Lydia’s 4th Birthday

Oh sweet Lydia. You are brave, a little mischievous, patient, a lover of music, calm, and filled with pure goodness from head to toe. We were so happy to celebrate YOU!

Hundred Acre Wood Party

Two of my dearest friends sent me the complete Winnie-the-Pooh Book Collection after I had Jacob and it has been a family favorite ever since. Our family loves those stories so much. Lydia loves listening to Pooh songs and hearing the stories. So we went back to the Hundred Acre Wood and it was delightful. It is a world full of innocence and joy and is just perfect for our Miss Lydia.

I decided to cancel all of Lydia’s therapies for the day so that we could spend time just having fun. After a yummy breakfast, we drove over to Fort Collins to explore the Museum of Discovery. We had never been before but it had a large music section that I thought Lydie would enjoy. But she didn’t. I am not sure if it was too many people or sounds but she seemed agitated and struggled to be there.

We then went out for a birthday lunch and then headed home for cake and presents. Lydie was much more happy when we were home and that was really good to see. I made Lydie a Churro Dulce de Leche cake and it was delicious! It was definitely the year of the Tonie. For Christmas, Lydia got a Tonie box and it is her most favorite thing she has ever had. She loves it so much. So she got several new characters as well as a carrying case – she is ready for all of our summer travels and every day fun!

The rest of the day was spent chasing around the older kids to different activities. Ben had his first baseball game (which ended up getting cancelled due to the weather), Sarah had her ballet pictures, Mark and I had temple recommend interviews, and Jacob and Sarah had primary activities. It was a busy and full day – but we were so happy for the time we were able to celebrate our sweet little one.

Our Four Year Old Girl

Lydia’s Favorites:

• Food: Loves her fruits – her favorite combo seems to be banana, blackberry, and blueberry.
• Books: The Little Pookie series from Sandra Boynton is a winner!
• Toy: Easy – Tonie Box!
• Treat: Whipping cream
• Song: Anything from the Encanto soundtrack. We are still talking about Bruno!
• Movie / Show: Winnie the Pooh and Bluey

My feelings for Lydia are so tender. I am humbled every day that I get to be her mom. This year, more than ever before, Lydia has had a place with others outside of our family. She has been welcomed so lovingly into Primary where they include her and love her. She was able to be a part of our homeschool co-op and develop the sweetest relationships with others there. She has started several therapies this year and is a little celebrity every time she comes into those doors. Everyone knows her!

It has been a sweet experience for me to “share” her with others. To let them into our lives more and see what an incredible person she is. The world needs more Lydia.

Lydia is the bravest person I know. She wakes up each and every day with the happiest smile on her face (it is truly one of my favorite parts of every day – she is so smiley when you go into her room in the morning). She has had to go through so much in her young life and she does it with courage. It is very rare (and I am so grateful for this) where I ever see fear in her eyes. She approaches life with complete trust and I admire that so much in her.

It doesn’t happen too often, but Lydia can have such a mischievous little look about her. I see this the most when she is with Ben. Those two together are my absolute favorite.

Lydia is patient. She is patient with everyone (especially me). It takes a lot to get Lydie to really lose it and she is so accommodating with schedule changes and other disruptions. Nothing with Lydie seems to go quickly and she patiently waits while it all unfolds.

The way to Lydia’s heart is through music. She loves it so much. It immediately calms her down if she is upset and seems to truly fill her life with joy.

With that said though, Lydia is naturally very calm. She genuinely seems at peace and it makes my heart happy. When I am physically and mentally running all over – Lydia is calm. And she radiates that calm to others.

Grief is a hard thing. One thing I have learned about it is that it hits me at random times. Sadly, Lydia’s birthday was one of those days. I was doing okay until the museum. I really tried to figure out something that I thought she would like and she didn’t. I would try and go to a different part of the museum where it was quiet and engage with her and I wasn’t getting any response. I would try and help her press the buttons or the keys to instruments and nothing.

All of a sudden I was hit with waves of how things could have been. Lydia should be running around pressing all of the buttons and giggling as she makes “music” with the instruments. She should have sticky fingers from eating her cake. She should be having a tantrum because Ben took something she wanted. So many things that we just take for granted. It’s hard seeing her the way she is sometimes. It’s hard seeing all that she misses out on – despite all of our best efforts to try and make life accessible for her. It’s just hard.

But once we got home. Once we had a quiet moment. Snuggling with her, having her look at me with her big blue eyes of complete trust, complete love, it makes it better. If Lydie can do it, so can I.

Thank you, Lydia, for sharing your spirit with each of us. Thank you for helping us slow down and appreciate every little thing with you. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for who you are. We love you so much – forever and always.