Happy 1st Birthday to our 3 beautiful miracles...

Wow - their FIRST birthday.  I am just in shock today as I really can't believe that a whole year ago today, I was having mega pain and tons of contractions and giving BIRTH to these precious girls.  And now, I am so pumped to know that Ryan and I actually made it through the first year with them!  (Thanks to SOO much help from so many of you!) What an incredible journey it's been..

Happy Birthday Addy Girl!  We are in awe that one year ago today, she came into this world.  Today,  we are celebrating our precious Addison Lee.  Her perfect little giggle is contagious and we adore how she loves to laugh so easily.  We've also come to know that she is great with her feet - always kicking, she loves balls and she is great at making eye contact with people.   We also find it very interesting that she loves her space.  :)  Even when she was inside of me, she got used to her "own space" and now she does this cute little 360 turn when her sisters are in "her space."  She has been so much fun to watch this past year as she has grown so much and changed so much.  At first, she was so laid back and "chill" and now, she is spazzy and hyper at times!  She is into everything and she loves  wrestling on the floor with daddy.  She loves to eat and it's so cute listening to her say "mmm" while she eats.  We wonder if Addy will always hate shoes...or if that will change.. :)  We are enjoying every moment with her and we look forward to many more years of discovering who God has made her to be. We love you SO much Addy!!!!

Emily - "Em Babe" Our dear Emily has always been the fearless one.  :)  Even when she was only 3 lbs 1 oz, teeny tiny in her isolette, she was the one to pull out her feeding tube and oxygen from her nose as if she knew she could go without it even though SHE had the most weight to gain.  And now, a year later, Emily is the one to explore everything.  She is our adventurous one.  She falls, and she doesn't even care.  And now, she was the first to take 2 steps.  We know she is going to keep our lives very interesting and full of life.  She has so much energy which amazes me because she was the one that I felt kicking me the most when she was inside of me.  She is also fearless in the way that she is never shy about giving out smiles - even to complete strangers.  Emily is also very detailed and observant.  She notices everything!  We love who she has become in the past year and we are so incredibly thankful for all of the joy that she brings into our lives.  You are such a blessing Emily!  Happy Birthday honey!!!!

Hailey - Our baby girl Hailey.  We love her so much!!!  We still can't believe that we have had the privilege of knowing her for a whole year now.  Seems like just yesterday that she was laying in her isolette looking sooo angelic.  She is such a sweetie and we LOVE her smile and her spunky personality.  She can be a little comedian at times with all of her funny faces...(she crinkles her face up and looks at you and then breathes in and out really fast through her nose - so cute) :)  and she loves making herself known and heard (Hailey is known to yell out high pitched squeals just to get your attention) :) We absolutely love it when she crawls all over us on the floor and we love that she always want to be where the action is.  Hailey is a big fan of hide and go seek and she makes us smile so much! Hailey loves to have her face tickled very softly...and I love how, sometimes, all she wants, is just to be in my arms.  :)  You are a gift Hailey - and we couldn't imagine life without you.  We thank God for you every day...and especially today.  Happy Birthday Hailey Grace!

My beautiful baby girls - they have changed our lives in so many ways this past year.  Not only have they given us an instant family, but they have given us more joy than we could have ever imagined.  They have shown us that we could love them all...with a love that we didn't even know we were capable of.  They have taught us to trust God (as we wondered if we'd get pregnant, if they'd be healthy, if they'd be okay in the NICU, etc.).  They have taught us perseverance (during the long sleepless nights in a row and the fact that we must always be "on" with the 3 of them).  They have taught us patience (with waiting on them to finish their bottles when they were little and waiting for them to stop spitting at meal time now).  They have taught us that it's okay to accept help (even when it's a hard thing to do) and that it doesn't matter what our house looks like when people come over (the important thing is each of them!)   They have reminded us that sometimes, all we can do is laugh when things get tough.  And that most of the time, it's all about a matter of perspective.  They have reminded us that God still performs miracles and that He really does listen to people praying.  Our love for our girls has humbled us to know that God loves each of us even more than we love them - which is pretty incredible and makes me speechless.   

Baby girls, we want you to know that we pray for God's guidance in parenting you every day.  Really - every day!  Thank you so much for an incredible first year together.  We're so honored to be your parents and honored that for some reason, God chose us to parent you.  We feel so blessed and we can't wait to see you grow up!  We love you Addy, Emily, and Hailey!!!