To my beautiful nephew and future nieces,

Welcome to this beautiful place we call the world! We all have been preparing to meet you for quite some time now, and we couldn't be more excited to finally hold you in our arms. As a family, we are so happy to watch you grow, and have so many hopes and dreams for you.

While of course your mommy and daddy have an abundance of love stocked up, I have a great piece of my heart already dedicated to you too. Seeing you for the first time was such a blessing, with your small nose and chubby cheeks I fell in love the second I laid eyes on you. I already have fun things to do with you, and could spend hours staring at you in my arms, like I already have. Watching you grow up and discovering what exactly you'll learn to love will be such a great journey.

I need to thank you, because without you I wouldn't be able to take on the role as your loving, crazy aunt. I can't wait to spoil you with gifts you'll love to play with, and give you a few extra sweets when you come over to play at "Auntie's house." I am so blessed to be in your life.

I have high hopes for you because of how great your mommy and daddy are. You come from two loving, strong, and faithful people, and I know you will grow up to be such a great person to yourself and the people around you. Growing up is scary. There are so many things for you to learn about, both good and bad. But with the love and support for your parents and your awesome aunt, you will be able to face anything that comes your way.

While I live far away, I am sure that I will be very active in your life. I will constantly be sending you my love, and praying for you. Coming home on breaks will be so exciting because each time I will get to see how much you've grown! I'll be buying you plenty of Purdue onesies, and hopefully someday you'll be a Boilermaker.

I also hope that you grow up to be happy. In a world that is filled with chaos, you'll be exposed to things that I wish you never had to see. Know that you can talk to me about anything, whether it's a bad grade or a mistake you've made, you can come to your wacky aunt about anything. Knowing myself, I've probably made that mistake twice by now. Life is too short to be unhappy, and you've taught me that. When you're sleeping peacefully or learning to smile, I realize how simple life can be. Holding you can calm a storm in my life, and I hope that someday you can come to me and I can calm the storms in your life.

I am so happy and blessed to have you in my life, and I can't wait to watch you grow up and become the person I know you will be: strong, good-willed, fun, yet level-headed. I love you, nephew, and all of the future children I will be an aunt to.