Dear Holly: You and Your Brother Like to Use Each Other as a Pillow

3 years.

Dear Holly,

You and your brother have this habit after dinner of lazily laying around on the carpet, as you both sort of roll around on each other.

Or maybe it’s more like you are using each other as a pillow.

You even has this habit of putting your feet right in his face, as if you’re trying to use your toes to pick his nose!

But he is never are bothered by this.

Instead, the two of you begin laughing so loud by how silly it is.

Sometimes, you just have to be silly and lazy at the same time as your brother.

Love,

Daddy

Dear Holly: Celebrating Your 3rd Birthday at Our House Yesterday

3 years old.

Yesterday for your 3rd birthday in the middle of the week, we waited until all 4 of us were home at the same time, after work and school, to open your birthday presents.

Instead of getting you one main gift, Mommy and I selected several smaller gifts, like a backpack and new set of clothes for one of your baby dolls and a pretend make-up kit, as well as Elsa and Anna sunglasses.

Mommy stopped by Whole Foods on the way home and picked us up a smaller family size cake to celebrate after dinner.

By the way, you are convinced that the pretend lipstick is real.

You keep applying it, looking in your play mirror to see the results.

You had a fun little 3rd birthday.

Dear Holly,

Love,

Daddy

Dear Holly: A Father’s Letter to His Daughter on Her 3rd Birthday

3 years old!

Dear Holly,

Today is your 3rd birthday. I love it that our birthdays are just 4 days apart, because by the time my birthday wears off, yours begins!

I feel that I am definitely getting my money’s worth for having a 3 year-old daughter who loves Frozen and Peppa Pig.

However, I love knowing that you are so excited about something so not-girly as the big black Jeep Wrangler I am finally getting in a couple of weeks.

There’s no way for you to understand how much I love you… or how much I think about how our relationship will be when you get older.

Hopefully, this letter will help. I have always adored you.

I love you,

Love,

Daddy

Dear Jack: For Crazy Hair Day, You Chose to Be Green!

8 years, 5 months.

Dear Jack,

This past Tuesday, your class got to celebrate filling the jar with marbles, for good class behavior, by having Crazy Hair Day!

So before we left for school, I took you out to the garage and basically spray paint all your hair.

At first, I only sprayed the top, but you insisted I spray all of your hair, including all the back.

Looking back on these pictures though, I should have used the entire can; as there was still some sandy brown showing through.

Needless to say, you had a really fun day. And I’m fairly confident you’re going to be asking me to have green hair again!

Love,

Daddy

Dear Holly: Sometimes I Wonder If Your Stories Actually Have a Beginning or an End…

2 years, 11 months.

Dear Holly,

You just have so much to say these days. (And that’s a major understatement!)

Here lately, I’ve noticed that your most exciting stories seem to start in the middle, but they never really start or end.

I also am wondering how much of your stories actually happened- or are at least accidentally infused with details you are imagining, and then you possibly forget whether you are wanting to tell me a story about something that actually happened or just something you wanted to happen.

At this stage, I’m not sure you necessarily know the difference in the middle of the story… and neither do I!

Love,

Daddy

Photo by Mohamad Alaw