Elisabeti turned 1!

Wow! I can't believe our baby turned one! I think because she is so small I forget that she is getting older. What a year it has been - but with all the stress and chaos some of our life-changes have created Elisabeth has been entirely wonderful. Our little Angel, here are some of the things we love about you...

• I love the way Elisabeth's cheeks consume her face when she smiles. It's impossible not to smile when you see it!
• I love that we found such a great nickname for her...Elisabeti. We were at a wellness visit right after she was born and I was reading a book to the bigger kids. The little girl in the story (from Jamaica) was named Elisabeti and it stuck! It has morphed into Beti...but we love them both!
• I love that Elisabeth is small...for the Law family that is. She is in the 25% for weight - and for us that is just something so different from our other kiddos that I laugh every time I see her little body. And while she is small she still has perfectly kissable, pinchable cheeks!
• I love that she has an opinion. She is already so determined to keep up with the big kids - she wants to have what they have and be where they are. She has already figured out how to climb up onto the trampoline and throw a full-size tantrum when we baby her. She will be a hard one to slow down.
• I love what a little girl she is - she already holds her babies and loves walking around with a purse on her arm.
• I love that she has been so easy to love. She has saved us this year with her mellow tendencies. She can be content for hours just playing by herself. Again, with all of our big personalities she has been a fun change!
• I love how much the big kids love her. She will forever be the baby in our family. In fact Calvin only calls her baby. Today, after he admonished her not to take his candy, "No baby no!" he pushed her down. I told him to say sorry...he said, "sorry baby." And Naomi, just can't get enough of her. It's so fun to wake up in the morning after Tal or Naomi has taken her out of her crib and carried her downstairs to see them all playing together!

Honestly, I think that someone upstairs knew how much we needed our Elisabeti. She has brought so much joy into our home!

Last year, when Elisabeti was born, Andy took the kids to Build-A-Bear. So in honor of El's birthday we took her to choose her own. She loves this bunny!

I actually think holding the wrapped presents is more fun for Elisabeth than actually opening them!

Before...

After...