08/26/2026
Sixteen.
I don't know how we got here so fast.
From the first minute they put you in my arms, I knew there was something about you. I knew you were going to change the world around you.
I just didn't realize how much you were going to change mine.
You have fought battles most people will never know about. You've been knocked down, you've gotten back up, and somehow you've continued to become softer instead of harder. Kinder. Funnier. Stronger. More completely yourself.
And getting to watch that happen has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.
Your people describe you as loyal, smiley and trustworthy. And I love that so much because those aren't things you can fake. They're who you are when nobody is asking you to be anything at all.
Being your mom has stretched me, humbled me, scared the absolute s**t out of me and given me some of the greatest joy I've ever known.
And now you're sixteen.
SIXTEEN.
So of course, when it started raining during your Sweet 16 photos, we didn't run from it.
We played in it.
And somehow that feels pretty damn fitting for you.
Happy 16th birthday, Madisyn.
Keep dancing in the rain, baby girl.
I love you bigger than you'll ever understand.