Happy 5th birthday Emerald

Princess & ponies, Emerald's favorite things

We got Emers a bike for her bday. She had to ride it inside due to the rain.

My sweet little girl

The girl loves to play dress-up these days. This was just before her first movie, Princess & the Frog

My little girl is 5!!! How and when did that happen? Wasn't it just yesterday we drove to Gladney to pick up our precious little girl? She is growing up right before our eyes. Those legs are long and thin and have made her too tall. Those eyes are starting to worry her daddy & I for our future. She's starting to figure out the perfect way to work each of us to get her way. I remember watching her take her first steps, and now she is running as fast as I can. Her first word was "dahhhh" (aka dog), and the love of her puppy is still there, now she is spelling dog and sounding it out to read the word to us. Emerald has taken dance lessons again this year, loved it, swimming lessons again, loved it, and will start gymnastics for the first time next month. This beautiful girl is the best big sister ever--always taking time to think of her brothers first, putting up with hair pulling, screaming, sharing toys, etc. I feel so blessed to have this precious baby girl in our life. I think I've taken for granted having a girl, but as she gets older, the "girlieness" is really coming out. She has asked for special dates with her daddy (so sweet, how can you deny that), she's wanting to go shopping at times, not taking naps which allows for some special one-on-one time, and she shows us some awesome creativeness with jewelry & coloring these days. Princesses, dress-up, ponies, stuffed animals, these are the things that shows what Emerald's true loves involve, that and her monkey, Mango. Preschool has been such a wonderful blessing, continuing to push her academically and teaching her more and more each day. She loves her teacher, her classmates, homework, and learning in general. Emerald has been a picture perfect bill of health--another thing I know I've taken for granted over the years. She rarely gets a cold, takes shots w/o tears, and makes us thankful how healthy she remains. We did take our first trip to the ER with her for stitches this last year, in her head, but she handled that well, too. Emerald is a model child and I wish everyone could have a precious little girl just like her. We feel so blessed to have this angel in our lives.

While thanking God for her each night, I always included a special prayer for Josephine, her birthmother. This woman made a start for our Emers, she chose life, took care of herself & the baby inside her, felt this baby move, delivered that child, and make an ultimate sacrifice so that we could become a family. Without Josephine, our Emerald would not be our beautiful daughter, and might not be a child at all. Thank you God for the strong heart and courage of a woman we have never met, and thank you God for allowing this magnificent child enter into our lives. Emerald Rea, you are turning into a smart, sweet, caring, gentle, loving, beautiful little girl. We love you so very much. Happy birthday baby girl!!