Sweet Second Grader

Dear Sawyer,

You are a second grader now! And you started the school year on such a nice note. You told me today that your teacher passed out origami paper for everyone in the class as a reward for behaving but she accidentally skipped the girl who sits next to you. When the girl commented that the teacher hadn't given her origami paper, you told her that she could have yours and gave it to her. When your teacher asked if everyone had paper, you raised your hand and said you didn't because you'd given it to your classmate. Your teacher then called you up to her desk and gave you two extra sheets of origami paper for being so thoughtful. I am so proud of your kindness, baby bear!

Love,

Mom

Master Builder

Dear Sawyer,

It has been a pretty busy summer! In the past two months, you have gone to summer camp and our family has traveled to Ithaca, Legoland, the beach a couple times, Governors Island and Kalahari Resort. We have had so much fun and this morning, you told me, "Thank you for giving me the best summer ever." Awww, you're welcome, sweetie! I'm so happy you are enjoying your summer break!

We have been so active that we actually stayed home today just to chill. I asked you what you wanted to play with me and you said you wanted to build with Keva planks so the two of us ended up making a housing complex with two houses and a large yard with benches, trees and a swimming pool. While we were building the houses, you told me, "Master builders build carefully, not quickly." Wise words! And I had fun playing with you today!

Love,

Mom

Sawyer-O-Lantern

Dear Sawyer,

You lost ANOTHER tooth! It was the other top middle one and it came out when you started eating breakfast yesterday. You now have so many gaps in your mouth! You look so cute!

Love,

Mom

Mind the Gaps

Dear Sawyer,

When you started eating dinner last night, you lost another tooth! It was the front top one this time, so now you have one gap in your upper teeth and two gaps in the bottom, giving you the cutest jack-o-lantern smile ever!

Love,

Mom

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