May was also filled with one of the most glorious moments we get to experience in our lifetime as parents; the moment when Ava first received Jesus in the Eucharist.
May 16, 2021
with Fr. Bierbaum
Ava, your first communion day was a beautiful.
You were beautiful.
Jesus was present and it was so, so special to witness you receiving him for the very first time. Moments that I cherish and relive in my memory often, and hope you will too.
"There is nothing more precious than the Eucharist.
If God had something more precious, He would have given it to us."
-St. John Vianney
Sweet Ava Chantal,
What a lovely day for you.
Keep Jesus close. He's got you.
A huge THANK YOU to your aunt Laura for making your beautiful veil.
You LOVE it and it was so beautiful to be able to keep to our tradition
(Laura has made each of the girl a veil for their special day).
"From the Eucharist comes strength to live the Christian life and zeal to share that life with others."
-Pope St. John Paul II
And you insisted on one with Smoky
You kept your veil on all day
and took selfies
beautiful gift from friends
"Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always."
You are thoughtful and kind. You are so sensitive to the emotions and feelings of others. I can always count on you for a big hug when I am feeling down. Already at 10, you have the gift of compassion and empathy. I could not be more proud of you. Armed with those gifts, you will make such a beautiful difference in the world.
You are always looking for beauty.
You saw the colorful sky in this picture and
insisted on a picture to capture it in our memories.
You tell me often that when you grow up you "want to be a mom like you".
Hold on a second while I bawl my eyes out.
There is no higher compliment I could receive than that you want to be a mama like me.
You and your brother and sisters are such beautiful, precious blessings in my life,
and I have grown so much as a person because of each of you.
You teach me to remain childlike and filled with wonder and awe and joy.
You teach me to look at life's simple beauty.
You teach me to let my guard down and be myself.
We have spent countless hours on homework and you are such a hard worker. You put so much energy into figuring out each problem and you have grown so much in patience and giving yourself grace.
You are a kind friend to everyone. You are tender and sweet. You love to include others. You have a wonderful imagination and a childlike spirit. You are loyal and fun.
When the joy in your heart bubbles out, it is truly beautiful. Your smile is radiant, your eyes sparkle and shine with warmth and delight, and your giggle is infectious.
Thank you, Elise Marianna, for being so very wonderful.
Happy Birthday sweet, Elise!
You really love wearing glasses even though your eyesight is just fine. Because you don't have a prescription, you wear blue light glasses and it is so you. You are quirky and unique and you are unashamedly YOU. I love that about you. So many people are trying to fit into a box or impress others and be what they think others want them to be. You are not afraid to be Elise.
You still battle fears and anxiety, but each day you become a little braver
and I am so proud of your journey.
When you were little and I would hold you and talk you down from your fear of every ride,
--small or smaller-- at Disneyland, I could never have imagined the 10 year old you are today,
braving the things you do.
Yes, I still hold you and we work through your fears together,
but you have conquered a great many.
It fills my heart with such joy to be on this journey with you, facing our fears together.
You are creative and adventurous. I love when you share your pictures and stories with me. The characters and details are charming and fun. I love coloring with you and watching your imagination soar. You are a bundle of fun.
Thank you for all the joy and wonder you bring to my life. Thank you for reminding me to slow down and be grateful. Thank you for helping me notice all the beauty unfolding around me.
You got your ears pieced for your 10th birthday. Our neighbors just so happened to be there getting their little girls' ears pierced too so we got to be brave together.
You faced your fear with such sweet honesty. It was scary and you let yourself be scared and then you took some deep breaths...
got some Mama hugs and support
and bravely conquered your fear.
You are so honest and real.
Thank you for teaching us all the beauty of humility and realness.
You are beautiful inside and out, darling girl.
You came into the world so quickly (thanks for letting me barely make it to the hospital at least) and you impact the lives of everyone around with such confident joy.
