Happy birthday dear nephew

November 17, 2010
Dear Peter
As i write this, dear Peter, you are safely tucked into your little bed snuggled under your new quilt that Oma lovingly stitched with pictures of things so fascinating to a newly minted three year old, things that can populate your dreams and fill your imagination up. I cherish the hugs i received from you tonight, hearing you say "I love you Oma" and hearing that you told God you loved him as well. You are such a wonderful nephew and i'm so proud to be your Aunt Dell.
From the first moment i heard your name told to me on the phone and i knew somehow it would fit you just right to watching your face tonight as the servers at Swiss Chalet sang you a cheery happy birthday, you trying to figure out just what was happening and how to react, i have loved you deeply. Your sense of curiosity and interest in the things going on around you is neat to watch, figuring out how things work, how to take things apart and try to put them back together again, loving the marble works page in the Eye Spy book, explaining to your poor city slicker aunt how a baler or a combine work and gently correcting me when i call an excavator a digger and the like are all things that are uniquely you. You have known your numbers and letters for so long already that i will think that you will be super smart in school and do your parents proud!
Sure, you love to get into mischief and trouble too, and we see tendencies in you that we would rather not see - jealousy, fighting with your brother, and an incredible penchant for getting into things that aren't so good for a 3 year old to be getting into (of note, microwaves and metal travel mugs don't make happy companions, deadbolts are to keep you in the house, brothers are not to be locked into bathrooms by themselves) and we work on guiding you to be a boy who is kind to others and shares - all things you will learn in time, i'm very sure!
It has been an eye-opener and such a joy being an aunt - that sense of love i feel in me when i see any of you three boys, being allowed to spoil and cuddle to my heart's content and feeling so blessed to be a part of your lives. I hope you have a wonderful year being 3 and remember that i love you to the moon and back.... and i'll love you forever, i'll like you for always!
Love
Aunt Dell