June 2021

 Dear Friend, 

This month we enjoyed the wonderful birthday celebrations of Joy, Smith and Boyd.  We concluded the school year and had a great start to our summer vacation!

A friend asked me about what Summer was a like as a toddler and 

I said: "Summer was the kind of kid who when we told her to not touch the electrical outlet, she stayed away from it.  End of story.  Had she been our only kid, we would have thought we were amazing parents." 

Friend: "What about the boys?"

Me: "Smith is the kid who when you tell him not to touch the outlet, a certain chemical reaction goes off inside him that sets him on a course leading to internal combustion until he touches the outlet.  Boyd is the kid that will be asking why shouldn't he touch it, what is a shock, how bad does it hurt, what is electricity..."

Friend: "And Joy and Rose?"

Me: "Joy would respond, 'I can tell you don't want me to touch the outlet, and if you read me this book it will make me not want to touch it. I love you so much!  And I love it when you read me this book.'   Rose would listen to my instruction and then sneak out of the room at the first possible moment to touch the outlet in the room furthest from me in the house."

I was surprised at how quickly these responses came to me.  

Joy has been learning how to read but she doesn't have much patients for the story quality of the "early reader books".  I asked her to read a page that said, "Mat sat. Sam sat."  She looked at the picture and "read": "Mat leaned up against Sam and looked at the sky and said 'Isn't it such a beautiful day? I'm sure glad I'm here sitting outside with my buddy.'"  "No" I responded, "please read the words on the page."  She gave it another attempt.  "Sam looked back at him and said, 'Yeah, we've been buddies since we were babies and we will be best friends for ever.'" 

I guess I have to appreciate the backstory.  

Joy got a balloon for preschool graduation.  The life of the balloon both started and ended as you would expect.  

Joy and Summer wanted to design dresses one day.  

Here are some of my favorite poems by Boyd that he brought home from school: 

Dragons

By: Boyd

Dragons are 

flying high in the sky, 

all going in circles 

I wonder why

they go higher

and higher

I'm still wondering

why

but then they dive

and then I 

know why. 

They want to 

burn our village. 

So run!!

Sisters

By: Boyd

Sister are fun

to play with

well, not always

sometimes they're annoying, too loud

but usually

they are nice

I have three

sisters

but I would

not want to change it

one bit.  

Koalas

By: Boyd

Koalas have gray fur

they are soft

high in a tree

slowly eating

slowly moving

slowly climbing

carrying babies

soft as snow. 

Twins

By: Boyd

Being a twin

is sometimes fun

but not always fun

people mix you up

and don't know who is who

but that doesn't make it 

not fun

I like Smith

as my twin. 

I would not 

change it one bit. 

Rose calls water fountains "water mountains" and I love it!

Rose has gotten so much better at going poop on the potty but sometimes she still likes to hold it in.  One day I took her to the bathroom and noticed her underwear. 

Me: Rose, you need to poop. 

Rose: No I don't!  I don't have any poops inside me. 

Me: Rose, there are poop streaks on your undies. 

Rose: Oh!  Oh, that...that's not my poop.  That's Daddy's poop!

Me: Really?!? Daddy's poop on your undies? 

Rose:  Yeah!  Yeah...Mom (puts her hand on my shoulder) Mom, you need to take him to the doctor. 

Another poop story...

Rose was trying to poop when a lot of toots came out. "Oh!" she said in surprise, "I've got some bubbles in my bum!" 

"You sure do!" I responded. 

"Mom, I got to stop eating so much bubble gum." she said matter of factly.  

Summer had a funny conversation at school that she relayed to me.  I guess all of her friends were talking about their cleaning ladies and Summer said that when she mentioned we don't have a cleaning lady, they all went silent.  At first they didn't believe her but when she insisted, Sydney said, "Summer, you live the strangest life!" Chessa responded, "But that doesn't make you strange Summer, that just makes you unique." To which Sydney said, "Yeah, it's the kind of strange that just makes me want to spend more time at your house." I guess a few days later they had a similar conversation though which Summer learned we are the only home without video games so Sidney's curiosity has only grown.  

Love you all, 

Brittany et al.