The Suits Sisters

Dear Kent, after thirty years of marriage, let's look at each other like Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson looked at each other the other day when she received her Hollywood Star Dear Readers, if you haven't seen Tom and Rita look at each other the other day, google it. PRECIOUS is an understatement. Here , let me save you a step.  Dear Tom, I like to think that we're on a first name basis. I mean, after all, you're WOODY. Anyways, 5.6 million people follow you on Instagram and you follow one person, your wife. In a digital age, that is classically romantic Dear Daughters, you spent 4 hours in your room today not cleaning + 15 minutes cleaning. This has made for the easiest parenting day ever! Your dad and I are in great moods. Dear Pub Sub, Kent put you on wheat bread and I just wasn't feelin' it. If I'm going to splurge on you, you need to come wrapped in cozy white bread. Dear Pale Legs, yep. It's here again. Shorts weather Dear Local Thrift Store...

Dear Dominos pizza, you seemed over priced, but when I tasted your garlicky goodness, I changed my mind and decided to order "real" pizza more often Dear phone and car keys, I spend 89% of my day looking for one of you (or both) Dear Kent, yes, the only time that I need to talk (quickly and loudly) about all the pressing things on my mind is when you roll over to fall asleep Dear library visit without kids, WOW you are SO QUIET Dear Audrey, who knew Ranch salad dressing smeared in your hair could smell so bad? Dear lingering cough that we all have, COUGH BE GONE! (Said in my Dan F. voice) Dear cold, wet winter days, you get a bad rap, but I secretly love you Dear Dollar Tree worker, I'm sorry that I paid for my $2.07 total with a five dollar bill, thus making you give me 93 cents in change but these children around me are bickering and distracting me from digging through my receipt laden wallet Dear old videos, I can only watch a few of you before I want ...

{last sunday night} SO.ITCHY.SEND.HELP Dear small group at LPC, we really want to keep coming to your small group (thanks for the invite!) and we will just try to ignore the fact that you meet in a house that contains two cats Dear eyes and skin, I'm sorry, I just hung out with two cats all evening. Gonna have to scratch and poke you 'til I get some relief Dear small kid soccer games, you are (again) both adorable and maddening {Although I have to admit it's getting better} Dear Caris, could you LOOK any cuter in your blue jersey, shin guards, blue socks, cleats and ponytail?? Dear Mom, I enjoyed eating samples at Publix today while watching everyone bustle around buying all sorts of things including jumbo unicorn balloons and key lime pies (on sale!) Dear Mom, thanks for buying my items today when I glanced in my wallet and realized I had niether my debit car NOR MY LICENSE (I-O-U) Dear Lidel worker, thanks for answering my phone call and checking to see...

Dear stairs, I love you!! Love to climb up you, love to climb down, love to freak my mom out doing it. See you soon!!! Dear dad, thanks for starting the "Don't Yell in Audrey's Face Even If It's Happy Yelling" campaign. I really appreciate it  Dear watermelon, Ok you're flat out delicious Dear mom, I know that you love when I crawl up to you on the floor, flop my head on your stomach, suck my thumb and stay still for three seconds. That's why I do it, silly! Dear hair, you're growing over my ears and you t i c k l e Dear sisters, you two are a bunch of wack nuts and I love watching you play Dear two bottom teeth, you are super sharp and I'm proud of the marks you can make on daddy's finger Dear bathtub, just seeing you gets me all giddy and makes me want to try to climb in you to play Dear swimming pool, with every visit I'm losing more and more interest. Sorry, mom Dear every small thing I can find, GET IN MY MOUTH

Sweet Li, The big three! It's hard to believe that it's been three years since my dream delivery (You're my favorite birth story to date. Don't tell your sisters) and you joined our family. We have had the pleasure and joy of watching you grow into a fun little girl. I find myself whispering to your dad SHE IS SO ADORABLE multiple times a day. You are very active and physical. You love to wrestle with your daddy and you love to tackle him. You're a daddy's girl and get giddy when you see that he's home from work. You will be a willing participant in Caris' scripted play-time for hours and hours and then when you don't want to play her way, you make it known. Yikes. Recently we've been talking about self control and learning to tell us how you feel and what you want. You have a tender heart and discipline & correction has been fairly easy with you. You're picky about how your clothes fit and what types of clothing you want to wear. S...

Dear mom, you say that you have a blog but I never see you working on it  Dear dad, thanks for keeping my hands warm  Dear Caris and Liza,  I have two words for you: personal space

Dear Dad, thanks for answering my text with a phone call as I pushed iron supplements around in my grocery cart and for reminding me that a complicated question gets a complicated answer Dear Clearance Easter Candy, I tried not very  hard to resist you, but couldn't do it Dear Ilse, Thanks for passing on your Family Circle magazine to me so that I can have something easy to read while keeping my kids alive Dear Liza, Watching you think hard to form sentences is the cutest thing I've ever seen and heard Dear Caris, Listening to you dramatically read picture books that you've memorized is the cutest thing I've ever seen and heard Dear Lazy Genius Granola Stored in a Glass Container on My Kitchen Counter, thanks for making me feel like a hipster baking mom and for tasting delicious with vanilla greek yogurt Dear Pregnancy Weight Gain, I love your purpose, but why do you always insist on taking up residency in my face? Dear Bigger Car Savings Account, every m...

Dear Pool Guy, I'm sorry our large barking dog was on the back porch at 6:53 last Wednesday morning, thus resulting in you probably having to go change your underwear before going to the next house. Dear Lady in the Walmart parking lot, thank you for pushing my cart back to the cart return so I could buckle my kids in. No, God Bless YOU. Dear Christmas tree, I'm glad you're still hanging around. Dear Kent, one of my new joys in life is watching you suffer through an exercise class beside me. Dear Liza, when you walk by me and say, "Hi! How are you?!" I nearly die from the cuteness. Dear Caris, you have the memory of a Jeopardy player and the energy of a thousand suns. Care to share either of those things with you forgetful and tired mom? Dear Children's Director, I'm secretly relieved that we'll be on vacation during the week of VBS this year. Dear Patch, thanks for letting the girls sit on you while saying "Giddy Up!" and for  ...

Dear Bible Study ladies, although I could have chimed in, all I could actually do was stare at my lap and smile when the 75 year old die-hard (Jesus believing) Catholic asked the group if they thought all Catholics were Christians. 4 of you started talking at once and it got super  a little awkward. Dear Bible Study Leader, thank you for letting the "Are all Catholics Christians?" conversation go on long enough for everyone to feel heard and validated and then shut it down and steered us elsewhere. Dear Caris, when you wake up talking so very loudly, turning on lights and singing, I think to myself, "I don't know where she came from, but she is not my kid." Silence and darkness until 9AM, thank you. Dear Patch, I hope the tube of anti fungal cream that you ate cures all of your ailments including Ieateverythinginsightitis. Dear MacDaddy, you deserve someone better. Dear Liza, you slept snuggled against me as I walked into TJMaxx today. Ladies passed us...

Dear Publix, I might be able to over look your high prices for the shopping carts that drive like a dream and free balloons Dear Dog after Daylight Saving Time, You're not eating dinner! It's only 4:30! Dear Pediatrician, I have small babies! Dear Lady in Michael's that told me her 7 month old twin grand daughters are bigger than my kid, I have small babies! and maybe yours are a little chubby?  Dear Candy Corn Mix, you were worth every white chocolate coated bite over the weekend Dear  Matt Chandler,  You make women of every age in Central Florida laugh out loud and get convicted every Thursday morning Dear Liza, For a second I thought you were a genius baby for trying to put on a hat that you found. Then I realized YOU'RE JUST THAT OLD wahhhh!! Dear Caris, I can see it in the near future.. your sister happily eating dessert while we wrap up your uneaten chicken for your breakfast tomorrow Dear Bestie, I loved Face Timing with you. Wish we lived ...

Dear Baby Girl, If we don't make it through the toddler years together, we have a lot of nice relatives that you can live with. Listening to you repeat letters while watching Wheel of Fortune is one of the cutest things I've ever seen. When you clung to my legs and then insisted that I put the 7 week old baby that I was holding back down on her blanket, I was suddenly completely overwhelmed and FREAKED OUT about February. Sometimes when you get up from a nap, you look like you've aged YEARS in just a couple of hours. The scratch on your face? Sorry, I was trying to catch you. Your Daddy sometimes texts me and asks me to keep you awake just a little bit longer so that he can see you before you go to sleep. Why don't you enjoy shopping? It seems like you and I eat all day long. This won't always be the case, but let's enjoy it while we can. Some days I count down the hours until bedtime only to miss you a few hours later. I can't wait to w...

Dear Pushy People at the Rummage Sale, you're lucky we're in a church! Dear Lemonade, we're told not to drink our calories, but you are worth it Dear Kent, every time I think about your ordination service my eyes fill up with tears. I will be standing in the hallway, watching through the door with a box of tissues, if you need me Dear Florida Drivers, WHY ARE YOU SO ANGRY? Dear Toddler, you make decorating for holidays no fun with your curiosity, wandering eyes and quick hands Dear Dad, thanks for the 6:30AM phone call on a Saturday morning. Ouch. Dear House, my in-laws are coming. Get ready to sparkle and shine Dear Baby, thanks for the reassuring kicks and punches Dear Strawberry Pop Tarts, date night again tonight? 8PM? Dear  Rental Company Maintenance Man, we can both be glad that I was dressed in a real outfit when you showed up unannounced today

Dear Mom, I like crying with you better than crying alone. Thanks for joining in. Dear Dad, walking around Hobby Lobby with you was the high light of my week. I especially liked playing with the wind chimes.  Dear Cotton Ball, wow. Not what I expected you to taste like at all ... Dear Any Kind of Shoes, I HATE YOU. Dear Patch, why do you sit so far away from me in the car? It's like you're trying to avoid me or something.  Dear Mom, your dance moves are safe with me. But, wow.  Dear Music, IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyou the only way to get laundry done don't worry, the washer/dryer is also in the garage

Dear Susu , you were a TOTAL CHAMP during our road trip. Sorry for making you sit in a dirty diaper for the last 45 minutes.Your Dad and I owe you big time. Dear old man in the thrift store , our conversation went like this...  Man: "How are you doing today pretty lady?" Me: "Good. How are you?" Man: "Not as good as you're looking" 10 points for the spin at the end, but sorry, I'm married.  Dear Kent, thanks for spending Saturday afternoon thrifting in our new city. What a perfect way to settle in.  Dear potential rental house, I love your french doors, hard floors, fancy kitchen, back yard and natural light. I hope things work out between us.  Dear Goodwill workers, yes, that is my husband pushing our daughter in her car seat on a rolling desk chair that you're trying to sell.  Dear Hotel, thanks for agreeing to hold my husband's clothes that he left in the closet.  Dear 4 Rivers Smokehouse , not only did you serve us...

Dear shoppers at Walmart, sorry I can't smile at you on demand. Don't take it personally- I'm like, one blink away from a deep, deep sleep. Dear Mom, it's one thing to change my diaper in the parking lot. It's a whole other thing to yell, "POOPYYYY!!" in a high pitched, happy voice. Wait! I think I just saw something fly out the window... Oh, never mind, it was just my DIGNITY. Dear nursery workers, thanks for feeding me the rest of my prunes yesterday.  Dear prunes, thanks for the colon cleanse. Dear my own voice, I didn't know I could make those sounds! Let's keep practicing. Dear Patch, all I give you is smiles and you return the favor by eating two of my socks. What gives? Dear Dad, thanks for not letting Mom put me in daycare so she could take a substitute teaching job. You even offered to quit your job instead. I owe you one.