Leah is 19!

We were lucky enough to celebrate Leah's 19th birthday with her in December!

We started the day off with breakfast in bed and a little Clue!

And a little monkey on Laney's back. 

Non-plussed as always. 

A great birthday always includes a pile of presents!

As she always says, Leah waited longer than anyone else to finally have a birthday this year!

Emma wored so hard on the cutest customized birthday present for Leah, and she loved it!

In the afternoon, the girlies hit up East Village!

So many fancy shops!

In the evening, Leah had some friends over for wax candle decorating, Wavelength and Londue!

What a birthday cake! 

Of course we went to Main Street for her birthdate. 

Leah got an early birthday present on December 29th- her mission call! 

She has been working on her papers all semester, and knew that her call was set to arrive any day now. But that still didn't calm her nerves when it was actually time to open it. 

Leah opted to open her call with just our family, and then share the call later that evening over Zoom with friends and family. It was a crazy exciting day! 

Leah has a LOT of people supporting her and cheering her on! 

Not unlike Leah heading to college this year, her mission opens a whole new chapter for our family. There is so much to learn, to prepare, and to be excited about as she dedicates 18 months of her life to serving the people of Tucson, Arizona, and the Lord! She will learn Spanish (her hope) and will be serving in the United States (a surprise to all of us!). 

She still has another semester of college to knock out before she starts home MTC on May 20th and then flies to the Mexico City MTC on June 4th. There is so much to do before then, but the most important thing right now is to remember all of the reasons that she wants to serve a mission- something she has wanted to do her whole life! It is so exciting to watch Leah's lifelong goals continue to come into reality.

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Leah!  How are you 19 already! Your last year as a teenager, and it is shaping up to be an incredible one. As much as Leah hates constantly being told that she is a peacemaker, it has to be said that she has a calming and kind influence on everyone around her. 

Anyone who is lucky enough to know Leah knows that she is tenderhearted, considerate, and FUN! She has her own awesome sense of style, is incredibly smart, knows how to take care of herself, and knows how to make others feel seen and loved. 

Leah has rocked her first semester of college (dare she say out loud that it was actually much easier than she was anticipating??), has risen to the challenges of making new friends, breaking up with boys, navigating a new town without a car, and cooking for herself. Not easy tasks! 

She has put herself out there, put her faith in the Lord, and stayed true to who she is and who she wants to be. 

Everything we have watched Leah do this year has come with a twinge of sadness, knowing that, if everything goes according to plan, we won't see Leah in person for 18 months, including her 20th birthday. That is currently unfathomable, unless I think about the joy and reward that will be waiting for her and her future on the other end of her mission. 

We love you sweet Leah-bee-ah! Your last year as a teenager is going to be an epic one!