Adelaide Jane: 5 1/2 Years Old

Dearest Adelaide Jane,

It seems as if the months and years are flying by with you. You are so mature in so many ways that when you have a moment of child-like behavior I have to remind myself that you're only 5 1/2 years old. 

You are absolutely loving school at SMM. Ms. Wheatley & Ms. Green are the best teachers and I am so thankful that you were placed in their class. You are truly enjoying each day from your née friends to the academics. Each day you beam with pride to let me know you made outstanding choices at school! I am so glad that you have a love for learning like your mommy!

Speaking of school, you loved making your cupcake shirt for the 100th day of school. You counted all 100 cupcakes and placed them with care. I don't know that you've been more proud of anything this far. 

You have taken the role of big sister to a baby sister with such grace and pride. You absolutely love helping with Salem and can typically be found hugging & kissing her at any chance you can! You love to match her when it comes to wardrobes. But most importantly you love her with every bit of your heart. I am so proud of your big heart and how you love your younger siblings. 

This Christmas you were an angel in the SMM play. You practiced your songs for weeks and you had the biggest smile as you performed. I was so proud of how dedicated you were to being the best angel and learning your "angel songs." I can't wait to make this a yearly tradition!

You are quite the social butterfly...having play dates and sleepovers. You love to have your cousins come for special nights and like to remind me that they are our guests. It has been a joy to watch you have those moments with cousins that we didn't get to have as kids.

You also are becoming quite the athlete! Enrolled in tennis, gymnastics, dance & swim and loving each one! You just graduated from swim school and now are into stroke school. The look on your face was sheer pride when Coach Jim gave you your medal & told you the good news.

While the last month has shown some growing pains, I continue to remind myself that my expectations for you are high and that you're still only a little girl. I am always proud of how you take being the oldest in stride and are a great example of kindness & love.

I love you!

Love,

Mommy

Salem Lucille: 4 Months

Dearest Salem Lucille,

Now that your cousin Vivie has arrived, you are looking bigger and bigger every day! It is hard to believe that you are 4 months old, one third of a year! 

This month you celebrated your first Valentine's Day in lots of sweet ways. You showed so much love and happiness for all that it was contagious.

You went on your first trip to Disney where you truly were magical. You barely made a peep unless it was squeals of excitement for all that you were seeing!

You have had a lot of teething pain this much and nothing seems to help. I am hopeful that a tooth will show itself soon and you can find more comfort.

You are a moving machine. Literally attempting to crawl and not only moving in circles but also from point A to point B! I can only assume this is to keep up with your crazy older siblings!

You continue to be a joy to us and all of those around you! Keep growing and learning and being the sweetest girl in town!

I love you!

Love,

Mommy  

They Say Its Your Birthday: 35 Went Just Fine

From start to finish, my 35th birthday was filled with a lot of fun, family & friends! After a rough week of sleep due to teething, Salem slept a solid 8 hours which allowed for a good night's rest as well as a little sleep in! The kids surprised me with donuts, balloons, and homemade cards. We attended church as a family before heading home to horse around. I snuck in a nap before being sung happy birthday and enjoying a delicious slice of the cutest cake! Ryan & I headed to the hospital to get some cuddles in with baby Vivie before joining the family at Eddie Merlot's for a nice adult-only dinner. And I capped off the night with one of my best & oldest friends by singing & dancing the night away at the Luke Bryan concert! 

35 is off to a great start and I am excited to see what the second half of my 30's holds!

The Sweetest Day{s}: February 2018

January was a longgggg month! Colder than usual and a week of snow days inside with 4 little munchkins made for lots of coffee and wine! So we kicked off our "sweet" Valentine's fun at the end of the month to put a little pep in our step ;)

Adelaide had a blast at the first Daddy/Daughter dance at St. Margaret Mary! She got dolled up at the Dry Bar then headed to dinner with her cousins and friends. Next they danced the night away. Sheer joy and excitement from start to finish!

 

Cupid dropped by with a few goodies including matching heart & puppy jammies, little lovey animals, Valentine's books, and some apparel/accessories to get the kids in the festive mood! 

And when Cupid stops in, we have a little heart-shaped breakfast complete with funfetti pancakes and heart shaped strawberries in the middle!

 

 

 

Last year I hosted the cousins for Vday cookie decorating so this year I decided to invite the whole family over! We enjoyed pizza, heart-sprinkled popcorn, and cookie decorating...plus some raspberry champagne floats for the adults!

Ryan and I enjoyed dinner at Milkwood and The Magic Play at Actor's Theater. A little adult night out on the town!

I felt inspired to make lots of Vday themed treats for the kids leading up to the big holiday...

 

Hope you and yours had a *sweet* holiday!