Dear EM

Dear EM,

Yesterday was your seventh birthday, which sounds like such a big number to me!  I keep asking you to try and stop growing for a bit, but you doesn't seem to be trying very hard.

You were surprised when you came downstairs to find more gifts!  You thought you opened them all yesterday, but we saved the one you were really hoping for to give you on your birthday.  It was a cage and everything you need for your very own pet, a guinea pig.  I'll bet you felt like it took a century for the pet store to open!  We thought it would be fun for you to pick which guinea pig you wanted.  After holding each one with careful consideration you chose a caramel-colored little guy.  He squeaked when you held him and it seemed to be a perfect fit!

Daddy and I took you and JR bowling as a special treat for your birthday.  It was so much fun watching you!  Both of you did great for your first time bowling, even if the ball weighed half as much as you did.  You even rolled a few strikes!  I love being able to do fun things with you now that you're getting older.  I really enjoy your company!

When it was time for bed Daddy was at a meeting and JR and LD were already asleep, so it was just you and me.  We decided that instead of reading a bedtime story we should look through your baby book together.  This is one of your favorite things to do; you love to hear stories about when you were a baby.  It feels like a lifetime ago that you were a born and a blink of an eye at the same time.

Lets make a deal.  This year I will try as hard as I can to say "yes" and play fashion show with you when you ask, not think of the more productive things I could be doing when you ask to play Guess Who AGAIN, and invite you to a tea party or two.  If you try as hard as you can to not grow up too much this year.

I sure do love you and I am so blessed to have you in my life!

Love you to the moon and back!
Mommy

Happy Birthday, sweet baby.

My littlest baby turned one today.  I'm sure most mothers will agree that a child's first birthday is bittersweet.  So many last-firsts were experienced in the past year and I think the clock speeds up a little more with each year that passes. 

To say that having LD in my life has been a blessing would be inadequate.  There are times I stare at his perfect little cherub face and can only silently thank his Creator for allowing me this time with him.  He has such a sweet, joyful curiosity that I adore, even when he is pulling all of the tissues out of the box or all of the toilet paper off the roll.  And he has this amazing laugh!  This laugh that pours out from his belly like he is just bursting with happiness!  You can't help but laugh with him. 

I'm thankful that tomorrow is the beginning of a new year to watch him grow and discover the world, and I'm even more thankful that I get to be the one holding his hand while he does it.

Happy Birthday JR!

We are celebrating JR and his fifth birthday this week!  I always get a little sentimental around the kids' birthdays, it's a great time to think about how much they have changed my life and how much they have changed in the past year. 

This has been a big year for JR, it seems like he went from a toddler to a boy.  It's such a fun, in-between age because even though he is becoming more independent and self-confident every day he still needs his Mommy's cuddles and reassurance when he's tired or gets hurt.  So many of my smiles begin with him.  He is always making me laugh without realizing he is saying something funny, but quickly learning to enjoy the attention his new found sense of unintentional humor brings.  I also love watching him when I know the wheels are turning as he is observing and taking in the world. 

We had a fun dinner at Chuck E Cheese on JR's birthday- Josh and I always did enjoy a healthy competition of air hockey.  It has been a beautifully rare treat of 75 degree days this week, so we had birthday ice cream for dessert!

Lovin' every moment of being the Birthday Boy!