HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCY!

Hope happy days will come to you all year! Here are some things I love about Lucy:

*She is a SUPER good big sister. She loves Zachy, and Zachy adores her right back. Don't get me wrong, they still have their moments (some of their wrestling matches are the only way I can make it through the long days because they are so hilarious), but without me having to do anything they are just FRIENDS. They get along. She is really protective of him, and yesterday when Zach had to get his booster shots Lucy put on a very brave face to try and help Zach ("It's okay Zach! Lucy's right here!"), but as soon as he started crying and she saw the blood from the pokes she cried HARDER. She kept saying, "I didn't want him to get shots! How could you bring him?!?" At preschool she gets candy after every class and she always saves some for Zachy so he doesn't feel sad.
*She is HELPFUL! This move has matured her in so many ways. She is really good to do what I ask (most of the time) and says, "Sure Mom!" if I ask her to pick something up or throw something away. She loves to help put Zach's coat on or grab me his shoes. It makes a HUGE difference.
*She is very LOVING! She seems to know when I need an extra hug, and out of nowhere she will say things like, "Wow! You look pretty today mom!" or "You're the best mom in the world!" It makes me feel so good because she is so sincere when she says it, and she just has a really great capacity to love. If I get mad at her she feels SO bad, so I have to be careful about what I say or even how my face looks because she will pester me with, "Are you mad at me mom? Your face looks angry!"
*Anywhere we go, Luce has made a FRIEND. She has friends at church, friends at preschool, friends at Walmart (the greeters know her), friends at Costco (the receipt checkers draw her special smiley faces), and while she used to HATE going to the gym, she now looks forward to it and when I asked her why she wasn't scared anymore she said, "I just make a new friend!" Even at the doctor's office within 5 minutes she'd met another little girl and they were looking at magazines together.
*She is FUNNY! She is really beginning to understand humor and how to make jokes, and loves to make us laugh. She has inherited some of the Morris wit (like her grandpa and uncles) and finds humor in lots of everyday things and says "That's silly!" Her giggle is infectious!
*She is HAPPY! I sometimes joke with Jonathan because this girl is ALL rainbows and hearts and cookie dough and teddy bears! If it's raining outside and we can't got to the park, she gets excited and says, "That's okay! We can jump in the puddles instead!" She used to either be VERY happy or VERY unhappy, but as she's matured luckily she swings mostly to the VERY happy side and she is just a naturally upbeat and positive girl and has tons of energy.
*Her SMILE is contagious! She is complimented wherever we go on her big expressive brown eyes and cute dimples, and her pretty smile! She LOVES attention, so when people comment on her pretty dress or sparkly shoes she totally eats it up. When she was a baby and we'd get those rare smiles every now and then it felt like sunshine!

We absolutely love this little girl who has brought SO much joy into our lives. I suppose there is nothing like being the first child-- she has to endure all the firsts, all the bad parenting, all the bumps in the road, etc., but she has absolutely changed our lives and our family for the better. We are sure grateful to Heavenly Father for blessing us with our precious little Luce! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCY!!

First birthday! Born 7 lbs 8 oz. on 12/4/06 three weeks early!

6 months

One year

18 months

2 years

3 years

Big 4 years old! Why does it have to go SO fast?!?