A Surprise Treat for the Best Friends

For Grace and Makana's 3rd birthdays, Jaren had the BEST idea: Take the two best friends to Build-a-Bear to make matching friends. The girls loved their time together, and Makana cherishes her bear Anya tremendously.

In 1 Week

When Grandpa + GiGi came to visit on March 24th (pics w/the train blanket), they were able to notice how quickly Stephen grew in just one week. They went away for a few days to see Aunt Jeanne and saw a bigger boy when they returned.

We are thankful that the two siblings get along. If Stephen cries when we are driving, Makana reports on his status like a good big sister. Sometimes she'll feed him, but only for about 5 seconds. I love it when they smile at each other. See how much Stephen has grown compared to March 10th when we brought him home from the hospital? :) Praise the Lord for that! :)

March 31st

Makana anticipated her birthday so much more than in previous years. She had her cake selected a month ahead of time when she and Grandma were waiting in the hospital as I tended to Stephen. One of her activities was to cut and paste parts of a strawberry cake. When I came out of the NICU, Makana said, "I want this cake for my birthday!" We celebrated with Grandpa and GiGi, as they took a special trip during the spring just for this occasion. At the time of the planning, we didn't know anything about Stephen, but it was also special that they could meet him at this time. :)

Dave took Makana out to weed and for a walk, so the grandmothers and I arranged the balloons (that Makana and Dave had blown and hidden under blankets) and presents (including those from our outside of Arizona). Makana was truly surprised by the festive welcome when she returned.

After the day was over, she kept thanking Dave and me, "I had a great birthday! Thank you!" :)