Happy Birthday Lucy

Happy Birthday Lucy! We love you! It has been 5 years, yesterday, since you came into our family. We tried to make your fifth birthday special. The weather was beautiful! We gathered at the park with friends and had hot dogs [your favorite] and cake with rainbow sprinkles. We even had candles-- 5 of them dancing in the sumer breeze. We sang Happy Birthday and Peter made us light the candles and sing several times. He likes to blow them out.

We visited your Nana Bice in the hospital who just had surgery - she is recovering nicely and may get to come home tomorrow. We straightened up around the house and didn't get a lot of things on our "to do" list done. Thats ok. Its summer, right? We have been watching a moose and her baby who have been living in our backyard the last couple of weeks. It is amazing. The baby is so tiny. We really are lucky to live where we do, aren't we?

Everyone remembers you and thinks about you. On my family's blog your aunts and uncles posted Birthday wishes and some wonderful photos of you. We got phone calls from family and friends. We received some beautiful pink roses, and Julie Emery dropped off a beautiful quilt that was embroidered with the words "Lucy-Forever in Our Hearts". It made me cry. I cried a lot yesterday. I miss you.

I still struggle with how to celebrate, honor and remember you on special occasions. I always feel like I should do more. I guess I'm like a lot of fathers. Things aren't good enough for my little princess. I'm lucky Papa Bice let me marry your mom, huh?

I remembered something yesterday I hadn't thought of in a long time. It happened on my mission in Argentina actually. One area, Alto Comedero, had a stretch of "jungle" separating two neighborhoods. This "wilderness" area was about 2 or 3 football fields across. Out in the middle of it you couldn't see the lights of the neighborhoods. One night, crossing from one neighborhood to the other, we came upon the single solitary tree that stood in the middle. It was covered with fireflies. Thousands and thousands of fireflies. It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I thought it was was a fitting memory for your birthday my little beauty bug. You continue to be a light in my life.

Love, Dada