Pixie is 4.

aug 23, 2016

dearest Pixielove,

i’m not sure if i shared this story to you from my previous letters but i grew up remembering i never had a birthday cake to blow as a child. not only until my 18th birthday only when my college friends bought a surprise cake for me (i think i cried happy tears like a baby). but it never meant my childhood was sad at all — it was just simply how my parents raised us up with less.. we did have enough to get by with our day to day life and i wanted you to know that your Mama grew up poor but rich with tough love, learning and playful experiences. i’m pretty sure i threw tantrums at some point in my childhood when i didn’t get a toy i wanted of course but as i looked back at it now, i am definitely deeply thankful to my parents especially to my Mama who never gave in to me and my siblings’ meltdowns.

i turned out to be what I am today and there’s nothing else i earnestly wish that you, too will grow up with such a life, thriving always to live gratefully even with less but filled up with more appreciation in everything.

But like every birthday or any other day, I don’t intend to deprive you though with other things that you can possibly have. we are just fostering how to enjoy the simple things — “because having less can also mean more” and “it’s not the amount of money you spend, but the experience you cultivate’ —

so this year, we are still not throwing a birthday party for you instead we are gifting you with more exploration opportunities and experiences by going on another road trip soon as a fun, simple & engaging way to celebrate. Also, as part of your birthday gift this year, similar to what we did on your 1st birthday, we are sharing even with what little we have by sponsoring a less fortunate child via worldvision.org.ph 💕 Maybe others will get inspired to do the same, too if they haven’t. 

I love for you to find out when the day comes, as you grow older, that at every birthday you celebrated, it made a little difference in some other children’s lives, too. 

Some photos I took to remember today. 🙂

while still asleep this morning… i could stare at you forever …officially turned 4 tonight at 7:42pm.. if only i could keep it that way for as long as i could.. 😭😭😭

and then finally you woke up — while i sing my heart out — ‘happy birthday to you!!!’ 🙂
this was your favorite like last year — french toast with strawberries for breakfast birthday cake! too bad that number ‘4’ sparkler didn’t really work, so you pretended to blow anyway.

before lunchtime, we set up for a quick photo play session in your playroom — picking a few of these to print definitely!

and you proudly helped glue together the used cardboards so we can handmade number ‘4’. 
“Mama, I am four now!” , you have proudly and happily told me a million times today! 🙂
Whoa–WAIITT—–whennn-did you grow up soooooo TALL???

so the night before your bday we had this convo…

Me: im scared to have my hair cut like your fringe Pixie.. (then i positioned the scissors in my forehead)

Pixie: ‘you can do it Mama, you can do it! (chanting amusingly) 😂

then the rest of our afternoon was spent biking again to our neighborhood, went to the playground and rode with your scooter as you requested. we ran quick to the groceries after and treated ourselves with your favorite ice cream — “4 spoonfuls”, I said, because you just turned 4. dinner came soon and you were looking ready for bedtime with your eyes before 9pm — wohooo! i tricked you,too that 4 year olds sleep earlier now and that you should — and you got knocked down quick after our bedtime reading! 🙂

our day sounded pretty much the mundane really but it always turns out the best and extra ordinary because of you.

forever in love with you,
Mama