Girl Talk

Adam and I are fortunate for we have been blessed with two nieces both named Brooklyn. These little girls adore Kaden and are an intricate part of his childhood. I am sure this will hold true for Littlest Rardin too. You three (four) children are so close in age that there is so much fun ahead. I look forward to watching the dynamics and hearing the stories of your adventures. I am sure that the girls will star in many of our shared stories. I don’t think your journal would be complete if these young ladies were excluded from these pages. This particular story is not one I want our memory to lose…

On Wednesday I went to the Church’s to drop off Kaden. Before I left Grandma and I were visiting in the kitchen. The conversation quickly took a turn. The following conversation is recorded (below) as remembered and unedited:

“Auntie Nicole…” Brooklyn interrupts.

“Grandma and I are in the middle of a conversation. Please do not interrupt. We are almost finished” I reply.

Brooklyn morphs into a cat heading back into the family room.

(3-5 minutes passes. Grandma and I are still engrossed in conversation.)

Brooklyn enters the kitchen standing in front of me staring. It is clear she has something she really wants to say.

“Brooklyn, thank you so much for being so patient and waiting to talk to me! Do you still have something you want to share?”

“Oh, AUNTIE NICOLE” she squeals. Her eyes are sparkling with true excitement.

I can tell she has something big to say.

She looks up at me with such sincerity. “I already know who my husband is!”

I look up to Grandma to make sure I heard her correctly.

Confused I need clarification. “Excuse me? You know who your husband is?”

“Yes. His name is Conner.”

I am intrigued. “How do you know Conner? Does he go to your school? Is he in your (Kindergarten) class?”

“Conner is in my class.”

“Oh. So, ummmmm, why do you want to marry Conner?”

I continue, “I mean why him? Is he cute? Nice? Funny? Why do you want Conner to be your husband?”

She starts to become coy, turning circles and twirling her hair.

She giggles, “Auntie Nicole. I don’t want to tell!”

She stops. She turns and looks at me. “I am in love with him. That’s why!”

I shake my head and feel my eyes widen. Am I really having this conversation with my five year old niece? How can I disagree with love?

“Brooklyn, you are in love with him?” I am now totally engrossed in the conversation.

“Yes.” She jumps up onto the bench to stand behind Grandma.

I have to keep probing.

“How did he ask you to marry him?”

“Oh, I asked him. Well, I told him he was marrying me.” She goes on to explain, “My friend Jaden said she was going to marry Conner. I told her (voice starts to whine) that I was marrying Conner.”

I raise the question as to what then happened…

And with a smile and her hands raised above her head she rejoices. “Conner said he would marry us both!”

“And you know what?”

“What?” I answer.

“You know what my Daddy is going to do?”

“What is Daddy going to do?” I ask.

She leans in towards me over Grandma’s head and very frankly announces: “Daddy is going to walk me down the aisle!”

Wait. Wait just one minute. I need to wrap my brain around this. Did she just start planning her wedding day?

She waltzes into the family room. “And I will walk down the aisle with rose petals on the ground.”

In the very next breath she morphs back into a cat. I guess the girl talk is over.

It is officially confirmed that women begin planning their wedding as little girls.

Brooklyn, you have my word: rose petals it is.