Preslyn turned 1 year old on October 18th! This year has flown by so fast! I can't believe my baby is already celebrating her first birthday. I made the traditional carousel cake (my mom used to make us a carousel cake on our first birthday). Grandma and Grandpa Moon came over and celebrated with us. Preslyn loved her cake and dug right in! She was also a good sport about wearing her princess crown (Demarie was excited about that). It was a beautiful day so we ate outside in the backyard. Preslyn really liked all of her presents, especially her new ride-on zebra toy.
I am so glad that Preslyn is a part of our family. I remember the night we brought her home from the hospital. It was a cold, windy night and I decided I had enough of the hospital and wanted to go home. We bundled Preslyn up so tight and warm. Aaron carried the carseat while Demarie carried the balloon out to the car. I warned her that it was very windy outside and that she needed to hold on tight to the string so it wouldn't blow away. When we got to the car, I just knew she would let go of it so I took the balloon from her while she and I climbed in. When I got in the car I let go of the string briefly so I could close my door. The wind whipped the balloon right out of the car and it flew away into the dark sky. It happened so quickly, yet it also seemed to happen in slow motion. We all cried the whole way home as Demarie wailed, "Mommy, why did you let go of my balloon?" I felt like the Mother of the Year at that moment! I remember the song, "I Believe There are Angels Among Us" was on the radio. Demarie sang it at the top of her lungs through her tears and after it was done she said, "Mommy, do you think Heavenly Father will watch over my balloon?" Lucky for me, He was watching over us that night! When we got home, there was another balloon waiting there to replace the one that Mommy had lost. It wasn't the same, but it would do. I will never forget how warm and peaceful our home felt as the wind howled outside. I watched Preslyn sleeping in her car seat and for the first time, I felt like the house we had lived in for the past 2 years was finally our home.
Preslyn has brought a special spirit with her. She is a spit-fire little girl who knows how to stand up for herself against a big sister. She loves to cuddle with her pink polka dotted blanket and gives her baby dolls lots of loves and pats. She likes to do things for herself (except for moving off her little toosh, but we're working on that!). Her favorite word and person is "Dada" and she is so cute when she says "woof" and growls. She keeps us laughing with her funny expressions and curious eyes. What would we do without her????
