We bought season passes to Splashtown
On the lazy river
You HATED the life jacket. So we took it off, and it made a world of a difference.
Please always go through life this fearless
your first trip to splashtown
This year Dad has been working extra hard. He started a new job this February and he's home less. We made it a point to try and take y'all to more places. Me and you took swim classes earlier this summer, just so you could get used to being in the water. Here you are before your first class:
one
A little late again...but we're gonna catch up!
I made you a smash cake for your pics.
This was you on your actual birthday.
The banner was made from pics of your
second children
The truth about second children (especially you) is this.....
You came and changed the game, FOR SURE!
You came at a very "comfortable" time in our lives. Your sister was almost 6, so as far as we knew, everything was good. For a long time, we didn't even think we wanted a second kid. But, the more time that passed, the more time we saw that we were missing something. We were missing you.
You are SO different than Bella. She is more "earth" and you are more "fire". I can't tell you how shell-shocked we were when we brought you home and we saw just how different you were gonna be. But, we knew.
I'm sitting in bed (you went to sleep not too long ago). I'm looking through pictures of you. This is you and Bells. Seeing this makes my heart so happy. Just knowing that you two have each other, that is all I want for you. Sisters are a blessing and I hope that when you two grow up you stay close and go through life together.
As an older sister, I know the responsibility we have to be a good example for our younger siblings. I know that Bella is aware of this and I know in my heart that she will be a great example for you and that you will be able to lean on her for support when you need her.
As a younger sister, I also know what it means to have someone to turn to when you may not be able to come to your dad or me. Please promise me that you will always follow those good examples. If she's not setting a good example, please promise me that you will speak your mind and do the right thing. That is your responsibility. It is a mutual relationship and one of the most precious things you will ever have in your life. Cherish it. Forever.
You came and changed the game, FOR SURE!
You came at a very "comfortable" time in our lives. Your sister was almost 6, so as far as we knew, everything was good. For a long time, we didn't even think we wanted a second kid. But, the more time that passed, the more time we saw that we were missing something. We were missing you.
You are SO different than Bella. She is more "earth" and you are more "fire". I can't tell you how shell-shocked we were when we brought you home and we saw just how different you were gonna be. But, we knew.
I'm sitting in bed (you went to sleep not too long ago). I'm looking through pictures of you. This is you and Bells. Seeing this makes my heart so happy. Just knowing that you two have each other, that is all I want for you. Sisters are a blessing and I hope that when you two grow up you stay close and go through life together.
As an older sister, I know the responsibility we have to be a good example for our younger siblings. I know that Bella is aware of this and I know in my heart that she will be a great example for you and that you will be able to lean on her for support when you need her.
As a younger sister, I also know what it means to have someone to turn to when you may not be able to come to your dad or me. Please promise me that you will always follow those good examples. If she's not setting a good example, please promise me that you will speak your mind and do the right thing. That is your responsibility. It is a mutual relationship and one of the most precious things you will ever have in your life. Cherish it. Forever.
You will probably always have hand-me-downs. You will probably always get those "You sister never did that" speeches.
I promise you that we will try to keep the comparisons down to a minimum, because we love you the EXACT same. You are loved just as much. Forever and always.
firstborn
I had you when I was young. I mean REAL young, maybe TOO young. 23 may not be too old to you, but believe me....it is. I went from still asking permission to go out and having a curfew when I was 21, to being married and about to have a kid two years later. Tell me that's not too young?!? You are not allowed to have children until you are 40! (Or at least out of college, rich, and famous ^_^)
I still remember the look on your dad's face when the doctor released us to take you home. We both gave each other a look that said "Now what?" Dad drove home at maybe 10MPH to make sure you got home safe and sound. When we finally did make it home (after what seemed like 2 hours) it hit us....we were responsible for another human being. When it happens to you, you'll realize the monumental amount of weight that seems to be suddenly put on your shoulders. I was so scared to get it wrong; I was so scared that I'd "break" you. I didn't even muster up the courage to give you a bath by myself until you were 3 months old. And even then, I only did it because I was home alone and you'd dirtied yourself. I couldn't leave you like that. I remember calling your dad when I'd finally put you to sleep crying because I'd been so scared the entire time. Eventually it got better, and my confidence as a mother grew. When you were 4 your dad was deployed for a year, and let me tell you something...I wasn't scared of him not being here, I was scared of doing everything on my own. In retrospect, it was the best thing that happened to me as a mother. In that year, I discovered stengths I didn't have. I learned how to be a mom and a dad. Most importantly though, I discovered (even though I knew it all along) how amazing of a human being you are.
You are wise beyond your years. You understood our situation and processed everything in a very mature way, and I was blown away at how well you grasped what was going on. You dealt with his absence in a very reasonable way, but way beyond what I could've ever asked for. I remember sitting you down when you were upset because you missed him and explaining to you why he wasn't home, and you immediately understood. More than understand, you rationalized it and from that moment on, any time that you felt down you immediately shut the sadness out and repeated why he wasn't there. You got me through that year, and for that I will be eternally grateful.
I still remember the look on your dad's face when the doctor released us to take you home. We both gave each other a look that said "Now what?" Dad drove home at maybe 10MPH to make sure you got home safe and sound. When we finally did make it home (after what seemed like 2 hours) it hit us....we were responsible for another human being. When it happens to you, you'll realize the monumental amount of weight that seems to be suddenly put on your shoulders. I was so scared to get it wrong; I was so scared that I'd "break" you. I didn't even muster up the courage to give you a bath by myself until you were 3 months old. And even then, I only did it because I was home alone and you'd dirtied yourself. I couldn't leave you like that. I remember calling your dad when I'd finally put you to sleep crying because I'd been so scared the entire time. Eventually it got better, and my confidence as a mother grew. When you were 4 your dad was deployed for a year, and let me tell you something...I wasn't scared of him not being here, I was scared of doing everything on my own. In retrospect, it was the best thing that happened to me as a mother. In that year, I discovered stengths I didn't have. I learned how to be a mom and a dad. Most importantly though, I discovered (even though I knew it all along) how amazing of a human being you are.
You are wise beyond your years. You understood our situation and processed everything in a very mature way, and I was blown away at how well you grasped what was going on. You dealt with his absence in a very reasonable way, but way beyond what I could've ever asked for. I remember sitting you down when you were upset because you missed him and explaining to you why he wasn't home, and you immediately understood. More than understand, you rationalized it and from that moment on, any time that you felt down you immediately shut the sadness out and repeated why he wasn't there. You got me through that year, and for that I will be eternally grateful.
You have taught me more about life in your short 7 years than I'd learned up until the day you were born. I know that we will have (many) fights, we are bound to. I will always push you harder than you want to be pushed. I will ask more of you than you are probably are willing to give. I will challenge you more than you probably will want to be challenged. But always keep in mind, that it's because you are meant to be more.
You are such a brilliant child. Your teachers constantly congratulate me on having such a smart child. Little do they know it's not me, it's all you. You have such a thirst for knowledge, and I hope that that thirst never gets quenched. I hope you go through all your life with such a desire for learning in all things, not just academic. I hope that you are never satisfied with "just enough", that you will always strive for more.
You are destined for great things baby. We all see it. You are meant to be more than I will ever be, and I truly believe that. You are the very best parts of me and your dad. I know that by the time you read this you will be well on your way to achieving whatever it is that you have set your heart and mind on. I can't wait to see you grow up and see you reach your full potential.You are such a brilliant child. Your teachers constantly congratulate me on having such a smart child. Little do they know it's not me, it's all you. You have such a thirst for knowledge, and I hope that that thirst never gets quenched. I hope you go through all your life with such a desire for learning in all things, not just academic. I hope that you are never satisfied with "just enough", that you will always strive for more.
month-by-month
These will all be a bit out of order, but I'm trying to catch you up. This is you your first year. I tried to document it as best as I could.
dear elena
My Dearest Ellie,
Today is July 23, 2015. You have been alive for 519 days. That's 1 year, 4 months and 3 days. I can't tell you how crazy these past 519 days have been. You've completely turned our world upside down! My hope for this, is that one day you see this and both you and your sister know how loved you are.
Your dad and I waited quite a while to have you join the party, but you were more than worth the wait! This is you now:
Today is July 23, 2015. You have been alive for 519 days. That's 1 year, 4 months and 3 days. I can't tell you how crazy these past 519 days have been. You've completely turned our world upside down! My hope for this, is that one day you see this and both you and your sister know how loved you are.
Your dad and I waited quite a while to have you join the party, but you were more than worth the wait! This is you now:
These are some of my favorite pictures of you:
You were in there, so this counts too :)
Here you are scooting:
Learning to crawl:
And FINALLY walking!!!
I can't wait to show you this one day. Until then, know that we love you beyond words and measure.
dear isabella
My Dearest Belly,
Today is July 23, 2015. You have been alive for 7 years, 1 month, and 26 days. That's 2613 days. The best, happiest, and most wonderful 2613 days of our lives.
I've been meaning to do this for a while, but for some reason never got around to it. My hope for this is that one day you will see this and know just how loved you are by me and your dad. You've brought us joy beyond belief and I know I speak for the both of us when I say that you are our biggest accomplishment ever. I've always thought that if raising you and your sister were the only things I ever do with my life, I will count myself as having accomplished it all.
This is you right now:
You're missing both your front teeth, so you actually look more like this:
We've gone to Arkansas:
We visited Daddy in Virginia:
Today is July 23, 2015. You have been alive for 7 years, 1 month, and 26 days. That's 2613 days. The best, happiest, and most wonderful 2613 days of our lives.
I've been meaning to do this for a while, but for some reason never got around to it. My hope for this is that one day you will see this and know just how loved you are by me and your dad. You've brought us joy beyond belief and I know I speak for the both of us when I say that you are our biggest accomplishment ever. I've always thought that if raising you and your sister were the only things I ever do with my life, I will count myself as having accomplished it all.
This is you right now:
You're missing both your front teeth, so you actually look more like this:
For almost 6 years you were an only child. We devoted our free time to showing you things that we hadn't seen when we were children, and we certainly had some good times.
We've gone to Arkansas:
This was on the side of the road somewhere
At "The Old Mill"
We visited Daddy in Virginia:
(This was the view from Daddy's apartment in Norfolk)
We went once in the summer...
This was at Ocean Breeze Waterpark
...and then again for Christmas.
Virginia Beach
Your first hockey game
We took a road trip to Washington, D.C.
Lincoln Memorial
The Smithsonian Museum
Shenandoah National Park
We visited NYC:
Ice skating in Bryant Park
I think we took this in Rockerfeller Center
The view from the Empire State Building
Times Square
Brooklyn Bridge
Staten Island Ferry
We visited Colonial Williamsburg:
The Capitol
People just walk around dressed like this. Weird, I know.
You were totally into it though :)
Corpus Christi
Fish Creek Park in Arlington
We've gone fishing. This was recent. We went fishing 4th of July weekend. We didn't catch anything, but had loads of fun :)
But don't worry, we have plenty more adventures ahead of us!!!
Today I register you for 2nd grade. I can't tell you how fast these days come, and I can't believe you're a few years from being out of elementary school. It's certainly bittersweet.
We love you, and I can't wait to share this with you....one day.