Dear Amaya Isabelle

As your mother, I've experienced the entire gamut of emotions that come with child rearing: joy beyond measure, pride, unconditional love, sacrifice, guilt, frustration, worry, insanity, humility and pure happiness.

You have shown me my weaknesses, and solidified my strengths. You have tested the limits of my patience, and made me feel loved beyond what I thought was possible.

You came down with your own personality- sweet but strong, smart, independent, confident, intelligent, persistent, caring, sincere, honest and pure. We have felt such a change in our home since you arrived 3 years ago, and now its as if you were always here.

You are the most adoring big sister that ever has been. You have been a mother hen to Kendal since the moment you first met her, and continue to be her protector and "best friend," as you always say. You are fiercely protective of her while out in public, making certain that no one talks to her without getting your approval first. You are always so anxious for her to wake up in the morning and greet her with the most enthusiastic and loving hello, day in and day out.

You are a daddy's girl to the core. You have such a special bond with him, and he gets so much joy and fulfillment out of being your father. You are constantly concerned for his well being, demonstrated by multiple phone calls to him throughout the day, and never ending questions to me about when he will be home, or can we go visit him at work. And nothing brings him more happiness than you running into his arms when he gets home and telling him how glad you are to see him and how much you missed him.

You are the best little sidekick during the day that I could ever ask for! You love to help me clean, and fold laundry, run errands, or take care of Kendal. I love that our conversations are new and interesting every day. I have always appreciated your advanced communication skills, as they have given me a rare opportunity to see into the mind of an innocent child your age.

You have given me a whole new insight to the scripture Mosiah 3:19

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."

Thank you for 3 wonderful years, oh how I adore you!