13

Posted on August 25, 2017 by heatherdahl under Parenting

Dear Sidney,

Thirteen it is,

at the threshold of high school,

a teenager.

I just love who you are.

Hard-working,

dedicated,

focused,

helpful,

endlessly fascinating to me.

A gazillion words and none could do justice in describing you.

Over the last twelve months, it has been such a gift to watch you grow your talents.

You are acutely aware of the needs of others, whether that be your horse, your best friends or your Momma. The way you engage with thoughtful questions and generous compliments makes each person in your presence feel loved and valued. That gift my dear will take you farther than any algebra skills ever could (apologies to your eighth grade math teacher).

Your drive is impressive. Would you do me a favor though? Give yourself a moment each day to pause and reflect on all you have accomplished. There will always be something else to strive for, but the here and now will be gone before you know it.

Thank you for your laughter, your cooking abilities so lovingly shared with your family, your attention to detail and for kissing me goodbye in the drop off line at school.

I’m very excited for your year ahead.

Happiest of birthday’s Sidney Reagan.

Love,

Momma

I promised you nothing sappy for this year’s birthday song. I failed. I love you baby girl.

To be 9

Posted on January 12, 2016 by heatherdahl under Parenting

Dear Audrey,

There is joy in your heart and beauty in your soul.

You are a pleasure to parent and a gift to those who have you in their lives.

You radiate love.

I have no reservation, no doubt, that you will do incredible good in your lifetime.

Nine years into your journey and you have already made a mark.

I remember the overwhelming sense of gratitude I felt in the moments and days after your birth.

My big, beautiful, healthy baby that slept through the night immediately and snuggled like no one ever snuggled before.

You are heading into a new year, a new opportunity for growth and change.

But let’s not lose sight of what makes you, you.

Your love of adventure (we made some great memories last year);

your desire to do good;

And your faithfulness to your friends, your family and your God.

I am excited to walk with you through this next year!

I promise more adventure and more magic.

Happy Birthday Audrey Hope.

You truly are extraordinary.

All my love,

Momma

P.S. This year’s song captures your energy. When we all heard it we knew it had to be yours:

Story of a life

Posted on December 4, 2015 by heatherdahl under Uncategorized

My talented friend Robin (http://allthesmallthings.format.com) came over in October to document my mother’s 70th birthday celebration.

Now, more then ever, it’s important to me to have these moments captured.

70 and 8

Posted on October 23, 2015 by heatherdahl under Uncategorized

Today she is 70.

We celebrate the beautiful soul that is my mother.

As a young girl I remember her dancing with me while the Mandrel sisters sang on TV.

She taught me how to make chocolate chip cookies and let me eat the raw dough.

She edited my stories and woke up in the middle of the night to listen to my latest musings.

And now she parents another generation.

My girls have dance parties in her living room and bake cakes in her kitchen.

She teaches them about Jesus and loves them like only a grandmother can.

And while I always knew she was strong, it was on this day 8 years ago that her strength became our foundation.

Her birthday marks the anniversary of my father’s passing.

Their love story spanned 37 of the 70.

She still wears his wedding ring, keeping his memory alive for the grandchildren (three of whom were born after his death).

She loves him, breathes him, carries him; long after the world around her has let his image fade.

But, she is not stuck in the past. These 8 years have taught us that past and present can coexist.

She will not let his death be the end and speaks of a day when they will be reunited.

Her life is the greatest teacher.

Happy Birthday Mom.

Dad is proud.

5

Posted on September 24, 2015 by heatherdahl under Uncategorized

Dear Ellery Jane,

Today you turn 5!!

5 years blown bye in the blink of an eye.

What a joy you are.

What an amazing soul.

How did I get so lucky to parent a child so secure in who she is? You are no doubt 100% your own person.

You own your anger, your happiness and your tears. You tell it like it is and you are quick to move on and forgive.

My hope for you is a year filled with celebration. Days filled with Ellie magic, the kind that comes from being the vibrant, engaging, charming, Ellery Jane.

I promise to never stop singing you to sleep,

to love you unwaveringly,

to help you grow your faith in God

and to nurture your soul.

Thank you Ellery Jane for being my daughter.

Happiest of birthday’s my beautiful girl!

Love,

Your one and only Momma

PS-

You picked this year’s song and how perfect it is…

38

Posted on July 17, 2015 by heatherdahl under Uncategorized

This little girl had dreams a plenty.

She was going to be a diplomat;

a writer;

maybe the next Oprah Winfrey.

But mostly she just wanted to be someone’s Mom.

At 4 she would wander around her house with the couch pillow stuffed up her shirt pretending she was pregnant. She carried her baby doll with her everywhere and dreamed of a day when she would have a herd of kids running through her backyard.

34 years later she finds she never did get to become that diplomat or that talk show host.

But being that mom, well that dream came true.

Three beautiful babies that fill her world with such joy.

And as she turns the page and starts her 38th chapter she feels particularly blessed because those three little girls have given her the courage to be who she is today.

They are the long hoped for goal that yielded so much more than she could have ever imagined.

She knows that but for them she would not be that writer,

that athlete,

that executive.

So as she watches them make her breakfast and offer their homemade tokens of celebration for her birth, she acknowledges that their births are her greatest present.

Those nearly 11 years as their Momma are truly the reason she can celebrate today.

The happiest of birthday’s occur when you accept the privilege of having lived the last year and acknowledge the opportunity of the new year to come.

Today I am grateful for the life I get to live and excited to watch how the rest of it unfolds.

And then she was 8

Posted on January 12, 2015 by heatherdahl under Uncategorized

Dear Audrey Hope,

Your joy is contagious.

Your love for life infectious.

Your energy is endless.

When I tuck you in at night, I often pause at your door to stare at you in wonder.

How did I get so lucky? You of all the children in the world are the one God chose for me to mother? I am in awe of this beautiful gift.

The other day your big sister came home from school and ran in to tell me-

“Momma Audrey has a fan club at school. We walk down the hall and people stop to hug her and at the end of the day everyone squeals her name. It’s kind of crazy”.

You know why you have a fan club my Audrey?

It’s because you are kind.

You are generous.

You look out for everyone.

You always find the good in each person and situation.

Turning your lemons into lemonade.

Maybe that’s why when you cry it affects me so deeply. It happens so infrequently and only after you’ve exhausted every attempt to “make things better”.

Your seventh year has seen tremendous change and you have balanced it all with the grace and dignity grown women envy.