Love Letters

Dear Laney,

I don't recall when it started, but for as long as I can remember, your great grandmother Granny Jack has been sending you a card every week. In each card, she's enclosed a sheet of stickers, and two one dollar bills, "one for you and one for Hagen." I don't think Hagen's ever seen his cut of the profits. Typically, I hand the letters back to you in your car seat, where you "read" the cards to yourself  and then file away your money in your not-so-secret stash in the car door.

Confession: Dad and I have been known to borrow a few bucks from you now and then when we're running errands and could really use a coffee from the drive-thru. On one hand, I feel guilty. On the other hand, you're the only person in the family with disposable income.

Last night, we talked about what a great idea it would be to write Granny Jack a letter back, to thank her for all of those stickers and cards and dollar bills. So we sat down to work on it, and you wrote this:

Illustrations, clockwise from top left: sun, cloud, flower, heart (colored in)

I don't mean to suggest that you sat down and wrote this with no help. We talked about how to spell each word, and before you'd write each letter, you'd confirm: "That's the one that looks like this, right?" and then trace it in the air with your little fingers. It took half an hour to write these five words, but you wrote every single letter by yourself. I did not touch the pen or the paper, and you stuck with it 'til the end. 

I couldn't be prouder. Let me borrow some beer money, and we'll celebrate.

Love,

Mom