And how did Baby Emmy get so big? I can hardly bear to think about it. I look back on those early days of motherhood when Emmy was a baby and they were the happiest days of my life. Even happier than BYU and even happier than falling in love and getting married. In all fairness to Matt, I fell in love with him even more during those early days as a mama because I got to see him turn into the sweetest and most doting daddy ever.
Here is an excerpt from Emmy's birthday letter:
Someday you might not remember how you are at the age of 9,
so I will tell you. You wear your
bathrobe all of the time, especially in the morning and evening. You eat very slowly, usually while turning the
pages of your latest book. You know how
to make your treats last a really long time. Your favorite treats are mints,
and cookies n’ cream candy bars. You
love to make things. This year you made
a kitchen, desk, and bathroom complete with toilet, sink, and shower for your
American Girl dolls. You made them every
kind of food imaginable out of clay. You
take old pieces of clothing and fabric to make clothes for your doll. You want a sewing machine. You are a whiz at the Rainbow Loom – you even
created your own way of making a really cool mermaid! You like to wear your
hair down, you love cold cereal in the morning.
You get cold easily, so are often wearing a hoodie. Earlier in the year
you wanted a Guinea Pig and now you want a Golden Retriever. You like dark
chocolate and smoothies. You love the
shows “Leave it to Beaver."
You are very loving, you are funny, and you are fun to be
with. I love to talk to you and be with
you. We are reading Anne of Green Gables
together and I treasure those moments with you.
You still like to sleep with Stripey and sometimes Baby Kate. You are a dreamer, always thinking of a new
way to have your own room or more space for your American Girl dolls. Someday, you’ll have your own room. But for now, I love to see you sharing with
Sophie and Ryan who look up to you so much and love to be with you. They love their big sister and you love
them. Someday, when you’re sleeping all
by yourself, you might even look back on this time and miss them being with
you.
Oftentimes when you’re having trouble falling asleep, you
come out and ask me to tell you what to think about. Sometimes I get annoyed, because I know you
are smart and creative and perfectly capable of thinking about things without
me telling you what to think about. But
if I really could tell you what to think about each night, I would tell you to think
about the ways you have been blessed. I
hope sometimes you will reflect on the happy times we’ve had as a family –
carefree days at the beach and the park; fun adventures; sledding in the
winter; fun times with friends; delicious treats to eat.
And if you’re ever finished thinking about the many moments that are
making up your childhood, I hope you will think about the wonderful person you
are and the person you want to be when you grow up – a person who will fight
for what is right, who will work hard to accomplish your dreams, and who loves
the Lord . And when you’re done thinking
about that, you can always think about me.
Think about how much I love my girl, how dear you are to me, and how I
long for your happiness. You are one of
my best friends. I am so blessed to have
you as my oldest child. Just think about
that for a minute, and maybe, by then, you will have fallen asleep – a deep and
blissful sleep, hopefully full of peace, love, joy, and gratitude in your
heart.
