About a month ago it dawn on me that my daughter would turn five… half a decade… a lifetime. I cannot remember my life before her, and I cannot imagine my life without her. It has definitely been the most important lesson of my existence – both her and her baby brother – but with Sophia, I became a mom. I am the person she depends entirely from, and the one whom she calls an average of one hundred times… per day. I hear “mommy” when I wake up, and “Mommy” when I close her door at night. And that simple word, “mommy”, means the world to me.

She’s Five years old today, and this realization makes me so happy and proud. She’s a girl who knows what she wants, and who’s personality is strong and healthy. She pushes my buttons constantly, and I know this only makes me a better woman… a better mom. she’s smart, she’s stubborn, she’s the girl i love with all her wonders and imperfections.

As each year goes by, I am so glad I chose to raise her, because she’s growing fast, but I’ve lived each second with her.

My sweet Sophia challenges me and teaches me that the value of our years lies with our families. I have my own family, and I am humbled by this blessing.

I can’t express the amount of love I feel in my heart for my daughter, and I can’t keep her from growing up, but I can look through my albums of photos and see a happy child that has brought my husband and I the life we could’ve only dreamed of.