On April 3rd our little spitfire turned 3 years old. I am so in love with the little lady Gracie is growing up to be... she has a spirit of adventure and independence wrapped up with a tender and nurturing heart. She is constantly moving, and now also constantly speaking... about anything that crosses her curious mind. The piece of her personality I enjoy so much right now is her ability to bring out a laugh in the midst of any situation... often unintentional. and often during a "training session." Grace is full of contradiction- outgoing and shy, adventurous and afraid, aggressive but also so nurturing. I am so blessed to be a part of bringing up this little lady.

Cupcakes for this big day. And I didn't have to "prop" anything up to keep it from slipping off the cake stand! By the way, these cupcakes were super delicious and simple. A recipe from Our Best Bites.

I love that my girls are such good friends. Words don't do justice for the deep feeling of gratefulness I have... and I give all the glory to God. Their friendship was a long time coming. For a loooong time I was a referee and often beside myself, needing encouragement and counsel just to figure out how to be, or at least attempt to be, a good parent. Is everyday perfect? um, no. Do we still have a long way to go? Well, as many days as God gives us on this earth we will be learning what it means to be a family in God's kingdom. But I praise him for the bits of goodness we can see emerging.

wow... pictures really do make me happy. sentimental? (mushy probably describes it best.)