Dear Doodlebug,
Sometimes I feel like my family is just a bag of mixed nuts.
This is especially true after the holidays, where we get to visit with extended
family and the associated parental terrors of cousin comparisons – nervous breakdowns,
anyone? You can find them at the nearest all-family meal! Indigestion comes
free of charge, too!
But I digress.
What we all know about mixed nuts is that some are especially
delicious. You spy them in the holiday-themed bowl. You carefully choose a
precision handful that captures as many as possible without seeming indulgent.
You eat around the handful, scarfing the less appetizing ones first. You fall
in love with your favorites (pistachios!) and sing them sweet lullabies while
they tantalize you with their delicious aroma. You set them aside for savoring.
Finally, that moment comes when you give in and lose yourself in the best the
bag has to offer.
Or, if you’re my Doodlebug, you just pick out the tastiest
ones and let the other suckers have the dregs.
That’s my girl. She’s not one to mince words or stand
politely aside when there’s something she wants. She’s more of a “shoot first
and ask questions later” type. And I love every delicious, delirious moment of
it!
This holiday, one of the greatest gifts I received was a
chance to spend some time with this beautiful girlie. She is definitely a
stand-out in the whole handful of us “nuts”. She’s always been an observant
little one, but she has lately sprouted into a precocious pistachio all by
herself. She reminds me of Shirley Temple in the way she often spouts off in
the vein of “from the mouths of babes”-type observations.
We knew we had a special kiddo with this one. When we
started our family together, my wife and I had a pair of “only-children”, and
weren’t planning on having more. But life happens, and when Doodlebug came
along, she became our third “only-child”. But really, she’s the sparkling ball
of glitter-glue that holds us together.
Like many little girls this age, she's in love with princesses, too. Oh, and she likes Super Hero Squad. She's a Ninjago freak, and she loves Barbies. She says what she hears (we're hoping she doesn't say 'freakin' too much, or worse!). I don’t know what we’d do without her. Although we might
have some quiet, I don’t think we’d find peace to match. Even in the midst of
familial whirlwinds, fits of crying and fits of laughter, her presence brings a
light of love to the room. We just couldn’t get along without her smile, her
spirit, or her sweet disposition.
So, I love you, little Princess Pistachio. I love you so. Keep on
being the precocious, stubborn, and sweet little thing you are - because you’re
good at it!
With Love,
Daddy
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