June 18, 2016
Dear T,
You came to me with those big bright eyes. They're huge, and every time you tell a story they get wider and wider and bigger and bigger. You love telling stories and you're always so animated and you always have this tone of "you won't believe what happened next, Mom!!!!" When you see me in the morning, no matter what, you come and give me a hug and ask, "How was your sleep?" When you come home from school you ask, "How was your day today, Mom?" You always genuinely want to know the answer.
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June 11, 2016
Dear G,
This is a big year for you. I always say I'm not ready for you to grow up, but lately it's been kind of nice. I miss some things about you being little, but you've also turned into such an amazing young woman, I love this stage now too. You're so grown up and so wise. I feel like you give me just as much support and advice as I give to you, and it's been nice to have each other in that way. The other day we were hanging in your room and had a big heart to heart. You looked at me and said, "Mom, you look happy and seeing you happy makes us happy."
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May 30, 2016
Dear P,
Do you have any idea how proud I am of you? It makes me beam with pride to call you my son. How do I describe you? The first place I love to watch you is out on the soccer field. You're the team captain, the one who makes all the big plays and passes, always gets back on defense and always makes me hold my breath on a big breakaway as I watch you dribble down the field. Messi is your idol. I kind of think you look like him, especially when you play. I remember the first time you put on the jersey with his name on the back and the way you smiled.
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May 23, 2016
Dear N,
The day you came we went on a walk together and I called out the names of everything we saw. On the way home you remembered every single word and repeated them all back to me. I've told that story a million times and it never gets old. Soon you went to school and started reading. I kept bringing harder books home but I couldn't keep up. One day I found you reading Harry Potter. You learned English so fast and were my translator when you were like 7 years old. I give you a lot of the credit for this family of ours. You were the first and you were so good and everyone else just kind of followed in your foot steps.
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May 23, 2016
Dear K,
We were sitting in the purple room the other day when you told me you wanted to study nursing. I asked you why and you told me you wanted to be like Florence Nightingale. I had a flash back to when you were 11 and so badly wanted to go to school. You had to start at the very beginning in kindergarten. I'd find you alone in your room studying and studying and studying, quietly on your own, working hard to make up for all those lost hours. I wanted you to play and be a kid like all the rest of your brothers and sisters but you never wanted to play. I was scared you'd missed out on so much of your childhood that you didn't know how to be a kid. But you came out of your shell in your own way and time.
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