Letter to My Son
Dear Son,
Plenty has happened since the last letter. You finished the handwriting course during the summer. At one point, you were doing so well with letter recognition and handwriting that your teacher said "You are on fire!" This tickled you and you repeated it a few times after that day. The instructor told Oma, "Gregory had to go to the bathroom. When he came back, he caught himself up on the work the rest of the group was doing. He caught up... on his own." The instruction also said, "He is ready for kindergarten."
Oma then told me, "Is it bad that I'm sad he is only going into pre-k4 next year when I think he is ready for kindergarten?" No, it's not bad. I understand it. Oma and Mommy want you to be prepared and ready for pre-k4 and ahead of the game as much as you are ready for and willing to learn, while still having fun.
I told Oma, "Basically, other than the breaks where I scheduled courses for Gregory, such as art camp week, handwriting and summer camp, you home schooled Gregory this summer. Every day you did school work with him and he has learned in leaps and bounds. It shows that Gregory can learn from this method."
Son, you love to learn and that makes me so happy! You ask, "Can we do school work now?" Mommy has a math workbook that you are going through. It's fun stuff too. It's number recognition, with some addition. Mommy is also keeping up with what you are learning with Oma - you write your name and address and you have beginner books to read.
Oma did a project with you. You read parts of the instructions and completed the project. Oma went to throw away the instructions and you became very upset, "No! Those are important words! Don't throw them away!" Just the fact that you value words makes me smile. Watching you learn to read... I don't know how to express this... These are things that we, as adults, take for granted. You learned to crawl, walk, run, talk, potty train... now read and write. It's beautiful.
You respond to education in an adorable way. While Mommy was emptying the dishwasher, loading it up again and doing a load of laundry, you were working on a math project. Mommy would ask, "Are you ready for Mommy to look at it yet?" You would reply, "Not just yet." That is such a cute response. You like for me to be in the room with you, but not right next to you. You are more independent, yet you enjoy being near us and.. when you complete something, you are eager to receive praise.
You are confident in writing letters. When you wrote the street number and name, you said our address and asked how to write our city. It's not an easy one to write. I gave you a sample and you wrote it, as well as the abbreviation for our state and our zip code. Will you remember how to spell our city? Not any time soon. But the fact that you asked to write it is wonderful. You are enjoying learning and you are craving more.
This is the best way to end a summer, to have enjoyed learning and want more, all the while having fun, creative outlets and swimming too. Now comes the quest to find a good kindergarten (on up) school to send you to for next year. But that will be in the works throughout next year.
In the meantime, we'll continue to teach you at home, while you attend St. Augustine's preschool. You taught mommy and daddy a new thing too.
Daddy made a box with a small hole it - something just big enough for you to put your hand in. Daddy told you to go in a different room and then he put a toy in the box. You came back into the room, put your hand in the box and within seconds you knew what toy it was! It was.. shocking.. to us both! You knew things such as, "two headed dragon, yellow car (you could feel the size and shape of the car and knew it was the color from remembering your toys), to tiny minion toys"... so Daddy tried to trick you!
After a good run on the toys and you knowing each one, Daddy sent you into another room and put in random house items. You didn't skip a beat! You guessed the "empty toilet paper roll and the ball of yarn... and the nasal spray bottle... and mommy's hair beret.." You even correctly guessed "spoon, a slice of bread, hershey kiss and a container of apple sauce." It was... scary.... Cool, but kind of freaky. We decided to turn the table. We asked you put something in the box and we had to figure out what it was.... we didn't do as well as you... not by a long stretch!
Just recently, we had the opportunity to celebrate Granny and Grandfather's 60th anniversary a second time! The first time was in July, on the day of their actual 60th anniversary, we went to their home. Mommy made an upside down pineapple cake for them, because Granny said she loved those cakes and hadn't tried one from Mommy yet. It was the perfect timing. You visited with your relatives and had a fun evening. As Granny said, "Family is the best gift." This month, we attended church where Granny and Grandfather go to. It was a special celebration to honor the couples who have been married 25, 40, 50 and 60 years. They had three rows reserved for the honored married couples and during the mass, the couples renewed their wedding vows. It was a sweet reminder of love, as well as an excellent service, with a minister who was very charismatic and engaging to the congregation.
Though you squirmed and would move around a lot, Uncle Greg (not to be confused with Daddy) said, "He did really well!" Meaning you behaved yourself. Mommy replied, "Okay, if you think so." You are a 4 1/2 year old and it was a long service. I couldn't expect too much, but I was happy that we didn't have to chase you around the church or bring you outside.
There was only one small issue that you had and it was during communion. You didn't understand why Mommy didn't get up with you and Daddy. And worse... when Daddy received communion, the lady refused to give you any.... you were really upset and turned around and went back to her and she still refused. I saw what happened and when you came back to the pew you were clearly upset. I tried to gently explain that churches do different things. You replied, "It's not fair! All churches should do the same thing." My heart hurt for you... and this, sweet boy, is the reason why Mommy loves the Episcopal faith. I find that it's the most inviting of all that I've attended. It's also the one that accepted me and my marriage to your daddy.
I sure hope you are reading this particular letter at a later time in life, so you can understand. God is good, sweetheart. Your relationship with God is personal. Going to church is good, for the community, to learn new things, to allow God to work through the gospel with you through the minister. But you have to seek out your church home. Mommy did this for many years.
It wasn't easy for Mommy, as I'm sure it's not for most people. At first it was with the Catholic faith, but then Mommy married in the Catholic church and was divorced, not annulled. Not being able to receive communion made Mommy feel rejected by the faith. This is my own personal feelings, sort of like how you felt at the mass. But that is people, that is not God. When Mommy went back to her roots, to a Baptist church, Mommy learned a lot through the minister there as well. But the minister would not accept Mommy's baptism, because it was not full submersion. Rejected again - but this is people, not God. Mommy found acceptance at St. Augustine's Episcopal Church and you have attended church there, being able to receive communion... which I love... it's something we join together and do as a family.
As you go through life, find the community that you enjoy and feel accepted in, but always, always, always know that God is with you. He won't reject you. Also understand that I respect the faiths that I mentioned above. I wished to be a part of those faiths, but my own personal feelings couldn't find the home. Daddy once told Mommy, "The Catholic churches don't have a list of who is divorced. You can go there and receive communion and they won't know." But I will. I respect the church and their rules, but I also am thrilled to have a church home.
Was that too much, too heavy? Probably. I'll move on.
To a ball game! We were able to watch the Baby Cakes play a game while enjoying the comforts of a luxury suite (Thanks to Mommy's work and a thoughtful co-worker) - awesome seats outside and inside, along with full catering. The baseball mascot came in to say Hi and we got a cool tour of the stadium! I watched you and realized something.... when it's just adults, you can be somewhat silly, but most of the time, you're fairly calm and "mature" as Aunt Kim says. BUT.... when there are other kids around, you are on solid GOOFY mode. You run, you make silly faces, you act up, you try to tickle or tackle or both. All out goofy. And if you know you are getting attention, you amp up the behavior. It's something else to watch.
You ran with one boy for a long time, then you tried to tickle another older girl (she gave you a lot of attention and you actually sat in her lap for a short period of time while watching the baseball game). The older girl asked me if I "ever get a break,"... as I said, you were on high energy level. I doubt anyone would believe that you can be the calm, studious, focused child that I see much of the time. But to answer her question, no, I don't get a break. That's the joy of parenthood. You are a ton of energy and a bundle of love, my boy. I wouldn't ask you to be any other way.
This wonderful summer ends with a birthday celebration! Maw maw, my grandmother and your great-grandmother - she turned 91 years old today! Mommy made Maw Maw's favorite - chocolate cake with chocolate icing. We arrived at Aunt Vera's and Uncle Terry's house and got a tour of their newly renovated home. Their house flooded and the renovations they did were wonderful. It was the perfect setting for a close family gathering to honor the family matriarch.
You were so happy to see your cousins and play with them! AND we met the newest, beautiful baby in the family, Zachary. You held his hand and thought he was cute. Zachary has neat strawberry brown hair. It's a cool color. Zachary made Maw Maw a Great-Great Grandmother - 5 generations. It's an incredible blessing.
Family is the best gift.
Love Always,
Mommy
Plenty has happened since the last letter. You finished the handwriting course during the summer. At one point, you were doing so well with letter recognition and handwriting that your teacher said "You are on fire!" This tickled you and you repeated it a few times after that day. The instructor told Oma, "Gregory had to go to the bathroom. When he came back, he caught himself up on the work the rest of the group was doing. He caught up... on his own." The instruction also said, "He is ready for kindergarten."
Oma then told me, "Is it bad that I'm sad he is only going into pre-k4 next year when I think he is ready for kindergarten?" No, it's not bad. I understand it. Oma and Mommy want you to be prepared and ready for pre-k4 and ahead of the game as much as you are ready for and willing to learn, while still having fun.
I told Oma, "Basically, other than the breaks where I scheduled courses for Gregory, such as art camp week, handwriting and summer camp, you home schooled Gregory this summer. Every day you did school work with him and he has learned in leaps and bounds. It shows that Gregory can learn from this method."
Son, you love to learn and that makes me so happy! You ask, "Can we do school work now?" Mommy has a math workbook that you are going through. It's fun stuff too. It's number recognition, with some addition. Mommy is also keeping up with what you are learning with Oma - you write your name and address and you have beginner books to read.
Oma did a project with you. You read parts of the instructions and completed the project. Oma went to throw away the instructions and you became very upset, "No! Those are important words! Don't throw them away!" Just the fact that you value words makes me smile. Watching you learn to read... I don't know how to express this... These are things that we, as adults, take for granted. You learned to crawl, walk, run, talk, potty train... now read and write. It's beautiful.
You respond to education in an adorable way. While Mommy was emptying the dishwasher, loading it up again and doing a load of laundry, you were working on a math project. Mommy would ask, "Are you ready for Mommy to look at it yet?" You would reply, "Not just yet." That is such a cute response. You like for me to be in the room with you, but not right next to you. You are more independent, yet you enjoy being near us and.. when you complete something, you are eager to receive praise.
You are confident in writing letters. When you wrote the street number and name, you said our address and asked how to write our city. It's not an easy one to write. I gave you a sample and you wrote it, as well as the abbreviation for our state and our zip code. Will you remember how to spell our city? Not any time soon. But the fact that you asked to write it is wonderful. You are enjoying learning and you are craving more.
This is the best way to end a summer, to have enjoyed learning and want more, all the while having fun, creative outlets and swimming too. Now comes the quest to find a good kindergarten (on up) school to send you to for next year. But that will be in the works throughout next year.
In the meantime, we'll continue to teach you at home, while you attend St. Augustine's preschool. You taught mommy and daddy a new thing too.
Daddy made a box with a small hole it - something just big enough for you to put your hand in. Daddy told you to go in a different room and then he put a toy in the box. You came back into the room, put your hand in the box and within seconds you knew what toy it was! It was.. shocking.. to us both! You knew things such as, "two headed dragon, yellow car (you could feel the size and shape of the car and knew it was the color from remembering your toys), to tiny minion toys"... so Daddy tried to trick you!
After a good run on the toys and you knowing each one, Daddy sent you into another room and put in random house items. You didn't skip a beat! You guessed the "empty toilet paper roll and the ball of yarn... and the nasal spray bottle... and mommy's hair beret.." You even correctly guessed "spoon, a slice of bread, hershey kiss and a container of apple sauce." It was... scary.... Cool, but kind of freaky. We decided to turn the table. We asked you put something in the box and we had to figure out what it was.... we didn't do as well as you... not by a long stretch!
Just recently, we had the opportunity to celebrate Granny and Grandfather's 60th anniversary a second time! The first time was in July, on the day of their actual 60th anniversary, we went to their home. Mommy made an upside down pineapple cake for them, because Granny said she loved those cakes and hadn't tried one from Mommy yet. It was the perfect timing. You visited with your relatives and had a fun evening. As Granny said, "Family is the best gift." This month, we attended church where Granny and Grandfather go to. It was a special celebration to honor the couples who have been married 25, 40, 50 and 60 years. They had three rows reserved for the honored married couples and during the mass, the couples renewed their wedding vows. It was a sweet reminder of love, as well as an excellent service, with a minister who was very charismatic and engaging to the congregation.
Though you squirmed and would move around a lot, Uncle Greg (not to be confused with Daddy) said, "He did really well!" Meaning you behaved yourself. Mommy replied, "Okay, if you think so." You are a 4 1/2 year old and it was a long service. I couldn't expect too much, but I was happy that we didn't have to chase you around the church or bring you outside.
There was only one small issue that you had and it was during communion. You didn't understand why Mommy didn't get up with you and Daddy. And worse... when Daddy received communion, the lady refused to give you any.... you were really upset and turned around and went back to her and she still refused. I saw what happened and when you came back to the pew you were clearly upset. I tried to gently explain that churches do different things. You replied, "It's not fair! All churches should do the same thing." My heart hurt for you... and this, sweet boy, is the reason why Mommy loves the Episcopal faith. I find that it's the most inviting of all that I've attended. It's also the one that accepted me and my marriage to your daddy.
I sure hope you are reading this particular letter at a later time in life, so you can understand. God is good, sweetheart. Your relationship with God is personal. Going to church is good, for the community, to learn new things, to allow God to work through the gospel with you through the minister. But you have to seek out your church home. Mommy did this for many years.
It wasn't easy for Mommy, as I'm sure it's not for most people. At first it was with the Catholic faith, but then Mommy married in the Catholic church and was divorced, not annulled. Not being able to receive communion made Mommy feel rejected by the faith. This is my own personal feelings, sort of like how you felt at the mass. But that is people, that is not God. When Mommy went back to her roots, to a Baptist church, Mommy learned a lot through the minister there as well. But the minister would not accept Mommy's baptism, because it was not full submersion. Rejected again - but this is people, not God. Mommy found acceptance at St. Augustine's Episcopal Church and you have attended church there, being able to receive communion... which I love... it's something we join together and do as a family.
As you go through life, find the community that you enjoy and feel accepted in, but always, always, always know that God is with you. He won't reject you. Also understand that I respect the faiths that I mentioned above. I wished to be a part of those faiths, but my own personal feelings couldn't find the home. Daddy once told Mommy, "The Catholic churches don't have a list of who is divorced. You can go there and receive communion and they won't know." But I will. I respect the church and their rules, but I also am thrilled to have a church home.
Was that too much, too heavy? Probably. I'll move on.
To a ball game! We were able to watch the Baby Cakes play a game while enjoying the comforts of a luxury suite (Thanks to Mommy's work and a thoughtful co-worker) - awesome seats outside and inside, along with full catering. The baseball mascot came in to say Hi and we got a cool tour of the stadium! I watched you and realized something.... when it's just adults, you can be somewhat silly, but most of the time, you're fairly calm and "mature" as Aunt Kim says. BUT.... when there are other kids around, you are on solid GOOFY mode. You run, you make silly faces, you act up, you try to tickle or tackle or both. All out goofy. And if you know you are getting attention, you amp up the behavior. It's something else to watch.
You ran with one boy for a long time, then you tried to tickle another older girl (she gave you a lot of attention and you actually sat in her lap for a short period of time while watching the baseball game). The older girl asked me if I "ever get a break,"... as I said, you were on high energy level. I doubt anyone would believe that you can be the calm, studious, focused child that I see much of the time. But to answer her question, no, I don't get a break. That's the joy of parenthood. You are a ton of energy and a bundle of love, my boy. I wouldn't ask you to be any other way.
This wonderful summer ends with a birthday celebration! Maw maw, my grandmother and your great-grandmother - she turned 91 years old today! Mommy made Maw Maw's favorite - chocolate cake with chocolate icing. We arrived at Aunt Vera's and Uncle Terry's house and got a tour of their newly renovated home. Their house flooded and the renovations they did were wonderful. It was the perfect setting for a close family gathering to honor the family matriarch.
You were so happy to see your cousins and play with them! AND we met the newest, beautiful baby in the family, Zachary. You held his hand and thought he was cute. Zachary has neat strawberry brown hair. It's a cool color. Zachary made Maw Maw a Great-Great Grandmother - 5 generations. It's an incredible blessing.
Family is the best gift.
Love Always,
Mommy
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