Yes two posts in a row about Wellesley, but we have a birthday girl today.

I don’t know why I do this to myself…looking through old pictures of my children before their birthdays.

In some ways it’s torturous to my mama heart to miss their little selves so much.

Oh to go in and stroke that cheek and make sure she was breathing as I did to all of my kids when they were little.

Every night.

Maybe if I watched old videos it would be even worse…the raspy voice that went along with these smiles, the funny antics she would have with her siblings and her friends.

A ring leader.

A true friend.

A dare devil and thrill-seeker:

A sports-enthusiast 🙂

Always and forever a cheerleader:

A fellow photographer:

…and beauty-lover:

…and can create some pretty great beauty too:

One who never takes herself too seriously:

Always up for an adventure:

The fun sister who everyone wants to be around:

And she finds pretty great people to hang around herself:

Oh little could I know twenty-two years ago what a precious gift we got.

I’ve been holding onto her tight ever since.

It is interesting to raise children and then find that in many ways they start “raising” you. There are so many traits this girl has that I hope to “grow up” to gain some day.

And maybe it’s ok after all that I take time to spend pouring over these old pictures getting so nostalgic before these birthdays. Because it gives me an opportunity to realize all over again how those little pieces of beauty and love, the tears the laughs, the learning, the failing, the funny and the beautiful weave together as the making of my best friends.

Love you forever and ever Wellesley Jade. Happy 22nd.

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11 Comments

  1. Love this girl! Where did all that time go? She is such a treasure. Those baby pictures brought tears to my eyes. She is still just as sweet and even more beautiful inside and out!

  2. My daughter is 15, and I have been trying to find words for how our relationships is growing and then this: “It is interesting to raise children and then find that in many ways they start “raising” you. ” Thank you for giving my those words and for reminding me to look for the beauty in my every day. Happy Birthday to Elle.

  3. Thanks for that beautiful post. Please can you share you favorite book for parenting teenagers? I find real jewels in your books recommendations

    1. Thanks for that question, that’s a tricky one! There aren’t nearly as many books on raising teens, at least that I’m aware of. Maybe because so many kids need such different things? I think the one that comes to mind first though, is “How to Talk so Kids will Listen and Listen so Kids will Talk.” I read it first for my younger kids but I think it so applies to teenagers as well, since it’s all about listening! They are growing up into such unique individuals, so different from ourselves so the listening is so key. I have written lots of posts about teenagers, many of which you will find here: https://71toes.com/?s=teenagers Those may have some good suggestions for books that I’ve forgotten about!

  4. Happy birthday Elle. It’s been such a beautiful thing seeing her grow up literally right before our eyes !! What a gem she is.

  5. Did you have a preference between NY and Miami for their move? My SIL lives in Naples….lots for them to learn about hurricanes and preparing. They’ll be headed there right in time for hurricane season. I wonder if Claire used a large screen as well, or if you had one for general family usage, it might normalize the concept a bit for Lucy. Rough times for schooling for all of you. I’m sorry.

    1. Good question. I know NYC and have had multiple siblings live there so we all thought that would be fun, but I think Florida is actually a perfect fit and I’m so excited for them to get settled there! They are driving right into two hurricanes as I type though…it will be interesting how all this goes!

      And thanks for the ideas for Lucy…we’re still in the process of figuring all that out, it is slow, but we are sure learning a lot!

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