Dear Near 5-Year Old,
You have made it clear this year what you’d like your birthday party theme to be as well as your Halloween costume. Without giving them away fully, they are both related and are “super” and involve “girls.” Mommy has made the reservation for your party, at a bouncy place this year, and has sent out the e-vites. T-minus two weeks.
It is time for a quick Summer-y of what happened in June, July, August, and September.
June – swimming lessons with your friend Merriam and her sister Isabel, graduation at my school, Nana and Poppop visited to see graduation at Your school, Mommy’s half marathon, I had the Math Department over for dinner and games.
July – 4th of July on Whidbey, San Diego with Pat, Fred, Miles, and Theo, Grandmaster’s Ultimate Frisbee Tournament in Chicago, more biking, swimming in Greenlake, Gaga and Grandpa camp while Mommy and I went to Jackson Hole, WY, then a tea party with Great Grandma Dorothy.
August – end of our IL trip, hiking in Leavenworth, start of school.
September – we played catch with T.R. and Catherine, attended PreKinder curriculum night in your new classroom, went camping at Tinkham Campground on the I-90 corridor, started the sequence of 5-year old birthday parties, you started Hip Hop Dance lessons, Mommy and I saw Carbon Leaf at the Crocodile, and we flew back to IL for Grammy Dorothy’s 100th birthday party.
Here’s part of the card I made for Grammy Dorothy. I made a 100-year timeline of events (family history, IL history, sports, arts) and also put in many of my memories of her in my life.
The latest 1 Second Everyday Video:
My TEDx Talk has been edited and loaded on YouTube; I am very proud of it and shared it on social media when it was published.
Here is “The Art of Reflection,” by David Peabody, at TEDx UPrep in April 2018
What you’re doing these days:
“Are ghosts afraid of other ghosts?” – You asked this a few weeks ago
“Get Something to Eat So You Stop Being So Foul.” – Mommy said this to you.
Over the summer, we did a lot of sitting out on the deck snuggling on Sunday Mornings….You asked me What is it like when airplanes punch through clouds? Have we done that in an airplane? Does the sky ever stop?
You have a new bestie, Thea, who lives just four houses down. For the first week, you played with her often, running up and down the block, but lately as Thea has started Kindergarten, your friendship has cooled. Today, you started to write a “long lost friend,” letter to her. We’ll see what happens.
A recording
Here’s a clip of us biking up Phinney Ridge – you start the “You Can Do It” chant.
Here’s another of my favorites – a birthday message you recorded and had Mommy send to Sylvia – one of your babysitters.
In my life these days:
I’m working on the new model of intensives that my school is introducing in January 2019. I also worked hard to make and enjoyed playing in the Grandmasters Ultimate Frisbee Tournament this summer. We earned fourth place in the nation!
In the news:
It has been one year since the Las Vegas massacre. Still no large moves in legislation for gun control. President Trump continues to stir up controversy. Brett Kavanaugh, accused of sexual assault, has been confirmed as the latest US Supreme Court Judge. I find nothing good to report in this section.
A summary of a book or podcast I liked:
I’ve started to listen Hidden Brain, we still repeat This Podcast Has Fleas, and I just finished David Sedaris’ Calypso.
Sweet Dreams, Chicken Big. You’ll be five soon. Love, Daddy