Month 53 - Recap

My sweet love,
I bought you a pair of reversible shorts (orange on one side, blue on the other). They're a little too big on you so they look kind of funny, but simply because they're reversible, they've become the Most Awesome Shorts on the Planet to you. Except you keep forgetting the word 'reversible' (which you pronounce as 'we-vuh-sible') so you call them your 'convertible' shorts. Or, 'convuh-tible shohts'. Gah, I love your Ws-as-Rs.

Your sister got to pull Older Sibling ranks and go to a Parent's Night Out at the gym where she takes gymnastics. It's a four-hour block of time where kids eat pizza and play on all the gymnastic equipment. In other words: it's awesome. It's obviously meant for parents to get a date night but for those parents (ie: us) with kiddos (ie: you) younger than five (since ya gotta be at least the wise old age of five to participate in PNO), it meant that we had a Daddy-Mommy-Charlie date where you called the shots for the entire night. And you, my boy, are a kid who's easy to please.

We started the evening dining at the upscale local bistro called Cici's Pizza Buffet. We had to get those reservations weeks in advance. You dined on the chef's special of cheesy bread, cheese pizza, and cinnamon rolls. This meal paired nicely with some freshly squeezed Minute Maid lemonade.

After Cici's, you decided you wanted to look at toys at Toys (backward)R Us. We spent over an hour checking out the train table, the foam swords, and the $400 ride-on cars (you picked out a sweet orange Jeep for me, a black convertible for Daddy, a pink VW bug for Natalie, and a blue Hummer for you). You and Daddy had a sword fight in the middle of the store and we ended up buying two swords (just so we could leave before we got kicked out).

We ended the night by coming home and watching Super Hero Squad on Netflix. You held your sword tightly as you cheered along Spiderman, Iron Man, the Hulk (you still call him the Honk!!) and all the rest of the Squadies.

You talked more in those four hours than I think you've talked in the past four months. It's like you live with someone who has the habit of talking for you and hardly lets you get in a word in edgewise and you've just been waiting for your chance to say something. Oh wait ....

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy

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Headlines for April 9, 2016:

• Price of Mailing a Letter Dropping to 47 Cents Starting This Weekend
• Mohamed Abrini Confessed to Being 'Man in the Hat' from Brussels Airport Attack, Officials
• Suit Challenging Cruz Eligibility Reaches Supreme Court
• Teacher Volunteers to Donate Her Kidney to First Grade Student
• 'American Idol' Crowns 15th and Final Winner as Series Comes to an End

March 2016 - Recap

My sweet girl,
You went to your first play this month - you and I (along with some friends) saw a production of Cinderella. I didn't warn you in advance that it was Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella and not Disney's Cinderella (there's a pretty big difference when you're seven ...) but you loved it. You were a little disappointed that the fairy godmother didn't bust out with Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo but the abundance of beautiful twirly dresses and puffy sleeves distracted you from the absence of all the 'Salagadoola mechicka boola ...' You bounced up and down in your seat and squealed when Cinderella spun around and her shabby dress suddenly changed into a beautiful gown, you tried to sing along to every song (even though you had never heard any of the songs before), and you clapped as the prince and Cinderella got married ("How romantic!"). It was the ultimate girl date with my best girl.

Daddy and Charlie were notably absent from attending the play. I thought it'd be fun for us to have a girl date, and the boys had a great time hitting things with tools, fixing Charlie's bike, and dunking chocolate chip cookies into a tub of Cool Whip. It sounds like the ultimate boy date with my favorite boys.

You've recently been having a super hard time not getting your way and I've been having to constantly remind you that you're not the queen of the world.  "But I just want everything to go my way!" "I understand. But the world doesn't work that way. The sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be." This answer does not please you and is often met with sighs and pity parties. This response does not please me and is often met with me fighting the urge to lose my ever-loving mind.

You've conquered two new things in gymnastics. I wish I could remember their technical names, but alas, I cannot. So I shall call them by my funnier-made-up names. You can now do a complete 360* flippy-doo on one of the low bars and you can also do a back-kickover-thingie-while-lying-on-a-box. I am so immensely proud of you. You've tried for months to figure out these two moves. Give me a few months and maybe I'll learn the technical names of these moves (or maybe not ... funny names are pretty great, too).

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy

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Headlines for April 1, 2016:

• The Coolest Parents in the World Celebrate a Decade of Wedded Bliss (and Sarcasm)
• Clinton Knocks Sanders Over Response to Trump's Abortion Comments
• 2 Killed After Amtrak Train Hits Backhoe, Derails
• 1st Passenger Flight Leaves Brussels Since March 22 Attacks
• Secret Service agents reportedly catch intruder trying to jump White House fence
• 'Officer Froo Froo' the Drug-Sniffing Cat Assists in April Fool's Day Prank