I think I can speak for most of us mamas when I say, the birthdays of our children are times of great reflection.

My husband laughed at me a bit just now as he walked in on me scrolling through videos from her birth, and then, for a while we both watched. Quinn came bouncing in and said, "Wow, was that me?" to which I nodded, tears threatening to spring.

We've celebrated two 5th birthdays so far, with our boys, but there's something about our little girl, our baby, our last one. Perhaps for us, for my husband and I, it's that these five years have been the most trying, the roughest of roads for us as a couple.

We've walked through fire, and there have been a few times the both of us threw our hands into the air and wanted to just be done. Life and loss and grief and anger will do that, to even the best of people.

So, this week we celebrate more than just our wee girl turning five, this week we also celebrate us. We celebrate how far we've come, how much closer we are, and the strength our marriage now has for having been through the more difficult days.

I loved watching those videos with him, side by side, smiling, remembering. It was as if five years, 1825 days, endless minutes really, flew right before my eyes.

Now, I'm off to snuggle my four year old, one, final, time. Tomorrow is a big, brand new, day, and we can't wait to get it going!

xo