To My Funny Valentine

Dear Margaret Anne,

Today you are 2 and a half years old. I try to write these little letters to you every six months so I will remember how you are growing and changing. I don't think I will ever be able to capture your personality in one of these little updates, but I will try.

You are coming into your own personality and I have to say you are... hilarious! One of the things I love most about your daddy is his sense of humor and I think you inherited that. I love how you make me laugh several times a day. You wake up in the morning calling out for daddy and I and you are so opinionated from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to sleep... I think you inherited that from me... yikes! You are still extremely picky about what you eat, but you are VERY polite about it, most of the time. If I try to offer you a bite of something, you usually look at it and say "No thank you."

You are also very polite when you get a compliment (and you get lots of compliments). If someone tells you that they like your hair, or your outfit, or that you look SO pretty, you always smile and say "Thank you!"

Yesterday you took communion for the first time. It was very unexpected and it was all I could do not to cry. You came into church for communion and I honestly thought you would get a blessing. But you stood there at the altar with your hands folded just like mommy and daddy and you were so reverent as you lifted your little hands up to Father Rick to accept your bread. I told him that you could just have a blessing and he said "Look at her. She's ready, its time." So he placed the wafer in your hand and you took your first communion. Just like that. I pray every night that you will learn to love the Lord and understand the sacrifices that he made so that you can live life abundantly, on earth and in heaven.  I think you could sense that there was something special about being in church... I hope that continues.

You are so smart, Margaret Anne. It makes me laugh to think that a two year old can be as smart as you are. You are scared of some things, like bugs and snakes, and I am baffled by that because I don't know why you would be scared, but you are. Lately we have had to convince you every night before bathtime that there will not be any bugs in your bath (No idea where this came from) and you say "no bugs allowed!" The other day you said, "Daddy, look at this!" just as clear as day and it was a piece of fuzz that you thought was a bug, so you said "Daddy get it, get it!!" over and over until Daddy got it away from you. I like that you know Daddy is there to protect you and I hope you know he will protect you as much as he can for as long as he can, and I will too.

Little girl, I am so blessed to have you in my life. I feel so blessed that the Lord trusts your Daddy and me to take care of you. I love you, Valentine.

Love,

Mommy