11 Years of Life

Abby turned 11 years old on July 24th.  The night before she and Lauren spent the night at her friend Micah's house.  The next morning we all met up at King Soopers parking lot to caravan to Parker to a small water park for the day.  It was Laura(yes, I have many friends named Laura) and me with 11 kids ready to go.  Except, there was one small problem.  We woke up to chilly temps(50s) and rainy yuckiness.  The weather forecast said that the weather would be much better in Parker so we decided to risk it and head up that way. 

Abby's breakfast she chose in King Soopers of chocolate milk and blackberries

 I ended up with all the girls and Isaiah in my truck.  As we got closer and closer to Parker, the sky was clearing, the sun was peeking through and the temperatures were rising.  We cheered with the rise of each degree, and when we finally arrived, it was 78 degrees!  (That is still cold for my taste, but it sure beat 55 and rainy!)

The crew all ready to go in 

 Isaiah waiting for me to take him to the water

 Big sis, little sis

 Sam and the other big boys played lots of bball in the water

 The bday girl with her sis and her friend

 We were able to get in 4-5 hours before the sky started clouding up again.  It was a small water park so the kids were ready to leave by about 3:00.  As we were walking to the parking lot, they spotted a huge park next door and begged us to play for a while.  They played "groundsies" for almost an hour before we loaded them up to head home.

Sam got stuck in the baby swing.  That was exciting.

 The drive home was treacherous.  The rain started falling just as we were leaving town and it poured, no, I mean REALLY POURED the whole way home.  It even hailed some.  I have never driven in such awful wind and rain.  I was exhausted when it was all over.

We came home that night and had pizza for dinner

 Abby's bday dessert request was funnel cakes(and yes, I made a gf version for her and Rick)

 Yummy!!

 Look at the fingerprints on that sliding glass door!!  Appalling!

 The next morning we had a bfast of french toast and she used her new monkey mug that she got for her bday from Isaiah and Laila.

 Rick and I took her to On the Border for her bday lunch

 Daddy's Little Girl

 Afterwards, we took her to apply for her passport.  We stood in line for a long time.  

She was pretty tired by the time it was our turn.

 Signing her name!!

One step closer to going to Swaziland in October!!

Abby,

Your personality continues to bloom the older you get.  I am amazed at your strength, resilience, and perseverance.  Although those traits can sometime frustrate me, I know they will benefit you as you grow up and make your own decisions.  You are a girl who knows exactly what you want and won't settle for anything less!!  You are spunky and feisty and sometimes a little sassy.  Your determination will come in handy as you face the challenges in your life.  You have endured several years of headaches and are finally experiencing some relief.  I am so thankful that you can be a kid again and not live every day in pain.  You have to take care of yourself each and every day to keep healthy.  

You are a perfectionist(I am sorry you got that from me) which leads you to do things really well.  I pray that you will learn much earlier than I did that it is okay to make mistakes and that being perfect is not the ultimate goal.  You are creative in ways that only I can imagine being.  I cannot wait to see how you decorate your home someday.  Hey, maybe you can even decorate mine for me!  You are musical and artistic and to top it all, a really hard worker.  You have the ability to manage a lot of things and are so organizationed.  Really, I am so impressed to see all of these qualities in you.  Not many people have all of those qualities wrapped up together.  You are such a leader, especially to Isaiah and Laila.  

I pray that as you prepare for this trip, that God will speak to your heart deeply through the whole process.  You are getting a lesson in His Provision as you trust Him to provide the funds needed.  You are getting a lesson in working hard to make something happen that God has called you to.  I cannot wait for the day that I get to see you hold those sweet babies and play with the kids that you have worked so hard for, for so many years!  This is going to be a life changing experience!!

I love you Abba Dabba Doo.  You are my dream come true!!

Love, 

Mom