16 April 2014

Tulip Town

Amy and I drove up to Mt. Vernon yesterday to celebrate grandma Linda's birthdays at the beautiful tulip fields! I hadn't been to the tulip festival in 10+ years so it was a fun adventure.
Tulips are one of my favorite three flowers and are also a bit sentimental as they were the primary flower at our wedding! :)
It was a beautiful day and a great way to celebrate Linda's birthday!
 
Linda's dear friend, Sherri, is visiting for the week which made her birthday extra-special!
 
Amy is 27 weeks pregnant so it was fun to capture that belly amongst all of the tulips!
 
I spend so much time behind the camera so it is always special when I get to be in front of it for some shots with my girls! We may need to get Kennedy (aka squinter) some sunglasses for the summer!

09 April 2014

Dear Kennedy... On your 5th Birthday

Dear Kennedy Renee,
Stop growing! Holy smokes... FIVE?!?!

I won't dwell on the bittersweet feelings this fifth birthday brought about but rather I will focus on how AMAZING and FUNNY and SMART and  BEAUTIFUL you are! The past five years have been nothing short of truly lovely.

 And thus, the FIVE top things I want to remember about you at age FIVE
(plus a few words of wisdom, pieces of advice and sappy thoughts).
 

1. Your happiness, sense of humor and that LAUGH. When you are all grown up, I will close my eyes and remember your all encompassing little-girl belly laugh. I have a feeling you will always laugh like this though so hopefully I won't have to think too hard. ;)

2. Your slightly OCD behavior which either makes me laugh or makes me scream, depending on the day. You do not like itchy clothing (I mean, who does really?). Your socks must be perfectly aligned with the seam perfectly aligned across your toes. Your shoes must be tied not too tight, not too lose but just right. The list goes on and on and on. Sighhhh.... ;)


3. The way you crawl into our bed... every. single. night. like clockwork. We aren't sure what time you come in (somewhere between 2 and 4 am). The best part is how many nights you decide you would like to have a conversation in the middle of the night so I wake up to you asking me things like:
"Mom. Do I have school tomorrow?"
" Mom. What is on the ceiling?"
" Mom. Can we go to the park?"
 
All of these questions are answered with:
"Kennedy. Go to sleep."
 
Your dad and I talk about how we should probably make you go back to your own bed but we never do. The truth is we both love it. We are suckers for snuggles. And we know it won't last forever.... in fact, it will be just a blip and we know that. So we soak it up... most nights. ;)
 


 
4. Your interest in books, writing and art. I find you sitting and "reading" books every day, multiple times a day. You love to write words and letters and you can easily write your own name as well as Mara's and "mom" and "dad" without help. I can see you are on the cusp of all-out reading and it makes me so, so happy. I would love nothing more than for your to be a lover of books like myself. I can't put into words how much reading has positively impacted my life and I wish that for you as well. Reading will give you perspective, depth, and knowledge. It will calm your mind and make you think outside of the box. Only some are bit by the magic reading "bug"... I hope you are one of them. It is a tremendous gift.
 

5. You are a bike-ridin' fool! This spring, you have discovered your bike and you love it. Soon we will have to upgrade to a larger bike for you as you can practically see the steam coming off of your trianing wheels. Ride on sweet girl!
 

Kennedy, you are so special. I hope you always know that. I love your sweet heart so much. These past five years have been profound and life-changing. You made me a mom first and for that, I will always be thankful. It is the greatest role of my life. Being the first-born, we get to experience everything first with you... the good and the bad. While this may be a bummer at varying times in your life, it also makes parenting you really special. Your dad and I have truly enjoyed every phase with you so far and we are so excited to see where the next five years will take you.
 
This frame sits in my office. When I bought it, I didn't think so much of myself but rather of you and your sister. In a nutshell, it is what I wish for you.
 
 
Love you to the moon and back.
Love you more than all the sand on the beach.
Love you more than all the stars in the sky.
 
Happy five, baby.
 
x0x0,
Your mama