::baby max::

holding a brand new baby has got to be one of my absolute favorite things in the world.

this past weekend, della and i had the pleasure of heading to colorado to meet baby max and spend some quality time with ash and her precious family.  

my mom had already been in town helping them adjust to life as a family of 5.  and whit was supposed to be meeting us there.  we were crushed when whit got sick and was unable to make the trip.  it definitely was not the same without her.

but, we definitely soaked up as much max time as we could and cherished the time together.  it was wonderful to be in colorado and so very hard to say goodbye.

we love you guys so much.  congratulations!

and thank you for having us!!!

::happy heart::

when we left my parents' house at christmas time, lily had a really hard time saying goodbye.

and right there on the spot, whit said, "i will be there for your birthday, lily."

what an aunt.  

lily held onto that promise and counted down the days until her birthday celebration.  

whit traveled about 22 hours on a roasting train, to be with us for only 36 hours.  talk about sacrifice.  

we had a beautiful weekend of catching up, celebrating lily with a girls' night dessert, and spending as much time outside as possible.

thank you so much for coming, whit.  you made lily (and ME!) very happy!

and the good news is, i am heading to denver this weekend and get to see my sisters and mom and meet baby max!  hooray!!

::sweet nin::

lily lu.  how is it possible that you are 7?
i feel like you were born just yesterday, yet i absolutely cannot imagine my life without you.

you are such a blessing to our family.  you bring so much tenderness, compassion, love and joy to our family.

this year, you have grown in so many ways.

it has been such a privilege to watch you learn to read.  you are learning new things every day and you have really flourished at school this year.  you have made new friends and found so much courage to be yourself at school.

you have been so brave in so many circumstances this year and it has been such a joy to see you find so much strength and bravery within yourself.  you tried tubing, and riding a horse, and skiing -- and loved all of it!  and you have also been very brave in being honest and talking about things that make you nervous or worry you.  and we are so proud of you for these things!

it has been amazing to watch you with your siblings...and so much fun to see you have a little sister!  you are SUCH a wonderful big sister.  you care for finn and crosby and della so very well.  watching the bond between you and della grow is precious.

we absolutely adore you and are so thankful for you, sweet lily.

happy happy 7th birthday, lily howden!  we love you!!

::this girl::

almost 7.