to jack...

happy birthday to my dear brother-in-law, jack ~ we love you!

happy birthday papi...

if i had a single flower for every time i think about you, i could walk forever in my garden. ~ claudia ghandi

to the sweetest, most loving and giving husband and papa on the face of this earth...

happy birthday, papi!

we love you!

maya and mama

audrey...

happy 8th birthday, audrey!  we love you!

shelley, wesley, and maya

for rowan...

~ happy first birthday, rowan ~

yours on this special happy birth day,

shelley

a sweet birthday moment...

wesley came into our lives when caleb was only 7 years old. so the majority of caleb's life and memories include wesley. and caleb was really the first child wesley had a part in raising. here is a sweet birthday moment between the two of them...

yours in the moment...

shelley

caleb...

today is your special day, caleb.  18 years ago i gave birth to you at home and welcomed you into this world. my only boy. the biggest of my babies at 11.5lbs and 24 inches long, you couldn't even wear the newborn clothes i had laid out for you. and how your two sisters adored you. i wore you constantly in the sling and i don't think your feet touched the ground until you were 2 years old. what a joy you have been every single day. your gentle spirit and sweet soul bring such joy to my life. how proud i am of the young man you have become. i love you so very much!

yours on this very special birth day,

shelley

papi...

how do i say all i want to say here? you are the most amazing and kind person i have ever known. strong. sensitive. beautiful. tender. loving. sweet. fun. affectionate. gentle. caring. giving. with so much integrity. my soulmate. maya's papi. a gift beyond compare. my best friend. what an amazing journey we are on together! how thankful i am that we found our way to one another. and what a gift you give to our daughter in the way that you love and care for her. and for me. happy papi's day!

yours forever,

shelley

my naomi...

today is my second born's birth day. my naomi. my strong-willed girl. who has taught me so very much. 22 years old today. independent. strong. self-disciplined. always with a mind of her own. the one i knew i would never worry about when she was out there in the world. she was my longest nurser. and nursed together with her little brother. my precious girl. how much i have learned from you, naomi. i admire you in so many ways. and i am so proud of the beautiful and creative person you have become.  i am so very thankful you are my daughter and i love you more than you could ever know!

yours in thankfulness on this special day,

shelley

for micah...

~ happy third birthday, micah ~

yours on this special birth day,

shelley

my hannah...

today is my firstborn's birth day. my cinco de mayo girl. my hannah. who taught me so much about being a mama. about who i am. and who i want to be. she is 26 today and has two babies of her own now, but it seems only yesterday i gave birth to her and was holding her in my arms and nursing her. she's taught me so very much. and was the guiding light on my path to all of the personal, albeit alternative, choices i've made in my life. child-led weaning, family bed, waldorf homeschooling, homebirthing, attachment parenting, baby wearing, and so much more. i love you, my sweet hannah. i'm so happy you chose me to be your mama! and i am so proud of the person and now the mama that you've become. you are an inspiration to me every single day and i love you more than you could ever know!

yours on this very special day, 

shelley

more birthday...

here are some more pictures of maya's birthday celebrations over the past few days...

yours in continuing celebration,

shelley

p.s.  the beautiful birthday banner above was made by erin, over at bluebirdbaby. i love it, erin - thank you so much! and the special rainbow birthday crown was made by the handwork teacher at our future school.

4...

on this day 4 years ago, our sweet maya meadow, you joined us on this earth. born from my body and into our arms here at home in our bed. where we two became three...

what an immeasurable gift you are! and oh what things you came to teach us. so connected the three of us are - you, your papi and i. we knew you were there, long before you were. and you came to us just as it was always meant to be. you are beauty and joy and light. the very meaning of life. and we love, honor and respect all that you are and ever will be. happy birth day, our sweet maya meadow! this is your day!

yours on this ever special birth day,

your mama and papi

46...

well, here it is. my birthday. i'm 46 years old today. and what an amazing 46 years it has been. i feel so blessed in my life. such wonderful parents to thank for the beautiful, loving family i was raised in. my twin sister, whom i love so dearly. my brother, who is always there. my sweet and giving husband, who is my soulmate and best friend. my amazing children, who are my life. and now my new found etsy and blogging friends. i am overcome with gratefulness and thankfulness each day for these gifts!

our time here on this earth is what we make it. we set forth with intentions that often change along the way. if we allow ourselves to grow, evolve, redirect...and if we are open to all the possibilities that are out there, our life can be full of boundless love, joy and happiness. and so it is with my life. a beautiful celebration of where i have been, where i am now and where i will be. every day, a new beginning with a sense of joyful wonder and anticipation.

and here is my 'green' picture for today.  it snowed here in central texas yesterday for the first time this winter!  what a joyous time for my girl in her green coat...

yours in thankfulness and joy on this special day of mine,

shelley

birthday week...

well, here it is. my birthday week. tomorrow, march 5, i'll be 46. funny thing is, i don't feel 46. i feel more like i'm 18. i've actually always felt this way, no matter what stage of my life i've been in. i spent my 20's having 3 wonderful babies and finding out who i was as a mama. i spent my 30's rediscovering myself again and finding my soulmate. and now i'm a mama again in my 40's. life couldn't be better! so i'll be celebrating all week with pictures and posts.

i'll start with a meme that bex, over at poppy & mei days, tagged me with. here are seven random things about myself...

1. i'm an identical twin. my twin sister, shannon, and i were born only 3 minutes apart.  we are extremely close and can read each other's thoughts. we often buy the very same things without knowing it.

2. by the time i was 20, i had climbed nearly half of the 14ers (mountains over 14,000 ft high) in colorado.

3. i have 4 tattoos.  a sun on my right hip, the japanese word for peace on my left upper arm, the symbol for synchronicity on my right ankle, and a maltese cross on the inside of my lower left leg. i still want to get at least one more tattoo.

4. i nursed all 3 of my older children past the age of 3 years (hannah/born in 1982, naomi/born in 1986 and caleb/born in 1990).  and i tandem nursed naomi and caleb.

5. i'm a seventh generation texan (which means my family's descendants have lived in texas for seven generations).

6. my husband is an inventor and a firefighter.

7. my daughter, maya, was born at home...just 10 days after my 42nd birthday.

so there you have it.  i'd love to hear 7 random things about anyone else out there who wishes to share!

i've also decided to participate in 'green week', inspired by my friends grace and erin and hosted by emily over at shining egg.  in honor of the celebration of green, here is my green for the day - a gift from a dear neighbor...

yours in celebration,

shelley