love letters

Dear Em,

"Well, Nonnie, since you're such a special friend, you know you can come back to my house...maybe in a couple days?"

- Emma 3.5 years old

We had a fantastic summer with Nonnie. I can't tell you how fortunate I feel that she's able to spend the summer months with us in Rhode Island. It's hard saying goodbye to both the Nonnie & the summer almost simultaneously (you go back to school on Tuesday). 

It's hard for you to understand the distance between our house & Nonnie & Papi's house. So, you've asked Nonnie to come back to our house tons of times, as if she can just get in her car & be here in 10 minutes. I think it might break Nonnie's heart a little each time you ask (I know it breaks mine), but we've been filling in the gaps with phone calls & skype (believe it or not, when I was growing up long distance phone calls were extra money & skype didn't exist).

This summer was so filled with adventures & every adventure was that much more amazing having Nonnie to share it with. I know that your 3.5 birthday party wouldn't have been what it was without her. We had some crazy water & dodgeball fights. We got to be beachbums (we even got Nonnie to swim in the "freezing" New England ocean) & visit one of my favorite zoos. We taught Nonnie how to kayak & soaked ourselves in the process. I had an extra set of hands during all the wicked busy & wicked amazing double sleepovers. She was our photographer for our amazing family photo shoot. You had a partner in Barbies, you guys played barbies more times than I can count. We had picnics on the quad & enjoyed some of our favorite summer foods at some of my favorite summer restaurants. We went on shopping adventures, not many of them but we made up for that in the length of each trip. We got to spend time with Grandma & Grandpa, & it made my heart soar to see all the grandparents smile as they talked about you.

In between all the fun, you & Nonnie learned a lot together too. She took you on so many trips to the library & always came back with a mountain of books. She taught you some pretty nifty dance moves. You two worked on writing together, and you read your very first book with Nonnie (that memory will always be so precious in my heart). Nonnie also helped wean you off of naps, although I think we've found that you still need them from time to time.

Nonnie was such a big help & such a fun addition to our house. It feels a little quieter & emptier without her, but I'm so thankful for the time we had. I'm so thankful that I've been blessed with such an amazing woman as a mother, & now I can call her my best friend. I'm so thankful that you & her get to experience these precious moments together each summer. You have such a special & unique bond with your Nonnie, & I couldn't be more thrilled about it.

I can't wait for summer 2014 (is it too early to say that?), but

until next summer, thank goodness for skype & cell phones!

I love you so,

Mommy