parenting

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Dear Holly: You are Now 9 and a Half Years Old

9 years, 6 months.

Dear Holly,

This past week you turned 9 and a half years old. I think about how you’ll be double digits in less than 6 months.

That thought just makes me appreciate you still being a child that much more.

You wanted to go to the County Fair last week. It was so crowded. But you didn’t really care about the rides. Instead, you just wanted to win a Peppa Pig you saw as a prize.

And you did!

It made me so happy to see you play the game and win. You’ve been carrying Peppa Pig with you everywhere since then.

 

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: Still Catching Crawdads

14 years, 11 months.

Dear Jack,

As you’re now less than a few weeks away from your 15th birthday, I love to see how you still have that sense of adventure and exploration you always had as a little boy.

While we were recently on Fall Break in Blue Ridge, you were so excited when you discovered evidence of crawdads in the creek there in front of our cabin.

You tracked them down and were able to pull one out of the water.

It makes me so happy that you still want to catch crawdads whenever you get the chance.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: The Bigfoot Museum Was Too Scary for You

9 years, 5 months.

Dear Holly,

When I took this picture of you last week at the bigfoot museum in Blue Ridge, I thought you were trying to be funny and look like the bigfoot statue you were standing in front of.

But after we returned back home from our Fall Break vacation, I realized you were actually afraid instead!

You explained to me that for the remaining days we stayed in the cabin, you were secretly fearing that a bigfoot would try to break into our cabin.

Fortunately, the only animals we saw out at our cabin in Blue Ridge were plenty of harmless deer.

 

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: Riding with You in the Car

9 years, 5 months.

Dear Holly,

It is so rare that I am ever not driving when our family is in the car together:

I drive. Mommy is up front in the passenger seat. That’s the set-up.

But this past week while on Fall Break in Blue Ridge, there was one point when Grandma was sitting up front while Mommy drove, so I sat in the back with you.

You laid your head on my shoulder and went in and out of sleep.

During that time, here is what I thought to myself:

“The worries of life have all disappeared. You, in this moment, are the only thing I am thinking about. I am so grateful I have you in my life.”

I love you.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: You are Still a Kid

9 years, 5 months.

Dear Holly,

As you and Mommy pulled in the driveway from a quick trip to the Dollar General to pick up some poster board, I noticed you had taken a teddy bear from Build-A-Bear with you as a companion.

I wanted to capture that moment, as it served as a reminder:

Despite you growing up, I still currently have a “child” in the house; as your brother is now in high school.

It makes me happy to know you still treat stuffed animals like they are real and that you still get so excited to turn a cardbox box into a car for yourself or for your Warmies.

And that you would spend hours on creating a Lego version of our family and our home.

You are still a kid. I just love that.

Love,

Daddy