Our Daily (G)races

Training to be the best wife, mom, runner, and person I can be each and every day....

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Elena Joy is 3 today!!

Today Elena is 3 years old.  So much has happened in our lives since December 2009, but I really feel like it was just yesterday that we were preparing for our girl/boy to be born.  I knew she was going to be a girl.  I prayed she would be a girl mostly for Emma who desperately wanted a sister.  God gave us Elena Joy Mann!

I had no idea at the time that Joy would be the perfect middle name for this amazing child.  She is such a joy....95% of the time!  Elena is happy, funny, silly, smart, and cute as could be.  I love spending my days with her and don't regret keeping her home from preschool this year. 

I just know she is going to become more and more amazing each year.  I love to watch her animated face as she discovers something new or gets excited.  Her big eyes and smile light up any room.  Elena is our little drama queen fully living whatever is happening.  She loves to be in dresses playing and dancing in the dirt.  She is just the perfect mix of princess and tomboy!

Elena greets us every morning with "Good Morning!  It's a bootiful day!"  I love those words despite most days wishing she was still sleeping.  She is a joy for all of us!

Today we celebrated all day.  Elena happily woke early and was sporting her lovely bed head...just hilarious.

She asked all day for me or whoever to say "happy birthday to me".  All she wanted to hear was someone telling her happy birthday.  I was happy to grant her wish!  We took her friend Carmendy to the park to play, have lunch, and eat cupcakes.  They played mostly nicely for almost two hours.  It was a very fun morning.


Elena and Carmendy
Elena and Samuel
Lunch time
Elena's huge coloring book from Carmendy


After the park, we returned home to rest and chat with family on the phone or via Skype.  Because Emma and Jonah had gymnastics tonight (Boo) we could not have a huge family affair like I prefer.  Instead, we had a kids mini celebration at 4pm and a dinner celebration at 6pm.  Elena was super loved and spoiled today!






She was super excited about all her gifts!

Dinner is always kids choice, but I decided it would be wise to pick for Elena.  We had pork loin, egg noodles, broccoli, and rolls.  She loves all those things and for the first time in a while she ate all her food!  She opened her last two presents and then it was time for her cake.  I had lots of fun making her a pink polka dotted cake (her request) and she LOVED it.  She opened the refrigerator all day just to look at it.
Litte Bear the movie
Her very own popcorn popper.  Elena loves popcorn and she liked this very much!



I am 3!
It is yummy!
Taken by Samuel, age 4
I would say that Elena was loved upon so much today and she deserved it!  This little girl brings such happiness to our house with her energy and totally silliness.  It was wonderful making today all about Elena Joy Mann!

Happy Birthday Elena Joy!!!!

Keep remembering baby girl..."When I am scared, I will trust in you"  
Elena's version of her memorized Psalm 56:3 "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you"

1 comment:

  1. What a day and WHAT A GIRL!!!

    I woke up this morning thinking that maybe you'd have pictures of our Birthday girl, so on the way to dry my hair from swimming, I had to look to see!! Such a great day...she really has blessed our lives with her special combination of managing to be beautiful and cute in all ways....
    Thanks so much for taking the time to post them and describe your day....The cake is AMAZING!!!! No wonder she kept looking at it all day....it looked yummy cut, too!! Seeing the pictures at least makes it bearable to be so far away...miss you all and can't wait to see you!!! Love to all..

    PS In case I don't get you on the phone later, I ordered the Ice cream toy from Amazon and had it sent to your address, so that she'd get it at least in the YEAR of her third birthday...so sorry to be so awful about timing...I think she'll enjoy this set...she can serve it with the popcorn and it won't have calories!

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