An Open Letter to my Niece

Dear Hollyn,

I had just turned 17 years old the first time we met. I took a road trip with my boyfriend to meet his new niece. I remember being nervous to hold you, you seemed so tiny. Although looking back with the knowledge that I have now, a 9 pound + baby is not all that tiny!

They placed you in my arms and it was as if I had met you before. I was new to you, not even an official part of your new family, yet you didn't cry. Instead, you stared at me intently with huge blue eyes and I fell in love. From that moment on you were not "my boyfriend's niece", you were mine. You had never been a niece and I had never been an Aunt, so we figured out our new roles together.

 I officially became your Aunt three years after you were born. You were the prettiest flower girl I had ever seen. The day of the wedding you walked up to me, dressed up with a ring of flowers sitting in your hair and explained that I could not marry Steve because he was yours. So, I politely asked if you would mind if we shared, to which you agreed.

There were hours spent building towers with Lincoln Logs and getting lost in the world of Cinderella where you, of course, were the princess and I had the honor of being your "Bibbity-Bobbity-Boo". Birthdays and trips to North Carolina. Christmases filled with roaming aisles of little girl toys, trying to pick out just the right one.

There are almost two decades between us, yet we have more in common then you think. We are both the first born in our families. We both have blue eyes. We both have sisters. We both started out as blondes. We both have parents who are divorced.

With all of these similarities, there are so many qualities that you have that I wish I could call my own. You are soft spoken, but not afraid to speak your mind. You are a peace keeper. You are compassionate. You are intelligent but not arrogant. You are curious about the world around you. You have a quiet confidence and when you truly think something is funny, you have the best laugh.

I have had the privilege of getting to be your Aunt for the last 13 years. I have watched you grow from a toddler who was obsessed with Cinderella to a teenager obsessed with clothes, shoes, makeup (I guess we have a couple other things in common). I have gone from hearing your itty-bitty baby voice on the phone asking me to come visit to receiving picture messages asking me which outfit is cuter. Although those hugs that I used to get are now, at times, eye rolls I know that it comes with the territory. You are now a teenager.

Thank you Hollyn for letting me be your Aunt. Thank you for being an incredible older cousin to Autumn and Nate. You have transformed into a beautiful girl and I am so lucky that I will get to watch you become an even greater woman. Happy 13th birthday, my flower girl.

                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                          Love Always,
                                                                                                                          Aunt Kimmie