04-1-2009 - Backwards Day

My mood while writing this blog: silly

Dear Grace, Jake, and Carter,

One of the biggest, most important things your daddy and I want to instill in you is the value of family. We are everything together. So, to help foster this along, we are always trying to create amazing memories that you will carry on with you into adulthood and once you become parents too.

My mommy wasn’t a big part of my life while I was very young. I did get to talk to her on the phone once a week and spend about 6-8 weeks with her during the summer, but I still feel like I missed so much. We didn’t have the internet, cell phones, or web cams then, so communication was much more difficult. I harbor no hard feelings whatsoever; however I do have these dreams of what I would have liked to have done with her and my daddy. So, I saved them up in my head and am now doing them with you guys. Here’s some of the fun stuff we have done so far:

Pajama Parties – We blow up the air mattress in Grace’s room, set-up the portable DVD player, pop some popcorn, gather the candy, dress in our jammies and spend the evening watching our favorite family movies all together. Then, we spend the night in Grace’s room, all cuddled on the air mattress and bunk beds. So much fun!

We also have pajama parties on the “big bed” aka hide-a-bed in the family room. For some reason you guys love camping out in the family room. After we wake up the next morning, we make a fort and hang out under the mattress.

Picnics- You guys LOOOOVE picnics. We go on them all the time in the warmer months…even if they are just in the backyard or at the school. If the weather is yucky though, we get everything all packed up and head into Mommy and Daddy’s bedroom and have a picnic on the floor. Then, Jakie turns on the radio and we have a crazy dance party in the center of the room.

Candle-lit dinners - Growing up, I always loved when we would have candle-lit dinners. When we moved into our new house, it was built with a formal dining room. I don’t think most people really use their formal dining rooms, but I have vowed to use it as much as possible…for special occasions. Our special occasions might be a holiday, like Christmas, or it might just be a macaroni and cheese dinner. WE get to decide what is a special occasion. We have two candles lit and both Jake and Grace get to blow one out at the end of the dinner. Carter, once you are big, we will get another one for you. We use our special dining room at least twice a month.

This past Christmas was a pretty quiet one for our family, so I decided to make it special for you guys. I made a nice dinner; we all got dressed in our Sunday best (including dresses, nylons, fancy costume jewelry, fancy hair, ties, button down shirts and high heels). We had a lovely candle-lit dinner and made a very special Christmas memory.

Lighting the Christmas Eve Candle – Since our family has been separated since I was very young (my sisters lived with grandma, while I lived with Papa), we enacted a special tradition to keep us united on Christmas Eve, where we would all light a white tapered candle at 5:00 pm. This puts us all in the same place, at the same time. We continue this tradition today and hopefully, when you guys are all big and celebrating Christmas Eve in your own homes, you will continue with the tradition.

Backwards Day – Today we are having a backwards day. We are wearing our clothes backwards; eating our meals all mixed up…Grace has even been going potty on the toilet backwards. We are going to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for dinner tonight and you guys are so excited to show off your backwards outfits. Oh, the joys of childhood.

I am sure there is more fun, kind of crazy things we do and as I think of them, I will write to you about them.

I love you all so very much!

Love Always,

Mommy