--Happy 5th Birthday--

     Five years ago today our angel joined our family. Kezia came to our family not for us to teach her, but for her to teach us. In five years she has taught us a lifetime of learning and continues to teach us everyday. When we started this journey we set out to a place far different than Kezia has taken us. Who would have thought the world of Down syndrome was so beautiful?
     She has grown from our 5.1 pound baby into our 27 pound big girl. She started out only 16 inches long and while still short is now standing tall at 3 feet. To those who know or see Kezia they assume she is much younger, but they misjudge her in more ways than height. Kezia follows her own guidelines in life and she will do what she has her mind set to when she is ready to do them. She is a feisty child with a determination all her own. She is my best helper even when frosting the cans of soup or taking them off the shelf just to put them back again. She loves her family more than anything and is always so excited to see us when we have been apart even if it is for five minutes. She has learned to roll, sit up, crawl, stand, walk, go up stairs, and jump. She has gone from no cries to many words to express herself.

     Kezia has seen more doctors in her five years than most people see in their lifetimes. She has had more tests done, more surgeries, and more hospital stays than typically occur in children. She has been hospitalized twice, had eight sedation's/surgeries, three echo cardiograms and many blood draws. But through it all she has made the doctors and nurses smile. She has gone from being fed through a tube to eating a meal and gaining weight on her own.
     Our angel has many things she likes, but a few things she absolutely loves. One of these things is Dora: the Explorer. She loves watching the tv show, loves playing with her Dora dolls, and loves, loves, loves Backpack. Kezia loves to play with her toys and her siblings toys. She loves her friends in her church class and her preschool class. She loves school and loves to read books. She, also, loves to build things with Lego's and blocks and anything available to build.She loves to ride her bike, play at the park, and run. She loves to climb the rock walls at the park, swinging, and going down the slide head first.  She loves playing trucks and cars with her big brother and with her sister she loves to play dolls and let her sister put her hair up. She loves to play outside especially with her dog and cat. 

     Five years and we have been through so much together. We have laughed together, cried together, and played together. The places we have been and the journey getting here to this point in time has been worth every second.  Kezia, you make this world a better place, Thank you!

Happy 5th Birthday!