Thursday, July 10, 2008

So This Is What It Feels Like When Doves Cry…


(It’s that time of year again; my annual letter to my daughter on her birthday.)



Miss Bean (or as you now call yourself “Princess Sunshine Sparkles”),

Happy 3rd Birthday! I can’t believe how fast this past year has gone by. It amazes me how much you’ve changed in so little time; the transition from a baby to a beautiful, smart, and clever little girl with a strong personality still completely fascinates me.


A few things I’ve enjoyed this past year watching you grow:
  • Drawing on the driveway with chalk together, making up funny roads, games, and monster characters.
  • Hearing your stories about your imaginary friend “Captain Hippo."
  • Playing Wii (Duck Hunt) together and yelling “Ah man!” right after I yell “Ah man!” among a few other unfortunate things your mom shouldn't know about.
  • Helping me with small chores around the house such as loading the dishwasher, caring for the dog, and taking out the trash. I hope you still like doing chores next year.
  • Paying the cashier for lunch at some restaurant with the 4 pennies you found on the ground while saying “it’s OK daddy, I pay for it with my money’s”
  • Listening to you sing your interpretation of songs over, and over, and over again.
  • Cooking in your play kitchen, making me guacamole soup and chocolate tea for breakfast.
  • Driving by a KFC and you yelling out "Look Daddy! Yummy chicken place!!" (that would bring a tear to any colonel's eye...)
Your favorite things at this moment:

Dressing up as a princess, sparkle roll-on, Disneyland, watching movies on my iPhone, popcorn (or "crackcorn" as you call it), making “art”. DVD’s Enchanted, Tarzan, Cars, Incredibles, Lilo & Stitch, Cinderella, Mary Poppins, Dumbo, and Rambo (just kidding! That’s one of my favorites.)

Putting you to bed tonight on the eve of your birthday made me realize how much I’m going to miss you at 2. But at the same time I’m really looking forward to what new adventures and memories we'll have together at 3.

Love,
Daddy

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Princess Sunshine Sparkles

SciFi Dad said...

Happy Birthday Princess Sunshine Sparkles. May you enjoy many lunches of crackcorn chicken from the yummy chicken place this year.

Whirlwind said...

Happy Birthday Princess Sunshine Sparkles (boy that's a mouthful).

Lisa said...

Happy Birthday Princess!! Hope your next year is filled with much fun, growing, and learning.

And try to keep from giving Daddy too many grey hairs!

Steve said...

Happy birthday big girl!

for a different kind of girl said...

Happy Birthday, Princess! Three is even more astounding and glorious!

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday, Princess Sunshine Sparkles! Yea!

Ben and Bennie said...

Happy Birthday, Little Princess!

And thanks for the trip down memory lane, Tony.

ArtistUnplugged said...

Have a happy birthday Princess....may the king and queen enjoy the royal festivities as well! My birthday is Sunday, I wonder if anyone will review the cute things I did this year....hmmmm, probably not!

Anonymous said...

Hard to believe the kids are growing up so fast, isn't it? Seems like just yesterday that they were born. Happy birthday to the princess! May she eat lots of cake today.

Amrita said...

happy birthday sweetie. Your daddy wrote you such a lovely letter.

Kristen said...

Happy birthday, Princess! (oddly, my daughter is of royal blood, too!) You should tell your daddy about the "Fancy Nancy" books...I bet you would love them as much as my little girl does!

Darren said...

Happy third birthday to her! The fun is really going to start now.

Dad Stuff said...

Happy Birthday PSS!
My daughter also likes sparkle roll-on and the movie Enchanted.
Here's to your third year.

Anonymous said...

Wow, third birthday. I loved age three with my daughter. Moving on from the discovery state, everything starts to get attitude and personality. So fun. Enjoy, and Happy Birthday PSS!

Kerrie said...

Happy Birthday Princess Sunshine Sparkles!

Let's just hope she doesn't marry some guy named Slomenski - because that would just be too much. ;)

PS: You do know that the terrible 2's are now the terrible 3's, right? Just checking.

April said...

I'm crying. Not only because this letter was so beautiful but because you confirmed something I had long suspecte: There are men in this world who take out the trash. Oh glorious day!

Oh and Happy Birthday Princess Sunshine Sparkles! I wish I had thought of that name for myself.

Sarah said...

Awwww. So sweet. I'm going to cry now.*

*Seriously, absolutely no sarcasm here! For once.

Beck said...

Aww. I hope her birthday is a lot of fun. She sounds like she's such a great kid.

Anonymous said...

Dang it, CD, you're getting me all teary!

Happy birthday to Her Majesty!

I'm on my third daughter now, and it's finally hitting me how fleeting our acquaintance with the wee one of 1-2-3-4 yrs (and so on)is. Love getting to know the new version, but ...can we sometimes visit our old friend too????

Creative-Type Dad said...

April -- That's why I'm training her to take out the trash...

Kristen -- Yes! I've seen those books. I'm sure my daughter would like them...

MetroDad -- Yup, it sure feels like it. And it makes me feel much older too.

Anonymous said...

Ok I'm late with this (nothing new there then!)
Hope you had a super sparkly, glittery princess birthday and got all the presents you wanted.

I love Mary Poppins too!

The Real Mother Hen said...

Another year has gone by? Wow that's fast! I still remember your post to her last year. That was a really beautiful piece.

Btw, when are you going to teach her how to be a tomboy? :)

Anonymous said...

awww. happy bday priness!
and, by the way, I ate at KFC on Monday and thought of you. Really I did. Because it was the first time I'd eaten there in oh, i dunno, like 20 YEARS. And it was FINGER LICKIN' GOOD.

Woman in a Window said...

Lovely, you and your pipe and your daughter driving through KFC. Some memories just need to be recorded.

Happy Birthday to the little 'un. She does sound like a sweet kid.

mama speak said...

Happy B-day PSS!

You know what they say about 3? It's just 2 with a year of experience!

Have fun! And pass the crackcorn pleeeze!

Karen said...

Happy Birthday little one! You do realise that Tantrum City is now about to visit..!!

Bruce Johnson said...

Cool idea...bundle these all up and will them to her after you die. That will make for one super duper tear jerker moment.

Anonymous said...

Awww! I love how every age has its own wonderfulness to it. I miss what's gone, but what we have now is equally amazing and fun.

I love this letter idea, too - I might have to start my own tradition :)

pixie said...

Sounds like our little girls have A LOT in common -- Monkey likes everything your princess does too! Must be a three-year-old girl thing. Although, Monkey turns 4 in December (can you believe it??) so we'll see how much changes. I predict not much.

11111111 said...

Well, then Happy Birthday!

Creative-Type Dad said...

mama speak -- Yeah, I'm discovering that now. 2 wasn't so bad until a few months ago. Thankfully she's pretty good most of the time.

womaninawindow -- That's pretty much how I imagine it too...

The Real Mother Hen -- She likes 'boy' things too, just not as much as princesses and dress-up.

kittenpie said...

Aw, you're getting all sweet on us! (I get chocolate tea, too - in fact, just had some yesterday.)

Happy birthday to your big girl. Hang on tight, three is a wild ride.

wayabetty said...

Happy happy belated b-day Miss Bean!! I can't believe you're already 3! Give daddy hell at 3 ok?!!

The Laundress said...

Beautiful Girl.

Happy Birthday.

Anonymous said...

beautiful girl indeed

Happy birthday .