Mia Darling
I missed your letter last month, I'm so sorry. I had been trying to decide if I would keep going writing each month after two years...and in the process of deciding, an entire month went by. This won't be a typical letter; some of this will be catching up and getting a few things written down that need to be. I've actually been having a really hard time sitting down to type this. My heart is heavy and I kept thinking time would make it better but it hasn't. So I'm sitting here at the computer while you nap, eating my pistachio dark chocolate covered toffee from Trader Joe's and trying to put my thoughts together.
When Daddy and I lived in Pennsylvania, we met the Luck's and they adopted us. While we were at the coast, your Grandpa Luck was injured and a week later, he passed away. He loved you very much, Amelia. I keep thinking back to just a few weeks prior to the accident when we were facetiming with them and you sang your ABCs to him and Grandma. He was proud of you and kept saying how smart you are. He was famous for his sayings like "Are you living life longer, but enjoying it less?" and his love of blueberries and making breakfast and NPR. He is one of the most selfless people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. He helped train Daddy and several times since we have known him and Grandma, they have influenced us and changed the course of our life path forever. I miss him every day. After the accident there was such a flurry of am I going out there? Daddy is very busy with work, should I bring you? What about my job? My heart was in pieces and although I had a ticket bought at one point, I did not go. I will be going in one month to celebrate Megan's wedding instead. I think that is what he would've wanted of me.
So as we came home from the coast and tried to pull our emotions back together, I still had birthday celebrations for you. We didn't get to take your gifts out there with us and since you got terribly sick as we were leaving, everything was just a bit delayed. A week later we had a cute little party at Jennifer's house that was perfect- a few little friends you know and ask for by name, a cake Mommy made with purple M&M's that you asked for, playing outside on the swing set, and stickers for everyone who came. Very low key. Absolutely perfect. You didn't even cry when we sang Happy Birthday to you which was great :) You are extremely friend-oriented right now. You ask for your friends by name and remember their parents, and if we've been there, you recognize their homes. Sometimes you'll even bring me the phone and ask to see someone (yesterday it was Ev) or watch a video of someone in particular. I figure, if you're old enough to remember a friend you haven't seen in 2-3 months, you're old enough to have a "friend party". While we were there you also opened your fun gifts from your birthfamily- a pink cowgirl hat that lights up (which will go perfect with the pink cowgirl boots you're almost big enough for!), a vacuum that looks very real and has kept you entertained for hours :) :) :), a shirt about not dating- ever! lol, and a train book. You also got a stuffed chicken from Nana and Papa Lewis that you've been carrying around. Jennifer was incredibly kind to let us celebrate at her house and so we took them all to dinner after the party. I wasn't able to get very many pictures since Daddy couldn't come but the ones I got are pretty cute!
A couple of weeks after being home, Grandma and Grandpa DeKorte came to visit over the holiday weekend. We took them up to Leavenworth and had such a wonderful day. You were a trooper even though you missed your nap. They brought lots of treats for you- Frozen outfits and little toys and things. Then Grandpa pushed you in your little car around the house to your heart's content. We always wish our visits were longer but that's what makes them so special I guess.
Mia you continue to amaze us every single day. Yesterday Dad started counting and you often get to 11 but suddenly you took over and counted all the way to 20! Wow! You figure things out quicker than we imagine (ha. yay. lol) and you have a very very very cool sense of humor. On Wednesday I needed to bring cookies to work the next day so I thought you and I could do them together. After we used the beaters to cream the butter and sugar together the circuit cut out and power to the beater stopped. I propped them up, added more ingredients, did some cleaning, then went to hit the reset on the plug, not remembering they were still on. Well, power was restored all right. The beaters came on full speed, splattering butter/sugar everywhere. I fumbled, trying to get them off, then just stood there looking around like oh. my. gosh. Suddenly I look up and our eyes meet and we both just totally burst out laughing. You were laughing so hard you couldn't stand up anymore and just sat there, doubled over laughing. I loved it. I had tears of laughter just watching you. We cleaned up, baked the cookies, and then each got one before bed. You mainly ate the chocolate chips out of it, but that's okay. I'll teach you to love chocolate chip oatmeal cookies over time :)
You make us laugh when you say peaches which sounds like "pizza". You test us by standing in your chair at dinner even when we ask you not to. You amaze us by getting yourself dressed. You confuse and exhaust us by taking your clothes off in the middle of the night then hollering because you're freezing. You're obedient in many ways- you can easily get in and out of your bed but you don't, because I've asked you not to. You have opinions I never knew about- your whole life I have warmed your milk up before bed. However, as soon as you figured out cold/warm/hot you started asking for cold milk and insist on it every time. Your favorite color is PINK. Absolutely pink. You are working hard on your colors and are more right than not lately. You have a favorite book and your favorite animal is a whale. You tuck your babies in to bed- face down- almost each night. You love watermelon and spaghetti and peas and broccoli and tomato and asian pot stickers. We are starting to pretend play and make believe a lot more lately. You pretend to paint my nails with the USB drive, we play horses with your toy animals, we make meals and pretend to eat and we often call Grandma or Grandpa to tell them about your day. Every time we are in the car we sing songs. Now I will often hear you humming or singing one of them to yourself as you play, it's adorable.
Another thing that happened since we came back from the coast that has changed our world is that Jennifer moved to the Seattle area. We will miss her so very much and you still ask about her and her twin girls every day. Although they are two years older, you are about the same size (actually, your feet are bigger-ha!) and played well together. We are devastated losing this support system and friend. We fear your Spanish will be forgotten so we are trying hard at home to keep it up. Luckily, you love your daycare you've been going to two days a week since January so we just increased the number of days there. Your teachers are consistent and you enjoy your friends. You're also much closer to Mommy and Daddy's work which we like. Hopefully we can go visit Jennifer soon!
It was Independence Day yesterday. We had a very low key day. Daddy is studying for a big test he is taking on Friday. You and I went to Honda to get the headlight fixed before our day trip to Portland to see Uncle Matt and they discovered the radiator is cracked. It is too hot for us (it's been around 110 every day for almost 3 weeks) to make a trip with it broken so we will get it fixed this week and then go next weekend before he is deployed to Bahrain. So we spent the day the three of us, playing in the water in the yard and eating watermelon and relaxing. It was a good day and I have no complaints. I think it was a real day of reflection for Daddy and I as we realized why holidays aren't really our favorite. We are just always gone and although we LOVE spending time the three of us, sometimes it would be nice to casually get together for dinner at the grandparents or no big deal meet up with cousins at the pool or go see our niece (your cousin) who was born in November we haven't met or does Great Grandma need her yard mowed? We can do that! I think we are feeling a pull to join our clan and that's all normal and good. We've been gone now for almost 10 years. But we will see where Daddy's job takes us and no matter where that is, we will decide to be happy and thrive.
Amelia, I know this hasn't been a traditional letter. There's been an incredible amount going on in our little lives and although it feels like so much is changing, know that you are still the center of our world as we try to live our lives more Christ like each day and bring us and you closer to Him. We absolutely adore you and barely a thought goes by or a conversation spoken that isn't about you. I hope you can feel how much we love you and want you to know it. Happy 26 months here in a couple days, my sweet girl.
xoxoxoxox
Mommy
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