Henry T wrote a book about monsters at school... this is "Handburger Guy: He is 8ft tall. He can shoot hands out of his mouth". Inspiration from Zachary Brimstead Esq? 🍔👋

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Thumbs up to this guy, whose photo not only lists his accomplishments as a Distinguished Professor of Biology, but also as a huge fan of Eric Stoltz

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Hot Pocket

Dear Hazel,  
Grandpa Tim and Trish couldn't make it to your party but they sent you fifty bucks to spend as you'd like! You were going to die without some pink boots and a fancy dress from Goodwill, a hoppy frog toy thing from Target, a shiny star shaped bag, kitty cat shaped lip gloss, and several packs of bubble gum and other treats you were pining for.  You were one happy girl!  You had to model it for me.  Happy birthday!
Love, Mama 

Showing Off Birthday Presents

Waiting for guests

Dear Hazelita, 
My sweet girl, you turned 4 this September 8th.  This birthday marked six months of passionately awaited expectations of a party!  On exiting the library flipping your dark braids around you broke away from me to let our favorite librarian know that your birthday was coming up.  I nodded from behind and clarified in like 3 months you'd be 4 while you gushed on to described your party as a pony party in an alley with lots of pizza and jars of candy.  Checking out from the grocery you let polite checker know too of your alley pony pizza candy party, in two months but so and so are coming, and so and so and....  Finally, each day creeped by with the slowness of a snail until the day was here.  Two o'clock seemed so far away.  Bahboo and P, Grandma Jean and Aunt Glo, Uncle Dave and Goldie the best dog in the world showed up and the party started.  We got the cotton candy machine set up and party decorations, tables and Henry filled the pinata (stashing a half bag of candy in the cabinet.)  Soon, the party was full swing with all of your guest wishing you a happy birthday and despite the line stating no need for presents you make an amazingly thoughtful haul of presents and cards.  There was beautiful weather and a great swell of energy, and I don't think it was just the cotton candy machine going faster than little hands could wind it up on the naked paper cones.  

Great people together to celebrate my best girl created the excitement all on its own.  

Next was breaking the pinata.  Holy excitement!  Kids lined up and everyone got a couple of chances to wack and swing at the pinata, even a couple of adults.  It was intense and exciting to watch!  

After the pinata we sang happy birthday and cut cake. Yum!  Your birthday was a sugar feast.  

I'm so glad we had a party at our house this year.  I am so grateful the weather was perfect.  I'm so grateful for you.  Many more happy birthdays my lil peach. Love, Mama             

Tents and Fire

Dear Campers, 
FINALLY!  We found the perfect weekend to go camping,  which was one of our biggest summer goals appeared to slip away until the very last minute when the perfect weather presented itself on Labor Day weekend. We readied ourselves the night before and were ready to go by noon the next day.  We went to Hardin Ridge and got the last open campsite available.  Lucky us!  You both were such a big help getting our gear out and set up.  It took minutes to get the tent up with all of us helping each other.  A couple of times your excitement became overwhelming and we had to get you guys to calm it down!  Daddy and I put you on a hunt for any living things.  Henny found a centipede, spiders, a butterfly, and I'm not sure all what else.  I loved watching your intense work flow as you lost track of time.  I asked later how long you thought you were doing your search.  You said 5 minutes; it was more like an hour!  
After the tent was secure we had to fill it with cozy sleeping bags, pillows and our air mattress.  Daddy and I sat outside enjoying your giggles and playing around.  

We turned our efforts to fire building and you both busied yourselves collecting sticks of all sizes and any other interesting things to burn.  It started in a flash and we were soon ready for hotdogs and S'Mores.  

Daddy bought two lanterns, one for each of you, which caused great excitement running around in the woods near our campsite.  While we had the plan to stay up until the wee hours 9 o'clock hit and that was it.  A certain boy started asking about getting in the tent, and was it time for bed and can't we all go get into the tent.  So we did.  

The moment Daddy got on the air mattress Henny was passed out.  Hazel on the other hand kept popping her head up and her eye searing lantern on until we allowed you up on our air mattress where you swiftly fell asleep with your elbow in my back.  
https://www.facebook.com/lisa.f.thompson.98/videos/10157350778125484/ 
After sleeping fairly peacefully we awoke to a beautiful morning.  We got up and got our fire going quickly thanks to Henry's quick work of gathering sticks.  I got the bacon ready and warmed some milk for some hot chocolate while you two, with Daddy's help, sucked up most of the whipped cream that was to float on the top of the hot chocolate.  After our eggs and bacon Henny lined up some graham crackers and chocolate for S'Mores.  We doubled the chocolate and the marshmallows to create the messiest goo we could.  Delicious! and Perfection!  Sadly it was time to pack up.  

Henry, we were so impressed with your desire to jump in and take action.  What a team we make!  I give you all credit for packing up the tent tighter and more regimented than I ever had and it easily fit into its bag for the first time ever.  Exhausted, we loaded the car and took the long way around the damn to come home. Looking into the back seat two lil camping buddies were sacked out, snoring and drooling, the brand of a proper sleep over.  Stinky filthy babies.  I was thinking about how it was a straight forward camp out...nothing glaringly significant happened, it will just become a hazy collection of images in a collective story you tell your children someday of vague camping memories that become a gauzy view of your family experiences.  "When we went camping we made S'Mores and played with these cool lanterns my dad bought.  It was my job to roll the tent up because I was so good at it.  I remember not wanting to go to bed without Mom and Dad already in the tent because I was a little scared, though I knew I was safe.  My Dad would give me challenges to keep my busy while my Mom was trying to get stuff set up.  I liked how my Mom would make hot chocolate on the fire, it always burned the skin off of the roof of my mouth, but it still tasted good."  

Nothing too significant, but extremely important to the patterns of your memories of what it means to be a family and how to have gentle time together.  Love, Mama