Monday, March 23, 2015

Precious Daughter, Dearest Lauren


My springtime baby
Precious daughter
Dearest Lauren
Second-born child
Opening wide my heart
Who knew I had enough love
To multiply it by two


Moments like this were rare
Just you and me alone
Always the younger sister
But that was okay with you


It was cool and windy with snow and sleet
The day you came to us
Your smile warmed up our hearts
Put a smile on daddy's face
Your sister ran into the room
"I saw my baby sister!" she exclaimed


No sibling visits back in the day
Big sister Jenny waited at home
So excited to hold her baby sister
Proud as she could be


You were such a happy baby
It was rare for you to cry


Jenny was your favorite person of all
Love at first sight from day one
Your big sister and protector


Our two little redheads
Happy little family


Before long you were crawling
How quickly the days flew by


Your excitement for life
Written clearly on your face


Crawling turned to walking
"Mommy, get Warren out of my STUFF!"


Beautiful girl on your Baptism day
Your Atkins family gathered around


Such a cute little 2-year-old
Still the youngest, but not for long


Such a proud big sister
Holding your new baby brother


Posing with Grandma and PaPa
Sweet 4-year-old birthday girl


First gymnastics performance
One of many firsts to come


Worlds of Fun Atkins tradition
Grandma and her first 10 grandkids


Fun new adventures await you
Kindergarten, here I come


A hike in the woods together
Crisp leaves crunching underfoot


Silly sisters
Lifelong friends


Atkins reunion
Growing family


The big coast-to-coast trip
Golden Gate Bridge with family


Posing with Grandpa
Almost 15


New beginnings
Stepfamily celebration


High School memories
Up before dawn
Lauren and Lyndsay
Band competition


Baby Kyle
Favorite Aunt Lauren


Beautiful graduate
High school days are over


College girl
Looking good


Best friends and soulmates
Lauren and Jessica
Birthday fun


Christmas Atkins style
We're the big kids now


My little girl's a Mom now
Newborn Andrew
Mommy's sweet little man
Precious baby


Deployment time
Mom, Dad and baby makes three
We'll miss you
Come back soon, Daddy


Here comes the bride
With the man of her dreams


Family love
Everything's new


Walking Andrew
He's so big now
Can't hold him back


Family of three
Our own Christmas tree
Soon there'll be four
One more to love


Mother of two
Newborn Alexis
Your own baby girl
Proud Mom and daughter


That look says it all
"I'm a brother?
What does that mean?
Make her stop crying"


Big celebration
Baptism day


And off she goes
Chasing big brother
Can't slow her down
Walking Alexis


Birthday girl
Blowing out the candles
Can't believe she's 2 already


Mom and kids playtime
Down on the floor
Fun with animals


Making family memories
Strawberry picking


Mother's Day celebration
So many blessings


Such a sweet couple
Facing life's ups and downs
Sticking together
Through thick and thin


The three amigas
Classroom fun
Amazing moms
Sweet friends


Family together
Mexican feast


Your family of four
Making memories
Day at the Peaks
So many adventures ahead


You're beautiful in every way
No flowers as radiant
As your smiling face
So proud of you
Precious daughter and friend
Happy Birthday
With all of my love
XOXO
Mom

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Dearest Jenny, Precious Daughter


Dearest Jenny
Precious daughter
First-born child
Heart of my heart
Delight of my dreams
Ides of March baby


The day you were born
I became a mom
So many precious memories
Sleeping baby, nestled close to my skin
Crying girl, calling for Mom


Daddy's darling
Tiny little miracle
Smiling, cooing, making faces
Rides in the car


Traveling across the country
Hanging with family
Meeting grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles
Baptism, child of God


Growing day by day
Sleeping through the night
First teeth, new foods
Rolling over, sitting up,
Crawling, pulling up
Standing, walking, running


First words
Favorite people
First friends
Favorite toys
New skills
Wonder and excitement


Places to go
Books to read
So much to learn
Playing the days away


Play with me
Little People
Care Bears
Tiny toys, growing girl


New baby
Big sister
New role in life
Gotta share
Love each other


Day care
Preschool
New friends
Kindergarten
Big kid school


New baby brother
Then there were three
Playing with siblings
Mommy's helper


Reading and writing
Math and science too
Dance and gymnastics
T-ball and violin


Grade school gives way
To middle school days
Phone calls and sleepovers
Changing classes and homework


In the blink of an eye
The years flew by
That's my girl crossing the stage
Proud mom with tears in my eyes


Two became one
A beautiful bride
Loving each other
Today and beyond


Surrounded by family
You said your vows
Then away you both went
To create your own future


My baby is grown
And now she's a mom
Sweet little Kyle
Your own little love


Four generations
The family grows
First great-grandchild
Little cutie


Your little man
Your family of three
Balancing it all
Feeling the love


Quick as a flash
Little Kyle's in school
Soccer and friends
Learning new rules


You always find time
For family and friends
Loving wife and mother
Sister, daughter, Aunt Jenny too


You never lose sight
Of where it began
Loving your sweetheart
Happy best friends


So many memories
Love and laughter
Family gatherings
Happy ever afters 


Look at Kyle grow
He's taller than you
Middle school child
Computer wiz too


You're always there
Cheering with pride
As your siblings grow
And move through their lives


All of you grown now
It all started with you
Still you find time
To be a great daughter too


Off to Columbus
New memories await
Finding time to spend
With family again


We love when you visit
We can all hardly wait
To gather together
With you once again


Heart of my heart
My beautiful first
Adventures await you
There's still many firsts
For your family of three


So proud of you always
My daughter and friend
Memories connect us
From beginning to end
Happy Birthday
With all of my love
XOXO
Mom