more blessed to give than receive...

Three years ago today we welcomed you into the world, Annabeth. Three years! These past three years have been some of the fastest and more rewarding years of my life. You'll never know what joy and pride you bring to my heart. Well, until you have a baby of your own one day. Then you'll get it. I cannot imagine life having never met you, and I am forever grateful that you will always be my girl. 

You are smart as a whip! I mean, really, you amaze me. You are a great conversationalist. You are clever and funny and witty. You are kind and compassionate and caring. You've got a little mischievous streak mixed in there, however, I'm not too worried because you are quick to tell on yourself and correct others who aren't following the rules. You love to dance and sing and twirl. You've taken a liking to ballerinas and princesses and love fancy dresses and shoes. Your imagination is incredible, and you're a little momma in the making. You're growing so quickly, and there isn't much you can't do for yourself. Height is just about the only restriction you face. Last night I told your dad that the only traces of baby left is the crib that you're still sleeping in. We probably should have transitioned you to a big girl bed a while back, but I like keeping you contained. I think you like it, too. But I suppose that's really the final step. You gave up bottles a long time ago and you've been out of diapers for months now. And, much to my dismay, you're starting to give up naps but I'm trying to find a way to hold on to those as long as possible. 

I have been really excited about your birthday this year since you understand what birthdays are now. We went to a party at Blazing Bouncers in July and you started planning out your Frozen themed party as soon as we left. I haven't had big parties for you yet because I don't want to spend a lot of money and effort on something you won't understand or slightly remember. So this year was the first attempt at a little friend party, one of the three celebrations you had this year. We had a family party on Friday night, and you cleaned up in the gift department. You received a ton of dress up clothes, and your favorites gifts were an Elsa blanket, Elsa wig & skirt, high heels, and ballerina jewelry box. You quickly dressed yourself up and pranced around. Grammy caught you looking into the mirror of your little vanity saying, "I am so beautiful!" But my favorite memory from that night is stored away in my mind because my phone wasn't handy. As we were sending off the last of our family, you noticed the pile of ice in the grass that was leftover from the ice cream cooler. You began throwing ice all over the driveway, in your Elsa get-up, singing "Let it goooo!" It was priceless. One of those little moments I'll always hold dear to my heart. 

We had a handful of church friends meet us at the church playground on Sunday night for your Frozen themed party. Truth be told, parties always make me anxious because I never know the turnout. Nothing is worse than planning and party, inviting a lot of people, and having one or two show up. It's embarrassing and humiliating, and I hope you never experience that personally. (What's equally as hard is not being invited to a party and being one of the only ones who wasn't. I'm sure you'll experience that more than once.) Your dad and I have had many discussions about what birthday celebrations will look like in the future. At this point, however, you don't really have any expectations of parties, so I felt that this was a safe option. Not that I want to shield you from disappointing moments in life, but I would prefer they never happen on a special occasion. We had a lovely time at the park, you played, we celebrated, and it was a success. Your last celebration was today at school. I made "snowballs" (AKA rice krispies rolled into a ball) for your class. And then we ended the night with dinner a dinner of your choosing - Taco Villa. If anyone should feel loved and celebrated, it should be you. 

Every birthday is special, Annabeth. In a society that hardly values life, I think one of the greatest things we can do is celebrate each year God gives us. And what a way to show appreciation to God, too. Sometimes I hear people talk about being sad that they're getting older, but that's a good thing. That's the point of it. To get older. And so no matter how old you are, you should celebrate. But I also want you to know that God created you not just to live on earth and have birthdays but to be a blessing. To be a light. To be salt. And to be a giver. 

I stuck a little note in with your birthday invitations letting your friends know that the greatest gift they could give you was their presence at the party. I truly believe that. I think the greatest gift any one could have is to be celebrated by the people they love. And then I also asked them to help you collect books to take to the children's hospital. Because I want you to know, Annabeth, that while your birthday might be your special day, life is not all about you. I want you to understand the joy of giving. Jesus himself said, "It is more blessed to give than receive." (Acts 20:35) But if you never give and are always focused on receiving, then you don't experience that blessing and the joy that comes with it.

We packed up your stack of books and drove to the hospital on Monday morning. I had hopes that you would meet some children and let them pick a book out from the stack, but that didn't happen. Regardless, I know your contribution was a great blessing to those who received it. I prayed that the books brightened their day, gave them hope and encouragement, and made them feel loved. I was so proud of you for handing the books over generously and you didn't mention a word about keeping one for yourself. On the way home, you asked questions about the kids that would be receiving the books and would periodically say, "I better go check on them and make sure they're okay." I can tell God is molding your heart into one that looks like his, and I pray that process continues. 

And so this year, that's what we're going to work on. Giving. You and I are setting out on a mission to give and to bless. I've submitted our applications to Meals on Wheels and am already looking forward to serving together in that capacity. You're never too young to be used by God, Annabeth, and I want you to know that no service is too small.

I am really looking forward to year three. Twos have been fantastic, but then again, like I've said since the day you were born, each year with you gets better and better! I love you, precious one!