Today I'm thankful I got to see her feel like a Queen. 


I saw her big brother go from dead-asleep to adorably sweet.



I listened as her boys told her, how their Elf-on-the-shelf-Tink decorated for her big day.


I got to watch her from afar, in her morning routine at school. I saw as she proudly stood for O'Canada & only gave her amazing EA half-the-sass-she-gives me. I then beamed as she confidently vocalized choosing her big brother to be the "leader with her" & then swooned as they walked hand in hand to bring the attendance down to the office. 


I giggled as her friends gathered around as she got crowned with the "Birthday Hat" and sung upon. 


I watched her as she watched me make my way to the front of the classroom to chat about Down syndrome, using our 2017 #differentisbeautiful Calendar


I caught my son's eye a few times and I'm telling you, the love I felt beaming from him in that moment was a beautiful thing. He kept nodding as if almost urging me along in my presentation to his class. Like "You got this mom, come on, you can do this."


And I could not stop smiling each time I flipped a page and Pip proudly hit her chest and claimed to the room it was "Pippy".


I could not help but feel my sweet girl was so very celebrated. 


And because of that on her 4th Birthday we gave her entire school a #differentisbeautiful Calendar & I walked away feeling so very proud of who my daughter is. And so very excited to see who she will become.


Not to mention the fact that BRITNEY-FREAKING-SPEARS posted her sweet face on Instagram, she got her very own not-annoying-at-all-music-making-keyboard and she stuffed a gluten-free-chocolate-cupcake down her hatch like a champ.



She felt loved. She felt celebrated. She felt like a Queen.