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Dear Holly: Playing in the Portable Sandbox I Made You

3 years, 11 months.

Dear Holly,

Last Saturday morning we were able to sneak out to Home Depot (that was before the Governor issued the “Stay at Home” order) to pick up some new plants for the yard, as well as some activities to get you and your brother busy outside since the sun had finally came out.

The nice lady at Home Depot gave you and your brother free kits to build since their normal build-a-project plans got cancelled. Your brother was kind to help you build yours.

I bought a 50 pound bag of sand and a tray bucket, so that you and your brother can have a little portable sandbox to easy take in and out of the garage into the driveway.

You and your brother had so much fun outside!

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: Our Family Quarantine Jeep Ride on Old Mill Creek Road in Nunnelly ,TN

9 years, 4 months.

Dear Jack,

Well, now that the Governor of Tennessee has issued a mandatory “stay at home” order, it looks like last weekend’s family quarantine Jeep ride might be our last one for a couple of weeks.

At least we definitely had a fun adventure, taking the Jeep down Old Mill Creek Road in Nunnelly, Tennessee.

It’s a barely-paved road that continually crosses back and forth over a creek.

Your favorite part of it was definitely getting to play in the water with your sister.

I look forward to being able to do this again as soon as we are able!

 

Love,

Daddy

 

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Dear Holly: You are a Little Doll Who Has Come to Life

3 years, 11 months.

Dear Holly,

This week, Mommy and I completed the difficult task of narrowing down the 20 professional portraits taken at your school to just 3. Actually, we were not successful.

Because we ended up paying extra money so we could get 5 instead.

The easiest way to summarize how I feel about these photos of you:

You are a doll.

For me, it’s truly coming to the realization that if toy companies needed a real life girl to use as a model for making dolls, they would use your picture to base it off of.

You are a little doll who came to life.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: Our Family Quarantine Jeep Ride Through Laurel Hill Wildlife Management Area

9 years, 4 months.

For the 3rd weekend in a row now, our family has designated an entire Sunday afternoon to taking the Jeep out to some new random town we’ve never been to, in an hour radius from where we live.

This time, I decided to search “Wildlife Management Area near me”. Having grown up right next to one in Alabama, and having really put the Jeep to the test on that one last summer, I figured that any wildlife management area near us in Tennessee would be worth the drive.

I was right.

Once we arrived at the 15,000 acre park, we immediately saw another black Jeep like mine. I approached the driver and passenger to ask them where the best place to start was.

Billy and Angie offered to show us around, so we just followed them.

Your favorite part was when we drove on top of the dam. You also enjoyed playing on a pile of rocks with your sister.

I’m pretty sure we just discovered a new Jeep-friendly playground!

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: Diggin’ Up Bones (from Owl Pellets)

9 years, 3 months.

Dear Jack,

It is an unspoken understanding that anytime you have an extracurricular activity sponsored by your school, it will be just you and me. In most cases, Mommy stays home with your sister, getting her ready for her bedtime which is earlier than yours.

Or, in the case of the Super Bowl Breakfast last month, I dropped off your sister first, then ate with you and your school.

Last night, your school conducted his annual STREAM night, where every classroom in the school becomes a different science experience station.

Your favorite was the one where you got to dissect an “owl pellet.”

As I just happened to learn from one of your library books a few weeks ago, owls can’t actually chew up their food.

Instead, they just swallow it whole, digest the meat, then regurgitate a furball of bones.

After you dissected your first owl pellet, which turned to be the remains of a mole.

You enjoyed it so much, you then requested to dissect a 2nd owl pellet! You were the first and only student to make this request.

The 2nd owl pellet was for a shrew; an animal I can’t differentiate from a mole.

It is confirmed that in our kitchen pantry (not sure how that ended up being the most appropriate place!) there are now two plastic baggies containing the bones of two undigested rodents.

Love,

Daddy