Celebrating ONE YEAR of TRUE BLESSINGS

I feel so FULL... and I mean FULL of God's many blessings.  My boy turned 1 last week and I can't imagine life without this bundle of JOY.  He's grown so much and SO FAST!  I still remember when people would look me in the eye and say "enjoy this newborn baby... he'll grow so fast... pretty soon he'll be walking, and talking, and driving, and graduating from high school.... "  Wow, isn't that the truth!??

My honey-bun is ONE!  Let's recap... 

I was also blessed to have my family here for the weekend.  My brother Steven and his girlfriend Lindsey flew in from Seattle.

My brother Lucas flew in from LA.

And my sweet mother was still enjoying her time here with us, all the way from Brazil...

They helped Joel and I get ready for the birthday party...

It was so fun!

More family... cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents...

With aunt Mindy...

Good friends Jess, Tony, and their son Nehemiah...

Having fun...

Cake time (Thank you, Sue!)!!!

Joshua's First Cupcake!!!

Cousin Abbey...

Opening gifts...

Can't wait to see what the next year holds in store for us.  Joshua is a true blessing.  The Lord is showing me daily what it means to love someone unconditionally and sacrificially.  Being Joshua's mother has taught me to love more deeply, to pray more fervently, to rejoice in every detail, to appreciate his soft touch, to laugh out loud, to sing out loud, to read out loud, and to cry out loud. 

And there are no words to describe how much more deeply I depend on my Father in Heaven for His GRACE and MERCY.  Thank YOU, Lord!