Rowen’s Fifth Birthday | Northwest Community Park | Fort Worth, TX
The sweet, innocent spirit of a child is remarkable, but witnessing the growth of a child that you created is a treasure. Seeing them learn new things everyday and watching their personality shine on a day-to-day basis is such a privilege. For the past 1,842 days I have had a front row seat to this boy’s life. The boy who made me a Mom; my Rowen. On August 5th Rowen turned five years old, which means that in a few short days he will be beginning a new chapter of his life and starting his very first day of school.
As his Mom I am thrilled that he is going to have the opportunity to get out of the house and learn new things in a classroom setting and make new friends, but I am also sad that our time together is coming to an end. Anyone who knows Rowen knows what a sweet, sensitive, gentle heart he has. His smile lights up a room and he is always there when you need a hug. Over the past five years he has learned to count to 100, count to 1,000 by hundreds, spell, all of the planets in the solar system, some Spanish and even all 50 U.S. State Capitals. Rowen loves outer space and volcanos, race cars and Snoopy, pancakes and Lenny Kravitz. He truly is one of a kind, and as hard as it may be in the moment, I know he is going to excel at school.
Every year on my kid’s birthdays I like to look back on all of the photos I’ve taken of the past year and be reminded of all the fun memories we made. Some moments from Rowen’s fifth year include:
-riding the Ferris wheel at the State Fair, just me and him
-his Dracula costume from Halloween
-the spontaneous, special trip to the speedway to watch the race cars practice just with his grandpa
-telling Santa how much he wanted a race car track for Christmas
-surprising him to see Snoopy at the Gaylord Texan ICE Exhibit
-taking our first road trip to Arkansas
-seeing his little hands raised during virtual worship
-quarantine pizza picnics on the living room floor
-haircuts having to be done by yours truly
-scavenger hunts
-flying our first kite
-and our first trip to the beach.
As a Mom who is also a photographer, naturally another birthday tradition is to take my kids photos every year. Nowadays when I ask Rowen to smile he typically will give some sort of goofy expression that often involves his tongue drooping out of his mouth, but with some time to play and splash in the creek I think the session was a win-win. If you are a parent I highly recommend having your child’s portraits professionally taken at least once a year. It is such a treat being able to look back and see how much they grow and change every year.
Lastly, to my Rowen, who will likely read this one day: I love you with all my heart. Keep shining and making this world a better place. All those you meet adore you and know how special you are, and you are going to change so many lives. Happy fifth birthday.
XOXO
Mommy
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