Mary Fields Photography Blog

April in my family is apparently the month of birthdays and I’m not complaining since I am one of them! My older sister, Allison, was born two years and one day before my twin sister and I. We always joke because when we were growing up we had to alternate years of who got a party so that my parents didn’t go crazy. That means that I am like 10 birthday parties behind in life in case anyone wants to volunteer to eradicate that. Anyone? Well, anyway, then our little birthday cluster got more exciting when last April 18th at 7 pm my twin sister, Beth, went in to labor. Either way, this child was going to be born on someone’s birthday and sure enough, Jude Wallace came in to the world late morning on April 19th. Creating what we now lovingly call ‘The Birthday Trio.’ Thus, mid-April is an action packed time in my fam and I love it. So on this birthday weekend, I wanted to give a little shout out to each one of my April Birthday Quadruplets…

Jude- Oh, how the tears well up when I think of the day I met you. I had just traveled all morning to get there to see you and when I walked in to the room, tears began freely flowing. They told me you were a boy and that your name was Jude Wallace. They put you in my arms and I melted. Positively just melted. How could I love someone so much that I had just met?!? A feeling I felt not long after when your cousin was born. I already loved sharing a birthday with your mother and I felt so special to share that day with you too. Over the last year you have made me laugh countless times with your big gummy smile and your sweet laugh. You have been on the move since the beginning…making your newborn pictures practically impossible by the way. Don’t worry though, you can make it up to me later when we have lots of fun taking pictures. I love you so dearly and can’t wait to see you grow up. I pray that you grow up to know Jesus and that you follow Him with all your heart. I pray that you laugh a LOT and that we get to make lots of memories laughing together. Happy Birthday, my sweet nephew!

Allison- More tears. I suppose this outs me as a ‘weeper’ but I’m ok with that. Oh, how blessed I am to have you as an older sister. God was so gracious in that and I don’t thank Him enough for it. You have been such a picture of godliness to me and I am thankful for that example. Your love for life, your quick wit and the way you can make everyone feel at ease is amazing. Truly. As someone who isn’t always the best at being silly, I love that this is not true of you. You are hilarious…let’s be honest. God has gifted you in so many ways that bless the lives of others. You are compassionate and tender-hearted in ways that lend to mercy and grace. You are a loving and supportive wife and a wonderful mother! When I think of you, I am so thankful that I can say that you are one of my best friends and that I love doing life not far behind you. I can’t wait to see what this next chapter of life holds for you and how God will use you to impact others. You are a gem, sister, and I am so privileged to call you such.

Beth- Funny, no tears. JK…always tears. There is so much I could say to you. So very much. I remember writing my Maid of Honor speech for your wedding and thinking, ‘How do you sum up a friendship that ‘never wasn’t’ in to a speech?’ That is so true of us. We were never not friends. We have never NOT known each other and when I think about that, I smile. There is no one that knows me better and there is no one that listens better than you do. It’s funny how we never run out of things to talk about…even at 2 am. Remember that time we were on a road trip and listened to exactly 14 seconds of a CD and then just talked the whole way there? One of my favorite memories. Even though we are miles apart, you’re still ‘my person’ to call in the car, even if we have already talked that day. We are so weird but I wouldn’t change it. As I said in my speech, to say you are my best friend is a severe understatement. Those two words just can’t encompass what God has given me in you and so instead of trying to put it in to words, I will just thank Him for such a gift. You are a blessing to me, gemela, in more ways than I even know. Happy Birthday to us and here’s to another year of growth in Christ as we do this thing called life. Wouldn’t want to share the day or life with anyone else.