Signs You Wore for Daddy's 33rd Birthday

Letter to Santa (Pretend City)

@ Pretend City, 1/28/2012

Letter to Santa

"Love to Santa Clause, Sarah"

Learning Music

Copycat

DADDY: It's so cute to see the ways you try to copy me. I'll be playing with Poema, getting her to giggle, and you'll crawl up next to me & copy me to get Poema to laugh too. You get pretty disappointed when she doesn't laugh at your attempts. I don't think you've realized that she giggles at you for totally different ways. She loves her big sister. Especially when you are yourself.

Candid cutie

Guffaw: Tonight you got to spend the night with G-Momo and me.  I had been working and got away late so I arrived home after you did.  You had persuaded G-Momo that we should watch Beauty and the Beast as your night night story but because I got home late G-Momo and I had not yet eaten dinner.  Your mommy and daddy had fed you already, so you were ready to start watching the movie.  I offered to cook while G-Momo and you began watching the movie.
 
At that point you entered our conversation.  You said all three of us should watch the movie.  G-Momo said that one of us would need to cook unless we waited to start the movie until after dinner was ready.  At that point, you apparently decided you did not want to wait to start watching the movie, so you said to G-Momo: "You can cook, because Guffaw is more fun." 
  
Fortunately for you, you're so cute even G-Momo laughed.

Right Back Up Again

MOMMY: We were at the park at a playdate and I looked over to see you standing and reaching for the monkey bars.  Your daddy and I allow you to do things as you get big enough for them, so, unlike some moms, I don't hold you as you move your hands across the bars, I just say, "Looks like you'll get to do that when you get bigger." Well, today you were able to reach the first monkey bar and your face lit up.  You grabbed it and hung for a few seconds and then dropped to the sandy ground.  You tried it again, with me standing near (because I didn't want you to fall backwards and hit your head on the ladder).  This time you fell on your butt. You cried loudly for about a minute.  I asked if you were ok and you said, "That hurt my butt." I expected you to be over the monkey bars but as you calmed down, you walked around to the other side of the ladder to climb back up again.  You were saying something about trying it again.  Once again you fell on your butt and cried a little less. Then you tried again, except this time you just jumped off the ladder and landed successfully on the ground and then you went on to play somewhere else.

Double dates and turtles

Tonight G-Momo and Guffaw got to baby sit you on a Friday night because your parents are leading a class on Saturday morning.  You and G-Momo called me at work to let me know you were joining us for our date night.  I rushed away from the office to meet with you at Jon's Coffee Shop.  When I arrived you had been joined by your Uncle Steve.  G-Momo told me you asked to call him so he could be your date since it was a date night.
 
You apparently liked your date.  You kept leaning over and kissing him throughout dinner.
 
One of the reasons we had chosen Jon's Coffee shop is they have real turtles in a little fountain in the restaurant's lobby.  You finished before Guffaw and G-Momo so you took your date to watch the turtles for a little while.  When you came back you told us that one of the turtles was swimming under water.  You then announced very matter of factly that:  Turtles can hold their breath under water for 100 minutes.  I said really and you repeated it.  Fascinated by your turtle trivia knowledge I asked where you had heard that.  You looked at us with a sweet unashamed smile and said:  "I just made it up."
 

An Angel at an Angel game

I have been meaning to tell about the time G-Momo and I took you to an Angels game for Friday Night Fireworks.  We bought you a red Angels t-shirt to wear so you would be a good fan, like G-Momo and Guffaw.  As we were driving there I explained to you that the Angels' color is red, so fans who root for the Angels wear red.  When we got to the stadium parking lot we needed to walk ahead with me so I could get you a ticket.  You had just turned 3 a short time before this and so you no longer got in for free.  As I was walking rapidly through the parking lot carrying you began identifying cars by their logos.  "That's a Toyota.  That's a Honda.  That's a Ford."  Each time you correctly identified one as we walked by I commended you and you then proudly said: "I know all these cars!"
 
When we got to the ticket line a stadium security guard saw me holding you in line.  He came up to us, commented on how cute you were and asked your Guffaw how old you were.  The guard sort of suggested that if I would just say you were 2 you could get in for free.  I said you were 3 though and we would not say you were still 2, especially since you would know if we said you were younger than you are.  The guard then reached in his pocket and pulled out an extra ticket.  He said someone had given him an extra ticket to give to somebody and he wanted you to have it.
 
We had asked you what you wanted to eat and you had said you wanted Carl's Jr. so I took you to the Carl's Jr. at Anaheim Stadium's food court.  As we stood in line you looked at the two guys in front of us and then said: "Guffaw, those people aren't wearing red!"
 
During the game an Angel hit a home run, which prompted a short fireworks display.  Later, after the game we watched the full blown fireworks show.  As we left the stadium you said you liked the home run fireworks better than the end of the game fireworks.  You were more fun than either fireworks display.   

Dancing pickle perceptiveness

On Sunday, November 20, 2011 G-Momo and Guffaw were driving by a newly opened restaurant called Mr. Pickle.  To promote its opening the restaurant had a dancing pickle performer on the street corner.  Your aunt Amber had just driven by ahead of us and called ahead to alert us to show you the dancing pickle.  The light was red so we stopped and pointed to the the performer and said: "Sarah look at the dancing pickle over there!"  You looked at it from your car seat vantage point and then informed your apparently gullible grandparents:  "I think that's someone's costume."
 
 
 

Safe

DADDY: A couple of weeks ago, you asked me to snuggle with you at bedtime. Of course, I said "yes" because there's only so many more times you're going to ask me. In the glow of your nightlight, you told me about your day and other various, very random, things that came to your mind. You were mostly stalling, but I enjoyed every moment.

 

After a while, you fell asleep, and I was struck again by how innocent and amazing you are. I started praying that God would protect you and keep you safe, would guide you and teach you, would draw you to himself.

 

His answer made me weep. He said to me, "I am. I gave her you. And I'm doing it through you."

 

Even as I type this, it brings tears to my eyes.

Coloring for Gracie

DADDY:

We Skyped with Godfather Nate, Godmother Jen, and your friend Gracie today. While we were talking, you and Gracie both went off and colored something for each other, then when you finished, you brought them to the web camera and showed them to each other.

This was your coloring for Gracie:

To Be Like Daddy

DADDY: You came up to me at home with your shoulder bag packed and a smile on your face. "I'm going to play basketball and then go to writing group," you said. You opened your bag to show me its contents: a mini basketball from the Target $1 bin and your Sesame Street ABC tracing book. "It's my writing book. Like you." I love how you long to be like me. It's the highest honor and responsibility and oh, so stinking cute.