“The days are long, but the years are short.” This sentiment resonates so deeply with my experience in mothering and no more greatly then on the birthdays of my children. This month, we celebrate six years of the fun and light that Songbird has brought to our lives.

3 Months:

1 Year:

2 Years:

3 Years:

4 Years:

5 Years:

Songbird entered our world at just over 6 lbs, and now at 6 years old, she stands as tall as my chest and can eat three waffles in one sitting. She rarely lacks in the arenas of confidence and self-control, although she daily laments boo-boos due to her propensity to lose track of where her long limbs are in space. A rule follower who plays fair, she enjoys being given the leadership roles in life. This also makes her a stellar big sister who thoughtfully includes her brother in whatever play scenario she’s dreamed up for the day, as long as he wants to assume whichever role she assigns him.

Songbird has an adventurous spirit that loves to hear you whisper “You can do it!” — and to watch her as she tries. Beneath her up-for-anything attitude is the most tender of hearts. Even at this young age she is able to read situations and can be extremely sensitive to tone of voice. But that emotional intelligence most often manifests in her huge capacity for empathy and compassion for others. Insightful beyond her years, Songbird has numerous inquires per day about how the world works and why.

For the past few months her interests have revolved almost exclusively around horses, unicorns, pegasuses, pegacorns (wings + horn) and all things equestrian. At least once a week she asks me what “special talent” God has given her and, after much discussion, she usually decides it’s using her imagination or her artistic abilities. These days it can be hard to get a genuine smile from her with a camera in hand, but occasionally I succeed. She is sheer joy and can’t fathom my long days without her.