"I want to look like my mommy"

I distinctly remember a moment when I was little when my parents told me that they saw an older girl who looked like what they imagined I would end up looking like when I grew up. I was so intrigued. Everyone always told me that I looked like my dad and, while he was the most handsome man in the world to me, no little girl wants to think she looks like a 30 something year old man. I wanted to look like my mom, with her delicate womanly face and sweet smile. So when they told me about this, I was very curious. I wanted to know everything about the girl. Was she pretty? Was her hair blonde or was I going to be a "brown-head?" Was she tall? Was she smiley? I've asked my parents about this several times now, and while they don't recall what that girl looked like, they would tell you that I grew up to look the way they expected. I still look a lot like my dad, but anyone who knows my mom says that I smile like her, and I take that as the highest compliment.

These two are mother and daughter – my sister and my niece – and I don't think there are two more beautiful girls in the world. They're certainly not identical. Little Fiona has lots of her dad's side in her too. But, their smiles are bright, their dark curls the envy of every woman, their big Disney eyes sparkle, and their dimples are deep. Fiona has told me before that she loves how her mommy looks. She's told me that I'm beautiful (and oh my goodness does that melt my heart!!). She's said she thinks Grammie is sooo pretty. I can tell she is searching for what makes these women she loves so beautiful to her. "I want to look like my mommy," she's declared. What I love is that she always makes these comments when her momma is laughing with the family, or when I'm smiling and playing with her, or when Grammie is content in the sunshine. She reacts to the beauty of joy and laughter, and I think that that is exactly what makes people beautiful. If only Fi knew how beautiful she already is... and that it is not just her hair and her dimples and sweet freckles, but her unabashed zest for life and endless giggles that make her so. With those smiles, you and your mommy will always look alike.