Try to remember to never forget
Dear Tacy,
I often wonder how much of these first five years you will remember. When I look back, I recall most clearly the unexpected hilarity, the joy found in what would normally be mundane. While there have been frightening and confusing times, they are few and far between, and I hope they don’t linger in your memory. Instead, this is what I want you to remember:
- Holding my hand as you walked along every wall you could find between our building and your day care center.
- Urban surfing on your rocking chair – the one that used to be my rocking chair.
- Looking out the window each night to tell us the colors of the lights at the top of the Empire State Building.
- Playing almost daily with your very first best friend.
- Splashing happily, wearing only your diaper, in a Central Park fountain.
- Drawing sidewalk chalk pictures in random locations around the neighborhood.
- Coloring at the table as you sing songs you make up on the spot.
- Cheering “Go Daddy, go!” as you watch your daddy compete in triathlons.
- Playing “Get The Mama!” with me and “Dungeon Master” with your daddy.
- Riding carousels anytime, anywhere – Central Park, Coney Island, the New Jersey state fair, the Bronx Zoo, the Denver Zoo, Royal Gorge, and Six Flags…just to name a few.
- Sleeping on the futon with your granny each night of her visit with us.
- Bargaining with kisses to avoid taking your own shoes upstairs.
- Jumping off the diving board for the first time.
- Telling me that you’re going to be a rock star when you grow up.
- Asking question after question – “What makes the car go?” and “How do you build a house?” and “Why can’t we move back to New York?”
- Making us laugh – intentionally or not – with all of the wonderful things you say.
- Hugging your sister to comfort her – and the times that she did the same for you.
- Pulling all four of us together for a family hug.
But most of all, I hope you always remember how much your daddy, your Mousie, and I love you. Happy 5th birthday, Miss Goosie!
Love,
Mommy
April 9th, 2007 at 5:32 am
Awww, Happy Birthday! So sweet.
April 9th, 2007 at 5:52 am
Happy Birthday to your big girl!!
I often think that those first five years must be the sweetest. It’s really too bad they have to be lost to time.
April 9th, 2007 at 6:07 am
Aw! 5!!! wow.
April 9th, 2007 at 7:17 am
*sniff*
That. Is sweet.
April 9th, 2007 at 8:01 am
This is such a great letter. I forget that even though our children remember a lot of their lives now, many years from now they will have forgotten so much of the great stuff of their young lives. I’m going to do this for PunditGirl, too!
April 9th, 2007 at 8:07 am
Happy Birthday! I love the expression on her face – part demonical, part happy, part “why are you taking my picture?”.
April 9th, 2007 at 8:08 am
could she be any cuter? happy birthday!!
(i think emily has the same dress!)
April 9th, 2007 at 8:14 am
Happy Birthday, Tacy!
That’s a great memory collection. Many more to come!
April 9th, 2007 at 9:05 am
Happy 5th to Tacy!!
April 9th, 2007 at 9:24 am
Oh these big girls! Happy birthday T – we miss you.
April 9th, 2007 at 10:01 am
She’s such a big girl now! Happy Birthday Tacy!!
April 9th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Happy 5 to Tacy! Mimi thinks it’s a great age — I hope you do too!!
April 9th, 2007 at 10:40 am
Happy Cupcake, Tacy!
April 9th, 2007 at 11:45 am
Look at that cutie in her birthday dress! Happy birthday!
April 9th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Those are all sweet things to remember! Happy Birthday to your big girl!
April 9th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
it just made me cry… coz i wish my mom could remember stuff about me when i was 5 or when i was little… anyway, happy birthday T. Have a great one!!!
April 9th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
I love this post. But so what. What matters is that…she’ll love it.
Happy bday to your gorgeous gal.
April 9th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
Happy Birthday, Tacy. To look out of your window and see the lights of the Empire State Building? That would be a dream to me.
April 9th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
Happy birthday big girl!
April 10th, 2007 at 8:52 am
Happy Birthday Sweetie!
April 10th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
Happy Birthday, sweet girl!
On a side note, gah, I can’t believe how old the kids are getting….
April 12th, 2007 at 5:31 am
I love this. What a great idea to help her remember the wonderrful things from her childhood. I hope you have this stuff written down somewhere where she’ll have access to it when she’s old enough to appreciate it.
And I’m totallly going to steal this one.