Monday, October 23, 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CATHERINE REESE!



It seems like just yesterday that we brought this little one home, but Catherine Reese Alumkal turned nine last week! In those nine years, we have seen amazing change and growth, and Cate remains one of the most interesting people whom I have ever met.


They say that children come out who they are, and Cate is living proof. From the moment she arrived in this world, Cate has been single-minded in knowing what she wanted and who she is. That has only increased with time. However, thankfully her acquisition of speech helped immensely for us to understand exactly what Cate wanted.


Today, she is a young woman who is so passionate about so many things-her friends, soccer, Netflix tween dramas, and her family. Never one to shy away from a challenge, she has become an awesome piano player, one heck of a soccer card collector, and a voracious reader of fiction. I think I know from whom she gets the latter!

In her life, Cate has also seen the country change immensely. She was born on the eye of the Obama years and now is in the eye of the Trump storm. I pray that she and we have a brighter future where tolerance, respect for the earth, equal opportunity, and all the ideals that make this country great are restored. I am hopeful that that is the future Cate will have to look forward to, and I have a strong feeling that this little will make this world a much better place.

It is hard to image the next nine years with Cate-the nine years before she will presumably leave our house. There are days when I take for granted all that I have to thankful for and how special this young woman is, but not today. I am honored to call her my own, and I do not think I will ever love anyone more than her and Nicholas. For as long as I breathe, I will look to her with affection and just a little bit of awe.


I love you Cate Cate!

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