“Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time.” -Jean Paul

It is amazing each & every day to me, what a GIFT being a parent is. It is so stretching, so rewarding, SO much more than anything I could have ever imagined. I dreamed my whole childhood about being a mama, about having little ones to care for & squish with hugs. It is WAY more than anything I daydreamed about all those years.

My oldest, Eliana Marie, just celebrated her 4th birthday! This past year has been incredible with her, watching her take the world in & grow with such strength & understanding. She is inspiring. As per tradition, I love writing my kiddos little love notes on their birthdays to share with them how much they are loved & valued & to highlight what is amazing about them at this particular time in their young lives. So with that, I love you Honey.

Dearest Eliana,

Oh my heart! I love you from the tippy top of your curly head right down to the bottom of your beautiful strong feet. This last year of life with you has been a joy for me, it has taught me more about motherhood & how I can be a better Mama to you & Sister. It has been a year of you showing up daily with determination, newfound knowledge, incredible laughter, an explosive imagination, deep tenderness & an insatiable curiosity for all things. I watched you out the window yesterday riding your little scooter with a puffy dandelion in your hand, riding around the driveway in your rainboots, singing & in a world all of your own. It was beautiful. It was a perfect picture of what you being 4 looks like so far. You are the best! I enjoy so many things about you, watching your personality grow & develop, your heart deepen, your knowledge about the world around you expand. I love that I get to spend each & every day with you, teaching you, snuggling with you, reading with you, laughing with you, imagining with you, learning from you. It has been a delight for me having you truly understand this pregnancy & feel the baby kick & move in my womb, talking to the wee one. I know that they will love you right from the start once they are earthside! It is also one of my deepest joys watching you & your relationship with Sister. The way you play with her, love her fiercely, want to spend each second of the day with her, take her on imaginary trips, read with her, sing & dance with her. She adores you & it is clear why. You are your Dada’s girl! As much as I claim you as mine, I know you are his too. The way you jump into his arms when he gets home from school each day, the love in your eyes as you give him hug after hug, the way you just want to BE with him as much as possible. It is so beautiful to behold. You bless your Dada’s heart. Bug, you are a dream come true. You are treasured! You are ours! I am grateful for the gift of being your Mama & for the gift of getting to love you. Happiest 4th Birthday to you, sweet girl. I love you forever.

All my heart,

Mama.

On Eliana’s actual birthday, we were blessed with having our new home filled with family! Sister got to wake up & get donuts with Dada, blow out a candle on her donut cake, go the park & pick out a giant balloon & birthday cereal with her Uncle RyRy & Auntie Dace visiting from LA. She got to have her Auntie Mimi & cousin Riah Joy visit from Kansas City, her Grammy & Grampy Jenks visit from Oregon & the rest of us here too. She picked out cheese pizza as her birthday dinner of choice & Dada made a delicious lead cake for dessert. We surrounded her with love & multiple rounds of Happy Birthday & just enjoyed our day together as family. It was a good day.

The following Saturday we had a small friends & family celebration for her at Twain Harte park on an absolutely PERFECT spring day. We had balloons & fresh wildflowers, chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting & strawberries. There were yummy snacks: popcorn, cuties, chips, strawberries, veggies & more. Eliana loved playing with her friends & the bubbles we gave all of the littles was a hit! They spend probably an hour blowing & chasing bubbles across the grass. She opened her gifts, we sang to her & all of the kiddos had incredible chocolate covered faces after devouring the cupcakes. It was a great celebration & I know that Eliana’s wish for her birthday came true: a party with friends at the park with chocolate cupcakes & strawberries. Win! Park birthdays are seriously the best for this age group! We have already done two & I know we have plenty more in store for the future with our wee ones.

“The more you praise & celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” -Oprah Winfrey

I am happy to celebrate many things. I think that each year, each birthday is absolutely worthy of celebrating, whether it is big or small. LIFE IS A GIFT! I am grateful that I get to celebrate our beautiful daughter & that this is just the 4th year of many to come. She is worth celebrating! Her life is a gift to us & to the world. We were able to visit with Eliana’s incredible birth mom just days before her birthday. It was SUCH a delight to see her! She is amazing. We also got to visit with Eliana’s half sister, her cousin & we got to meet her birth grandma! It was a treat! We love open adoption & all of the wonderful things it gives Eliana, us & her birth family. It is a beautiful thing to have as part of our story & I am so grateful that we get to have relationship with each other! We are family! That was the icing on the cake for me this year with celebrating our daughter. It felt FULL. I know I keep repeating myself, but I promise it is in complete sincerity. I am grateful! I love Eliana Marie to the moon & back. Happy Birthday daughter!

“The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility & the wings of independence.” -Denis Waitley

Now I’m off to make a plan for how to show her with actions & words how loved she is, every day of the year. And to hug her. Because it is the best.

Cheers,

Katie.