birthday fun

...and was even more excited when she discovered there were donuts for breakfast!  I tell ya, even if they are named Bimbo, I still love them.

She was allowed to eat breakfast with "mick".  It is her birthday, after all.  

After waiting out a morning downpour of rain, we headed out to a park to play.  This is the only picture we all got of us all together.  Samantha is sporting some great sunglasses I bought at the grocery store the week before.  She calls them her "firefighter glasses"...you'll be able to why soon enough.
...maybe it reminds her of flames? =) hee hee.  Anyway, they're cute.

Josh helping his ladies feed the fishes:
No doubt, he's surrounded by chicks in a big way.  He's not getting relief anytime soon.  
The selling point of this park is a big area with shallow water where kids can play and get wet, which is nice in this hot weather.  
Birthday girl didnt' really want to get too wet, so she just stayed over on the side and watered the flowers.  

After trying to engage her in a water fight, josh gave up and decided to play her way.  He went and watered the flowers with her.  She loved that he did it with her!

Wet rocks + crocs = trouble...as samantha found out once.  
After that, we went to McD's for lunch (sorry, no pictures - it's a madhouse in there!) and then home to eat cake.  

Don't do it, Samantha! Don't blow them out! If you don't blow them out, you won't actually turn three and you can stay little and not go to preschool and still snuggle in bed with me and give me pats on the back and kisses...no, no...don't blow it out!!!
Too late.

I love how Emma was so excited for her...
Eating up the sunshine cake...
opening presents - Trouble?  Is anyone other than me having a flashback from childhood?  Family Game Nights?  I'm SO all about that.  
She got lots of fab presents from us, from my parents, from josh's parents, from friends here...she's quite a loved girl.

Yes, yes...happy 3rd birthday Samantha.  We love you - how your hands are always busy, how your face is always happy, how you are generous with your toys and your love, how you're trying so hard to learn Asianese, how you pat my back when you give hugs, how you pray from your heart, how you always have a song, how you're growing up to be a big girl.  

Early on in Samantha's life, I struggled so much with trusting the Lord with her.  Remember all those months of battling her eczema and allergy?  As I  reflected on Samantha's life this year, I remember one night thinking I kept hearing screaming and crying coming from Samantha's room.  I got up over and over again only to find a peacefully sleeping baby.  Finally, I laid down on the couch to cut down on the time it took to get to her room when I kept thinking I heard her.  This was happening at a desperate time with her skin and allergies, and I remember feeling so exhausted and anxious about how things would ever work out with her health issues.  

My Bible happened to be laying on the couch, so even though it was the middle of the night, I flipped it open and immediately the Lord started ministering to my heart.  When I read Isaiah 54, my heart rested on the promise in verse 14: 

...and your children will be taught by the Lord, and the well-being of your children will be great.  

I'm not saying I've never been concerned about Samantha after that, but I don't feel that I ever truly worried about things with her after that point.  And, as always, the Lord has been so right.  She is a happy, healthy little girl who captures my heart almost every time I look at her.