for Abby and Bridgett

Two of my nieces happened to read my blog the other day, and they went through all 178 posts and decided that they were very poorly represented.


So I guess it is time they get their own feature. 


I will start with Abigail Elizabeth, who is going to be celebrating her 14th birthday this month. She is so smart and pretty, and always tries to get me to convince her Mom to let her do things that she isn't allowed to do.  She writes really intriguing poetry, and can easily put words to paper that seem to flow so naturally.  When I think of Abby, my brain automatically conjures up the image of the soft pink doll that I gave her when she was just a baby, "Babya," who was never far from her reach.   I remember how Abby sucked her thumb while holding Babya, and tickled her ribbon.  I think of how hard it was for Abby to accept change, how much she was afraid of as a little kid.  I remember her dimply little cheeks and her devilish grin, wispy brown hair and tiny little self.  Whenever I see Abby, she hugs me hard and isn't afraid to tell me she loves me.  She's such a good kid - even though she teases her brother mercilessly and eats too much candy.  The thing that makes me smile the most is seeing the worn and dingy collection of Babya's that still have a place on her bed - no matter how grown up Abba gets, I have this feeling Babya won't ever be tossed aside.  And I love that.

 And 12-year-old Bridgett Catherine, my beautiful blue-eyed and raspy-voiced God child, wanted me to be sure to mention that she is a Level 6 competitive gymnast.  She is such a funny strong-willed kid.  She doesn't let herself ever be bulldozed, and always seems to speak her mind.  She is in no way a follower, and will not do anything that she doesn't want to do.  In fact, I remember Bridgett refusing to walk til she was good and ready, at about 15 months.  She gets that spirited will from her Irish father I think!  She was always such a sweet, tiny little peanut.  Bridgett loves to sew and do crafts, and is always making something.  She's so thoughtful and caring, and when she was little used to make us pillows out of paper and stuffing.  She has such a great imagination, and will play school with her sister for hours.  I love that Bridgett is so dedicated to Gymnastics - seeing her compete and master such challenges has been really exciting.  I cannot wait to see how far she will go.