Has it really been eight years since our last Guam baby was born at Sagua Managu birthing center? Daniel was born a few minutes into July 1st on Guam. We still laugh thinking that, when his stateside grandparents announced his birth, their church friends thought that they had the wrong date since it was still June 30th in the East Coast! Guam and the CNMI (Saipan, Tinian, and Rota) are known as the place where “America’s Day Begins.”

We arrived in Guam for our 2nd overseas tour when Daniel was conceived, and we were so thrilled that the Lord blessed us with another baby. My pregnancy with Daniel started out pretty rough, but, once I made it to the 2nd trimester, I regained my appetite and started gaining strength. During my pregnancy, we had some pretty significant memories including moving AGAIN after our initial move to the island. In general, it’s rare for pilots to have sons due to the things they’re exposed to. We were so surprised when Abraham, our first son, was born. Then, a couple of years later, we were even more surprised when our second son, Noah, was born. Just a couple years after that, Daniel, our 3rd son was born -- we were SO surprised. We love our daughters just as much as we love our sons, and we’ve really enjoyed the thrill of finding out our babies’ genders when they’ve been born. That thrill was real on July 1st, 2011!

His birthday celebrations started off this past Sunday when we hosted approximately 80 people from our church for fellowship: it was a lovely time! We shared a meal together, sang to several children, including Daniel, who either had a birthday very recently or were about to have their birthday, had a wonderful time visiting together, sang several hymns, and the children played outside. We love being able to share our big house and yard with our friends and family, and this was a wonderful time of fellowship and encouragement!

Since we gifted our young boy Abraham with a nice, Leatherman multi-tool years ago, all our boys have requested one for their birthdays when they’re old enough! We gave Noah his multi-tool last year which is knifeless but still very useful. We decided that it would be safe to get Daniel the same multi-tool as well which he was beyond excited to receive. His siblings bought Connect Four and a LEGO mini-figure pack for him. They also made special smoothies that Daniel was hoping for. He also loves LEGOs, like his siblings, especially policeman sets and was so excited to receive another one from his sweet grandparents. He was so excited to hear from his grandpa in Saipan too and excited about his gift even if it’s not necessary and is shipped from so far away.

Daniel, you’re such a sweet boy! We love how tender-hearted you are and how much you love to hug and kiss us every day! You’re thoughtful, kind, and diligent! Your siblings love playing with you, and you’re an amazingly sweet big brother to baby Gabriel! We love to hear you laugh and see your joy! We love you SO much and are SO thankful that you’re part of our family! 🥰🎉🎈🎁😘❤️

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