{ I love this girl }...

 Kaylee recently lost one of her jackets.  At the time it was her only jacket, apart from her big heavy winter jacket that we brought with us from Utah.  Which only gets pulled out a couple of times a year here, so it does us no good really.  We checked the lost and found at school, more than once, searched high and low in her room, checked the playground - no luck.  She went to school a couple of days with out one - mean of me, but it wasn't THAT cold and I wasn't happy that she lost it.  Finally I came to the conclusion that it wasn't going to magically appear and that it was gone - for good.  We made a deal that her and I would go shopping for a new jacket but she had to buy us a milkshake after we were done.  She happily agreed. 

We had an evening out, just the two of us. We made our rounds downtown, chatting about everything and anything under the moon.  The whole time I'm thinking "I love this girl!!!  What on earth would I do with out her???"  And I'm wondering "Why don't we do this more often?"  It takes loosing a jacket to spend time together?  She told me all about school and people in her class, about her friends in the neighborhood.  We talked about Christmas and other holidays, about our extended family and she asked questions about me, I can't even remember what exactly. I just remember realizing that we wouldn't have had any of those conversations had the sweet little brothers been with us or even Dad.  I realized just how important it is to make one on one time for each of my children.  It's amazing the insight I was able to see in her and realize that she is this little person apart from just being my daughter, which someday's in my mind, is another mouth to feed and more laundry to do.

Kaylee I love you!  I love how you dance around all day and can hardly hold still.  Every morning when I'm doing your hair and your snapping your fingers singing a song and moving your hips back and forth, I get a little annoyed, but I still love it!  I love how you reach out and hold my hand any chance you get.  I love how you are so much like me that it actually scares me (for you)!  I love how you take pride in your schoolwork and do your homework all by yourself, with out having to be asked.  I love that we share looks with each other, like we are talking without having to say anything and we totally know what the other is thinking.  I love that you understand and respect my crazy motherly ways.  But most of all, I just love the person that you are!  Thanks for being my daughter and loving me unconditionally.