Dear Olivia Grace,
You are three years old today! 1095 days that is. Wow, how time flies! While that number seems like a lot, it could never be enough for me. 1095 nights of snuggling at bedtime. 1095 days of watching you grow and thanking God for the awesome blessing of being your mommy! Each day with you only makes me yearn for more. You made me and Daddy parents and we have tried everything out on you first. Thanks for being our guinea pig as we stumble through the crazy world of parenting! We pray that we are doing it right!
You are a talking, running, spinning, dancing, and laughing crazy girl! You love all things princess and only like to wear skirts so you can twirl in them! Daddy and I have acted out many prince and princess "enchanted ball" dance scenes and you love to make us all turn into Cinderella by shaking your magic wand in our direction!
Singing is one of your favorite pastimes, too. You shocked me one day when a song came on Pandora because you knew every single word of it. Then another, and another. I realized they were all from the same Bible song CD so we downloaded it for you and you could sing every song by heart! Seems that you were paying attention at school during music time! Right now, one of your favorite things is to change the words of a song into something silly and then you laugh and laugh when you are through! You also love to tell jokes and try and make Carter laugh at you.
Speaking of Carter. You are a very protective and loving big sister. When people in public or restaurants call him "buddy" or "little man" you are quick to correct them by saying, "his name is Carter and he is a baby!". At the young age of three you are already making sure your brother isn't misrepresented! He is so lucky to have you! He giggles with delight anytime you walk in the room and loves your "hugs", even if they are more like wrestling moves or take-downs!
You are a very passionate and determined little lady! While those traits are hard to parent at times, I know they will serve you well in your life. I pray that you continue to know what you want and fight for it! At this stage in life it is represented in things like wanting a certain color cup, needing Mommy to be the one to put you to bed each night, sitting in the same chair for each meal, or being the one who decides how you want your hair styled that day. However, later in life I know you will be a confident and insistent young lady and won't let anyone push you around! I love that!
You are slow to give away your heart and don't warm up to strangers all that easily, but once you've decided they are safe then you are very loyal. Sometimes it can be viewed as shy, quiet, or unfriendly, but those words do not describe you! You like to take your time to check out a new situation, and we don't push you to act any other way. In fact, you sometimes talk so much during dinner that Daddy and I cannot even get a word in! You love a good plan and one of your favorite things to do is repeat that plan over and over (ie., "first we will have dinner, then we will pack our clothes and go night-night, and then we will go to Aunt Cathy's in the morning!" I only heard that statement 30 times this evening ;)
You love to play baseball with Daddy and build block towers with him. In fact, the two of you build a new tower together each night before bed and you are always so proud to show me when I come to tuck you in. Watching your relationship grow with him this past year (since we've moved to Altus and he is home a lot more) has been such a joy. You are a still a mommy's girl, but you run full speed and jump into his arms like you haven't seen him in months each day when he comes home from work! And you cry most days when he leaves. Your love for him runs deep, sweet girl! I've heard you ask him twice in the past week if you can marry him and then listened to your dismay when he says he is already married to me! I pray that bond only continues to grow over your lifetime. There are few things in life more special than the daddy-daughter relationship. Trust me on that one.
You have a heart for Jesus and this makes me so happy! One of your favorite books to read is your children's Bible. You can name a large number of people from the Old Testament and can re-tell many of the stories by heart. Jesus rising from the tomb, David defeating Goliath, Adam & Eve and that sneaky snake, and baby Moses being found in a basket are some of your favorites right now.
Baby Girl, it has been a amazing three years and I love being your mommy. It is one of the greatest joys and challenges I've ever known. Your blond curls and blue eyes are the prettiest I've ever seen and I sometimes have to remind myself that you are mine!
I love you to the moon and back, sweet girl.
Happy third birthday.
Love, mommy.
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