dear emmy.

dear emmy,

oh my fiesty littlest love.

you sure do keep us on our toes.  you've had us laughing with your silly sense of humor since you were the teeniest babe.  and that has not changed.  

the minute you wake up in the morning, you are asking me to help take off your pajamas so you can put on a dress.  and usually not just any dress.  but one made out of tulle like you are ready to go to a party... when we are probably just headed to target.  but it doesn't matter... you wear the same one--poofy and grey--every single day.  but you twirl and flutter about and ask us if you look pretty as if it was the first time you wore it.  

every single day.

you are a little obsessed with being "pretty", so we talk to you a lot about what makes people beautiful.  you throw a huge fit if we even dream of putting you in pants... so we tell you all the time it's your heart that makes you beautiful; how you love and treat others, and because you are loved by God.  

but still, you hate pants.

i asked you the other day why you were so cute.  your little face lit up and your eyes got wide and you said "because God did that for me!"  you are adorable.

as girly as you are, you have a little boy sense of humor.  you love talking about butts and all-things-potty and you laugh and giggle like it's the funniest thing you've ever heard.  we keep telling you that you'll be spending a lot of time in the "time out" chair at school next year if you talk like that...and then you don't think it's so funny (but meanwhile we sometimes have to turn our backs to secretly laugh because of some of the things you come up with)...

speaking of school, you're excited but a little nervous.  we've gone into sissy's classroom at school to help out with a few things and you always cling to my side.  you were telling me the other day that you felt scared and when i asked you why you said "because those kids will see me!!!"  you're very sensitive about people "seeing you".  you're also just very sensitive in general.  you can cry at the drop of a hat because of being hurt by something... sometimes it's that it's my night to put bella to bed ("you ALWAYS put bella to bed and never me!!!"), and daddy and i always rotate each night... or that bella sits in my lap on a saturday morning ("bella ALWAYS gets to sit in your lap and you don't want me to!!!") when you get to sit in my lap the three mornings it's just me and you while bella's at school.  the other day you and bella were working on valentines together and something hurt your feelings.  you burst out into tears and told daddy and i "bella tore my heart!!!" (only in your cute little voice it sounded more like "bewwa towe my hauwt!!!"  we thought she had ripped up your valentine and you said "no!  my heart in my belly!"  and you REALLY meant it.  

you are a TOTAL mama's girl.  it wears on me sometimes because i can rarely do anything without you crying for me, but i know i will miss it someday too.  i love our days together and really treasure them because i know it won't be long until you're in school every day.  you go to miss alicia's house on the two days i work and you LOVE it.  they are a family that we are friends with from church and they have a little boy named jovan who is a little younger than you.  you do fun crafts and go on little trips and just love miss alicia.  and jovan is your best buddy.  i'm so thankful that you love them and are so well taken care of when i can't be with you.

you LOVE going places.  every day you that you are home with me, you have to have a run down of exactly what we are going to do.  "mama, what's aftah this nap?" when i answer you, you say "what's aftah the otha nap?"  everything is a "nap"... there's no "bedtime" to you.  if i say we're just hanging out at home you do NOT like it.  you love being in the car and being on the go... anytime we're headed in certain directions, you figure out where we're going and you'll get so excited: "mama! this is meme's paf!" (path).  everyone we know has a "path"... including target (because we go there so often).

you are a little boss... you correct your big sister all the time, and love to tell her what to do.  the minute she tries to do the same to you, you are quick to say "bella, don't tell me what to do."  and my goodness, are we in the throws of "threeness".  somedays you test my patience so terribly.  if i tell you to do something that you don't like, or tell you "no", you are quick to cross your arms, pout your lips and stomp off.  we've really had to come down on correcting your attitude and it's taken a lot of work and diligence.  you love slamming your door when you are angry, and sometimes you just scream because you are mad.  phew.  it's not always pretty, but we are determined to get you through this stage!

your favorite thing to eat is probably bacon... you also love nuts, which is so funny.  you sneak them all the time out of the pantry or off the counter.  you LOVE your gymnastics class that you go to each week and you love your baby dolls and stuffed animals.  there is constantly babies laying all over your room, each one has a pillow and is covered by a blanket.  i was about to put you down for a nap the other day and i heard smacking noises, so i tip toed to peek into your room and you were making your rounds, kissing each one on the head.  i always tell you you're going to be such a good little mama.  you love the show "goldie and bear" and "sofia the first" is still one of your favorites.  you know every word to just about every song.  you are still obsessed with your bunny and treat it as if it's your best buddy.  for a while you had nicknamed him "buns" and it was so cute.  your favorite treat is to go to target and get a soft pretzel, which we do on almost a weekly basis.  it's your thing.  you love watching cooking shows with me and you're a pest to put to bed.  but you always want us to sing "holy, holy, holy" and i just love that.  

i will really miss your chubby cheeks and how they feel warm against my face after you wake up from a nap.  i'll miss your sweet little voice and how you can't pronounce your "r's"...and how you will point do different women or girls and say "i like she" instead of "her".  you're just such a blessing to me, emmy faith, and i tell you that all the time.  i may lose my patience with you sometimes in this trying stage you are in right now, but you will always be my sunshine... you stole my heart the moment i looked into your eyes and you will have it forever.

i love you so much, my sweet girl.  always know how special you are and how beautiful you are to us.

love you to the moon and back (and back and back),

mama