Hangin' With the Big Kids

Dear Peep, 

A few weeks ago we were able to hang out with some long time friends.  We had breakfast and played in the playground for quite a while.  Bryan, Brad, David and Kate, Mason and Samantha, Oliver and Ruby and Max.  It was fun hanging out and Brian enjoyed seeing you.  You insisted on sitting next to him at the table.  :)  Kate gave Abe his first ride down a slide, although he didn't know it yet.   We love that you're so cool we are still able to hang out with friends too.

 Love, Mommy

Bloomington Bike Project and One Little Henny's Cool Ride

Dear Wheels, 
After finding a cool, tuff green, 12" bike at a thrift shop costing 7 bucks you were excited about having a pair of wheels.  We brought it home and put it in the drive for Daddy to see when he came home.  He immediately posted a picture on facebook to announce how long the wait in his life had been to see the glorious sight of a boys bike perched out front in the driveway waiting to find some trouble around the neighborhood.  There are only three little girls that we've seen in the immediate streets around ours, while there are at least 8 boys all in the 2-3.5 year old range.  Believe me, we expect a bike gang to take over Blue Ridge with in the next decade.  
   Well, the bike needed a little work so on Saturday we took it to the Bloomington Bike Project.  The Bike Project is a non-profit, volunteer driven program where you can volunteer and earn a bike, come to fix your own bike, or go for help fixing your bike for a donation.  

We were hoping to pick up some training wheels and to get new tubes in your tires.  You loved looking around at the parts laying around, the people working on the bikes, identifying the tools and watching your own bike get worked on.  In less the 15 minutes you were all fixed up.  Unfortunately we will have to return the training wheels, they were too big for your bitty bike.  This doesn't diminish your desire to play with your bike and soon enough you'll be riding like a pro.  Can't wait!
Love, Mama

Babe-ra-ham is Here!

Dear Little Buddy, 
Since finding out four months ago that our friends Kate and David are expecting you have been so excited to meet baby Abraham.  In preparation you have been diapering your baby, holding him and learning gentle touches.  Well!  He is here!  Abraham James was born late on the 17th of May, weighing 6lbs 1oz  and stretchin' 18 inches long.  Yesterday morning when I came to get you from your crib I informed you on his arrival.  I told you he was "out" of Kate and you could touch and see Abe now and an impossibly big smile came across your face and you screamed out, "YEA!  I am going to teach him to stand on one leg!"  While he isn't quite ready for standing on one leg, he was ready for a visit.  While getting ready to go the hospital you kept laughing and telling me that you are going to see "Abe-ee Baby."  We clipped the finger nails on your quicker than a cheetah hands and sanitized them twice on the way to the room.  I begged and pleaded that you refrain from yellin' or scratchin' that baby!  After we entered the room 'Henny wanted out of his stroller' immediately!  "Let me see that baby!"  It was hard to hold you back.  We went closer and like every newborn he was perfect, tiny, preciously pink and golden.  The trio that is now Kate, Dave and Abe have been through so much the last few days.  What a crazy storm that ended in this new life wrapped tightly, sleeping peacefully in his bassinet...only to have big Henny come to take a peek 'n' a poke or two.  

You were born at the same hospital as Abraham.  As we walked to Kate's room today I would feel little rolls of emotion thinking, "This is where Steve and I stood while we listened to Peep's first cries, or that is the room where we stood with Jo Jo and held you, the three of us admiring your handsome features."  Then while seeing Abraham and Kate, on an uneventful day, getting to know each other as we did all those days ago I was yearning for those flashes of love back.  We all really do start out so very perfect, hopeful, and unique. 

I can only hope for you, as well as Abraham that we as parents and that life, in general, leads you gently to adventures coated by enormous love, awesome people, resilience, and a way to not be ashamed of or too shy of your own uniqueness.  I asked Kate, "What is the first thing you hope that Abraham learns."  After a pause she said, "To laugh."  Trust me, I haven't met two people with more robust laughs so Abe better get that lesson down quickly.  There is a deeper element to laughter though...it is looking at the bright days more than the dark (or at the very least finding humor in unlikely corners) and knowing that there is always happiness waiting for us.  It is a necessity to seek it out.  I want happiness for you, our family...and Abe and his family.       
Love You!, 
Mama 

Be Gone Goats and Ducks! PS! Please Cancel the Tooth Fairy

Henry after his 3rd haircut! It was long!

Dear Mama's Tuff Guy, 
I seem to remember previously writing about your newly developing fears, but just in case I couldn't allow it to go unannotated.   We still frequent our library once a week.  In the last month you've been really getting excited over the bigger books with more text, more story, and more information.  You love to pick out books or allow the librarian to pull some for us.  On this particular loaner book batch you loved the book by David Shannon, Duck on a Bike.  This story opens with a spunky duck that sees a bike in the barnyard.  He decides to give it a try and rides through the barnyard showing off his riding abilities.  The other animals make various comments about that duck on a bike until a gang of kids come riding through the barnyard to visit the house.  The other animals decided to ride the bikes while the kids are gone.  Seems like an interesting choice for a kid that loves books with animals until we read it about 20 times...and that 21st read sparked at fear of the goat.  You were sitting up next to Daddy as he read it to you and as the page turned to the goat you started trembling and crying your eyes out.  You didn't sleep in your bed for a week because, "Dat goat been knockin' on my window!" and, "I saw that cow and horse flying on the ceiling."  After a week of ending up in our room I decided to take a small pump spray of all natural room freshener and told you it was "goat spray."  If I spray it three times around your room and say, "GOAT BE GONE!  GOAT GO HOME!"  Goat in fact will not come to knock on your window.  Alas you returned to your regular habits at bed time.  Until this week when the Tooth Fairy joined the bunch on your scary list.  After reading Squirrelly Grey, by James Kochalka.  Squirrelly looses his front two teeth and when Tooth Fairy comes to take the teeth she is caught in a spider's web.  Because Squirrelly helps her out she gives him a magic nut for his teeth.  

The magic nut helps him get Hungry Fox away from him and creates a rainbow to color his gray world.  It is pretty much about do good and good comes to you, karma.  We saw a problem with this book the first read through when you asked Daddy to not allow the tooth fairy to come into Henny's room.  We explained that she only comes when you loose a tooth and if Mommy and Daddy should call her.  This helped for 10 minutes then I was on an elaborate hoaxed phone call to cover up the hoaxed lady that takes teeth in your sleep.   I told, "Ms. Tooth Fairy that Henry would really rather you not come right now to see him."  As I talked on and on you stared at me and bobbed you head making sure my words were conveying the depth of your desire to never see Ms. Tooth Fairy in your room.  I was convincing enough that Daddy whispered, "Who did you call?"  You've stated all day that the Tooth Fairy is a nice lady trying to reassure yourself.   At the conclusion of our night time rituals that night the spray came out and you snuggled into your blankets and asked with heart delievered from an earnest raised brow, "Mommy, Don't be afraid of that goat or the tooth fairy."   Thanks, baby for the concern but I am okay. 
Love, Mama

There Hasn't Never Been Anybody Else Like GG!!!

Dear Peepsuki,
You're going to hear many times in your life about this or that person being referenced as there "sure ain't anybody like..."  Well, they don't know what they are talking about, unless they are talking about your Great Grandma Hazel, Daddy's Grandma Hazel, Grandma LaJean's mommy.  As far as you're concerned she allows you to get into just about anything.  If you're being just a little naughty she has a sweet, harmless way of eggin' you on...I've never seen her smile with more light than when you're "pushin' it."  She reads magazines with you, cooks all of your favorites, allows you to drag all of her spatulas/things our of her drawers, sets you up to pretend cook along side of her, has you water her flowers, and shares cuddles and kiss without abandon.  She is so accepting and exceptional.  
 Her love knows no depths.  GG is forgiving and strong in character and resilience.  There will never be anyone like her.  

We can only hope that we all carry a little bit of that spirit inside of ourselves.  We are lucky to have been dropped into her family.  There is just about nothing that Daddy and I cherish more than seeing you play with your GG.  

You say she is nice and makes you cookies.  I mean that says it all for a two year old.
Love, Mama

When things get quiet...

Dear Henoosk, 
When things get quiet it is time to hunt you down.  Most of the day you are by my side playing, doing whatever I am doing or vice versa.  Then a minute here or there you go this way and I go that and as long as I hear you I can go about putting the dishes away or hanging some laundry, but when things go quite...I am on a manhunt for a 3ft tall 28lb 2 year old with curly locks, quick wit and lightening speed for find himself a "situation."  
The last two incidents...
1. You had just peed in the toilet and didn't want to leave the bathroom, in an effort to get you out I turned off the light and went back into the living room.  I heard you in there standing on your step stool talking to yourself in the mirror and then static....my cue to find you asp.
* I entered the bathroom to find you had turned on the light, climbed back up on the step stool and were moisturizing your hair with loads of hand lotion.  You'd smack a handful in, rub it around vigorously and look at yourself in the mirror with a self praising gaze.  You did this over and over and over and over again, even offering me a handful.  My baby was a little greaseball.

2.  You love the bowls in the kitchen and pull them out everyday to pretend you're cooking for me.  You were in the kitchen, I was in the living room and I hear the bowls shuffling, clank, clank, clink, clank and then static....then rustling...but no talking.
 *I go into the kitchen and first see the bowls all lined up along the edge of the island and I pan up to you gnawing through a cellophane wrapper encasing a marshmallow bunny, with three or four wrappers strewn around your feet.  You bite a little piece off, pick it out of your mouth and toss it in a bowl and say, "Here Mommy, this is for you to mix up."  Then you continued gnawing through that paper.  My baby was a little wild animal gettin' him some chocolate.

You never fail to make me laugh in a day.  I am grateful for these moments.  I am also grateful my camera is always only an arm lengths away so I may share these moments with your future self.
Love, Mama

Hippity Hoppity Easter Came and Went

Dear Peep Peep, 
We had a great Easter this year, despite the rain on rain off weather.  We started out at Grandma LaJean and GG's house.  We visited with Daddy's cousins who live in Colorado.  They have a girl and a boy, Sarah and Johnny.  Krispie prepared a couple of yummy vegetarian dishes and GG prepared Sloppy Joes.  You ate a lot then played with Johnny a bit.  The rain took a break so we took a walk around the block so the Easter eggs could be hidden about the yard. 

Our walk ended and the rain began again so the hunt was conducted with a quickened step.  You really enjoyed spotting an egg and running to it.  After the three of you had full baskets we hung out on GG's porch to open the plastic eggs and to riffle through the Easter baskets from Grandma LaJean.  

It became clear quickly that you were ready for a nap!  

You took the two hard boiled eggs you found and with chocolate all over your face, crushed them all up into GG's empty blue jean pot.  GG tried to get you to settle in with her, happy with the thought of a nap with you in her recliner.  She laughed and said you were afraid to stop movin' or you'd fall asleep.   Attuned to your cues, Daddy and I loaded you into the van and drove you around for an hour so you would nap.  You did without a fight.  We returned to Grandma Lajean's to say our goodbyes and headed out to Great Aunt Clarcee's to see cousin Tommy's and Amy's new baby boy, Jack.  He is sweet and you were so very gentle and loving with him, rubbing his head, smooshin' noses and showing amazement over his tiny fingers.  Nash came by for a bit and you ran with him for at least two hours.  

You guys had an awesome time.    After hugs and kisses goodbye we went back to town to see our friend's band play some olde country.  You started out looking like sleep was leading you by the hand but when a talented guy played guitar with lots of pedals the variety of sounds inspired you to pop your foot up and down on a lonely kick drum.  

At one point people turned around and the guitarist stopped and smiled at your efforts.  A really long fun day was past over so we loaded in the car and spent the night at Bahboo's and Grandma P's.  We hung around on Sunday for an awesome bacon and egg breakfast.  Then off to Grandpa Tim's for one more Easter basket.  He gave you a bug hunting kit with a shovel and bucket.  You loved it...and were filthy and tired from all the hunting and digging and digging.  You helped him fill the bird feeders and went on a little walk and brought me back a mushroom.  

With all of us tired and dragging and rain falling again we trekked back home.  A very eventful Easter 2011.  Love being with family, love getting to spend some time outside.  Love candy.  Love you!
Love, Mama