Your recent dream

This morning you told me about an interesting dream...

 

"I had a really fun dream last night. I lived in a zoo and I met a really pretty girl. She was nice. And I went to her house but her floor was really unstable except for one side that was stable so we played there. There were three animals. One was named Veggie. The second one was named Thomas, that was a boy. The third was Grill. He was a gorilla and he liked me. He was so big - he was almost (arms in the air) this big and this wide. (Big sigh) But it was just a dream. It wasn't really real."

 

 

Hush Little Baby

One of your favorite books is meant to be sung... so I do. You seem to enjoy watching videos of yourself, so I thought you might like a video made just *for* you as well.

Your timeout angst

Dear sweet Doodle, you are such a drama king sometimes. And I feel a little guilty for laughing at you, but cannot resist when I overhear this from your timeout:

 

"I DON'T LIKE ANYTHING! I DON'T LIKE ANYONE! I DON'T LIKE BOOKS! Oh. But I love God."

2nd Gen Mutton Buster

We went to the OK state fair a couple weeks ago and you found a new interest... mutton bustin. You watched about 12 kids get thrown from sheep but were determined to get out there and do it. So I took you back two days after you turned 4 and became eligible. You eagerly told the emcee that you were going to be a cowboy when you grow up and that as soon as you have some money you'll buy a horse that you can ride. When a volunteer was requested, you insisted that you go first.

 

About a second out of the chute, your sheep started to spin. About four seconds out of the chute, you hit the ground hard. Not bad for your first time mutton bustin, but my heart stopped as I recognized the combination of shock and fear cross your face. It was at that moment I realized that you had never pictured yourself hitting the ground. Even though every other child fell off at some point, you saw yourself riding that sheep all the way around the arena and stepping off in a very dignified manner. You never even considered the fact that you would be like every other child and fall off.

 

The burly and slightly crusty emcee ran over to you and helped you up. He saw your lip quiver and whispered to you, "Son, you don't want to cry in front of all these folks. Show them you're a cowboy and give them a wave." Sure enough, his words of encouragement stopped those tears before they left the ducts. You marched back to me with your head held high even though you were still a bit shell schocked.

 

I was so incredibly proud of you! Not just for being brave, but for never even taking into consideration the fact that you might fail like all the others. You saw yourself triumphing where everyone else didn't, and I hope that no amount of hitting the ground ever takes that from you. And just so you know, within an hour you were ready to get back on that sheep and show him who was boss.

 

(The picture of you in the gear was pre-sheep. The picture of you looking shell shocked was post-sheep.)

Odd bird

You are a curious little creature. You're such a fascinating mix of tough but tender, aggressive but compassionate. I admire your determination almost as much as I love seeing the empathy you display. With much older kids, you automatically fall in line and are willing to yield to their superior age and wisdom. However, with shy children or little people your own age, you take charge. I love watching you lead your peers in a game and even smile inwardly when I see you telling one of your friends that it's not ok to bully another child or leave the playground boundaries.

 

I think all parents beam with pride when their child does something remarkable, but it seems as if you are constantly giving me new beam material. We've had our moments of frustration, and they seem natural when dealing with a child that has such brilliance paired with a strong will. None of those moments of frustration hold a candle to the overall joy of watching you develop and grow. You are going to be such an incredible man.

 

Oh! And I promise to never doubt you again when you tell me you can climb a tree! You knew you could do it.

Date night?

We were leaving Ikea today when you offered to take me on a date. You said, "Well mommy, if you want to go to a fun place, I can take you to Seaworld or to the park. But if you just want to go to the store, I can take you to the store. Or if you want to go to a building and work in the office, I can take you to a building and work with you. Then you and I can climb a tree and jump into a pool from the tree. Then I can buy you frozen yogurt with my money. You can do whatever you want with me."

 

Oh Doodle, your future girlfriends are so very lucky. And in trouble, because you're a little spoiled.

Aliens in your nose

Somewhere along the way, you decided that when you are sick, it is just becase the aliens in your nose are not doing their job. Ther job seems to be to control your mucous production and kill germs.

 

You've been having a lot of nosebleeds over the last couple days, a combination of a cold + nose picking. I talked you into allowing me to put Vaseline in your nostrils before bed last night. That was when you pulled the alien trick and told me that the Vaseline is full of extra aliens to stop nosebleeds.

 

Times like this, I know for sure that you are my child. I adore you Doodle.