A Super Halloween

Dear John,

We had so much fun this Halloween.  I was pleased by how many activities we did versus how much candy you consumed.  It is so easy to find the good in Christmas and Easter and Thanksgiving.  How do we turn Halloween into anything but the scary sugar jolt that it is?

I am still looking for the answer to this.  I am tempted to turn towards All Saints Day as a resolution to Halloween, but it still feels contrived to do so (since neither your dad or I are really all that into the All Saints Day celebration, at least not yet).  For this year, at least, we focused on the fun and whimsical nature of Halloween and just tried to do as many fun activities together as possible.

First, I had to select your costume.  I wanted so badly to dress you as the Jack of Hearts, put your sister in an Alice in Wonderland costume with me as the Red Queen and your father as the Mad Hatter.  I mean I really wanted that.

But you are more and more into your name being John, not Jack, and it just wasn't as funny with John dressed like a Jack of Hearts.  So I went the other route and just asked you what you wanted.  You wanted to be a superhero.  I despise the store bought fake muscle superhero costume and so I looked instead for a cape and mask that would become solid dress up gear in the future.  Once that was bought, you sister needed her own and a pair of sibling superheroes you became.

After the Halloween photoshoot came the church pumpkin carving.  You dad had fun being the black market for sharp knives and you enjoyed playing with the incredibly not sharp pumpkin saws that everyone was exchanging for knives with your dad.

I love that both you and your dad have such animated faces in this process.  You look like you are willing the saw to work with your mouth and your dad just looks maniacal.

Your pumpkin had to, of course, follow the superhero theme and had a Batman bat on it.  You were extremely taken by the flame and would not release your hold on the pumpkin saw, even for the picture.  I guess I should re-evaluate what seems more maniacal... the dad about to gut a pumpkin or the son looking longingly into the flame with a saw in his hand.

You see what I mean about Halloween, don't you?  Even good old fashion fun turns a little dark and twisted.

Happily, our next adventure was to sunny Sea World with the Fords and there was much, much, much less twisted humor.

See, here is a nice family picture of super you and your super sister with your witchy mother in front of some skeletons selling used treasure maps.

Hmmm.  Not twisted, eh?

Well, we did have a lot of fun with the Fords, who were dressed as a football player, a football and a (blind) umpire (respectively).

We fed the dolphins.  (Nothing creepy about handing over dead fish to aquatic mammals.)

We rode the rides... which was great fun until you had to wait in line for the next go round, which I suppose for you was on the edge of panic-inducing.

It is awfully hard to wait when you a little boy.

You found yourself inexplicably drawn to the Sesame street character whose name neither of us knows for sure.  (I think she might be Rosita.)

And since last year, you thought these guys were terrifying, I thought it was neat that you were so fascinated this year.

You got to hold your newest Ford, although she wasn't as happy about that as you were.

Mostly, though, we got to celebrate Mr. Ford's birthday and be with our friends for the eve of Halloween again.

And there were balloon animals.  Also, not creepy.   And certainly not anxiety creating as a certain mama waits and waits and waits to see if they will pop as a certain little boy keeps kissing, or biting, or kissing the Shamu shark (whale, dolphin).

The following day, on Halloween, your dad (who missed Sea World with his sinus infection) took you and your sister trick or treating while I stayed in bed with mine.

The perfect end to a wonderful (dare I say "super") and only somewhat creepy Halloween.

Love,
Mom

My Name

Dear John,

During the Children's sermon this Sunday, you wandered over to the front pew and got out the attendance pad where members and guests are supposed to sign in.  You turned to the first page where names are supposed to be written and loudly said, "That's my name!"

Then you turned to the next page.  "That's my name!"

Then the next page. "That's my name!"

And the next page.  And the next and the next.  "That's my name!" "That's my name!"  "That's my name!"

I know your dad, sitting in the back, head aching from his sinus infection, was not impressed and thought I should have shushed you after the first time, let alone the fifth or sixth.

But I couldn't.  You know why don't you?

What's the name of our church?

And you were pointing right at the word "John" on every single page.

Love,
Mom

Peter and the Wolf

Dear John,

I love that your dad can (and does) still surprise me.  The other day, he announced that he had bought ballet tickets.  Not just any ballet tickets, but tickets to see three shows, including two kid oriented ones, and The Nutcracker (which I thought he really didn't like and only tolerated for my sake).

So this weekend, we were off to the first of the three ballets, Peter and the Wolf.

We dressed up, of course.  I love seeing you in sweater vests.

 When we got to the show, you saw that your daddy had tickets and you absolutely had to hold your own.

 Ticket!

No really.  From that point on, you were holding on to that ticket like it was gold.  All the way through the performance and into the car.

Ticket!

I loved the way the director explained all of the things you would need to expect in the show, from the lack of dialogue, to the movements of the dancers, to the nice young man named Benjamin who would be wearing a scary wolf head, but would not actually be a wolf.

We had such a good time.  I am so glad your dad decided we would like the ballet.

Love,

Mom

DL

Dear John,

You are becoming more and more social and very interested in the other kids around you.  This past weekend, we spent much of the day Saturday with Danielle Hazen and you were so happy to have someone littler than yourself in the house.

My favorite part, though, was that although you like Danielle and wanted to play with her and talk about her all day long, you cannot actually say "Danielle."

So all day long, I heard, "D.L."

DL, come here!  I see you, DL.  DL have that baby?  DL took my stroller!  That DL cup juice?  Where DL go?  Here DL is!

So adorable!

Well, halfway through the morning, your dad and I decided that "DL" would be just as happy out shopping as she was trying to wrestle that stroller away from you at the house, so off to the thrift stores we went.

You and "DL" continued to play at the thrift store.  We did not find another stroller, although if we had, I would have bought it for her.  Instead, Danielle got a baby carrier.

You got tinker toys and your sister got a new unicorn.

Your dad got a sports coat and I got many, many, many used games that I am happily taking pieces from for various projects involving your sister's board game themed fifth birthday.

Everybody wins!

Even Mrs. Hazen who got to do her book sales without a toddler underfoot, and Peter, who got a day alone with his mom.

I love these kinds of days.


Love,
Mom

A Word About Shoes

Dear John,

You have always been into shoes.  For the longest time, you would not go barefoot... ever.  I have had to keep you in footed jammies so that your feet would be covered at night.  You have even gone so far as asking for shoes in the bath in the past.

As with most things, the shoe obsession seemed to be tapering with age... until recently.

For some reason, we seem to be right back where we were.  Last night you were crying in your room.  "Shoes!"  "Shoes!"  "Need shoes!"  (Only it sounds more like "shoose" as in rhymes with "loose".)

I went in and you were trying to find shoes for your baby doll.  It was too traumatic for you that baby was having to sleep without shoes on.  Then, in searching for baby's shoes, you realized that I had snuck you into footless jammies!  (Nevermind that you have worn these many times before without incident.)

You do have house shoes.  I showed them to you.  Both pairs.  Nope.  Not those shoes.  You wanted tennis shoes.  Specifically, your Dr. Seuss tennis shoes.  Or as you call them, your "cat hat fish shoose."

 And just for the record, we found shoes for baby, too.

Crisis averted.

Love,
Mom

The Zoo with Robinsons

Dear John,

We had a nice day at the zoo with the Robinsons.  As with last weekend, the weather is cooling and it finally feels like fall.

You enjoyed the play around by the orangutangs again, jumping around on the chimes making music with your sister and Andrew.

 

You also enjoyed the reptile house, where it was feeding time, quite a bit.  I don't think I had ever noticed their big pythons before... that snake is HUGE.

 

The fish were a big hit, of course.  You and Andrew liked looking at the fish.  Sydney, I think, was involved in some sort of personal challenge to walk the edge of the rock ledge by the glass.

We also went by the playground, which we often pass by.  You loved sliding down that big slide, running around, climbing the stairs and doing it all over again. 

You also had the chance to be a beautiful butterfly.  Very cute.

I love, love, love the way you photograph in the fall.  I think almost all of my favorite pictures of you have been taken in the fall.

But then sometimes I think I felt that way about the summer, and will feel that way about you in winter and spring as well.

Is it the season, or is it my mother's eyes, that make you look so perfect to me?

Either way, you were beautiful today.

Love,

Mom

Farm Boy

Dear Jack,

You were "Jack" today.  Yesterday you told me your name was "Jack" and that was enough to get me back on a Jack kick, at least until you actually tell me to stop and call you "John" again.  It's really become a day-by-day sort of thing with you.

We went to Crowe's Nest Farm today, you and your sister and me.

I get to take my students there every year, but they aren't open to the public except on special days and so when I found out that they are doing family days every Saturday this month, I knew I wanted to take you and Sydney there.

 

 Our first big adventure there was the hayride.  You and Sydney both enjoyed seeing the bison and the ostriches.

 

From the hay ride, we went walking around and you found all kinds of animals.  You saw the cows, of course, including Hershey who was being milked.  I know you like cows because you always yelling "cow" in the car any time we pass a field (and since I'm driving I can neither confirm not deny that every field in between our house and your daycare has a cow or three in it).

There were also pigs and chickens, which you found just as fascinating.

I think your favorites, though, were the animals you could actually get to.  Like the peacocks that walk around the farm.  You walked after (I swear I didn't let you chase) that peacock for a good two or three minutes before I called you to catch up with your sister and me.

And the other animal, you could get to?  The barn cat.  Because every good farm has one.

 

You also took lots of pictures... about 30 or so.  Which considering I took over 500, I guess isn't that many.

 

But when every single one was a shot of the ground, I had to laugh a little.  I guess part of it is that you just are closer to the ground than an adult, and part of it is learning to aim the camera.

You did get a really cute one of your shadow, though.

My two favorite parts of Crowe's Nest Farm are the themed gardens and the Faerie Wood.  Lucky that you were back to being "Jack," huh?

And if Mrs. Hazen had been with us, she would have gotten a picture of Peter with this little blue jacket.

Going to the Faerie Wood is all about the tunnel that leads into it.  Tunnels are just magical.  I guess there is something primal in our nature, having come through a tunnel from the womb to the world that makes us programmed to find mystery and intrigue in the form of pathways from one place to another.  I feel the same way about the tunnel under the road at Sweet Berry Farm, only in a different sort of magic.  The Faerie Wood tunnel is the magic of Lewis, going into Narnia by way of the Wood Between the Worlds.  The tunnel at Sweet Berry is the magic of Tolkien, using a hard concrete that speaks to castles and strongholds into the wildflower fields of the Shire.  Either way, though, I love the experience.

You and your sister liked the fairies, of course.  I knew she would, but you were really taken in by the Faerie Wood yourself.

 

During our first visit (because of course we were coming back), you really stopped to look at all of the displays.

 

 

We left because when I first suggested the wearing of fairy wings, your sister was unimpressed, but having seen the Faerie Wood, she saw my plan and wanted to go get hers from the car after all.  You, who had been prepared to wear yours in the car, were thrilled to go back and get your "yittle" wings (as opposed to Sydney's big wings).

  

Wings on, it was back to the Faerie Wood.  This time, in addition to the fairies, you found some gnomes, and one was even reading a book.

  

After two trips to the Faerie Wood, one nice walk through the themed gardens, and a chance to see all of the animals you were interested in seeing, it was time to just enjoy the expansive grounds and use the time and space on the farm the way children have used them for generations.

 Running, running, running, running around!

 And exploring, and playing, and just being outside, in the fresh air, having fun.

 

As I watched you today, so at home on the farm, I wonder if there is a part of you that wishes you were being raised in the country.  You have always had a much higher affinity for things like petting zoos that your sister ever did and I have seen you before looking at peace in farm settings.  I wonder if there is something in your blood, something from your West Texas rancher great-grandpa, or your East Texas farmer great-great grandpa.  And then I wonder what in the world those two men would have said about a boy running around a farm in fairy wings.

I guess it's just as well that we won't have to find out.

Love,
Mom