Sunshine and Sweetheart

I'm sure it's obvious that I use pseudonyms for my daughters on this site out of respect for their own privacy. I thought it might be fun to talk about how they came by those particular nicknames, though.

Both girls' special names came pretty naturally when I started writing here last summer.

My oldest daughter has always been our light, coming to us right as we were pulling through one of the darkest times of our life, a time filled with infertility and death and health crises. A lot went wrong for us in 2011 and 2012, and then 2013 rolled around with the gift of this precious girl who seems to magically light up a room simply by her presence. She has and always will be our little Sunshine, and every night as I tuck her in, I sing her song to her. "You are my sunshine...." We were browsing through the local dollar store the other day when I spied a perfect little wall decal to hang above her bed. It reads, "Hello Sunshine."

When our second daughter was born two years ago, it immediately became clear that she was a whole different person from her older sister. Where Sunshine burst on the scene and brightened our lives, Sweetheart sneaked into our world and stole our hearts. She is the calm to her sister's wild, the steady stream to her sister's splashing waterfall. When I sing to her, I say, "Let me call you Sweetheart...." And while her little soul runs deep, her smile steals hearts.

These girls are the best of friends, and I hope that never ends. I hope that growing up together in a tiny house will only enhance their relationship and keep them close as they learn to do life side by side.