Birthdays — A Southern Fairytale

Happy Birthday, Michael

1:32 PM ByRachelFiled UnderBirthdays

Today, May 20th, is my *little* brother Michael’s 31st birthday!

Happy Birthday, MY-kayla.

Michael, you were my constant companion, my playmate and my friend; whether it was me dressing you up in Granny’s clothes, painting your nails, flipping you over my head, you chasing me around the yard with a machete or you pulling a rug out from under me (which only took you 20 years to fess up to thankyouverymuch!) and causing me to split my head open.

I wouldn’t trade any of it.

Watching Princess and Monkey reminds me so much of us and yeah.. I probably owe you several ~~hundred~~ apologies, but the past is the past

I love you, Kayla.

I’m so thrilled for the happiness that you’ve found with Melissa.

I pray that this birthday is just the first of many, many more filled with happiness and joy.

Happy Birthday! I love you, kiddo.

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Happy Birthday, G.O.B.

3:22 PM ByRachelFiled UnderBirthdays, Family

Happy Birthday, to the first man in my life.

Happy Birthday to the one who showed me what to look for in a husband

Happy Birthday, to the best Grandpa any Monkey could have.

We love you.

Thank you for all the lessons: love, patience, laughter, appreciation, joy and independence.

Thank you for allowing me to fall, and showing me how to get back up again.

I love you, and I hope that you get some German Chocolate Cake today.

Happy Birthday, GOB.

We love you.

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Eight

12:05 AM ByRachelFiled UnderBirthdays, Princess

“Mom, Can you believe I’m going to be Eight?”

“No, no my darling girl — I can’t”

Wasn’t this just yesterday?

So much has changed, So much still the same.

The moment you saw the ocean, it was true love. You were a water baby,

and now you’re a Boogie Boardin’ Diva.

Even from the first, you’ve been much more fashionable than I ever was.

nov 18 2005

I’m so glad that hasn’t changed, your fashion sense makes me so happy.

I love how you’ve always marched to the beat of your own drum

nov 18 2006

How from day one you have been strong and confident in who you are.

You are independent and fearless.

Fun loving and silly, you love life and all that it has to offer.

You are your brother’s favorite person

Your Daddy’s little angel

and my … my favorite playmate, the one who made me a Mama. You are my heart and soul in a smart, funny, beautiful, wonderful, blue eyed, freckle faced package.

I am so blessed to be your mother.

There will be times that I will yell at you, there will be times when we won’t like each other very much, there will be times we both say things we don’t mean, but there will never be a time that you are not loved, a time you are not cherished, a time where I am anything but thankful for you.

I have always known and understood love. Your Daddy showed me a different kind of love, but you, you my amazing, wonderful daughter, you have taught me a love like no other.
You are borne of my body, my heart, my soul and my mind and you opened up a place in me that I didn’t know even existed.

You are smart, funny, strong, beautiful, compassionate, silly, confident, loving, temperamental, friendly, energetic, inquisitive, vibrant, frustrating, head strong, lively, independent, fearless and amazing.

I pray that at 18, 28, 38, 58, 78, .. you retain all of these qualities.

I will do my best to stand back and allow you to live, fall, experience, fail and triumph. I will try to never stand in your way, to allow you to stumble and fall because the biggest disservice I can do you would be to never let you fail. That being said, I promise that I will always and forever be there to pick you back up, kiss away the tears, whisper I love you and nudge you back towards the right path.

Happy 8th Birthday to the one who changed everything.

I love you.

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