10 years ago, this happened (or, the detailed version: part 1, 2, and 3!).
It is hard to believe that I have a 10 year old.
It is easy to believe that I have been a mother for 10 years, since it feels like approximately 30. I have vague memories of what pre-kid life was like but they seem farther away than any 10 year span has felt before.
I guess this is because motherhood really changes you in some ways.
It has definitely been the biggest overall challenge of my life.
It also comes with the best rewards.
Annabel at 10:
She is an excellent student and seems to be interested in her classes (except perhaps math) and also in achievement itself.
She is an absolutely amazing artist and has visual sense far beyond her years. This extends to her fashion choices, her ability to organize a space, and to her prowess with Rainbow Loom. She did NOT get that from me.
She sees the value in Hobonichi over other planners and loves creating her on layouts. She DID get that from me.
She is fairly reserved in social situations but has a few close friends that she truly adores (some from her old school, some from the current).
She currently enjoys horseback riding and tennis as her regular ‘activities’. She probably would love chorus if it were ever offered here!
She asked me to make Key Lime Pie Bars in lieu of a birthday cake for tonight (GOOD CHOICE).
She is helping me to finish this post 🙂
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNABEL! 10 is going to be great age, I can feel it . . .
28 Comments
Awwww, what a sweet post!! Happy Birthday, Annabel! woohoo, double digits!!
So my youngest and your eldest share a birthday, and I’m pretty sure I forget this every year .
Happy birthday to Annabelle!
Happy birthday A!!! And congrats Shu on your ten year anniversary of being a mom. I am pretty new at this thing (I have an 18 month old and a 2 month old ) and wow I def feel like I’ve been at it for a dozen years already…
What an artist! Happy birthday!
10 years old felt like such a huge milestone for me. How did we get here so quickly? A huge happy birthday to Annabelle; she sounds like such a cool kid! And key lime bars sound like an amazing choice. Congrats on 10 years, mama <3
Happy birthday Annabel!!
Happy Birthday, A!
My oldest just turned 11 and it is both the fastest – and longest – 10 years of my life! Time does crazy things once you have kids!
Hope everyone enjoys all the special celebrations <3
That was such a heartwarming post. Happy Birthday Annabel and congrats Sarah!! What a milestone. I love her art – get them on Etsy to fund her planner supplies 😂 On a serious note, I’d buy x
Happy birthday to Annabel! I have been reading your blog since you were taking letrozole to try to conceive, and now she’s 10!?! Nuts!
Happy birthday A!
Happy April birthday from one A to another!
Happy Birthday Annabel! Hope you’ll enjoy 10 and all the years that will follow.
The painting of the cherries is really good!
WOW! I just wanted to post about that amazing artwork…way to go Annabel!
Happy birthday A. God bless 🙌
Happy birthday to A! What a sweet and talented daughter! That cherry drawing is amazing! I hope she has a great birthday. Good call on the birthday dessert. I’m team “cake is overrated!” Spicy opinion maybe but I rarely LOVE cake (although with my gluten intolerance, a good cake can be hard to find/make).
It was fun to read your birth story! I find birth stories so fascinating as they are so different. I had a somewhat similar situation w/ decels but I ended up having to get a c-section. But I was just worn out and had nothing left to give so the decels pushed us over the edge and resulted in a c-section when I was at 9cm. I was induced but couldn’t get an epidural as I was on blood thinners so there was a risk of bleeding. Luckily I could get a spinal block for the c-section as they turned off my blood thinners when labor started to really progress! Us mamas sure go through a lot to bring these babies into the world! We told a very abbreviated version of the birth story to my son this year when he turned 4. I always loved hearing my mom talk about her birth stories – she had 5 kids and 4 w/out an epidural including my birth and I was 10 pounds! I think she was built to have babies. And has a very high tolerance for pain.
Happy birthday Annabel! Agree I’m impressed with the cherry drawing. And how fun to do key lime bars instead of a cake. Congratulations to you as well for your 10 year anniversary of motherhood!
Total vote for key lime over cake!! Happy birthday Annabel!
What a lovely post. Happy birthday Annabel, how proud you must be of such a lovely talented young lady, and congrats on reaching 10 years of motherhood. I’m almost 5 years in and what an intense, exhausting, hilarious, rewarding ride it is.
Whoa those cherries are amazing!! Happy Birthday A!
happy birthday A. I love this age as my older will turn 10 in few months. Suddenly I don’t need to worry about her doing homework, organizing her staff, and be responsible. Such a relief!
What a special occasion to celebrate, both A and her parents! Maybe she would like to design/illustrate a special planner for kids! She actually sounds like the kind of kid I would have loved to have as a friend as a child. Kudos to all involved in her upbringing! Key lime bars…. Drooling here.
Wow – this is such a great idea. A planner for kids by a kid.
Please share your recipe for Key Lime bars. They sound yummy.
Those cherries are amazing!! Happy Birthday!
She sounds lovely! Happy birthday to her 🙂
Happy birthday, Annabel! My oldest turns 10 on Monday and I remember reading your blog when we were both pregnant. What a wild ride! I love reading about other people’s kids the same age as mine, especially girls, since mine is a boy and seems to be a completely different species than a 10-year-old girl. So much fun though. It’s a great age.
(And Annabel is truly a gifted artist. That is a beautiful painting! She should be so proud!)
That painting is amazing!
She is an amazing artist – wow!
Happy 10th Annabel!