I feel completely blessed to spend the entire day with you on your 6th birthday! Today was a Tuesday, but not any Tuesday. I took the day off from work to be with you. Mrs. Moore had planned a field trip to the McWane Center. How cool is it that one of your kindergarten field trips got to be on your birthday!?! You rode the bus and I met you there. You enjoyed looking at each of the stations. Daddy and I took you and Lucy there 2 years ago, you were 3 and sister was 1. Right before you started kindergarten, daddy and I decided to take a family trip to Chattanooga. We did lots of fun things on that camping trip, one thing that stands out is that we visited the Creative Discovery Museum. You and Lucy loved it. You really enjoyed the McWane Center today too. You took your time at each little station. You didn't bounce quickly between it all. We watched an IMAX movie together. You picked us out a seat on the front row. We held hands most of the 20 minute movie. I tried hard to soak you up in little moments today. Daddy had planned on meeting us for lunch, but last minute he couldn't. We enjoyed a lunch at Cheesecake Factory with sweet friends. After looking at the cooler full of desserts, you went with a Fresh Strawberry Cheesecake. After the Happy Birthday song and dessert, we went to Let's Play- a large, fun indoor playground. We left around 4pm to get Lucy. It is rare that I just spend time with you and not you and Lucy. I love when we are all 4 together, but today was good. Once we got home, Lucy and I made you a birthday cake while you watched the movie Elf. We lit 6 candles and sang Happy Birthday yet again. You, daddy, Lucy and I danced in the living room before a late bedtime and when your head finally hit your pillow, you feel asleep fast. I hope you are in a happy, sweet dreamland now. I told you where in the living room we placed a rocking chair to rock you as a newborn, right between the fireplace and Christmas tree. I posted a picture this morning of you when your skin was brand new and you smelled of baby lotion and spit up.
I tell ya, I miss those brand new snuggling, sweet, tender moments of when I was a new mommy...winging it with you. Figuring out each day as best I could. I'll be honest, I am still doing that today. Just winging it best I can. Figuring out how to be a good mama, a good wife, be good at my career & full time job, how to handle you when you respond overly sensitive to something simple, what to say when you tell me that you hate you can only have 1 boyfriend "because there are so many sweet and handsome boys" at your school, how to be patient when you are trying to read new words and you get distracted easily or you can't remember the word that we said 15 seconds earlier. Bella Ann, you are teaching me how to parent, just as much as I am trying to teach you about life. I am sorry. I will sometimes fail and will have moments of frustration and anger. I will not always make the right calls and sometimes I will hurt your feelings. But I promise that I will try to make decisions that is in your best interest and decisions that will help mold you into the person that God will want you to be. Hang in there honey, we can learn these lessons together.
To my first-born, I love you wholeheartedly.
Mama
Biggies over the last year...
- you learned how to braid
- you started kindergarten
- you started gymnastics
- you lost your bottom 2 teeth
- you can ride your bicycle with no training wheels
- you can swim completely independent (well I think you were doing this at 4, but you are improving so much each year.)
- you went on your 1st Disney World trip (and loved every minute of it!)
Pin It
