My niece, Sarah Marie turned eighteen yesterday. She had a combination graduation/birthday party which was pretty awesome. At her party her mom had a notebook to write memories of Sarah. Of course my mind went blank and I only thought of a couple things. Of course last night as I was falling asleep the best story came to mind.

Teresa was telling a new neighbor about the letters that all of us wrote Sarah when she was born to read on her eighteenth birthday. She said to the neighbor it took a lot to get Sarah here. Such a beautifully painful statement! I told Sarah yesterday I prayed for her long before she was ever conceived. I will never forget how happy (and yes a little nervous) I was when her mom announced at Thanksgiving she would arrive in July. I remember thinking as I wrote her letter that eighteen years was a long long time away and yet here we are in just a flash of time.

My very best memory I am sharing on my blog so that one day when I am gone if any of my kids, nieces, nephews, and anyone else who wants to read my blog they can be entertained with my stories.  Sarah and Tyler came to our house every New Years Eve for years while their parents went out with friends. They stayed the night and then we would take them to Mimi and PaPa’s house for the annual New Year’s Day celebration. I worked evenings back then so every other year Brian would be on his own with all the kids. We so enjoyed that special time with both of them. And in a flash Sarah was old enough to babysit and then hang with friends and the old Aunt and Uncle became irrelevant. It was ok because we still had Tyler and ultimate ping pong (where you play off the walls and the ceiling) until last year when he went and hung out with friends as well. On Christmas morning 2007 Sarah and Tyler awoke to find a new dog out in their front yard. She was a puggle and they named her Chloe. Well, I am a total dog lover so I had them bring her over that New Year’s Eve to spend the night as well.

This was also the year Emily was dating Cody (he came over that New Year’s Ever as well) and he nicknamed Sarah and Tyler: Dog Girl and Chocolate Boy after Shark Girl and Lava Boy. He would have no idea that thirteen years later Sarah still loves dogs and Tyler is still insane about chocolate. Chloe passed away earlier this year and they just got a new puppy named Daisy. I am not sure how Sarah is going to be able to go away to school and leave her. As for Tyler he honed right in on the Ted Drews chocolate ice cream at the party yesterday!

Sarah did baton when she was younger. She was amazing at it but ended up moving on to dance. She started at Denoyer when Kayla was going and then moved to a closer studio and then was on the Lindbergh dance team. I went to a few of her competitions but not as many as I would have liked! I made Sarah this quilt as her graduation present. So many memories for her and of course she can’t forget me because I made it.

July 11, 2002 seems like just yesterday. Teresa was in the hospital with Sarah putting an offer on a house she wanted to buy. She came home and then got her house market ready and sold and they moved it seems like by the time Sarah was six weeks old. It may have been sooner but my sister in law is as crazy as me with doing that kind of stuff! Happy birthday Sarah, I love you more than you can ever know!

Mole Moral ~ If you are ever asked to write a letter to a baby to open up when they are eighteen, do it! I can’t think of anything more special and I wish I would have thought of it for my girls!