We are feeling incredibly blessed to have added our daughter Merit Kathryn to our family on April 11, 2011.  She is a joy!  She has such an easy going temperament and just exudes sweetness.  Cannon is an amazing big brother and has adjusted surprisingly well considering he’s been the absolute center of attention for the last five years!  We are so happy to be able to share some (okay, a bunch!) of our favorite images of Merit and our family from our own Maternity and Newborn Sessions!

How did that happen?  My sweet little baby boy is officially a big boy.  I’m not sure why, but FIVE seems like such a monumental milestone.  All if a sudden he seems so much older than four and a half!  This is the year he will start Kindergarten, make new friends that are his choice instead of mine,  maybe start losing baby teeth (he’s hoping), and move out of the toddler size clothes.  His hands are not so pudgy anymore, he’s more into battle play than snuggling, and he knows what he thinks and how to express it.  As hard as it is to say goodbye to his preschool years, I am so amazed and impressed with the child he is becoming.

Being a sentimental momma, I tend to look to the past, think of him as my baby (I’m sure he’ll always be that to me) and resist letting go of these early years.  However, for this transitional year I promise myself to also look forward with joy to all the new phases of his childhood that he is entering into, and not spend so much time looking back that I miss out on the wonder of who he is right now, especially since that changes a little every day.

For right now, he is an amazing mixture of the innocence of childhood and the insight of maturity.  He sees the little things that in my daily rush I would miss entirely.  He believes that all creatures are his friends, that even toys have feelings, and that I’m the best mommy ever.  His biggest dream is to be a dad.   He cries at the sad parts in stories, refuses to watch movie scenes that feature villains, and threatens to kick the butt of anyone who is mean to anyone.

Some of his recent insights include:

“I like what I like and I hate what I hate.”

“I can’t stop growing or I’ll never be a dad.”

“Even not perfect is still a lot of work!”

He is the sunshine in my heart.

I would choose him as my friend.

My Cannon, 5 years old.