Guess How Much I Love You

Probably, one of my favorite children's books of all time is the book titled, "Guess How Much I Love You" by Sam McBratney.  This is a simple tale of two bunnys.  They are named Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Nutbrown Hare.  Some see them as father and son, but I have always seen them as a mother and her child.  Little Nutbrown Hare asks Big Nutbrown Hare the question, "Guess How Much I Love You?", and the book continues as the two use larger and larger measures to quantify how much they love each other and they each try to show that they love each other more than the other loves them.  (If that is confusing, than you will just have to get the book!) 
I used to read this book to the three littlest girls when they were much smaller.  They have each loved it and would sit and "read" it with me.  We had a bedtime ritual of reading story books together.  They each got to pick two or three books and I would read the books to them and cuddle with each one before their daddy would tuck them into bed.  I think it was one of their favorite parts of the day.  They loved the "love you book" as they called it, especially Mikayla.  She would usually pick this book nearly every night.  They loved to try and show me that they loved me even more than the bunnies loved each other.
Mikayla would often lay next to me in bed and tell me, "I love you all the way to Kirbi's house", to which I would dutifully reply, "I love you all the way to Kirbi's house and BACK".  She would giggle and think of something else that she loved me all the way to.  This could go on for quite a while and seemed to be something that she really treasured. 
One evening, we had cuddled together in bed reading stories.  I am not sure where the other girls were at the time, my memory has forgotten that part of this story.  But I know it was just Mikayla and I in the bed.  This was the last book she had picked to read.  We read through it one more time as Kayla was drifting softly off to sleep with her head leaning against mine.  At the close of the book, Mikayla whispered in a sleepy voice, "I love you all the way to the North Pole."  And I replied, "that is very far, but I love you all the way to the North Pole and back on the Polor Express train!"  (This was another one of our favorite books).  I softly kissed her cheek as she snuggled a little closer against me.  She put her lips next to my ear and very solemnly said, "Mommy, I love YOU all the way to Jesus!"