Getting Dirty

Dear Sawyer,

At dinner, we were talking about how Daddy likes to garden. Daddy said, "I like to play with dirt." You jumped in and said in a slightly high-pitched tone, "Hi Dirt, I'm Daddy. What do you want to play today?" Daddy and I laughed SO hard!! You funny!

Love,

Mom

Light It Up

Dear Sawyer,

Can something be sweet AND morbid? The other night, we somehow started talking about the concept of reincarnation and I asked you what if you came back as a bug. You asked me what kind of bug I think you'd come back as and after a minute of thought, I said, "I think you'd come back as a firefly because you're always lighting up now." You smiled the sweetest smile, so I could tell that you liked my answer. And then you said to me, "If I die before you and come back as a firefly, I'd keep landing on your hand because that's good luck." Oh. My. GAAAAAAAWD. What is this liquid welling up in my eyeballs?? Then you went on to tell me that you'd put a sign on your back that said "Sawyer," so that I'd know the firefly was you. I asked you how you'd write the sign since you'd have no hands and you genuinely looked stumped, hahaha! I said you could get all of your firefly friends to fly in formation to spell out "Sawyer" in the air and you said you'd tell them to spell out your first, middle and last name just so I'd know for sure that it was my Sawyer. Goodness! Such a cute/funny/creative/heartbreaking conversation all in one!

Love,

Mom

Michael Mistake

Dear Sawyer,

You like playing basketball, so I signed you up for a basketball class in the neighborhood and you had been going every Sunday since October. You seemed to look forward to it and you always said you had fun in the class, so I was surprised when you told me that you don't want to sign up for the next session. When I asked you why not, you explained, "I like playing basketball, but just with my friends. I don't want to be on a team like Michael Jackson."

Jordan. You mean Michael Jordan. Hahaha!

Love,

Mom

Color Me Impressed

Dear Sawyer,

We were walking home yesterday when JieJie asked why all of the houses in our neighborhood look so similar. I explained that in private neighborhoods like ours, a homeowners association makes sure that everyone uses the same paint colors, stone tiles, etc. so that the houses look more uniform. I told you that one of our neighbors had to repave her new driveway because her contractors didn't use the right kind of brick and that some people in the neighborhood would have complained about it. Then you and I had this exchange:

Me: I personally wouldn't care about the type of brick but some people care about things that don't really matter.

You: Like the color of a person's skin?

#proudmom

Love,

Mom

The Good Part

Dear Sawyer,

When I saw you this afternoon, you told me you had a good day today. You only had a half-day of school because there were parent-teacher conferences, so when PoiPoi picked you up from the bus stop, she took you all over: Austin Street Pizza for lunch, the library to get new books, Austin Street playground since it was such a nice warm day and McDonald's for a second lunch (?). When I tucked you in tonight, I said, "I'm glad you had such a good day. Some days are bad but hopefully you have more good ones." You replied, "Every day is at least a little good because you're a part of it." Oh Sawyer, you are such a sweet little guy. Thank you for being my son!

Love,

Mom

Our Day at The Met

Dear Sawyer,

Ever since we went to The Metropolitan Museum of Art with your class a few months ago, you have wanted to go back, so we went today. It was much nicer this time because we weren't rushed (the guide that took us around with your classmates was super friendly but I think she was tasked with showing us a big checklist of "musts" in a very small window of time) and we could see everything we wanted to see. The museum is gargantuan and even I got overwhelmed trying to find our way but you really enjoyed picking something you wanted to see (French Impressionist paintings, American wing, armor exhibits), finding it on the map and then following the numbers on the walls to get to the right room. The rest of your siblings (and Daddy) were visibly bored after about an hour at the museum and retreated to one of the cafes, but you and I kept going and we managed to walk through pretty much every part of the museum. You loved seeing the paintings by Monet and Van Gogh ("Water Lilies" is still your favorite), as well as the impressive Medieval Gate, halls of Greek and Roman sculptures and period rooms in the American wing (I think your least favorite was the Egyptian wing with its creepy mummies). We were at the museum for over three hours and I bought you a "Water Lilies" print, which you are super excited to hang in your room. You said you had a really fun day and I'm so glad! Maybe from now on, museum days can be our little thing.

Love,

Mom

Hug It Out

Dear Sawyer,

This morning, you were fed, brushed, dressed and ready for school with more than 10 minutes to spare, so while most school days are me barking at you, "Get your water bottle! Go downstairs! Put on your shoooooooes!!!", I had time today to stop and hug you before you left. Like, really hug you and not just a perfunctory embrace before pushing you toward the door. You hugged me for two seconds and when you realized I wasn't letting go, you immediately wrapped your arms around me again and looked up at me with such love in your eyes. Your eyes were so big, your smile was so sweet and your face looked so happy. Thank you for loving my hugs and thank you for loving me. I wish we had more time to hug like we did this morning. One of my resolutions is to remember to pause often and just take it all in. The laundry hampers might be full, the furniture may be covered in dust and the dinner has to be made but tiny moments like a prolonged hug in the hallway are what really matter.

Here's to more hugging in 2024!

Love,

Mom