Touch a Truck

Dear Peepsie, 
If ever there was an event made for you it was Touch a Truck.  For a buck all afternoon you can walk around a parking lot and touch, ride, inspect, push on and climb on all different varieties of vehicles.  Cement mixers, city bus, school bus, garbage truck, bookmobile, helicopter, pipe declogger truck, ambulance, fire truck, bucket truck and many others.  We met Megan and Devo there to romp around the vehicles together.  You loved it and it wore you out.  You and Devo loved sitting in the bus and the ambulance the most.  We enjoyed seeing your reactions.  By the time we made it to the fire truck you laid on the ground in front of it ready for a nap.  We went home and you passed out for several hours and on waking you couldn't stop talking about it.  The next day you woke up to ask to return to Touch a Truck.  I can't wait until the next one!  I really appreciate inexpensive summer fun!

Love, Mama 

Buddy Power!

Dear Peep, 
Most of us old people can't think of something more fun than being a little kid and getting the chance to hang out with friends.  At least once a week Mommy tries to set up time to play with others.  Mommy needs adult lady talk and Henny needs him some play time with kids.  One week we had Heather, Etienne, Sylvie, Brook, and Lily over to play in the sprinkler and hang out.  Now that you're all walking and communicating better it is a good time to watch you play.  You, over all, share well and are just too cute for us to handle.  After sprinkler time we drove across town to have lunch at Heathers.  We stayed until it was clear the 4 babies were in need of a nap...and you slept a LONG time.  Here are some photos...

 Love, Mama

Happy Father's Day!

Dear TAco, 
This post is for you.  It would have been a tragedy for you not to be a daddy.  Your boy loves you so much.  I get so warm when I hear you and Peep in the other room deep into one of your "construction" projects, building the greatest swing set any man, woman or child has ever seen or the most elaborate sand box a Peep could ever need or want.  The steam roller rides at night and the skink kisses before bed are more than many boys ever get and they are unique to you.  Each night at 5pm, an hour before you're home, like an eager pup Henny prepares for your arrival.  He begs to hide so he can surprise you as you roll into the house.  He gets so happy doing this.  He picks out your pencil for the day with great thought and attention.  Speaking of pencils, if you ask him what one is used for he says, "As fingers to type with."  He loves singing with you and I am sure there is not another boy alive who has taught their son all the words to Just a Gigolo.   Perhaps, only you would drive around very slowly and lovingly, neighborhood after neighborhood on an Easter Sunday so your boy could take a restful nap in the car because while out of town he can have a troubled time trying to sleep. 

You go to work everyday, long hours so that I can have the honor to stay home with the boy.  I feel I can't tell you often enough what a gift that is.  I know what a sacrifice it is for you.  You would love to be in my shoes as we climb the stairs of the pool slide on a sunny afternoon,  as we go on a fall nature search, or to chase him through the library on a rainy day, but gratitude is not lost here.  Someday your lil' buddy perched on your arm rest will be too heavy with legs too long to partake in a ride around the block but you'll find new ways to be close with your boy, because that's what great dad's do.  We love you.  Thanks for being such a man. 
Love, Wifey and your little Pizza Wolf

Henry wanted to say....
Hanny Henny Hinny, Henny, Pinny Penny Pine, Pinny Penny Pinny,

Maybe Goats are GOOD!?!

Dear Hank, 
Per invite from our pals David, Kate and Abraham on a Sunday afternoon we took an1.5 hour trek to Capriole, a little goat farm cozied up in some rolling Indiana hills.  Mama and Daddy love to go on long rides that meander through small Main Street towns and you love animals so the trip satisfied all of our tastes.  Upon arrival there were soft drops of rain making us doubt this jaunt but soon after setting out through the barns it left and a beautiful day unfolded.  As previously mentioned goats and Henny equals a love/scared relationship.  You love them, but then at night when you're curled in your bed, thumb in mouth, blankets in hand you hear them knockin' on your window.  The first barn was full of young goats rousting about.  Big buckets of food hung from the fence edge, which your little fists shoved in and out of, dumping the food on the goat side of the fence in a near continuous motion. 
As other people left that barn I set you up on a big bail of straw and you discovered if you 

ripped out a bundle and stuck it out the goats would gladly snack out of your hand.  You giggled and laughed as an eager mouth tickled your hand.  We moved to the barn where the bigger goats and mama goats were housed.  We had just missed a baby goat being born!  The after birth still clung to her hind side and baby worked to get to her wobbly legs.  Bummer! but the lessons of life weren't missed too.  You enjoyed finding and pointing out, loudly I might add, those goats having a poop or pee or the mama goat giving her baby milk from her utters.  All that goat feeding made us hungry so we went to sample some goat cheese.  I am no foodie, I have never had goat cheese, so goat cheese after goat watching wasn't sounding very appetizing.  We tried some anyway and it was very good.  You tried some and decided, "Goat cheese is VERY GOOOOD!  I like goat cheese!"  We ate our sample down by the pretty pond.  A boys playground!  You fed goats, saw chickens, walked long rock walls, threw pebbles into the water, poked sticks through the mud, climbed in a tree, bug watched with Jackie (Kate's mama) and watched Abe's diaper change.  Daddy had to work the next day so we started to leave about 5:00.  I say started because our van was parked passed the goat barns and we got caught up feeding the goats again.  So another hour playin' with the goats and you've shown NO FEAR! NO APPREHENSION! -Until-  the adult barn.  

A doggone goat with a big long black beard came to the fence while you were feeding three other goats and scared you!  You started backin' away, and wanted to leave.  For the next week all we heard was, "Goats are nice!  I don't like that goat with the big bad black beard."  You slept with us that night.  A week later you've started to let it go of the goat with the big bad black beard but just before sleep you tell us, "Don't be afraid of the goats!"  
Love you!
Mama

I'm Talkin' About My Best Friend

Dear Peep, 
You've gotten several round ups with your good buddy Devo.  It is cool that at least now you try to stay near each other.  A couple of weeks ago we went to a little school fair at Harmony.  Devo's Daddy, Mike, was playing with his band and there were games, food and fun to be had.  You and Devo were excited to see each other.  You sat close to each other to eat your snow cones, all your own doing.  

The next week we met up at the Saturday Farmer's Market.  You were both already into raising a grumpus that day but found some happiness weaving in and out of the large chair sculpture, playing hide and seek.  After you all started tramplin' your size 6.5s into the plants and swingin' your mits out to a hot grill both mama's and papa's decided to head on home.  You little dudes are giving us the run around already.  Oh teen years please be gentle and kind!

 Love, Mama