nashville part four.

A year ago today I was dreaming of a trip to Nashville.
I’ve been to Nashville THREE TIMES since September.

Because have you ever seen Lucy and Layla? They are the most precious, perfect little twins of all time and I can’t be around them enough. Before I left for Nashville, Hilary pointed out that there are so many little kids in my life, so what was it about these two that made them so special? and I am not entirely sure – maybe that’s part of the magic of it. It started when they were babies. I spent the day with Ernie and the girls when they were 7 months old. I held Layla the whole time, and I remember feeling like a part of me was dying as I left. After that I had to watch him and Kristen post pictures and videos of the girls and it killed me to watch them grow up without me knowing them.

Those days have changed. I remember the first day with them in Nashville, asking Ernie how he knows which girl is which. He started telling me little things – about their faces, their personalities, their hair… and I wondered if I would ever be able to see one of them by themselves and know, without a doubt, which one I was looking at.

I arrived during nap time a few weeks ago. A few minutes after I’d sat down in their living room, one little girl ran out into the living room and I knew exactly who I was looking at, because I know them. I recognize Layla’s longer, thicker hair. I know Lucy’s eyes and Layla’s cheeks. I guess they’re no less identical twins than the day I met them, but they no longer look identical to me. They aren’t a set of twins anymore, but two wildly different and equally wonderful girls who happen to be made up of the same DNA.

These two girls have my heart. For the rest of their lives they will have to deal with my love.

Also, I never want to forget this:

Me: Lucy, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Lucy, age 3: A banana.