Where did you get your funny?

Oh Kyra Mae, 

I have no idea where you got your funny from. You are all or nothing. You are meltdown or funny face. You fight hard but you love harder. You have me wrapped. You are smart like your daddy and emotional like me. We've decided this has potential to be a dangerous combination. You have super curly hair that is rarely tamed and in the humidity, Shirley Temple has nothing on you. You love reading and puzzles and snuggling. You have grabbed on to the role of the youngest and played it well. You love your sister with a fierceness that I pity anybody who dare breaks her heart. Hell hath no fury like a Teagan with a Kyra Mae as her sister.  You dance to your own beat but you have two left feet and are our constantly bruised and beat up kid. You are passionate. You know what you want and typically will stop at nothing to get it.  You bring such laughter to our lives. I even have to watch myself when you are doing things you know you shouldn't because it's often funny. You love hugs and kisses and you love to be tickled. You despise having to go try and potty if you don't have to go right that second. You always come home with a sandbox of sand in your hair on pretty days. You share the brightness in your eyes that Teagan has. You are barely one size away from her in clothes because you are physically your daddy made over and are taller than some of the kids in her class. People rarely believe me when I tell them you are merely 3.  Our relationship had a rocky start. I feel like I've spent a lot of time making up for the bonding I feel like I deprived you of in the first year. I think I'm partly at fault for feeding into your youngest child mentality. I admit to babying you some. I admit to doing things for you because it's just a little bit easier that way. You get very upset if you don't do things right immediately and if it doesn't work the first time you get yourself worked into a tizzy. This has been a tough one for your daddy and I. We recognize the frustration and sometimes we are really good at cultivating persistence and perseverance with you during those hard times and sometimes we are terrible at it. We aim for more good at than bad at. I just ask that you be patient with us. I pray that you know how much we love you. I pray that in those times of frustration that we are able to show each other Jesus and grace, oh, so much grace. 

We love you. Forever and always. 

Oh Sisters. Oh Friends.

Dearest Girls, 

I was going to put a sweet quote about sisters on here but I decided not to. I googled some but found that a lot of them were cheesy and also didn't come close to the relationship you girls already have with each other and didn't come close to the relationship I pray you will continue to have.

Looking back over the relationship that you girls have developed just makes my heart smile with a joy I never imagined.  The way you sweet girls play, read, and talk together is something that brings a little more light into this seemingly daunting world.  Watching you love each other.  Watching you quarrel with each other.  Watching you make each other laugh.  Occasionally watching you make each other cry.  It all amazes me.     

I am thankful for the blessings that the two of you are to your daddy and I.  As we watch you grow both into your own and together we just want you to know some things...

We love you.  We love you with a love you will never be able to fathom until or unless you become parents of your own.  

We want the best for you.  In those moments where we use the dreaded "No" it's not because we're being mean and it's almost always not because we're tired or frustrated. It's because we are doing the very best we can to raise you up in ways that are good, wise, and kind.  

We love each other. We love each other more now than we did before you both came into our lives.  You girls have help your daddy and I connect more deeply and more intimately than we could ever imagine. We're truly a team now. Not just for your sake but for our own. 

We strive to be more like Jesus.  Moreso now you girls are in our lives.  We have been given an eternal responsibility.  We have been chosen by our sweet Savior to be your keepers and bringers-up here on Earth.  We take that responsibility very seriously.  

We are going to get it wrong. A lot. There are going to be moments when you girls bob and we weave and we're all just standing there like we lost a puppy.  However, we love you. We will always love you. We will shower you with grace and we pray that you will do the same for us.  

Forever & Always, 

Mommy

Dearest Kyra Mae

Dearest Kyra Mae,
Well, Baby Girl, we've made it through the first two months.  It's hard to believe, and remember, sometimes you've only been here two months.  It just seems like you've always been.  Like we have always been a family of four.
You and I have struggled a bit but we continue to learn each other day by day.  Unfortunately, my hormones got all out of whack and I wound up with postpartum depression.  It made me, and some days still does, a little distant from you.  I am so sorry for that.  Even in my distance I want you to know how much I love you.  You made our family whole.
We are all slowly but surely adjusting to our new roles and new norms.  You actually make it pretty easy to be a mommy of two.  You have a sweet and patient nature about you that just takes the chaos and allows it to roll off your back like it's nothing.  You are so alert and observant!  You basically came out of the womb with your eyes open, holding your head up ready to conquer the world.  As sweet natured as you are I think you will be a force to be reckoned with.  Watch out world, here comes Kyra!
The way you are with your sister makes my heart smile.  You watch her like she is the best thing since a clean diaper and you talk to her like she's your best friend already.  She loves you so much.  She loves holding your hand in the car and tells me if she thinks you need something. Anything.  You tolerate her sometimes overabundance of love with a gummy smile.  Although, you aren't above telling her when you've had enough but that isn't very often.
I can't wait to see whats in store for you as you grow up.  There are so many things I want for you to know and see and do.  I can only pray I will be a mommy who is capable of showing you and teaching you.  I know without a doubt that I will at least be a mommy who loves you no matter what.  Postpartum depression be damned.

Forever and Always,
Mommy

Dearest Kyra

Dearest Kyra,
My sweet baby girl.  You have done it.  Something I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do one more time.  You've made me fall in love for a third time.  I honestly wasn't sure my heart was capable of breaking off into one more solid piece but you've proven me wrong.  I love you with as much intensity as I did your sister and as I do your daddy.  You have been such a blessing to our family.  You've made our family a whole now.  With you we are complete.
Your temperament is not unlike your sister's but it's quite a bit calmer then hers.  You take most things in stride and curiously watch her and the rest of the world with a look of intense interest.
Even though at this point your smiles are still mostly due to gas bubbles it still makes my heart squeal with joy when your lips curl up and you smile that sweet smile.  Sometimes I disregard what research is proven and know certain smiles are just for me and not caused by bubbles in your tummy.
You turned three weeks old yesterday and to be honest I could hardly believe it. I feel as if you have always been with us at this point.  Truthfully, I think Teagan thinks you've always been with us.  She adjusted to you much quicker then your daddy & I thought.  She loves you like we only hoped she would.  She thinks you are the best thing since yogurt or bananas and that is saying something for her.  I only pray that love continues to grow between the two of you and you can have a bond that surpasses even the best of friendships. 
We thank the Lord every day for bringing you into our lives and we can't wait to watch you grow up. We are prayerful that you will always know how much we love you and how blessed we feel. 

Forever & Always,
Mommy