought Santa into the home this year and I have to be honest it was a lot of fun. Keith and I have been on the fence with the whole Santa talk, do we do it or not? But when Londyn started talking about the Jolly cookie eating fellow we couldn't break her heart. So Santa was a ton of fun. Black Friday we ran out to the Bedford Wal-Mart to grab a few things and Santa was there taking free pictures. I am pretty sure Londyn believes that Wal-Mart is the North Pole. That day she asked Santa for a cup. Later she asked Santa for "a white dog that say woof woof and walks".

I am a lover for pinterest and so of course I went digging for fun things to do around Christmas. I found this cool idea of wrapping Christmas books and opening one per night leading up to Christmas. It was a blast and Londyn always asked "What is it mommy? I thinks it's a book" You can only imagine how she was the first gift she opened that was not a book:)>.

We made more cookies and candies than this girl could handle, my scale is not happy with me. However, it is something that always brings the family together and I can't pass that up. We even made cookies for Santa and Ruby.

While in Bedford, Londyn and mammaw got to build a snowman or two or three:). I'm not sure who enjoyed it more:)

Londyn and I took the rest of that week off from school/work and did some major organizing and girl time. What a blast. I thought it was perfect for her to be able to enjoy all of here Christmas and just lounge in our jams and that is what we did. Londyn even sent me to preschool one day, she is a great teacher.

Oh and I became an Aunt AGAIN!
Here are the pictures of our wonderful adventures of Christmas!


Christmas skyping with meemaw: (What did we do before Skype?!)

Christmas at mammaw and papaws:

Snowball fight

building snowmen with mammaw

eating snow

Writing her name in the snow

Making breakfast

telling the story

handing out stockings

dancing with RaggedyAnne

Ruby 

Listening to papaw read the story of Christmas

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One excited girl!

Christmas at home:

Checking out everything first thing

LOVED her dollhouse

couldn't believe that Santa brought her what she wanted:)

Can barely wait to open!

my mistake for letting the van be the first thing she opened. 

dollhouse complete

playing with daddy. No really, her daddy was all about this

teaching me my ABC's

A late Christmas gift that we got was a kitten that for now remains named kitty. I couldn't tell her no when I held her so I am officially a crazy cat lady and I can't lie. 

These are memories made and I hope that we never forget them. I hope you had as blessed of a Christmas as we did. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!