family

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Dear Jack: The Family We’ve Become in the Past Decade

10 years, 11 months.

Dear Jack,

Tonight before bedtime, as a family, we ended up randomly looking through our family’s photos on Mommy’s Facebook account. We spent about 20 minutes travelling back a solid decade; back to when you were still just a baby.

Back to when Mommy and I were brand-new parents, still in our 20s… and now we’re both 40!

And now, you’re less than a month away from turning 11 years old; as strange as that sounds to say.

From my perspective, it almost seems like when Mommy and I got married over 13 years ago, we were just playing house. Then, after a year, we found out about you coming along.

Flash forward to now: This is your last year of Elementary school. You do Taekwondo. You don’t really care so much about plastic toys anymore or Pokemon cards.

You’re growing up. And this whole time, I’ve been doing my best to not let a minute slip past me.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: Showing Your Sister How to Play at a Pumpkin Patch

10 years, 10 months.

Dear Jack,

It is our tradition as a family to visit one of the nearby pumpkin patches each Fall season. This year, with your sister being a 5 year-old girl, not a preschooler, it was clear she was interested in participating in more adventure than in previous years there.

You were sure to show her the way- and she was just as eager to follow you.

Whether it was going into the spooky house, jumping off the mountain of hay, and going down the huge tunnel slide together.

I loved being able to watch the two of you have fun together.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: You are Going to Be the Flower Girl This Weekend!

5 years, 4 months.

Dear Holly,

This has been a long time in the making… that this weekend, after well over a year of planning, you are going to be the flower girl in our friend’s wedding!

I heard that Mommy is going to accommodate you as you get your hair professionally styled for the event. It’s going to be a big deal!

I will be so proud to be taking pictures of you the whole time. I know that you are going to feel like a real little princess.

Not to mention, this will also be the first wedding you’ve ever gone to that you’ll actually be old enough to remember.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: My Daily Narration of “Little Holly’s Big Day”

5 years, 4 months.

Dear Holly,

A tradition that has been going on ever you could speak well enough to understand me is that anytime I take you anywhere, I lean over and softly say, as if I was reading the title of a children’s book to a classroom food of kids:

Little Holly’s Big Day.

I pretend that every event I am taking you to is like the first time you are ever doing it.

And when I say “Little Holly”, I’m not kidding. I’m pretty sure you’re the smallest kid in your class.

That was pretty evident when last Friday, the entire school wore the official school t-shirt.

Mommy ordered the smallest possible size for you, but it was noticeably way too big on you!

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: You’re Still Young Enough to Be a Boy Who Does Silly Boy Things

10 years, 9 months.

Dear Jack,

In a few months, you’ll be turning 11 years old; taking you further into the preteen years. Even so, I still catch glimpses of you doing classic boy things; like the way I remember you when you were much younger.

This weekend, you spent several hours testing out Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty versus some generic slime you still had from Valentine’s Day.

You decided a good experiment would be to poke a straw in each clump and blow air until the point it exploded. Of course, you gave me a play-by-play commentary during the entire event.

I couldn’t help but think to myself: Enjoy these moments.

Love,

Daddy