5/3/2016
Our Dearest Savannah
Today is your 16th Birthday and your Dad and I
wanted to take a few minutes to remind you what an amazing young woman you
are. We are in awe of how much we have
experienced together as a family and how much you have changed our lives in
these very fast 16 years.
While you are on the brink of adulthood today, we wanted
to take a few minutes to look back and remind you of all the things we treasure
about you.
We remember how surprised we were when we learned we were
pregnant with you and all the wonders and worries of becoming first time
parents. We remember the night you were
born and how chaotic things seemed for a minute as we wanted to make sure you
arrived safely.
I remember when I finally got to hold you for the first
time and truly be alone with you. You
opened your eyes and looked into my soul and I knew you were probably one of
the wisest people I had ever met. On
that night 16 years ago you gave us the new titles of Mom and Dad and we had
never been so happy and so scared all at the same time.
By day you were an absolute joy as a baby with your
perfect round, bald head, big brown eyes and sweet chubby cheeks. I remember it taking forever to go to the
store or run errands for all the people who would stop to greet you.
By night you made sure your Dad knew who was now in
charge as he walked around our little apartment endlessly trying to get you to
stop crying. Turns out you just loved to
cuddle and cuddle we did for nearly two years until you finally made it to your
own bed.
As a toddler you were so precocious and sweet. You engaged with anyone and everyone that
came your way. You looked at everything
with wonder and curiosity and you made everyone around you feel loved.
By age three you had discovered music and had a natural
rhythm and would dance pretty much anywhere and everywhere you could.
You became a big sister for the first time and I could
not have asked for a gentler, sweeter child for us to enjoy our new baby
with. You never complained and were
always helpful and kind to her. Shelby
adored you from day one and while there are days at the moment that may not
feel like it, that bond is forever and I know will carry you two in
the future.
In the first grade you had discovered fashion and were
always so complimentary to others. I
remember adults commenting, “Well if Savannah liked it, I must be looking
pretty good today.”
Then after years of turning pages, you fell in love with
books. Your talent for reading was like
nothing we had ever seen. You could not
read them fast enough yet knew every detail there was to enjoy on each
page. We envy this skill of yours and
truly believe it will take you far in life.
Not long after you became a big sister once more and took
everything in stride. During a time that
was filled with so many emotions for our family you continued being your sweet
self, even as you navigated your own challenges. Sydney truly looks up to you and we treasure
the moments we see you taking care of her.
Above all this, what we love about you Savannah is that
you are so smart and witty, you are sympathetic and caring, you are a
daydreamer with a huge imagination and a hopeless romantic. We are so proud of how brave you are when you
take the stage and own each character you play.
We think you are growing up into a wonderful young
woman. We are so proud to say we are
your parents. Yes we would like you to
clean up your room and help around the house more but at the end of the day we
know you are a good kid who means well.
These preteen and early teen years have had some highs
and a few lows but you are always open to learning from your mistakes. You keep an open mind and an open heart and
listen to what we have to say.
In the blink of an eye you will be making decisions about
your future and whichever road you choose and wherever your path may take you,
always know that we will be here for you.
No matter what you will always be our baby. We love you more than we can ever explain and
can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Happy 16th Birthday Savannah
We love you!
Mom and Dad
