11 Months, Remembrance, and...a party?

This post is a few days early (four to be exact), but we have a lot going on this week so I'm knocking it out early.

Anna Bean is 11 months old! One month from being a toddler. I'm not going to say much about this month except: she's fearless. She can do everything a typical baby her age can do in the gross-motor department, but with a short leg and a non-functioning ankle. She is nothing short of amazing. I have to beam for a minute from the comments I receive from the Mother's Day Out ladies- "She's so HAPPY! Is she always this happy?", "Little Anna is everyone's favorite!", and "She's unlike anyone else - always looking into our eyes, smiling, happy to be with us." Ok, ok, I'll stop beaming before I make you all sick to your stomachs. But seriously, this girl is awesome. Awesome, I tell you. I don't think God could have blessed us any more.

I took some photos of Anna's four-toed foot to remember, for this is the last month it will look as it does right now. How I love her little foot!


 Only a few shots this month:



Must have been a daddy-daughter moment. Ignore Ben's shirtlessness.




Anna eating oranges out of an empty Florida strawberry carton. Ignore my daughter baring all.
Sheesh, is this one big skin-fest or what?

 
I also just sent these out to our local peeps:



I know, I know. Timing. Originally we weren't going to have a one-year birthday party for many reasons, but I thought what the heck, it makes my heart happy so I'm going for it. It doesn't have to be anything big or fancy as I'm sure people understand. I just want to celebrate. Because there is so much to celebrate.

(Side note- if you are looking for sweet online invitations, check out Paperless Post- they have tons of free invites and the process is very streamlined and classy.  You also get 30 free "coins" to be used for invites that cost money. I picked these ones which were 1 "coin" apiece and sent them all for free).

To conclude this random assortment of a post, here's a snippet that spoke to me this week:

So often we mistakenly outsource our joy to another place or time. But I’ve learned, “No, it’s this life. This life I choose. This life God blessed me with. This moment right here—with silly kids, and toilets to scrub, and laundry to fold—this is the good stuff".... and even in the midst of the daily grind I see the wonders of what it means to live my soul purpose. That is the place of transformation.
Jamie Martin at SimpleMom.org