Dear Keaton,
What a big month full of new adventures! You’re still used to calling yourself the baby big boy. But that baby is harder to find even when you are overtired wandering through an airport, and especially when you march right into your new classroom, wash your hands, and get to work… err, I mean play ;)
School’s serious bizness for you and you love it. Even though when I tell you after dropping off Aiden that is where we are headed you usually say, “nah, not today, I tired!” But by the time you spot that school when we make it down the pretty wooded driveway, you are bouncing in your seat, “Dat’s Keaton’s school, my school is over there!”
You love the baba or rhythm sticks both at music class and at school. You love getting me a matching set to play along with you. And you especially love putting them back for both of us. The cymbals continue to delight you everytime. You alternate between the minis and even minier sizes ;)
At school, they were having you find matching pairs one week, so the next time you were there you went around the room finding matching sets of everything. Your favorite were the little toy vultures you found – “I love vultures – look best friends match!”
You let out the biggest old man yawn and say “What was that?! I yawn!” You love to itch your nose after you dose a chip in pepper. You seem to like it on your morning eggies just like a little old man.
You and your brother have taken to silent stealthy wrestling. We had to go appliance shopping earlier this month and while I was distracted reading tags you guys went at it. I turn around and you have a full leg hold on your brother’s neck. You both know that you are less likely to get in trouble right away if you remain silent.
You aren’t quite with the program when it comes to shopping when there isn’t a clear toy aisle destination in your future. You announced to your Gran, “I gonna escape now!” as you attempt to run off through the china section to your hiding spot (where you wanted to do your business instead of the potty – ug!).
When we were staying in Tucson, we passed a dirty room service tray – you yelped, “Who left that out in Keaton's house?! Yuck!” You thought the whole resort was your stomping ground and that tray was too messy for you. I wish you’d put away your own lunch tray without asking ;)
You love to pretend to do things to imitate other people – You put on a cowboy hat and declare, “I gonna be a baby grandpa!” When I brought out your winter clothes you were putting on new winter shirts and saying, “what is this, my orange shirt, it's just my style!”
“Hey, Aiden is that your biosphere?” You describe it perfectly, because I do think you and your brother live on your own planet. The little giggly drunk dudes that were giddy getting off the loooong airplane rides to and from Arizona found a funny pill somewhere. They were giggling nonstop as the cop shined the light into our car and sauntered up to give their dad a warning for not having his lights on…
Sorry Grandpa, became Sorry PopPop when you left AZ and your OH grandparents arrived a week later. It started from the Oreganos menu that said the ice cream scoop for kids was just for kids, sorry grandpa. It became your funny joke when you denied them something.
You went on what you dubbed a “Big Venture with granpa's fashlight!” When it got dark in the desert you went along the path and around the house with them because you are a brave guy. You weren’t too such about their motion activated spooky lights, but you tolerated them.
“Hey mom, thaaat is a good looking car!” You pick up on everything you hear. You loved announcing that you were getting ready to ride in the monster truck (a rented XTerra in Tucson). Trying to climb into that stadium seating on your own was a feat.
While we were in Tucson, you decided to just randomly gobble up some ceasar salad like you eat that all the time. You love candy with the exception of twizzlers which you think are plastic. You see a cookie in a store that looks good to you, and you yell out, “Super Cookie Wookie!” You’ve been known to wake up in the middle of the night asking for a tootsie roll.
You love to pretend to read and in between pages you smack and clack your lips with the funniest expressions. You must think that story tellers are funny quirky people. You continue to love to participate and be part of their show. “I found a message!” is a very common expressions. You usually find a random piece of junk mail that you carry around to study and help you locate treasure! You love to add the tiniest little “letter” scribbles.
Your teacher thought you had a really good pencil grip. You insist on trying to add your name to projects at school. You make me laugh when you ask, “How do you spell xyz?” just like you hear from Aiden. Your favorite travel toy was a map and a pen. You would get busy “making lists” that usually always have silly things and start with $50. “Fifdee dallars, a sousaphone, ice ceam!” Got it!
You saw a stone scorpion in Tucson and declared, “I found a turtle rattlesnake!” Pretty observant guy. You also like to pretend that clouds are different things or your scribbles are things like Rs that look like a yellow submarine.
You and your brother nearly lost your minds over the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse special where they all turn into superheroes.
“Zap you, you turn little! I'm mega boy!” When we were in Tubac, you loved rocking peacocks and roadrunners. You would
pick one back up that fell over and declare, “I saved the day!”
You knew that Halloween was coming. You’d tiptoe into the bathroom and say “Dar was a zumbie in there!” You took to finding actual real spider webs everywhere. Turns out the playground was covered in them in hidden spots the other day.
Sometimes times when you are most smiley and excited you enjoy running from the camera. I guess I can only capture so much of your cuteness. You were especially squirmy when I was trying to get shots of you on your first day of school. You just kept running saying, “I have portant papers in my pack pack! Gotta go!”
Who knows why you sometimes get peeved at the idea that grapes become raisins and caterpillars become butterflies.
You can be a precise guy sometimes correcting me, “It's not warm, it's hoooot!” You made me laugh one time, when you growled at the radio disc jockey announcing the song dedications, “Dis song is for Emma, for Keaton too!”
You insist that you don’t want any side dishes at a restaurant because you think that means you can't also get the main dish you already picked out. When we drove past Baltimore the other day, I waved and said: "Hi, Baltimore!"
KC: "That is Not Baltimore!”
Mom: "That city over there is Baltimore”
KC: “No it's not Baltimore.”
Mom: “Well than what is it?”
KC: “Not Baltimore.”
You loved visiting Sesame Place and seeing "My Counting" which eventually became “Da Count!” You explained to anyone that would listen, “Oscar is grouchy because he lives in a yicky trash can!” After seeing the grouch, you trumped his grouchy complaining by declaring, “My tongue is grouchy and cranky and itchy!”
You loved bringing a monkey to music class and when the teacher asked him his name, you didn’t skip a beat and said, “He’s Coco the nut!” Your favorite song at music involves pretending to crack an egg on your head that goes running down and turns into scrambled eggs while you get a tickle. A close second is the monkeys jumping on the bed song with a huge blanket full of monkeys to cuddle.
“Daddy, look we're giving the bubbles their own bath!” You love finding your reflection in the tub faucet, toilet handles, sinks, etc. I think it is even more fun that the computer morphing you love too.
When we were in Tucson there was something about the change of scenery and the fun family time, that had you just spontaneously blurting out to anyone that would listen: “I'm a happy guy!” That is true, so very true. And it makes me so very happy. Love you happy guy, Mommy
