It seems fitting that I’m wide awake, waiting for your birthday to arrive! After all, this time 4 years ago, your Daddy and I were trying to sleep in the labour room at the hospital. Granted, the labour stopped…but we all know how that night ended

I so grateful that we all pulled through that March weekend in 2008. You have been the shining lights of my life from moment you became little uterine beans. You have been the catalyst for every change in my life since then, and you have become the standard to which I measure my life.

Every thing that I do is for you, my beloved Kit-kat and C-boo. There are skills I learned for you:

• breastfeeding
• photography
• cooking
• cake decorating (sort of…!)
• blogging!
• tolerating winter

Those are the fluffy ones, of course! You have both also taught me about the incredible strengths within me: advocating for a cause, fighting for my beliefs, standing up for my self and my family, and never giving up.

You have taught me about gratitude, both big and small. From the first nurseling latch, to the breath before I yell – you have given me moments of incredible spiritual insight. You have taught me to cherish those moments, and to step back and realize when I’m missing them.

You have created me, my darling bugz. You have moulded me into your Mother for four years now. Every step of improvement has been from your beckon; every weakness revealed has become a goal to be strengthened.

You have made me the Woman I am today. Fitting, on this International Women’s Day.

You are each my breath and and my heart beat. You are my hope for the future, and the ground beneath my feet that keeps me firmly planted in the present.

I cannot extract myself from you, sweet Chelsea and Kathryn. You were knit in my womb, and you are the threads in my heart.

I love you, sweet bugz, more today than ever before.

Happy birthday, my beautifuls.