| thirteen is extraordinary… | 08.6.10 |
i am heartbroken & overjoyed…my daughter…my sweet little girl is thirteen years old…i feel i might burst with pride….she is lovelier than i could ever imagine…she makes thirteen so beautiful, i hardly recognize it….for me thirteen was a blur of awkward shyness…she is a gazelle….lanky & tall…taller than me, although i won’t admit it it….her eyes are still the perfect shade of gray…the color of dreams & unspeakable beauty….she has the body of a woman & the soul of a child….she is till so sweet & even allows me to fawn all over her with hugs & kisses & motherly advice….she’s tolerant….and yet strong…althletic & agile….her sweetness is so disarming….the rare times she shows just a hint of teenage attitude, i secretly smile because its so rare….it’s as if she’s trying on a pair of shoes & seeing if they fit…..i can chase that attitude away with a wink or a smile in her direction…i like to remind her that it’s cool to be close with your parents, so far she’s buying it…….luckily she still likes to wear the sweet shoes….i worry about the boys who will hurt her heart but lately i’ve been starting to worry about the hearts she’s going to slay by merely walking in the room…i pray that she knows her worth…that she recognizes her dreams & chases them with all her might….i hope her teenage years will be gentle with her & that she will emerge unscathed & peaceful…i will continue to stand on the sidelines….silently cheering her on & ready to wrap my arms around her if she need a little support…who knew thirteen could be so incredibly beautiful….i am in awe of her extraodinary loveliness…
happy birthday mykela sophia messina moore!
a little more sweetness....
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August 6th, 2010 at 12:04 am
omg… omg.. omg… my most favorite of favorites ever of yours, truly.
Happy Birthday beautiful Mykela!!! {and congrats mama on doing a pretty good job of getting her there
August 6th, 2010 at 1:05 am
beautiful post! happy birthday to this lovely young lady!
August 6th, 2010 at 2:37 am
Such beautiful words for your beautiful daughter. You have brought a tear to my eye as I drink my morning coffee. My daughter turns just 7 next month and I keep finding myself staring at her not quite being able to comprehend when she grew up so much. I see her every day and she has changed right in front of me! Its scary and wonderful all at the same time. Daughters are so precious, I hope you have a wonderful day with yours. x
August 6th, 2010 at 4:30 am
such beautiful words. this is the kind of mother i want to be and the kind of daughter i dream of having…. lovely xoxo
August 6th, 2010 at 6:28 am
Happy Birthday to the beautiful Mykela…
I’m sure you have already made her day by dedicating this heartfelt post to her…
August 6th, 2010 at 7:39 am
happy birthday indeed to a perfectly sweet, wonderful, tall, amazingly coiffed, young lady! have a beautiful, happy, birthday mykela!
August 6th, 2010 at 8:19 am
Happy Birthday to a beautiful girl with a beautiful head of of hair! Rock those curls!
August 6th, 2010 at 8:39 am
what a beautiful post indeed, i nearly cried. She is so lucky and blessed to have parents who are so proud and supportive of her. She is a beautiful young woman. Happy Birthday!
August 6th, 2010 at 8:52 am
I teared up reading your tribute to your daughter. It is rare that a child ever truly knows how her mother feels about her. I applaud your ability to love openly. Mykela is a lucky young woman.
August 6th, 2010 at 9:44 am
I think we all need a tissue now. your words & photos put together painted a beautiful picture of this beautiful girl. May she always know her worth and remember these words of yours. Happy 13.
August 6th, 2010 at 9:56 am
Speechless……..beautiful words paired with beautiful images. Congratulations to Mom and daughter! Milestone of a century for a young girl. Sweetness!
August 6th, 2010 at 10:04 am
Everyone talks about how hard motherhood is, it’s so refreshing and inspiring to hear the positive. The insight you have on life is so true and human. Thank You for sharing. Lots of love to you and your beautiful family! xoxo
August 6th, 2010 at 11:32 am
So so so beautiful- you have me crying… love it! Love you! xxxooo
August 6th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
This makes me so happy. I have an almost 5 (yes 5, I can’t believe it!) year old daughter and she is my saving grace. I adore her. I just gave birth to a boy a few months ago and her attitude has gone through the roof since his arrival and I’ve been beside myself trying to get her back to normal. This post reminds me of what I need to keep striving for even through the rough times. I pray all the time that my relationship with her will just get stronger! Thank you for the pick me up!
August 6th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
I was so touched by your post! Much love to you and your amazing daughter!
August 6th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
So, so, so lovely. What beautiful, heartfelt tribute to your daughter. She is lucky to have you and you her.
August 6th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
mykela…you *are* truly exquisite…happy 13th turn around the sun!!! (we will always cherish our engagement photos with your soulful essence totally intwined in that special afternoon with us…gio+sky)
August 6th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
Elizabeth, Those words about Mykela are even more beautiful than the photographs of her. I remember her as 4 or 5 years old and now she’s a beautiful 13 year old. How could that have happened so fast? It scares me to think that time is flying by that quickly with Hayden and Max. I just want to grab and hold on tight before it slips out of my hands! Anyway, all the best to her on such a special day. How lucky she is to have a Mom like you. Much love. Rosemary
August 6th, 2010 at 11:03 pm
What a gorgeous daughter & beautiful words you wrote! Love reading your blog!
August 7th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
your daughter is beautiful. and how you feel about her is beautiful.
and your blog is beautiful.
thanks for all of it!
August 7th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
She’s a beautiful girl on the outside and obviously beautiful on the inside also … My boy is turning 8 … I can’t wrap my head around 13! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful post. Happy birthday to your daughter and happy birthing day to you
August 7th, 2010 at 9:25 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Wedding Club, Audrey Snow. Audrey Snow said: this post is so beautiful it made me cry. http://www.kissthegroom.com/2010/08/thirteen-is-beautiful/ [...]
August 8th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
oh love, love, love the template you put together of her!!!!
it deserves to be printed.
she certainly is beautiful!
August 8th, 2010 at 5:19 pm
your images are so beautiful and your words just pierced my heart….
August 8th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
Wow. I love how you treasure your girl. She is so incredibly gorgeous. What a blessing……
August 9th, 2010 at 3:59 am
such lovely words for such a beautiful girl. stunning and exquisite journaling.
August 9th, 2010 at 9:49 am
love your thoughts & beautiful words! mykela is absolutely adorable!
August 9th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
what beautiful words. I feel the same way about my little brother who is thirteen. he will be starting high school this year and I am so nervous! Your daughter is beautiful and I too pray for her direction, protection and that she will know her worth…and that she will always think being close to her parents is cool.
blessings
August 9th, 2010 at 4:21 pm
so much love in your photography and in your words, happy birthday to your daughter.
August 10th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Happy belated birthday to your beautiful and precious daughter
August 10th, 2010 at 4:17 pm
Such an elegant, serious, beautiful child…lucky 13 for certain…utterly gorgeous.
August 10th, 2010 at 7:18 pm
these are unreal. congratulations. what process is this series?
August 10th, 2010 at 7:24 pm
polaroid….xoxo
August 10th, 2010 at 10:47 pm
So beautiful…
August 11th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
oh wow. this is one of the most beautifully written from parent to child notes i’ve ever read. paired with the photos….something special.
August 11th, 2010 at 5:08 pm
Egad, you made me cry, so beautifully written! Happy birthday to her!!!
August 19th, 2010 at 7:21 pm
I saw your party featured on Amy Atlas and then came to read more about it here. Beautiful! What a special time for your daughter and for you! I love the blue…it’s such a happy color. Would love to know where you purchased your necklace. Love it!
Your message to mykela brought tears to my eyes…a wonderful reminder of the great love and special bond between mothers and daughters.
August 19th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Meant where you purchased HER necklace…
October 11th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
I happily stumbled across your blog today. Tears pool in my eyes as I finish reading this lovely post! The way you write…so purely from your heart…it’s a beautiful thing! I’ve struggled for years with the question of whether I’m brave enough to have children, unsure of whether I would be able to let them spread their wings and find their own way, quietly cheering them on from the sidelines, rather than pressuring them with my own unattainable quest for perfection. I’m a control freak, who is far too hard on myself and the ones closest to me and I’ve never been able to muster the courage to take that leap of faith and believe that I could do what it seems you have done so beautifully! Perhaps it’s better this way…I still have much work to do on myself. But, knowing the world is being filled with beautiful young women, who will indeed know their worth and will no doubt revel in the bonds they have with the strong, beautiful, artful women in their life is indeed an inspiration….one that moves me to quiet tears.
Thank you! I needed that today!
March 29th, 2011 at 10:19 pm
that is the most beautiful thing i’ve read in a long time. Congrats