one year of sweet lucy

this blog is slowly, but officially transitioning into books.

i've had this goal in mind forever and a half, and finally started working on my first book through artifact uprising over the past few months... it's going to take foreverrrrr to get them all organized + designed, but SO worth the time, because their products, partnered with this special space that holds so many of our memories + very best photos, makes for an unbeatable combination...

the point of me telling you this is because it's been fun reliving + "back blogging" posts like this one HERE (along with a million others) + relishing in how good it was, and also where life has taken us since.

lucy is one year old on sunday...

it came faster than it did with abel + i truly can't believe we are celebrating ONE again, with our second child, our daughter. i read through posts like the one above + remember being so scared about what adding a second would be like. would abel feel sad or lonely? could i love this new child as much as i love him? how will i go to the grocery store, or anywhere for that matter?... so many fears + thoughts ran through my head, (right alongside excitement too of course) and now we've had her for a year and i don't even know how we lived without her before that...

lucy, our light.

abel couldn't be more filled with joy on a daily basis by anyone or thing more than her, and she reciprocates that 100%. she literally wakes up smiling + giggling- as if she were only pretending to sleep + is ready for whatever the day brings. she is the sweetest + most gentle little soul... she gives kisses + love + snuggles, comforts your sad and her big round eyes show concern if ever you cry; in the exact same breath, she can hold her own... abel headlocks, wrastling to the ground... she's a tough cookie. she is my saving grace when the toddler-ing feels like too much, she's busy as can be. climbing, running, chasing, unloading drawers. she already has a handful of words like mama, dada, hi, wee!, yay!, she makes the ba sound for her baby doll, and she answers "uh huh" whenever you ask her something. she toddles around cheersing popsicles with abel + is overall the easiest, laid back, kind, smart, and beautiful child. people warned us that because abel also had many of these traits, that we wouldn't get lucky twice, but again "they" were wrong... we definitely struck gold, AGAIN. lucky us.

...except i know that it isn't really luck + that we were chosen.

we were chosen for them, they were chosen for us.

forever thankful to our Father in Heaven that He felt us worthy of such a task. parenting isn't a walk in the park. it gets both easier + harder as you go along. i am not naive to the fact that we are raising people, the next generation, and in a broken world... so i pray, A LOT, and i dream. SO many things i dream for both of our littles, i wonder who they'll be + what they'll love, i pray we raise them with good heads on their shoulders, joy in their pockets + Jesus in their hearts. they are the very best, and they deserve the very best.

happiest of birthdays to our littlest love.

you've given our lives a joy unspeakable + every day with your presence is a gift. thank you for being you + for encouraging us to be the best versions of ourselves. we love you forever, you are so special.

we didn't know life could get better, and then we had you...