erin hill: [ letter from mommy ]

dear sweet baby,

i just put you to bed for the last time as a one year old. yes, i cried. what did you expect? you are just growing up way too fast for my heart to bear. i knew your first year went by so quickly, but this year has literally flown by. i blinked. and now, tomorrow, you'll wake up a big two year old. your daddy and i absolutely love every little thing about you and are so thankful that God has allowed us these past two years to be your parents. i can only imagine what the rest of our lives together is going to be like.

i love the relationship we have. you are certainly a mommy's girl, but really enjoy your playtime with daddy. you love your daddy so much and i completely understand that love. i enjoy watching the two of you play together so much. you light up when he drives up every evening and squeal as loud as you can when he chases you down the hall. i think my favorite is watching you climb in your pink tub and ask daddy to play airplane. you fly through the house a top speed and laugh the entire time.

i love that i am able to spend every day with you. i'm so thankful to get to watch you grow and see what your mind has brewing throughout each day. i wouldn't trade our days for the world. and, should i mention your love for target. it's always been my favorite store, but recently, when you see a target store you say "i wuv taget". lights up my world every time, although i don't take you there by myself because you are quite a handful in stores.

i love how you are super independent right now and constantly say "i do it." at the same time, you love having "mommy help you." i love watching the things you can do and am amazed every day at something new that you've done. you especially want to put your own shoes on. everyday. and you put them on the right feet too, which amazes everyone. you have your mommy's perfectionist personality as well. everything has to be just so and you get terribly mad if it isn't exact.

i love to tell daddy each day what you learned just while he was at work. right now, you are really learning your abc's. one day, you belted them out "a b c b (mumbling...) l m n o p q r s (more mumbling...)". it's so cute. you also know how to sing "twinkle twinkle" but it has to be your idea to sing it. singing and dancing is one of your most favorite things to do and always has been. anytime you hear music, you dance.

i love your imagination. your favorite thing to do is play with your babies. i'm hoping this is leading up to you being a great big sister, which i know you will be. you play with your babies from morning til night every day. we take a baby with us everywhere we go too. you enjoy feeding your babies and putting them night night and you must make sure everyone is quiet so the baby can sleep. your imagination blows my mind every day.

i love how you use your manners. you are constantly saying "thank you" and "excuse me" and sometimes we get a "please". although you don't use your sign language much anymore, there's really no need for it because your words are spoken so clearly. it is such a blessing to know that you use your manners and you actually know when to use them. you have such a sweet and tender side and you give great hugs and kisses. boy do i love your hugs. that extra pat on the back always makes me smile.

i love your passion for things. you LOVE football, or "hutball" as you call it. i guess this love came from going to daddy's football games. you get excited when you see "hutball" on tv or anywhere we go. that makes daddy really happy too! and elmo is tops right now too. anything elmo rocks your world.

you are my favorite two year old ever. i love who you are and what you have brought to our family. i love how the Lord uses you to teach me daily and i absolutely love being your mommy.

happy 2nd birthday, karsyn layne!

xoxo

mommy

{here is a picture of our family the day you were born. what a blessing you are}