Happy Birthday

So here she is. Ms. Kaylee, turning 5 this week.

Kaylee- I need you to slow down. I know it defies all space/time conundrums, but please make it happen.

So this plea of mine- it begs the queestion- would I rather have you how you were a year ago than how you are now? The answer to that is a big fat resounding NO, because you are so dang cool the way you are now and I never even knew a year ago how cool that was. But even if I know this in my head, I still need time to stop and stand still (forever) cause you can't possibly get any better. Or can you? Head says yes. Heart still holds on to my little babies. All of them. Too hard to grasp how you could get even better with age cause you are so wonderful now. Mommies are illogical in this way. Too much thinking with the big red organ pumping away in our chests and not enough thinking with the gray matter.

So stop. But don't stop. You know what I mean?!? Thank you for listening to mommy.


This was quite a photo shoot. I wanted pictures of Kaylee as close to her 5th birthday as possible. So in preparation of a Kaylee + Me Photo Shoot, I bought her a bunch of rockin clothes.

In size 4/5.

Which was dumb because we all know she is a shrimp and still wears 3/4.

And then the morning I wanted to do it, Jesse beat me out of bed (which just dosen't happen. Ever.) and before I could mutter "where are you going?" he already had his cycling clothes on and informed me he was going on a 50 mile ride. GRRRRRRR.

I managed to sneak off with her that evening. It was especially hot and humid. And Buggy. And pretty yucky light. Couple that with Kaylee somehow knowing I was being "Super Dripping with Sweetness Nice Mommy" in order to keep her happy and get good shots, instead of my normal self, and I had quite a misbehavior on my hands.

What you don't see here is her climbing on top of my Suburban. With her new boots on. And sliding down the front window, making sounds reminiscent of fingernails on a chalkboard. And me sweetly and calmly asking her to get down as politely as I could instead of screaming "What are you THINKING? ARE YOU CRAZY?? GET OFF THE CAR!!" like I might normally do. And her ignoring me because she SOMEHOW knew this was not normal mommy, this was "I Really Want Good Shots For Her Birthday Album So I Will Allow Her To Misbehave Because I Don't Want To Upset Her, Mommy."

So here are the best shots of the evening.