Dear Elizabeth

Dear Elizabeth,

I want to tell you how much I love you. You and I have really struggled this week. You have inherited your mother's strong will and your father's stubbornness. For the past week, bedtime has only been a suggestion, and getting you dressed after bath time is even harder. But there are good moments too; like when you were walking down the isle in target this afternoon...10 ft ahead of me only to stop, turn around and say, "I'm Shoppin'!" Or when you insisted on more ketchup for your chicken nuggets and stuck your nose in it when Mommy wasn't looking. I also loved watching you play with friends and the excitement in your eyes when you learned how to get on the swing all by yourself. I hope the refusal to sleep in your own bed, and the screaming when something doesn't go quite like you want it too is just a phase. I pray that I can keep up with your energy and excitement for learning. You are so smart. You see things in your world that I have taken for granted and I love that about you.

Thank you for being my daughter. (And maybe, just maybe, Can Mommy win the bedtime war at least once in the coming week?...that would really boost my Mommy confidence.)

Love you,

Mom