Saturday, May 17, 2014







Dear Kaylee McKenna,

             Happy 9th birthday! Nine years ago today our lives were forever changed. We became your parents. What an amazing day! How is it that 9 years have passed by so quickly? While I know all the rage is next year when you make it to those double digits, 9 to me is pretty significant. We are 1/2 way to 18.

In the past 9 years we have watched you learn to do lots of things, eat on your own, walk, run, jump, dress yourself, tie your shoes, ride a bike, dance, cartwheel, read, add, subtract, multiply, spell and the list goes on. In the next 9 years we will watch you continue to excel in dance and school, as well as watch you learn to drive, hold a job, graduate high school and go on to college. I'm full of pride and sadness all at the same time.

We are so proud you for your work in school and dedication to dance.
We are so thankful for your quirky and fun personality.
We are blessed to have the title of your Daddy and Mommy.

We look forward to see what 9 brings!!


XOXO-Love you forever!!

Mommy

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Happy Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day. Whether you are a Mom, Step-Mom or Grandma, this day is for you. Yes it's a day of appreciation for all your hard work. It's also a day to acknowledge we are all in the same club, we can all relate to what it is to be a "Mom".

We know the feeling of getting to dance class, sport game or practice, or whatever the activity may be and realizing we have left the shoes, gear, or whatever equipment was needed at home.

We know the tiring days when we were new Moms, still trying to figure this whole Mom thing out with very little sleep. Laundry that never ended and a house that looked like a bad episode of Hoarders. That realization that life really did change by something so incredibly small.

We know the feeling of our heart breaking because we see our child's heart break. The feeling of wanting our child to never feel pain or sadness and the exhaustiveness of realizing that would never be something we could accomplish.

We know the feeling of never being able to go to the bathroom, take a shower or bath, alone.

We know the feeling of embarrassment when our child asks why the large man behind us in line at the grocery store has such a big tummy, or when they decide to reorganize the cereal aisle of the grocery store, or take off every pair of sunglasses on the rack, or decides to scream and throw silverware on the floor because they don't want to wait any longer for their food.

We know the feeling of so much pride we thought we would burst when seeing our child accomplish a new task, watch them run off the school bus yelling with excitement because they were elected to Student Council or got an A on a test, or hearing someone speak kind words about our child.

We know how blessed we are to relive the magic of childhood and innocence by seeing all things for the first time, again, through our child's eyes.

For some of you, who have been a part of this club for a long time, know of more joys, pains and fears then some of us who haven't been a member for quite as long.

Maybe your are a Grandma, or maybe your a Mom whose children are grown, but not so grown to have a family of their own.

To you, we say thank you. We look up to you. We learn from your victories and we learn from your failures. You showed us sacrifice, love, discipline, determination, patience, faith, hope and many other attributes needed in order to join this club. You have helped us grow into the women we are now and you most certainly help us be the best Moms we can be.

Thank you just doesn't seem to be enough to truly encompass what we have learned, about you, when we joined this club. So I hope that you understand what is truly behind those words "Thank You" those words come from our hearts and our souls.  May your day be filled with love, admiration and appreciation...and maybe a margarita, wine, or whatever that drink is that lets you sit back and relax.

From us newbies to all of you experience Moms Happy Mothers Day! We love you, we respect you, we appreciate you and we would never be able to do this without you!

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Happy Birthday Ainsley!!!

*I thought I had the scheduled to be posted on her birthday, however my schedule apparently did not stick.



Dear Ainsley Isabella,

Today you turn 7!! Can you believe it? You have been quite excited about turning 7 and have been counting down for almost a month. You are almost done with your first grade year. You have been noted a lot for talking this year in class:). That's you, a definite talker. You like to be mischievous, though not out of malice, just out of curiosity and well meant fun.

You love to tell jokes and be funny. You have a goofy personality and you are so full of life. You have an amazing spirit! You like to be in charge and you like to let people know when they could be doing something better:). You may be small but you are mighty, our little sassafras. You don't give up and you will always find a way to achieve something.

You are always on the go. You love to play outside, ride your bike, roller skate, swing or just run! You have decided this year to run with Daddy and try to train to run some races. You love to eat mac and cheese, especially with hamburger mixed in, you love spaghetti and meatballs and you love chocolate. You like to watch Spongebob and Full House and you like to listed to the Frozen soundtrack.

Words cannot express the joy you bring in to my and Daddy's life each day. You are one of the things that lets me know this world is really good. You are a blessing and we couldn't be more proud of our youngest daughter.

Thank you for making us laugh and keeping us on our toes. We can't wait to see what the next year will bring!


XOXO-Love you forever!!

Mommy