Amanda Panda and My Little Dinosaur,

Since you’re reading this, I am officially an old woman. Amanda, you might have had a “boyfriend” or two by this point, and if you have, you probably didn’t let me chaperone your mall date. Also, I'm sorry that Dad scared them all away. It happens to the best of us. Anthony, I doubt you even talk to me about girls. I’m kind of mad, and a little bit hurt, about that. However, as I’m writing this, I’m completely sure that I could not be more proud of future Amanda and Anthony. Unless you've recently killed a man. Then I regret the rest of this letter. I still love you, though.

I don’t have to guess. I know that whatever you’re doing these days (is it still soccer?), you’re doing it really, really well. That’s the thing about both of you — no matter what situation you’re in, you try your hardest. You could have every obstacle in the world placed in front of you, but it wouldn't matter at all. You'd find your way around it, no matter how difficult it was. There is not a part of me that believes any of this changed when you got older. So, even if it’s tennis and swimming now, I know you’re succeeding.

You might be sad when you move on to new parts of your life, especially if some of your best friends aren't going with you. You’re probably scared too. I know I was. All of those “what ifs” are spinning around in your head like a tornado, but you need to tell them to stop. Nobody who puts as much effort into their academics, their extracurricular activities, and their friendships as you do, has time for “what ifs.” If you fail, you fail. You’ll try again, and eventually, you’ll succeed. It’s the Mandi Pandi and Little Dinosaur Way.

Regardless of how old you get, or how challenging your lives become, I am certain that you’ll always refuse to give up. That is why I’m infinitely proud of both of you and honored to be your sister. I’m not sure if you will still be shorter than me when you read this, but either way, I'll look up to both of you forever.

More love than you could imagine,

Cara