Happy Birthday to Hailey

It's amazing how time flies, isn't it?

While it seems so long ago that we first had our baby, Hailey, it's also hard to believe that today she is turning 5 years old.

We tried for so long to have kids that when we finally had her it was almost surreal. We'd had to wait so long and finally our little girl was here. What a sweet blessing she was back then.

Now she is growing up, getting smarter and smarter every day, learning to read, sharing with us stories that we've read so many times she has them memorized, singing Primary and Princess songs at the top of her lungs with a most beautiful voice, making the most creative and lovely drawings. We love her Princess pictures with the puffy sleeves!

We love Hailey's zest for life, her enjoyment of little things, her willingness to help with dishes and other things so that "you can have fun, mommy" (she told me this yesterday), her sweet desires to do what is right. She really is such a sweet girl and such a blessing in our home.

In just one week she'll start kindergarten and I am going to miss her being around all the time. I still can't get used to the idea that she'll be gone all day. I know Sarah and Aimee will miss her, too. Hailey is the organizer, the one who keeps everyone going from one activity to the next. She readies the "tea set" so they can have parties, she turns on the music so they can dance, she orchestrates the mattress jumping sessions. She is perpetually happy. Sometimes a little bossy but really a sweet girl. Yes, I will miss her.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HAILEY.

We love you so very much.

I will have to try later to upload some other pictures of Hailey. The files on this older computer are all messed up and it's not letting me access everything for some reason.