To Babies W, From Your Dad

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Julia's 5th Birthday!

Julia Sekina,

Our dear, dear, silly, spunky, creative, dogged, determined, feisty, talented, clever, smart, goofy, capable, sensitive, loving, amazing, Julia...

Today you turned FIVE!

And...if you telling us you were excited and have been excited and are excited isn't enough of an indicator, you recently skyrocketing writing skills can give us some more clues!

"Dear Mom and Dad and Aidan. I'm excited for my birthday. I like snow (?). I love you Mom and Aidan. By Julia."

"Julia. Ever. I love Julia. We are the best family. Mom and Dad and Aidan"

Birthday Butterfly

5. Stars Cupcake!

I love Julia's Presents. I am excited for my birthday. 5. Five Birthday!"

Birthday Butterfly - part 2

You were willing and ready and excited to go to school on your birthday (as you are most days!). I asked you to do a "Birthday Girl Pose" and this is clearly IT, as you did it twice!

Hooray for birthdays!

You wanted to make your own cake, so you and Mama did!

And then, some presents from your family!

Face paint from Auntie Deborah!

Water Color Set

Scooter!

Which you named "sparkles"

"I love you sparkles!" You cried. And quickly added "I love you too Lady Glitter Sparkles" (your bike)

Mommy made you this awesome Journal, which you've been coloring every day!

We didn't have to wait too long to find a nice day to try out Sparkles. You and Aidan scooted down the hill, you quickly got the hang of it, which you told your scooter many times ("We're getting the hang of it, girl!"

And of course, you two found froggies!

Insert pun: So, I guess you had a happy and a HOPPY birthday.

My dearest Julia, who always claims with a smile on her face to never get my jokes, I read the following to you on your birthday, and I'm putting it here for you now, so you can read it. It's very long, and a bit sentimental, but in short...it all means the following:

And just like that she's FIVE...our Julia has taken to writing like a bird to flight, filling page after page with her notes, writing books, and comic books, and a diary. She loves wrestling, and reading, and her bike (which she has named "Lady Glitter Sparkles"). She loves animals, she loves her brother, and her family. She's afraid of Cicada shells (not cicadas), and adults in mascot-style costumes. She loves all things sparkly and or shiny. She has a collection of old keys, and a collection of sea shells, and a collection of business cards and 'important' papers. She's working on not tattling and table manners and not telling so many "bathroom" jokes. She has a hell of a "demon voice", and loves to play "baby" and "family." Today she asked me to help her build a clubhouse in our back yard, but told me she asked her gardening teacher to come help because, well, he's the gardening teacher. She hates getting caught doing something naughty and she can lie with a straight face a bit too easily sometimes. She loves pepperoni pizza (but not the crusts, which she feeds to her brother) and cheese, even of the stinky variety. She doesn't like ice cream or cake, but she likes the icing. She likes the hamburger, but not the bun (so she licks off the cheese and the mustard, and feeds the bread to her brother). She wants to be an archaeologist when she grows up...or a dancer. She is our Julia, and she's one of a kind, and she is amazing. We love her so much. So, if you see her, wish her a happy birthday!

WE LOVE YOU. You make the world a better place.

Happy Birthday! And THANK YOU for being you!

And don't just take my wishes alone! Check out this compilation video of all your birthday celebrations!

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Field Trip

One sunny October day, Aidan, you laced up your brand new hiking boots, put on some light-weight, long-sleeve gear, loaded up your new backpack (which you were very excited about), donned your shades and the stature and bearing of a true cool dude and headed off to your very first ever field trip.

Normally you have one or two stories about things that happen at school, but almost two weeks later, you're still telling us new stories about your very first field trip!

You've lately changed amended your plan on what you want to be when you grow up: A SCIENTIST! I can't help but think that this field trip had something to do with it.

You told us about the bus ride and how you sat next to Natalia and Ella.

You told us about how you went to Wayne Ranch.

You've told us about the PRAYING MANTIS you studied.

You told us about the SCORPION in a BOTTLE that you saw!

You told us about LUNCH!

And you've just been very energized and excited about the whole thing!

And THAT is cooler than cool!

Mama and I had a conversation with Miss Ginger, the Eco Lab Teacher, who went with you on the field trip, and she was bragging on you that since the beginning of the school year your spirit has really shone through and that you're getting even more interested in the Eco-Lab subject matter.

She told us a cute story about you on the field trip. You guys were discussing tectonic plates and seismology. She introduced the concept of the RING OF FIRE.

You said "That's my Daddy's Song!"

And then, according to Miss Ginger, you went all in, and sang:

"I fell into a burning Ring of Fire.
I went down, down, down and the flames kept goin' higher.
And it burns, burns, burns
The ring of fire."

What cracks me up, aside from how adorable and clever and bold and creative you are, and aside from the fact that you and Miss Ginger had a talk about Johnny Cash and music, is that I only sang this to y'all like once or twice or ten times one weekend months ago. And it stuck with you...and that's the lesson here... things are really sticking for you now, Aidan, our little naturalist/singer. And that makes me happy; you are getting more and more ready for work in the field.