Missing Baby!!

Can someone please tell me how this baby went from this...

to this overnight??

Okay, maybe "overnight" is a bit of an exaggeration, but it sure doesn't seem like it! Yesterday my niece Ava turned 2 and I am in awe at how quickly these two years have gone by. It seems like just yesterday that I got to sneak out of my first week of EFY of the summer in 2007 to see newborn Ava in the hospital. It was one of the neatest experiences of my life. As soon as she was in my arms, I felt this overwhelming amount of love for her and could just feel her sweet, new little Spirit, fresh from heaven. I can't even imagine how I will feel when I hold my own child for the first time.

My family waited a long time to have a grandbaby come into our lives. My brother was almost 32 when she was born, so she is very special to us, but definitely worth the wait! And over the past year and a half or so, my family has gone through some really difficult times and she has been our little ray of sunshine to help us get through it. She came at the perfect time! She is probably more spoiled than any little girl should be, but we are so blessed to have her in our lives. Hopefully it won't be too long until she has a little brother or sister to help share the spotlight. And hopefully in a few years, she'll have a little cousin to play with. :)

Here are some of my favorite pictures of her...

Gotta love those newborn smiles!

Our little bear

She was fascinated by my cell phone

She is a cheeky little girl

She loves bathtime!

And she loves our dog, Elle!