Palmer is a whole hand!

The way we have to do birthdays is different for us now...a hard to get used to kind of different.  When it hit me a couple of weeks ago that my middle smartie's birthday weekend fell on a weekend that she would be with her dad, I cried...cried my eyes out.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think I wouldn't be with my child on her birthday...the birthday where she would turn a "whole hand old."

  I prayed (a lot) and finally decided I could do this, I had to do this.  I had to let go and accept that birthdays and holidays would be different for us from now on.  But I would be lying if I told you, I didn't shed tears after watching the truck pull away with my smarties all buckled in and waving to me from the back window.  

With a knot in my stomach and an ache in my heart, I walked back in the house and prayed for my girl to have a wonderful 5th birthday.  As the weekend went on and I got texts and pics and phone calls, I felt better and that knot slowly went away.  I knew my little girl was having a great time on her special day.

When my smarties came back from their weekend away, we had a small family celebration for Palmer after her cousin's gymnastics party.  I realized one huge thing after making it through the first new way we have to do birthdays/holidays...my children don't need huge over the top, Pinterest inspired celebrations to make them feel important, all they need to know is that they are loved.  And that, my friends, is enough!