People

Leave a comment Posted on fatherhood, parenting, People, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Holly: You are Now in Pre-K!

4 years, 3 months.

Dear Holly,

I didn’t realize it until your teacher sent us a picture on Monday, but as of this week, you are now officially in Pre-K.

All these years leading up to this, you have been in preschool.

But now, this is Pre-K; the year designed to specifically prepare you for Kindergarten, which you will be starting a year from now.

It snuck up on me. I’m the last person to ever say, “They grow up so fast.”

I admit though, it feels like you shouldn’t already be old enough to be starting Kindergarten a year from now!

 

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on fatherhood, parenting, People, Uncategorized

Dear Holly: I Really Love the 4 Year-Old Version of You!

4 years, 2 months.

Dear Holly,

I wrote a song a couple of months ago called “These are the Good Ole Days.”

It is a reminder to myself that despite all the craziness in this world that we are living in right now, I have a true blessing with you as my daughter.

I know that years from now, I am going to bitterly miss living in the time I live in now, because I get to be around you everyday.

This 4 year-old version of you especially speaks to me.

You are in some ways the cure I need; the offset to my existential crisis that I have been working through for a couple of years now.

Your sweetness reaches me in a way that I need in my life right now.

It was meant to be that the 4 year-old version of you and the 39 year-old version of me would exist at the exact same time; right when we needed each other the most.

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on fatherhood, parenting, People, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: You Tricked Us into Letting You Get a Pet Pine Lizard

9 years, 8 months.

Dear Jack,

You and I started a new routine last week: After I get back from the gym in the morning, you jump on your bike and join me as I go on a two mile run.

Last Saturday morning as we were heading out on our 2 mile excursion, we both noticed a very interesting lizard by the garage door. It looked really cool.

By Saturday afternoon, you set up an amusement park for it in the garage and had hand-tamed it.

By Sunday afternoon, I went to the pet store to buy some meal worms for the lizard.

By Monday afternoon, the lizard was officially living in the hamster’s travel case, in a corner in your bedroom.

And by Tuesday, we learned that Sargento the Pine Lizard was actually a girl.

You re-named her; Serenity.

 

Love,

Daddy

 

Leave a comment Posted on parenting, People, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Holly: You Started Taking Ballet Classes

4 years, 2 months.

Dear Holly,

Last week you were so excited to get to start going to ballet class.

It just so happened that in the same strip mall as your preschool, there is a dance studio that is offering a trial dance class for your age group.

Needless to say, I knew there weren’t be much of a “trial” to it, because after your first class last week, you made the decision to start taking tap dance lessons once the trial period ends.

As I look at this picture of you in your ballet dress, I can’t help but think of the Elton John song:

“Hold me closer, tiny dancer.”

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on parenting, People, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Holly: If You Were a Cat, You Would Look Like This

4 years, 2 months.

Dear Holly,

Last weekend Mommy and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary by visiting Look Out Winery near Chattanooga. We arrived a few minutes before they opened, and as we were making our way over to our table, which overlooked the river, we could help but notice an inviting little cat lying there on the ledge.

Mommy and I immediately both thought the same thing:

If Holly were a cat, this would be her.

She wasn’t a kitten. She seemed fully grown. However, she was more of the size of a kitten. She had big blue almond-shaped eyes.

And of course, she was very friendly, inviting, and playful.

Just like you!

Love,

Daddy