Ashby Bow

“Someday your kitchen will smell like the holidays did when you were small. You will start your own traditions and keep a few of ours, and that makes me smile.”

“I missed the first stretch of your life entirely and I cannot get any of it back. I have had a front row seat for every single year since, and it is enough.”

“Our house has a new little voice in it now, and it is a loud one. I would not trade the noise, or the sleepless nights, for anything.”

“I have loved you for years, and I thought I knew every side of you. Then I watched you hold our baby for the first time, and I met a new one.”

“After the year we have had, you deserve a quiet weekend away from everything. No schedules, no worries, just the two of us and a lot of sleep.”

“You put my name forward in a room I was not in and never told me you had done it. I found out years later from somebody else entirely, which is exactly like you.”

“There will always be a spare toothbrush and clean sheets waiting for you. No matter how settled you get, this will always be one of your homes.”

“I have had a front row seat while you became yourself. Clever, kind, and entirely unrepeatable, with a spark all your own.”

“You have answered the same question about snacks at least a thousand times. And you still smile, which is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.”

“It took me until this age to work out that you were a whole person before me. With your own plans and your own nerves and nobody telling you if you had it right.”

“One day is not nearly enough to celebrate someone like you. So I am declaring this your birthday week, with treats on every day.”

“I hope this new year of yours is full of good news and easy days. And I hope you let me spoil you at least once a week.”

“You warm up the car, save me the last bite and remember every birthday. It is the little things you do that make this life feel so big.”

“Out there, you are allowed to make mistakes and change your mind. Every wrong turn teaches you something, and I will be proud of you regardless.”

“On this special day, as you become a wife, remember that you'll forever be my little girl. I'm so proud of all that you are, all that you've been, and all that you're yet to be. May your marriage be blessed with joy and endless love.”

“There are not enough words to describe how important you are in my life. I'm forever grateful for you and the joy you bring to my life.”

“The day you arrived, I held you and promised I would always be in your corner. You have grown into someone I admire, and I have kept that promise every day.”

“This is not for an anniversary or a birthday. It is just an ordinary day. And on ordinary days, I love you every bit as much as on the big ones.”

“Another year of watching you grow into someone I admire more every day. You have a good heart, a quick mind and a laugh that fills a room.”

“We have celebrated more than one anniversary on the wrong day because of your schedule. I do not mind one bit. Any day with you is worth celebrating.”

“You can go in any direction you choose from here, and that is a good feeling. Take your time, trust yourself, and do not forget to enjoy the road.”

“You used to shake every present under the tree and guess what was inside. You were right almost every time, which is why I started using bigger boxes.”

“It takes real courage to ask for help, and I hope you always will. Needing people is not a weakness. It is how love gets in.”

“Whenever your crown gets heavy, remember whose daughter you are and hold your head high. Believe deep in your heart that you will never lose. You either win or learn. I will always be here to protect you and guide you through life's storms.”