Dear Josie,
Your 4th birthday has come and gone, but I have not forgotten it. It fell right around the time of the girls big show and so the party was not as big as the 3rd birthday, but we were celebrating just the same. This year you wanted an Ariel party so mommy made you a cake a decorated it. It was the first decorated cake I have ever done, so I'll give myself a C- for it ;) , Josie at 4 year are amazing. You speak so well. You are funny and witty and a giant pain in the butt and we love every minute of it. You want to be big so badly. At times I find myself wishing away time because I want more sleep or things to be easier. But then you crawl up in my lap, all 28 lbs of you, and you tell me I am your best friend and that you love your daddy the best and I am so grateful for those nights that you wont let me sleep. I am not sure what the Lord has in store for you. You are smart and you have great pitch for singing already. You can hold harmony with Kat and Presley, so I have to imagine you will come up behind them loving music. Right now, you love Mickey Mouse and talk about going to Dinsey World often. You love dancing and singing and your sisters. You love daddy and you love Uncle Brett. And Janet and Big are your favorites. You are learning your ABC's and you can count higher than I remember and you know your colors in Spanish ;) Your party was filled with friends this year and you loved it. We had a great time and daddy rented you a Mickey Mouse jump house...you are still taking about it;)
Josie, you are our miracle. Our living proof that Jesus loves us in ways that we will never understand. You are smart and great gymnastics and you are kind. People often comment on your presence and your blue eyes. I, on, the other hand, envy those giant dimples you were blessed with. You are your daddy's twin and he gives you whatever you want, just like he promised a few years ago.
It is a gift to be your mom and watch you grow up with your sisters. You are amazing. You are smart. You are beautiful and you shine Jesus wherever you go.
Mama loves you.
I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. Phil 4:13
Friday, February 10, 2017
Happy 6th Birthday Presley Rose
Dear Presley,
You are 6. I cannot believe that 6 years have gone by
since that wonderful Mother’s Day morning.
What a gift you were to us then.
Little did we know just how amazing you were going to be. First off I
want you to know that for your 6th birthday we got you a kitten and
her name is Ginger. You picked her out and you named her. She is a sweet kitten and you were VERY
excited!! Savannah and Aunt Sissy came to visit you for your birthday. Nana and
Uncle Brett came by as well. It was a
fun week full of surprises and cup cakes ;).
At 6 you are so much more than we would have ever dreamed. You are
smart. You read on at 3rd grade level. You spell incredibly well.
You are doing so well in school and are very eager to learn. You have read 6 chapter books this year and
you can label all of the states on a blank map of the US. You love to dance and
it is a gift that you have. Your
favorite color is purple. Your favorite person in Kat and your favorite thing
to eat is probably donuts ;).
Happy 9th Birthday Kat
January 19, 2017
Kat,
You are 9. It seems
impossible, but it is true. I cannot believe another year has come and
gone. I find myself wondering if I
served you well each year as they pass. But then I realize what a fantastic
human being you are and I remember that where I am failing, Jesus is
succeeding. I cried this year,
again. I was sad 8 was over. You were a
tremendous 8 year old. Even Ms. Meg said
you were the greatest 8 year old she has ever known, and she has an 8 year old J. For your birthday party this year we took you
bowling with 12 friends and your sisters at Kings Bowl. It was quite the party. Everyone had pizza and we had Mexican
chocolate cup cakes with cinnamon icing at your request. Your present this year was a sound system
bought by us and Big and Janet. A
microphone, a speaker and a mic stand.
It is a pretty awesome set up for a 9 year old, but you have earned it
with how hard you have worked. I’ve done
a poor job of keeping up with journaling, so this year for your birthday
letter, I am going to tell you what your 2016 looked like ;)
January – You turned 8
February - Daddy too us to the Disney Magic Show, We had a
great painting birthday party, You went to your first Nashville Predators game.
March – You started taking gymnastics
May – On the 15th William was born
June – We had Presley’s Suzuki Party and you sang Georgia On
My Mind and Glorious Day
You started writing your first song this month.
On the 15th you prayer to received Jesus into
your heart.
25 – 80’s Show at FBAA and they invited you back to perform
the next weekend.
27 – You went to day camp for the first time this week.
July 15 – you started writing “Letter to Jesus”
August – You competed in the county fair competition with
Mama’s Broken Heart and were NOT chosen in the finalist.
9th – You auditioned for Once Upon a Mattress in
a class of 32 kids ages 11-7 and took the lead.
Sept – We took you to the Carrie Underwood Concert
Oct – On the 1st you sang at the Storytellers
Museum with Dan Wilt and Mark Cash in an impromptu performance of My
Church. You stood on Johnny Cash’s’
stage and they were playing his guitars. They invited you back to sing with the
WS Holland Band.
Oct 8 – You sang with WS Holland on the Little Stage. This
was your first full band performance and you were amazing.
Oct 11 – I took you to Gigi’s Cupcakes and told you about
your period while we ate a pumpkin spice cupcake.
Nov 4-6 You performed as Princess Winifred in Once Upon a
Mattress and you were AMAZING.
We spent Thanksgiving at the beach this year with Big and
Janet and the rest of my family.
Dec – on the 7th you went to Simeon studios and
recorded Jingle Bells with Presley and Kendall. Edwin Portillo was the
producer.
Dec 10 – We went to The Hideaway Farm and you sang Rockin
Around the Christmas Tree at the Johnny Cash Christmas Party accompanied by
Kaye Gramble and Tyler Sumners on saxophone
Dec 11th we took you to see SHEL at 3rd
and Lindsley
Dec 17 You attended a Christmas Tea Party at Daisy Schaplan’s
house
Dec 21st you got your ears pierced at Lone Wolf tattoo
in Franklin, TN. Jake pierced them and you had Presley go first.
Jan 2017 – You auditioned for The Sound of Music and got the
roll of Brigitta J (You wanted Maria, of course)
So baby…that was your last year in a nut shell. Quite the year if you ask me. I cannot wait to see what God has in store
for the next one. Kat, you are bright
and gifted and kind and beautiful. I
would be lost without you. One day, you
will be here and I will be gone. And
when that day comes I pray that you remember that you are capable of EVERYTHING
you are dreaming of. That Jesus lives in your heart and loves you in a great
way. And that making me a mommy, was the
greatest gift anyone ever gave me. It is
a privilege, my sweet girl, to assist the Lord in raising you.
Mama
Happy 8th Birthday Kat!
Dear Kat. You are 8.
8!!!! I cannot believe it. I am writing
this about a month late because your birthday party was rescheduled due to
SNOW. Yes, this year we had quite a bit
of snow in January. Janet was here for
your actual birthday and we did have some balloons and cupcakes and Mexican
food ;) But your party was rescheduled.
So, it was yesterday. I am sitting in the floor in my bedroom writing
this while Josie talks to herself next to me and you and Pres play a game. This is my life. It is fun and I love it. So your birthday party was a lot of fun! We
have Piph and Laila and Abigail and Eleanor and even Savannah was here!! Aunt
Sissy and Savannah came for the weekend and Uncle Mike and Ms. Cristin came for
one night and surprised you. We had a painting party and all the big kids
painted a ballerina. It was right up
your alley. You had a GREAT time and we
even got a few big smiles out of you
;) We had chocolate cupcakes with
caramel icing at your request and a cake that we decorated as a paint
palette. 8. That sounds like it should be little still
but you seem so big for your age.
You
are SUCH a great kid Kat. You are smart and witty and silly and helpful. You are VERY intuitive and careful, almost to
a fault sometimes because it keeps you from having fun. You read at a level well above your grade
level, probably 6th grade.
And you love it. You told me recently that reading is the only time you
don’t worry….so we keep a book in your sweet hand as much as possible. You are taking private piano lessons as well
as voice and you are in an acting class. You love all three. You and sissy are
also taking Spanish and can both count to 20 and say your vowels and a few
phrases after only three classes!! You love music. You sing songs from Taylor
Swift and Patsy Cline. You love pink and blue. You love chocolate and
salads. You’re a wonderful sister to
Presley and Josie.
You have questions.
Lots of questions. Questions that a lot
of 8 year olds aren’t even considering.
You don’t believe in Santa or the Easter bunny and you never have. You do believe in Jesus and that is something
you question quite a bit. I remind you
often that He made you just like you are and He does not make mistakes.
You are playing Bach’s Minuet on the Piano, a
very advanced piece and you have worked hard on it. You love Barbie and “real people” movies and
your sisters. You have figured out that I need you and you need me and even
though you would rather not admit it, I am right quite a bit ;) I would be lost without you. Daddy is your whole heart. And you share a piece of it sometimes with Janet and Uncle Brett. They are your
people. Your best friend is Presley. You
love her like she is a piece of you. It is a blessing to witness. Your favorite movie is Big Hero 6 and you
love Taylor Swift, Adelle and Francesca.
You are a little mama to Josie. She loves you best.
Happy 8th birthday baby. Time if flying by. I am honored I get to
watch you grow and assist Jesus in raising you.
You are a blessing to all who know you and I love you bigger than the
sky. Don’t forget. Mama
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