Paige

Hey Paige Elise,

It’s your birthday.  You are the one of “my kids” who was born the closest to my birthday.  I remember begging your mom to “schedule” your birth for my birthday.  Unfortunately, that didn’t work out but at least your day is the day after my day!

This is the first time I saw you.  I was already in college when you were born and I remember driving way too fast to get home so I could come see you!

I loved you immediately.

And that has never changed.

I came home on most weekends so I could babysit all of you and I so enjoyed being a part of your life and watching you grow from infancy.

I was there for a lot of your birthdays. 

I have photos from your first:

your second:

your third:

and your fourth (which was just a party with me –

I guess I didn’t make the big party that year):

I went to the beach with your family every year until I got married.

We always had such a great time!  I have wonderful memories of sitting on the porch of the “Bobbie Lou” rocking you and feeding you your bottles or rocking you to sleep (although, if memory serves me correctly, I believe you preferred your swing to go to sleep the year you were only a few months old).

I had just as much fun babysitting you guys at your house too and when you were older you guys would come to stay at my house where I had moved.

You were so cute with how you would distinguish the difference between my parents’ home and my home.  My parents’ home in the town where you lived was my “mama and daddy home” and my home an hour away from you in the town where I had then moved was my “by myself” home.  You loved coming to visit at my “by myself” home and I loved having you all there!

(You LOVED your blanket)! 

(waiting for the cookies to bake)

You were there on a lot of my important days but the most important one when you were little was my wedding day.  You were the beautiful flower girl at my wedding and you did a great job!  

It was so special to have you be a part of our big day! 

Thank you!

Thank you for loving me as much as I love you.

Thank you wanting to be with me.

Thank you for always wanting to come to my “by myself home.”

Thank you for always hamming it up for my camera.

(I have hundreds and hundreds of photos of you so I think I did pretty 

good choosing only 24 for today).

Thank you for just being you!

Happy Birthday, Paige Elise!

I love you!

Always have – always will!

Love, Janna