Dear Dylan and Dakota

A letter from your sister….

Dear Dylan and Dakota,

Right now may be the most difficult thing you’ll ever go through. Your lives are lived in an orphanage and so you don’t have a family. So, I’m writing to tell you what your family is like and prepare you for our family.

You will soon be a Gagnon. Being a Gagnon means being part of a team, it means never leaving one another. Gagnon is who you are, not just on the outside, it’s what’s on the inside, (but if you grow to be tall, that’s good too). You’re about to enter a whole new world, in a new place, that you’ve never been before, and we’ll be your family. I guess that’s what being a Gagnon is all about- guiding and pushing one another to be the best you can be. So here’s your family.

Mom, what does that mean? Your Mom is someone who unconditionally loves you for who you are, who will pick you up, support all your endeavors. She will make you Ramen Noodle Surprise after surgery because it’s your favorite food, and all you can eat is soup, even though she’s got 50 other things she needs to get done. She loves you for everything you do, no matter what, really no matter what!

You need to know that you have a Dad, who will hold you after every ouch, and that he’s the one you wake up after a bad dream or when the thunder is too loud and you’re scared. (because mom sleeps on the other side of the bed and you can’t get to her without dad waking up) He will try to go to every awards ceremony even though he works, take you hunting (if you like that sort of thing…) and when you need someone to hug, he gives the best hugs.

You should know that your brother Silas is the kindest kid in the world. He will lasso the moon and pull it to the earth if you ask him to. He loves everyone with the biggest heart. He will be the brother that you need to hold you and let you sleep in his bed when you don’t want to wake up Dad or Mom. He will always be there with a compliment and an encouraging word to help you on a tough day. He just knows when people need that kind of stuff. Oh yeah, and he’ll help you play in the irrigation because he will want you to love the outdoors and want to play outside with him.

You have (another) wonderful brother named Isaac. He is probably the MOST EXCITED and ENTHUSIASTIC person I have EVER met. He will help you get in to trouble (that’s not such a bad thing) but he’ll also help you with EVERYTHING. Want to tie a bucket to the end of the zip-line so you can drag through the irrigation? He’ll find a way. Want Dad to buy Pop-Tarts? Isaac will find a way for that to happen. Isaac is one of the most WONDERFUL people in the world!

You have a sister (A SISTER? Yeah it’s not all boys here) named Ellie. She will always be incredibly joyful! She will put a smile on your face at LEAST sixty times a day. (And if you want to play toys at four in the morning? She’ll happily play with you! (I won’t, so don’t try anything misters)) Ellie has an amazing joy for you guys. She is SUPER DUPER excited for you to come home! So don’t be shy! (Because she’s not!)

Then there’s Joel. Joel loves inside play. He loves trucks, cars, and firemen. He bought you these wonderful toy trucks that he proudly stated that you guys can share when you get back. He will always be one step ahead though! He is incredibly smart so he wants to help teach you things (mostly how to play with toys…). He loves you guys more than anything already!

Then there’s your oldest sister, Bailey. She is ready for you to come home. She loves reading and will help you learn. She wants to help you learn to talk so you can have conversations and stuff. She’s ready to watch Disney movies with you and cares about you more than you will ever know. She’s actually crying while typing this letter because she wants to tell you in person all these wonderful things about your family who’s waiting for you.