Happy Birthday Sasha!

If you ask Sasha about her birthday, she'll proudly tell you that she had two birthdays - one on Saturday (her party) and one today. I like the way that girl thinks - one day of celebrating Sasha clearly isn't enough!

We have so much to be grateful for in Sasha - the girl has lived a whole lot of life in her four years!

We took a family poll and here are the traits that each of us appreciate most:

Ben: How good her voice is at mad laughs
Sam: How smart she is and how well she talks
Daddy: How sweet she can be to all her siblings
Mommy: Her overflowing affection for her siblings, puppies, stuffed animals, and anything or anyone who doesn't mind a lot of squeezes

I think that Ben might be on to something there - Sasha's crazy, mad, slightly maniacal, always exuberant laughs are definitely one of her most entertaining attributes!

And right now, I think we're all especially proud and grateful of the way Sasha has welcomed WanYing into our family with open arms.

Transitioning from baby to big sister is hard work, and Sasha has been asked to share everything that is dear to her (food, toys, her room, even Mommy and Daddy hugs and attention) with an often fussy and exceedingly demanding toddler.  But Sasha has accepted her new rolewith grace and depth of understanding that exceeds my expectations and answers my prayers. Sure, we have hard times and jealous times (and we're starting to appreciate the convenience of just having two of everything), but Sasha seems to understand that sacrifice is part of what it means to be a family and that the joys far outweigh the troubles. She is growing into a young lady who is truly rooted and established in Christ's love.

Happy birthday little big girl. We are so proud to be your family and so grateful to belong to each other.