365

That's the number of days I have known my little girl. She is turning one today, I can hardly believe it. 365 days. That is how many mornings I have woken up to see her cute, perfect little face. It really has been the best year of my life.

I have been looking forward to this part of my life for, well, most of my life to be honest. (little girls grow up taking care of their dolls/babies and playing "house", right?) I admit that in high school I sometimes wished the years would fly by so I could see what my future held. I am living in that future right now, and it couldn't be more right for me. I am so happy.

Maybe it was the "go, go, go!" lifestyle we had during our undergraduate years (Brian and I rarely saw one another, working full time at jobs that we both hated, and had school and homework on top of it all), but this new life of mine is a dream in comparison. Brian and I are the poorest we have ever been. It's no secret. My husband is in medical school for goodness sake. But we are so, so happy. We see each other so much more, have a beautiful daughter who brings us so much joy, and live in a place where we feel so welcomed and loved.

Have I mentioned how much we love Texas? We have such good friends who care about us and absolutely adore Ava. We had a party for the birthday girl a few days ago, and I never imagined (with moving to a place where we hardly knew anybody) that the party would be as big as it was. We have been SO blessed!

I am grateful to all of my blessings. I have many, which I should acknowledge and thank my Heavenly Father for more often. Today, my mind is stuck on how much I love this girl of mine, and how fast that year went. She is getting so big. Yes, I know I say that a lot. She is learning so many new things and discovering the world around her. She is such a curious little one, making each day different than the last. I love it.

Happy birthday, bugs! We sure love you.

day one.