Two heads are better than one. :)

Lazy Sundays. Our favorite. Cheaper by the Dozen is on and she loves to watch it. See that lump to the right (her left)? That is Hershey Kiss. She sweetly talks to him until he falls asleep and then she covers him up. She is the Cat Charmer.

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:16

He must have written about the day we colored the sidewalks behind the house. Certainly he told about how we giggled about Hershey Kiss doing the kangaroo (he lies indefinitely on his back with his front and hind legs bent over looking, of course, like a kangaroo). He couldn't have left out the part where we sang silly songs and drew silly pictures.
I love being your mommy.

Speaking of dancing. Here she is. A full review of her Saturday performance will be published tomorrow. Check back. :)

She is my mini-me.
She looks like me.
Acts like me (sorry Chrisy).
Except for the obvious, it was like our kids got switched at birth.

She is incredibly profound to be 3.
I love to watch her dance and if you are around her longer than 4 seconds, you will get to see her dance. And if you stay around another 2 1/2 seconds, she will inspire you to dance too. Promise.

Children's photography isn't always about smiling and cheesing. For me, it is about honesty.

"Do I like smiles? Yes, but only if they are real and filled with life. And I also like tears. You see, truth is beautiful, no matter what the expression." Randy Bacon

Going through some old photos, I found these and felt a storyboard of the images was appropriate. I can still hear her singing *Christmas, Why Can't I Find You* from the Grinch. She gets really close and stares into your eyes as she sings ever so seriously with big eyes batting at you. It is the sweetest thing ever. Trust me.

Never did I imagine five years ago when I gave birth to the 9 pound 6 ounce sumo wrestler that she would, one day, turn five. The night before, we laid in bed and I told her the story of when she was born as she cuddled in my arms, twirling my hair with her fingers.
I cried.
She cried.
Her birthday party was the sweetest ever. We were surrounded by the most important people in our lives and we had fun. We had a special guest, Oreo the Cat showed up and shared center stage with the birthday and her side kick.
In the words of my fave song at the moment:

My familys not rich by any means,
But I feel we won the lottery that day

I hope she won't forget her 5th birthday because I know I won't. It couldn't have been any more perfect.

Today, she wrote me a note. It said Reagan hearts Mama. How simple yet profound. Seriously I choked back tears like I am right now as I type this. She proceeded to follow it up with instructions on how to cook a Kid Cuisine frozen dinner. She wanted the spaghetti one and she wanted to put the white cheese on it herself. Why you ask? She explained it very clearly. She looked me straight into my eyes and explained very slowly that the kid must put the cheese on it because it is a KID CUISINE. The kid puts the cheese on it.

I love her in so many ways. I love the way she loves me even when I am not a perfect mother. I love to watch her love other people. I love to hear her giggle. I love the way she sings with me in the car *very loudly*. I just love her over and over and over and over. She will find me tear up when I realize how much she is growing up and how much I miss her when we are apart. She will often say *Why are you crying? Is it because you love me so much?* You know it, girl, you know it.