Happy Spring, Kid! 

It’s April 2021. I just had my second Pandemic birthday. Last year we had a picnic with cinnamon rolls at the park. This year, I welcomed 49 years with skiing – you and Mommy went downhill and I got to nordic for a few hours. Later that day, we returned your seasonal rentals – so the ski season is pretty much over. 

Right now, Nana and PopPop are visiting us – the first time you’ve seen them in over a year. You’re playing UNO together and have just finished making brownies. You’ve been so excited to have them visit that you have been crossing off days on the calendar since the middle of March. 

The latest 1 Second Everyday Video:

I’m working on the February and March 1SEs, but in the meantime, here are videos you request often. 

And you don’t know what this is about, but you like saying “Zillow” in a steamy voice after I let you watch this one. 

 

What you’re doing these days:

On April 5th, you went to school for the first time, meeting your 1st grade teacher for the second time in person. You go 1/2 days and the other half you’re still in the pod with Marijke. You seem to really like going back to school.

You have a crush on Cole, one of your 1st grade classmates. You’ve been luck to have met him for a playdate three times already this spring. Until…..last week you learned that Evy and Cole were passing notes, and that set you into a paroxysm of fury, coming home sobbing to Mommy with “he’s taken.” You were quite heartbroken, until you learned that your teacher encouraged students to write notes to your “deskmates,” the students who share your desk the other half of the day. When you learned this, your confidence returned and you learned a good lesson to go for what you want AND don’t assume the worst. 

Here are two items you’ve recently made in pottery class….a cheetah and a mug for me. 

Here’s you being brave and visiting the dentist after a long absence due to COVID restrictions. 

Here’s an easter pug picture you made with me. 

And you made this portrait of me on the same day. 

Your latest joke:   Knock knock?  Who’s there? Element. Element who? “BOO:The Element of Surprise!” It is bad, but you made it up and have a lot of fun offering it to people. You have been known to barge into meetings Mommy has in her office to tell jokes and dance around. 

We just finished all seven of the Harry Potter audiobooks! It was a great bonding experience to go through with you – those audiobooks were probably over 117 hours. The narrator, Jim Dale, earned a world record for over 100 different voices in The Order of the Phoenix. We often use Alexa to play Harry Potter trivia – and we do pretty well 🙂 

A recording

In my life these days:

Here’s my 2021 Peabody Planner

And here’s me getting my second COVID shot collection of stickers. 

In the news:

The trial of Derrick Chauvin, the police officer whose knee was on George Floyd for over 8 minutes, is about to wrap up in Minnesota. Several officers have testified that Chauvin’s behavior was unnecessary and cruel, but we will see if he actually gets convicted of murder. If he is acquitted, I can’t imagine the uproar that will happen. If he is convicted, will this open the gates for police reform and a hope for black men in the hands of police officers? 

The state of Georgia recently passed a law that put more restrictions into voter registration – restrictions that limit the time to register, mail in a ballot, reduce the number of drop boxes, and make offering food or water to people standing in line a misdemeanor. Many large corporations, including Major League Baseball, have taken their business out of the state (the All-Star Game was to happen in Atlanta) in protest. 

On our walks with Kazoo, we often head to Safeway to pick up items. The number of tents there has increased, mirroring what has been happening all over Seattle. This person was covered in a blanket in the middle of the day – Kazoo and I walked past him. 

We had my friend Nichole over for garage dinner a few weeks ago. She and I used to carpool to school with you in the backseat. She’s going through a recurrence of cancer, unfortunately, but just started immunotherapy to try to rid her body of the bad cells. She was impressed with our caprese salad 🙂

A summary of a book or podcast I liked:

I recently finished Spaceman by Mike Massamino, after he came and spoke at my school. 

We’re on our spring break 2021 right now, kiddo, and it is perfect weather. Time to get outside before you enjoy the brownies you baked with Nana.

Love, Dad