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Dear Holly: Our Whole Finally Joined the Christmas Parade!

8 years, 7 months.

Dear Holly,

Apparently the plan was for you and your brother to ride with Nonna and Papa in the Christmas parade last Friday, as Papa is part of the local Jeep club.

But the night before, there was so much logistical planning involved. I explained to Mommy, “Okay, so before the parade starts, we need to park one of our cars on one side of the town to pick up the kids once the parade is over, so we can easily get to the kids to take them home. It’s going to be so cold and they will already be outside for so long already.”

She simply responded, “Do we all just want to be the parade?”

And that is how our whole family ended up throwing candy in the Fort Payne Christmas parade. I feel confident that we have now begun a new Christmas family tradition here on our first Christmas as a family in Alabama.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: Earning Money to Afford a PS5

14 years old.

Dear Jack,

You have your sights set on getting a “PS5″… a PlayStation 5, that is.

It’s interesting to think how you have never actually owned a video game system; your entire life. You’ve just always played games on your tablet or phone.

Granted, at $400, a PlayStation 5 is a lot to ask for. Fortunately, Nonna and Papa have been hiring you on the weekends to help them keep bugs, mold, and moisture out of the house.

Maybe you’ll afford that PS5 sooner than later…

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: I’m Not the Handyman, but You Are!

14 years old.

Dear Jack,

One of my many life mottos is this:

“Be proud of your strengths and make jokes about your weaknesses.”

With that being said, there has never been any question that the “handyman gene” went straight from one Jack Shell (Papa) to the next Jack Shell (you).

In other words, it totally skipped me!

But I am happy for you that you have the kind of brain that is eager to get in there and figure out how to fix whatever it is that needs fixing; when it comes to home repairs.

Yes, it’s true we paid off our mortgage a few weeks ago. However, that doesn’t change the fact that owning a home means that there is always something that must be considered “under construction”.

And I am certainly not the man for the job!

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: Your Cousin Darla’s 9th Birthday

8 years, 6 months.

Dear Holly,

With your brother’s birthday, Papa’s birthday, and your cousin Darla’s birthday all being within about a week of each other, it has been a marathon of birthdays leading up to Thanksgiving next week.

And while that has always been the case, the difference is now we live in the same town as Papa and your cousin Darla.

So that means for the first time, our family of 4 is able to celebrate each other’s birthdays together; as a family of ten.

Now we can just all meet up in the middle of the week.

This concept is finally starting to set in. It’s a really nice change.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: Your 14th Birthday Party Festivities

14 years old.

Dear Jack,

This year instead of having an official birthday party, you decided you wanted to take a family weekend trip to Tennessee, to revisit some of your favorite spots and catch up with some of your friends there.

That included racing go-karts and playing carnival games at GO USA Fun Park.

You really loved being able to go to a skateboarding shop at the Franklin Factory, we you got a new beanie and skateboarding t-shirt.

We were able to stay in a hotel for free (thanks to using “points”), where we celebrated your actual birthday and where you opened your gifts from us.

Then, once we got back to Alabama the next day, we celebrated again at our house with the rest of our family.

You even proclaimed, “I think this is the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

I would love to take credit, but the whole weekend was all your idea!

Love,

Daddy