A letter to my first born, my sweet Alyvia,

Soon you will be five.
Soon I will watch you graduate preschool, grow two more inches, swim without floaties, ride the bus for the first time.
You will play another year of TBall, you will make new friends, your hair will grow longer, your feet swifter.
Soon you will enter second, sixth, and high school grades.  You will learn lessons the hard way, and the easy.  You will bring home report cards, tests, class photos, and be apart of many fun things, or not so fun.

But, these five years, these first five, quick years, my beautiful girl, you will never know the impact you have made on my life.  The responsibility I quickly gained, the love I quickly learned to which I never knew existed.  Because of you, I am whole.

I wish for you to run and play, scrape your knees, learn new things, stand up for yourself, be nice, play dress up, ride four wheelers, swim and dance.  Fall in love, follow your dreams, never settle for anything less than you know you want and deserve - do all theese things, even if I fail to set the example for them, just always remember that you are worth more than gold.

Never lose your sparkle.  I love you so much.