Knocked Out

Dear Sawyer,

Noteworthy moments from today:

1) While we were waiting for your camp bus this morning, I looked up at the sky and said, "Sawyer, look at the sky! It's so pretty!" You had been reading your Archie comic book, so you looked up for a second, looked back down at your book and said while reading your book, "Not as pretty as you!"

2) You lost your fourth tooth! At camp! It had been loose for awhile and it finally got knocked out today when you fell off a swing at camp and hit your chin. You said you tasted blood and spit it out and when you did, you spit your tooth out, too. You went to the nurse to get cleaned up and they put your tooth in a little envelope for the "Tooth Fairy."

Love,

Mom

On the Right Track

Dear Sawyer,

You are on the small size for your age and still wear size 5T clothing. GuhGaw wore 5T clothing when he was in pre-K, so a lot of the 5T clothes he passed down to you have characters that are popular with 4-year-olds, including Thomas the Tank Engine. Today, you wore a Thomas bathing suit to camp and when you came home, you told me that the other boys in your group teased you and said Thomas was for babies. I am so sorry that you got teased but I am so proud of how you handled it. You told me that when they made those comments, you just kept saying, "So? So? So?" until the stopped. You also told one of the boys, "You can wear whatever you want." It takes a lot of courage to stand up to a group of kids who are teasing you and I am so proud that you didn't their words get to you. You are a lot stronger than I was at your age and I hope you will always be this confident and self-assured.

Love,

Mom

Younger

Dear Sawyer,

Your charm offensive is still going strong! This morning, I was drinking my coffee at the dining table while you were eating breakfast. You smiled at me and said, "Mama, you look younger than you actually are." Flattered, I said thank you and then asked you why you said that. You replied, "Isn't that a nice thing to say?" I said it was but I was curious what made you think of that. You told me, "I hear your friends tell you that all the time." It's always funny how we don't think you kids are listening when you are!

Love,

Mom

Happy Camper

Dear Sawyer,

Two years ago, you were supposed to start summer camp for the first time. Then Covid hit and you couldn't go to camp (or anywhere else) for awhile. Thankfully, you were finally able to enjoy this age-old childhood experience this year and had your first day of summer camp today! I had signed you up for camp all the way back in March and when I told you, you were so excited that you asked a million questions: What time will the camp bus come pick you up? What will they serve for lunch on the first day? How many kids will be in your group? What kind of ice cream do they offer? I had to tell you to stop asking questions because I had no idea since camp was still four MONTHS away!

And now camp has finally started! You woke up super early today at a little past 6am and were dressed, fed, brushed and sunblocked by 7:30am--a whole 50 minutes before your bus was scheduled to arrive! Starting at 7:40am, you kept looking out the front window and asking me if the bus was here yet! When it did arrive, you weren't nervous at all and just walked right onto it. And when you came home this afternoon and I asked you how camp had been, you replied, "It was a glorious day." Glorious! I am so happy you had such a good start to camp!

Love,

Mom

Loving Words

Dear Sawyer,

Our conversation tonight:

Me: Did you go to the bathroom?

You: Yes.

Me: Did you wash your hands?

You: Yes. Do I love you? Yes.

*melt!*

Love,

Mom

Sweeter Than Cake

Dear Sawyer,

You are always full of the sweetest compliments! Recently, you have been telling me, "Mama, you smell better than a flower, are more beautiful than a pretty dress and are sweeter than a piece of cake." Sometimes, you even add on at the end, "And you are brighter than a lightbulb." I mean, come on! Whenever you say that to me, my day instantly gets better!

Love,

Mom

The One

Dear Sawyer,

When I was brushing your teeth tonight, you told me, "Mama, if anyone else was my mama, I wouldn't be happy. You are the one for me." Awww, thank you, sweetie!

Love,

Mom