Dear PreShie...You at 17......

Dearest Little Wicky Lou.....(aka PreShie...)

Happy Birthday to you!!

I know you have heard all these stories before...but I want to tell you again so you know...for sure

how very much you are loved!  It wasn't easy for your Dad and I to get our children...

after many years...your brother...The Boy....arrived on the scene...and a very short 9 months

later...we found out that you were on the way!  Wow!!! I guess we thought it  would take

another several years for us to get another baby...but no....you knew the "family party" had started

and you didn't want to miss a thing!  Your arrival was pretty scary...and after a stay in the NICU...

you were ready to come home.  When your brother held you for the first time all he could say

was "Babe" and boy did he love you and watch out for you.  I know he was pretty anoying for

the last couple of years;)...but he sure did worry about you and wanted to protect you and keep

you safe...that was important to him.  When you two had to stay good-bye it was pretty

darn hard.... on both of you.  So, Mi Hija...you at 17....

You are a beautiful young woman..inside and out!  I am so grateful for you!  Your Dad is

perfectly smitten with you...and he will jump whenever you say jump!  You are alot like

him.  You look like him...you are creative like him...you think like him...and you too understand

each other in a very special way.  I love that you talk to us...that you tell us your hopes and dreams,

your fears and your joyful moments.  You have a wonderful sense of humor...you are really,

really funny!  You are trust worthy.....you are honest, even if it will get you into trouble;)

You have a great head on your shoulders!

You are a fantastic photographer!  Your pictures are really special!  You most certainly have a gift
You are always finding a way to create....I love that about you.  The thing that has touched me the most about you lately is your intense loyalty to your
 brother The Rooster.  I love that he trusts you and confides in you.  I love even more,
that you are willing to protect him.  I love that you
love him!  He is lucky to have you around and he knows it.  You totally hate feeding the dogs...
even though you have done it for YEARS!.....why do you still complain and tell me that you
"hate those dumb dogs...." every single night as you are feeding them!!!!  WHY????
Just for the record...they love you.  And can we talk about Kitty Meow Meow???  Oh wow!
you sure do love him....he is known as the fattest cat in town...thanks to the bowls of milk
that you give him each and every morning...and sometimes in the night too!  He is one wacky cat!
I love that you still wanted a playhouse at the age of 16....and that your Dad actually built
you one!  And boy did he build you one!!!  You are so fun to talk to....you are very
passionate about life....you have fun no matter what you are doing....and you have a smile
that lights up a room!  We did worry the other day though...just a little...when you announced...you
were never going to move away...you would just go to college online while living at the
"red house"...okay...that scared us just a little;)...hehe....

Here is a few of the little names we call you....

Queen.....Queenie....Toria....Wicky....Blicky.....Wicky Lou..and most importantly

PreShie.....this of course comes from Precious.  One of the ladies who worked for us when you were

a baby named you Precious....and it stuck!  What I love is that even the Bishop calls you PreSh!

Wicky Lou....we love you sooooo much!  You are a joy beyond measure!!  We love

everything about you!  Thanks for being our little PreShie Girl!

(Just a few little notes about your birthday this year....)

*A group of your friends came to our house at 1am to sing Las Mananitas...a

birthday tradition in Mexico....

*A special "friend" gave you a build-a-bear "cheerleader" and you really liked it!

*Aunt Kelly and Jan made you lunch at the high school since I was out of town...

*Aunt Mary made you and the cousins..and some friends...a birthday dinner

(again..since I was out of town)

*You said it was a great day...and you really had alot of fun!;)