our little lucy lu is becoming less and less little by the day. it’s hard to believe, but today she turns 5. as cliché as it sounds, it really does seem like yesterday that we were driving to the hospital in paducah preparing to meet her for the first time.

my foremost birthday wish for lucy is that she knows how deeply she’s loved. and not just loved, but extraordinarily loved and adored and cherished. lucy’s become more than just a daughter. she’s become a conversation partner and a friend. once just a little girl, she’s now a little lady. over the past 5 years, she’s made me laugh and she’s made me cry. she’s made me understand the depths of love more fully and she’s taught me to see everything’s that good in the world even at times when i might otherwise not be able to see it.

beyond christen, no one will ever, obviously, be able to experience the depth of those feelings for lucy, but since it’s a bit of a milestone birthday, i thought i’d share some of my favorite photos of lucy to invite you into what she’s shared with us over the past 5 years. (please don’t judge us for our former photography & photoshop skills… 🙂 ) enjoy.