ONE...

Our baby girl is a year old today. I feel teary-eyed just writing this. To say that this has been the best year yet, would be such an incredible understatement. She has brought such intense joy to our lives and each new stage with her is better than the last. Watching her point at herself in the mirror and say, "Dallie!" puts a smile on my face every time, and having her wrestle me to the ground and smother my face with kisses, is the highlight of my days.
Every time I look at her, my heart feels so full of love and joy and pride, I often wonder if its going to explode out of my chest. I honestly can't remember what life was like without her and I don't actually care to try. God couldn't have blessed us with anyone better. Happy Birthday to our sweet, lovable, spunky & intensely happy Callie-bear!

A little look back on Callie's 1st year...

(5 hours)

(3 weeks)

(3 weeks)

(1 month)

(1 month)

(2 months)

(2 months)

(3 months)

(3 months)

(4 months)

(4 months)

(4 months)

(5 months)

(5 months)

(6 months)

(6 months)

(7 months)

(7 months)

(7 months)

(8 months)

(8 months)

(9 months)

(9 months)

(10 months)

(10 months)

(11 months)

(11 months)

(1 year)

Callie Lauryn

June 30, 2010

1 year old

22 lbs. 8 oz.

30 inches.

Nut free zone?

So... apparently, Callie and peanut butter don't mix...

Found that out the hard way.

Now we know.

(... and this picture was taken when things had improved. Let's just say, it was not good.)

Remembering D-day...

I know it sounds terribly cliche, but it truly is hard to believe that 1 year ago today, marked D-day for our little one. This time last year, I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to hold our sweet Callie.

(Well, at that point, I didn't even know 'she' was a 'she.')

All I could think about was how hot it was (totally different than this June!) and how enormous my ankles were. I remember questioning whether my feet would ever actually look normal again :)

My last prego picture, taken @ 38 weeks.

3 weeks before

Callie made her appearance...

But 'she' was indeed a 'she' (just as my Mom had predicted) and now, we're getting ready for her 1st birthday! Seriously!? I just can't wrap my head around it...

My dear friend Janelle designed Callie's birthday invitations. Aren't they sweet!? If you like what you see, check out Janelle's website Upsie Daisy Creations!

Happy Father's Day...

Happy Father's Day to all of the special guys in my life...

Dad, Jon, Craig & Rich,

Dad E., Erich, Juergen & Grandpa E. ...

Callie and I love you SOOOOO much!

Thank-you for all you do.

What Makes a Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,

The majesty of a tree,

The warmth of a summer sun,

The calm of a quiet sea,

The generous soul of nature,

The comforting arm of night,

The wisdom of the ages,

The power of the eagle's flight,

The joy of a morning in spring,

The faith of a mustard seed,

The patience of eternity,

The depth of a family need,

Then God combined these qualities,

When there was nothing more to add,

He knew His masterpiece was complete,

And so,

He called it ... Dad

~~Author Unknown.~~

Dance, dance...

While we were out for Jon's birthday supper on Friday evening, Callie discovered that she really liked the music they had playing in the restaurant. The impromptu dance party started with her incredible "hand" dance moves (click here to watch)...

... and eventually turned into a full fledged dance, dance revolution (click here to watch)!

Just because she's cute...

To say that Callie loves books would be the understatement of the century. She spends approximately 95% of her waking hours, thumbing through her story books and babbling about the pictures. Hence, the reason for making her 1st birthday party theme "bookworm." I hope she always loves reading this much...

Callie- Books & babble

Celebration...

Tonight, we are celebrating!

Even Callie is excited! ;)

We ordered in take-out from our favorite Thai restaurant in town, and thanked the Lord for his goodness & faithfulness to us!We got the news today, that we've officially been accepted to missions training with MBMSI this fall! We were originally told that we wouldn't have an answer 'til the end of June, but it turns out, their Lead team was able to discuss it at their latest meeting and would like us to continue the journey with them. So... only 3 more months of work and then classes start Sept. 7! We're so thankful for the way God has been leading and are praying that he'll continue to make his plans clear for us. This is an exciting journey we're on and we're thrilled to finally be taking the next step!

Thank-you to everyone who's been praying for us! We've seen the power of these prayers at work and ask that you would continue to pray as we move forward. Part of our preparation for training this fall is to come up with "prayer support." So, if you're willing to commit to praying for us, please leave a comment and let me know. We'd be honored & humbled to add you to the list of our "prayer warriors!" :)