"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You never know, dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away"
7 years have gone by so fast. We pulled up to the restaurant and were early. She wanted to play with my phone and sit beside me while we waited. I caught a glimpse of her not as the baby I've always seen her as, but as the grown up girl she is becoming. All this is happening way too fast.
We haven't had a day all to ourselves in quite a long time. She puts up with her little brothers and never asks much of us in return. For so many years she and I were inseparable. We went everywhere together. Long days at the park, Botanical Gardens, shopping....I mean everywhere. These were days that I remember so fondly and despite being in the whirlwind of managing multiple food allergies and asthma, we had fun. I am forever indebted to the man upstairs for blessing me with her in my life.
She is a tomboy is many ways just like her mama was at her age. She loves to climb trees and the fence in the backyard all day and dig for worms. She loves painting and having lots of friends in her life. This day she picked out a dress and told me she wanted to go out to a "safe" lunch for our "girl party" but "please mom don't do my hair."
As we waited for our food she said, "I really want to do this more often mom. It's so nice to have a quiet, relaxing time without the brothers. Maybe, you know, like on Mother's Day?" My heart literally sank. I'm recognizing how incredibly important one on one time with each of my children is. I take her here and there by herself, sometimes we go to a movie, but real one on one conversation and alone time is what she craves from me the most. And I need it too.
Some people might wonder why I blog about my personal life. The answer is always for them. I am not the best at expressing myself on a daily basis. I am trying to get better, but the one thing I do have is my writing. It's so important to me to give them the gift of my words in the best way I know how. One day they will need to hear them in a different way then they do now and I want each of them to know just how important they are to me. I want them to know that they all bring such joy and love to my heart. I want them to know that I was there loving their messy hair and to watch as they find inchworms in the bushes and make funny faces. I was there. I am there.
We spent the rest of our afternoon at the splash pad near our house. It was a perfect day with just us. She is definitely my Sunshine.
I'm honored to be a part of the collaborative blog This Untamed Life that brings a group of photographers from around the globe together to share our days. We are all different but share a passion for everyday storytelling and the gift of remembering the real life moments. Check out our Lunchtime post today right here.