To my mother (Nana) and my mother-in-law (Grandma),

You both have been there (and I mean really been there) for my husband and me since we’ve added our three kiddos to the crew these last five years. You have saved us from succumbing to the utter chaos in our lives and you have enthusiastically celebrated with us while bringing our new babies into the world each time.

You are both such special, key characters in our story.

So I wanted to say a little something: thank you.

Thank you for being the kind of grandmothers who stay at our house, even though you live states away, until our baby was born. Thank you for hopping right up in the middle of the night to come to the hospital with us. And thank you for holding my hand as I pushed my baby out into the world. Thank you for sharing in that incredible moment with us.

Thank you for being the kind of grandmothers who zoom to the hospital as soon as you knew I was in labor so that you were able to wrap our baby up in your arms the minute you could. Thank you for taking the sweetest pictures of every single detail from the day so that we’d never forget all the beauty. Thank you for sharing our joy.

Thank you for being the kind of grandmothers who jump on the bed with the kids. The one who sings extra loud with them and dancing uninhibitedly to whatever song request they have. Seeing you all have so much fun together makes me the happiest mom around.

Thank you for being the kind of grandmothers who cook and bake and share your recipes with them. They feel so important when you include them in the kitchen and it just about makes my heart burst to watch you roll meatballs together.

Thank you for being the kind of grandmothers who pray with our children. The kind who attends mass with us. Who encourages us to teach them about our faith and to help foster their compassionate, kind hearts.

Thank you for being the kind of grandmothers who offer to babysit the kids when you know we desperately need to get out. We know we never have to worry when they are in your care.

Thank you for being the kind of grandmothers who sit and paint with them. Who does play-doh and builds towers. Who reads Highlights magazines with them and does all the activities. The way their eyes light up when you say “Yes” to their “Will you play with me?” requests is proof of how special you make them feel.

Thank you for being the kind of grandmothers who buy them new shoes or gives them money to take a class or a new outfit just because. The kind who brings a treat with them when they visit or who gives the most thoughtful gifts for their birthdays. But most of all, thank you for spending time with them. That’s the best gift around.

Thank you for being the kind of grandmothers who Facetime with them when they miss you, to just chat or laugh or hear a story. Who lets them steal the phone from me and stays on the call as they giddily run around the house even though the screen looks more like a scene from The Blair Witch Project than a sweet call with your grandchild.

Thank you for being the kind of grandmothers who request pictures and paintings and creations from them. And then the kind who actually puts them on display at your house. When they visit and see those projects they worked so hard on—they feel your love, and they feel so proud.

Thank you for being the kind of grandmothers who see their light and help it shine. The kind who tells them how beautiful they are—inside and out. Who make sure to tell them how they admire their curiosity, their big hearts and their strength. The kind who really sees them for the adventurous, loving spirits they are.

Thank you for your generosity, Nana and Grandma. Your time is valuable, we know. And when you choose to dedicate it to us, we feel like the luckiest people around. Your delicious meals, your engaging conversations, the way you make us laugh and feel taken care of is something we hold really dear to our hearts.

We’ve needed you both a lot these past five years as we have been growing our family and your hard work and your extreme love not gone unnoticed.

Thank you for all that you do and all that you are. We couldn’t have asked for better grandmothers for our children. You mean the world to us.