Happy 5th Birthday to our Charlie!!

This sweet boy is the greatest gift in our lives. He is the most enthusiastic, loving, passionate, hilarious and sweet son. He loves to make people smile, loves to entertain, lives for storytelling and experiencing things with you. He is extremely passionate about everything – his family, his feelings towards things, his reasons for choosing something or making a decision. It is so much fun to watch his little brain work. He is also a CHARACTER. So silly and loves to perform! He is his father and I’m grateful for that – he leads with his heart which can be heavy emotions in all directions.

Charlie is determined. Determined to do everything on his own, to make his own decisions, to do things the way he sees fit and so on. He has challenged us to be more patient, to be present and to enjoy what is in front of us. He has completely changed me for the better in all aspects of my life and I’m forever grateful for the gift that he was 5 years ago.

It hasn’t always been easy and my transition to motherhood was not what I expected. Every year I re-read this letter to myself that I wrote when Charlie was 15 months old and it’s crazy to think of the person I was before kids and who I have become. My perspective on everything has changed since becoming a mom. My priorities and my purpose and my reason for making any sort of choices are solely based on how it will impact my family. Raising two humans (almost three!) to be respectful, conscious, aware, honest, loyal and kind individuals is a lot of pressure. The way we behave and speak is a true reflection of what they will become, how they will act and the behaviors they will carry with them as the grow up. It’s a heavy load to bear sometimes but I feel so grateful that I get to create a home to nurture them, make them feel loved and free to be whoever they want to be.

Watching your kids gets older is sort of this personal reflection on life over the years. How you’ve led them to where they are right now. It’s a challenge everyday and the perfect image that I think we often see on social media is a very far cry from the reality behind closed doors. It’s messy, loud, chaotic, emotional and sometimes filled with poor decisions, quick responses and regret. And that’s ok! It’s a learning process of nurturing, lessons, forgiveness and lots of love. 5 years of loving this sweet boy has taught me how important it is to love yourself, trust yourself and know that it all begins and ends right here.

Happy 5 years to Charlie! The most exhausting, mentally challenging, emotional, full of love and laughter and PURE JOY best years ever. You’ve opened my eyes to how good life truly is and I’m forever grateful for the gift you are in our lives every single day.