Dearest Beloveds,

You two are growing up surrounded by books, words, dictionaries, library visits, grammar corrections first thing in the morning,* visits to the Atlas to look at Madagascar and talk about lemurs, and visits to Dadda’s Anatomy textbooks when your Momma wants to show you where the AV node is to talk about the Sun in your body. Your Momma and Dadda feel truly blessed that we are able to give this to you. Your Dadda, ask him, and your Momma because I have loved books my whole life.

Dearest Beloveds,

I am so grateful I am doing my time away from home in a world prepared by Covid to live online. Yoga classes, Facetime, therapy appointments, healings with Rob Wergin - all are accessible from my chair in my princess tower.

I am happy to be seeing you regularly (even if only in 2 dimensions) because I am hoping that way when I am home I won’t be as shocked by your 6 weeks of growth. That satisfies some parts of me that are missing you - but not all of the parts.

Dearest Beloveds,

I want to share these anecdotes with you for two reasons. Primarily when I write them down I get to relive my joy. Additionally I savor the stories of my childhood that I have been told. Despite the potential for teasing as they are shared in the years to come - I think they are wonderful, uplifting, amazing. These personality nuggets make up you as you - glorious, unique, and inimitable you. They are treasures because you are treasures.

About a week before Christmas both of you became concerned that you wanted to give gifts.

Dearest Beloveds,

The latest addition to our Homesteading Homeschooling life arrived yesterday. (I think I am am going to combine those into Schoolsteading - like Femivore.) The barn. The barn to house the stuff/equipment that seems to have multiplied in the not even 8 years that we have lived here. It is a glorious empty space and soon will have a gardening niche, beekeeping corner, handtool alley, heavy saw plaza, Tentrr station, and riding equipment boulevard - can’t wait.

Dearest Beloveds,

I was recently on the phone with a social worker who told me there are a lot of resources available to have you two talk to someone about my health doings – therapists trained to talk to children about death and dying and sickness.

My current thinking on this is that until the sky falls, the sky isn’t falling.

Dearest Beloveds,

In some respects these two subjects are related - distractions and street signs. Both of you are right now gazing beyond on a level that you hadn’t before. Watching you emerge into sentient curious aware humans with your own interactions with the wider world is honestly one of the many joys of parenthood. Thank you.

Dearest Beloveds,

I wanted to take a moment and say thank you for our amazing life. Thank you both for being bright eyed and bushy tailed (thank you Baba), for being curious, for being my hearts - jumping and running and balancing through this amazing life. Thank you both for looking out at the world this month and immediately exclaiming to your sibling, “Let’s go catch leaves!”