Oh My! My Baby India Is 20!

Happy 20th Birthday India!!

Yes! 

She is 20 years old! 

And this is the bike she bought with her 

Birthday money.

Pretty sweet ride, eh?

So in honor of her birthday,

I thought I would show some fun photos of my

first baby.

I took this photo on her last day at work

as a "bookie" on the 

Storybook Land Canal Boats

at Disneyland. 

Ahnalin and I were riding Casey Jr. and 

as the track runs all around Storybook land,

our train happened to be directly overhead

as India's boat was going under the bridge.

 And here she is right 

before midnight on her final night of work

as she was graduating from the Disney College Program.

Ahnalin and I, 

along with some of her DCP buddies,

were honored to ride her final boat.

This was, without a doubt,

her very favorite job ever!

A week after we brought her home from the

Disney College Program,

my parents came for the weekend

and we drove over to Bodega Bay for a visit.

As usual, India chose to make goofy faces

in nearly every shot!

I love this picture. 

I actually took it in May when

I got to visit her all by myself

in Anaheim. 

This picture is a few years old but I love it.

India is holding my darling niece Cherish

and I think they both look beautiful.

This was taken a few years ago when

India, Ahnalin and I went to a friend's wedding.

This was taken when she was not yet 4

and we were moving away from her favorite

cousin, and best friend Tyler. 

This is one of my favorite pictures of these two.

India loved eating at the American Girl Cafe

in Chicago when we lived there.

This visit was when she was 7 years old.

This was taken at India's third birthday.

She LOVED this dress!

Blue gingham and the apron

was white with pink birthday cakes.

I even made a matching outfit for her Ginny doll!

And here she is just a few years ago in 

her Alice costume.

I stole this picture off of her Facebook page.

A friend took it when she was a freshman

standing outside the drama room at school.

Her shirt and her expression are pure India.

Here she was singing at a local restaurant

while her Daddy (aka Hot Rockin' Hubby)

accompanied her.

This is my all time favorite picture of my India.

She was 3 and

attending Healdsburg Preschool Co-op. 

She is just so yummy in this photo!!

I love my India so much.

She was my first baby.

She is the one who had to 

bear the brunt of all my first-time-mama parenting,

yet, somehow, she has managed 

to grow into a brilliant,

talented, 

beautiful,

funny,

amazing,

loving,

generous,

spontaneous,

gifted,

happy,

faithful,

imaginative,

committed,

and miraculous 

WOMAN!

I can't even begin to say how very proud I am of her.

As she enters this stage of her life,

her "20s",

I pray that the Lord will

bless her with wisdom,

joy,

courage,

faith,

health,

peace,

love,

relationships,

success,

miracles,

imagination,

and 

yes, I pray that she be blessed

with her heart's desires.

Jeremiah 29:11 is India's favorite verse.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,

"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 

plans to give you a hope and a future."

She is a lovely woman

but she will always be my baby.

India, mama loves you forever.