love of local in Utah
Dear Sunshine
This is my last sappy letter for a while. I wrote one to Tyler and Abby and until the mood strikes me again in a few years, this is it!
Dear Sunshine,
(Your nickname given to you by Daddy)
I let you get away with a lot because basically, you are the sweetest thing on earth. Yell for me after I put you to bed? Well yes, ma’am, you can stay up until I go to bed. Look at me with those sweet eyes and say, “More, please?” Why of course! Whatever you would like. Could I be creating a monster? No way–you are too sweet and beautiful for that. (This is what I tell myself.)
I have created quite the problem with coming in to check on you and noticing how just darn cute you are and then have to get you out of your crib. You lie on the couch with me late at night curled up in my arm while listening to music or watching late-night TV on Food Network. You already love Alton Brown–good girl! You lie very still and cuddle; you have already learned the longer you cuddle with me the later you get to stay up. You give me these sideways glances and break out into a smile.
You love me and I can’t get enough of it. When you call to me and say, “Mama hold you?” so I will hold you like a baby, I run and pick you up. How could I ignore a request like that?
Yesterday I let you stay up once again because you are very good at entertaining yourself while I do work at night. You crept over oh-so-quietly about every fifteen minutes, squatted down so you were right next to my ear as I was typing away while lying on the floor and said “Mama, I love you.” Then I heard you waddle over to the other room and whisper the same thing into Daddy’s ear.
When I quickly and oh-so-surprisingly was pregnant with you I was ecstatic with the thought of sisters….everyone needs a sister to love them throughout her whole life. You love your sister; we creep into her room late at night and you crawl into her bed and get under the covers. Your grin is uncontrollable as your sister Ocean rolls over to her side deep in sleep and wraps her arms around you. I hope you love each other forever.
The other thing that crossed my mind when I found out I was having another child was…uncertainty. How could I have room to love another? Would it take away from my love for my other child? When you came all my worries washed away. How was I to know my heart could have room for so much more love? And you also opened up a part of my heart I didn’t know was there and filled it with your light.
You really ARE our Sunshine. You brighten everyone’s day who passes you by and I pray you will always know how beautiful, special and amazing your little soul is. Your soul reminds me so much of my little sister, Laura; you love everyone so much. You love life, you radiate with that knowledge and I hope you can always hold onto your sunshine.
