Yesterday Hannah got to celebrate 8 years of being on the planet... I was a bit worried that she might be upset as this is her first birthday without her Dad... I surprised her with a small gift when she woke up and had planned for our family to have dinner as well as work on a group art piece... needless to say, she had a great day and didn't even mention Chris to me at all... with another milestone behind us, I can breathe easier... we only have to make it through Jack's birthday and in a little over a month's time, we will be marking the anniversary of his death...

Today is a day where moms everywhere are celebrating... it's the first day of school and it's hard to believe that Hannah is now officially a third grader... Chris really would be proud of how she is growing up and what a little lady she has become... it was bittersweet taking our traditional first day of school picture... it seems that every year has been marked by turmoil so I am hoping that this coming year be sweet and fun...