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

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