Dear Girls,

Right now you're both upstairs in the toy room, on your sleeping bags, watching Peter Pan until you (hopefully) fall asleep. For you, it's fun to be sleeping somewhere different, having a "movie night," getting to stay up a little later than usual. (I'm not gonna spoil it for you, but odds are you'll end up in your own beds before the movie ends.)

But for me, when I look at you two in there lying next to each other, I just can't help but think, "You don't know how lucky you are."

It's true, sometimes you hate each other. 

You're little girls, and little girls can be mean. You tease each other. You hit and steal toys and scream and call names. You always have to share, and sharing is hard.

You know exactly what makes your sister maddest, and you use this knowledge to your every advantage. 

But you also know exactly what will make your sister happiest. 

You give sweet hugs and say sweet words. 

I watch you play together for hours, and it makes me profoundly happy. 

All you've ever known is life with a sister as a constant friend and companion. You can't comprehend the idea of a world without the other.  You might not ever realize how amazing that is.

Here's the truth: having two kids 16 months apart was [is] hard. 

But it was worth it. 

Because I still believe, the best gift I could ever give you is

your sister.