– FOR SOPHIE & CELIA –

Dear Sophie & Celia,

 

Sophie, you are my first born beauty. You are my little creative spirit. Your spunk is enviable. Your smarts inspire me.  The excitement you exude when you take on new challenges amazes me. I have always admired your “half glass full” outlook on things. Please don’t ever lose it. I love our before bedtime talks…one of my favorite parts of my day. You are growing into quite a phenomenal girl.

Celia, you are my little peanut girl. You are my gorgeous little sprite. The baby of the family who fits perfectly into our krewe. Your giggle is infectious and your smile melts me. Your memory astounds me. Your highly keen sense of observation blows me away. Your kisses and hugs make me feel so happy and so loved. You are growing into quite a phenomenal girl.

There are many things that I hope for you both. I hope you are strong both mentally and physically. I hope you are compassionate. I hope you are empathetic. I hope you are brave. I hope you are kind. I hope you always stand up for yourself. I hope you stand up for others. I hope you are assertive. I hope you take risks. I hope you find joy in your work. I hope your life is balanced. I hope you travel. I hope you take time for yourself every single day. I hope you can manage stress well. I hope you love yoga as much as I do. I hope you don’t take yourself too seriously. I hope you love to learn. I hope you learn something new every day. I hope you adore your friends. I hope your friends adore you. I hope you have the courage to disengage with friends that hurt you. I hope you know when to forgive. I hope you know that most relationships have an expiration date and that that’s okay; those relationships—good or bad– were vital at the time. I hope you have a small handful of lifelong friends. I hope you know we are all flawed. I hope you don’t compare yourselves to others. I hope you know crying does not mean weakness. I hope you know it feels good to cry and that it is the path to cleansing, recovery and healing. I hope you can say you are sorry when you are wrong. I hope you make mistakes. I hope you fail fantastically a handful of times. I hope you pick yourself up from those failures and learn from them. I hope you deal with mistakes and failures in a composed and rational way. I hope you have amazing success. I hope you are happy most of the time. I hope you know we can’t be happy all the time. I hope you know when you are sad you will survive it. I hope you build each other up. I hope family is always important. I hope you fall madly in love with someone deserving of you. I hope you laugh every day. I hope you know you are beautiful. I hope you are always comfortable and confident being you.

Girls, I love you to millions and millions of pieces. Unconditionally. You both will always be my perfect little babies…even when you’re 100.

Love you forever and ever,

Mommy

Dreams for My Daughter is a special portrait session commissioned by mothers for their daughters. Inspired by their personality, these sessions are designed especially for each girl and celebrates who they are at this moment, their connection to their mom and who they will become. Each framed heirloom of these young women is accompanied by a letter  from Mom expressing their “Dreams for My Daughter.” Thank you to each mom for sharing their letter!