“Each day of our lives we make deposits into the memory banks of our children.”- Charles R. Swindoll

“Children are not things to be molded, but people to be unfolded.” -Jess Lair

Our little girl is 3. Wow. It is really true what EVERYONE tells you about the years flying by! They have been such a JOY & I have done my best to be intentionally focused on each day with my kiddos, to enjoy it ALL. But that still doesn’t change the fact that it has flown!

To celebrate sister turning 3, we decided to go the ZOO, as it is one of her current favorite places. It would be really neat if we lived closer to one to visit on a regular basis. She LOVES watching all the different animals & let me honest, so do I. It’s definitely a win win.  We went to the Sacramento Zoo with some family & it was a wonderful day. We even got to stop in & visit Noah’s grandma which is always special.

On her actual birthday, we had a day blowing bubbles, running around outside (even though it was biting cold), drawing with chalk, baking a chocolate on chocolate cake, watching 101 Dalmatians, napping & of course, singing, eating pizza & getting lots of love from family & friends. It was a great day. The one moment I KNOW I won’t ever forget however, was when we were singing & having her blow out her birthday candles, little sister decided to reach over with her incredible infant stretchiness & BURN HER FINGERS ON SAID CANDLES. I mean, STRAIGHT into the flames. Of course we got it on video because we were paying attention to the SPECIAL moment for Eliana, but wow. I never thought that would happen. I now know, ALWAYS have a huge perimeter of space between birthday cake & little fingers. Our bad. Didn’t think that one through enough. Little sister is fine, by the way, she is a trooper & was totally happy 10 minutes later, no permanent damage done. Lesson learned for all of us! Eliana loved her cake & ice cream & definitely had a sugar high from this once a year occasion. It was a blissful day for her & that was all that I wanted.

For my beautiful 3 year old  daughter:

Dearest Bug,

I love you so so much. You bring me great joy each & every day & there is no one in the whole wide world like you. You have fulfilled a life time of dreams for me & show me daily how wonderful life is. You are smart, resilent, warm, tender-hearted, kind, discerning, happy, thoughtful, determined & so many other things. You are an incredible big sister & an amazing daughter. I have enjoyed these last 3 years with you, watching you grow from a teeny tiny little one into a tall, strong, beautiful girl. It has been inspiring watching you grow & develop & change with every season of life. I can’t wait to see what this new year is going to be like for you! The things you are going to learn, do, see, taste, experience & discover! It is going to be a full year of goodness, Honey. I am grateful beyond words that I get to be your Mama & be with you every single day. There isn’t a better or more rewarding job in the universe for me. Being with you is a true joy. It makes my heart so glad! I am proud of you, I am moved by you & I am thankful every moment of every day for you. I love you to the moon & back, Bug. To the moon & back.

All my love,

Your Mama.

And with that, I am going to go pick up that big 3 year old  & give her another hug, because I can never do that enough.

“The soul is healed by being with children.” -Fyodor Dostoyevsky

“While we teach our children all about life, Our children teach us what life is all about.” -Angela Schwindt

Cheers,

Katie.