Dear Hayden,

Today is your first day back to preschool! This year, Mrs. Miller will be your teacher — she is very fun and I know you are going to have a great time and learn a lot! We decorated your tote bag with a big H covered in buttons! You and Alex headed out like old pros today since it’s your second year!

Love you,
Mama

Dear Owen,

Today you are nine months old! You have 4 teeth coming in up top to compliment the two on the bottom, you eat all kinds of fruits, veggies and grains, and you are such a happy boy! You weigh 19 pounds and you are 30 inches long. You are speed crawling EVERYWHERE! You are starting to pull up on things and you love your sister more than anything — everything she does cracks you up!!

Love you,
Mama

Dear Hayden,

You are LOVING dress up again! I love watching and listening to you play pretend in these lovely dresses. By the end of the day, you’ve usually unpacked the dress up chest and it’s all in a big pile! Sometimes you just plop down on it to find just the accessory you are looking for!

Love you,
Mama

Dear Hayden,

Tonight after dinner, you asked Daddy to dance with you. He said, “Of course,” which is what he always says. There’s nothing I love more than witnessing these special memories be made. We are all so blessed to have each other.

A Little Girl Needs Daddy

A little girl needs Daddy
For many, many things:
Like holding her high off the ground
Where the sunlight sings!

Like being the deep music
That tells her all is right
When she awakens frantic with
The terrors of the night.

Like being the great mountain
That rises in her heart
And shows her how she might get home
When all else falls apart.

Like giving her the love
That is her sea and air,
So diving deep or soaring high
She’ll always find him there.

Love you,
Mama

Dear Owen,

Lately, you have had some crazy hair! You have one little round patch on the top that sticks straight out! Other crazy things in your life: you have a crazy-cute smile and a sister who puts you in a crazy carry hold on a regular basis. These are crazy times!

Love you,
Mama

Crazy patch of hair:

Crazy-cute smile:

Sister’s crazy carry hold:

Dear Hayden,

Today I sorted through a bunch of pictures and I found this really cool one!

You are quite a swimmer!

Love you,
Mama

Dear H and O,

Today we ate breakfast with Auntie Jill and then started our trek home! We stopped in Palm Springs for a swim, which was very fun, too!! It’s been such a fun road trip! We’ve had some great times in the car, spent some time with family whom we love dearly and genuinely enjoyed each other’s company. The two of you make our lives so bright! It was so fun to see you in new places experiencing new things. It’s also so encouraging to see the way you are loved by so many. We are blessed beyond measure!

Love you,
Mama

With Auntie Jill:

Swimmin’ in Palm Springs:

Dear H and O,

Today we had lunch with Auntie Kim, Uncle Jon, Ben and Madison and then we headed over to the Children’s Museum in Santa Maria.

After we ate dinner with Grandpa Rog, we got in the car and headed to Burbank.

Love you,
Mama

Dear H and O,

Today we spent the day up at Morro Bay and the beach at Cayucos with Great Grandpa Rog, and then we had dinner with Auntie Kim, Jon, Madison and Ben. It was a great day!

We headed up to Morro Bay first:

We ate lunch at Dad’s favorite restaurant in Morro Bay, The Haufbrau:

Then, we walked through the shops, went to feed the seals at the Morro Bay Aquarium and visited the anchor (nostalgic for Dad):

Then, we went to the beach at Cayucos:

3

Then, we headed back to Santa Maria to eat dinner and hang out:

We’ve had a wonderful time with our family!

Love you,
Mama

Dear H and O,

We spent today at Disneyland! You had a fabulous time!

Waiting in line got a little boring at times:

Hayden, your favorite thing was meeting the princesses:

We rode space mountain, and you loved it, Hayden:

Autopia (You are a great driver, H!):

Owen, you stood to watch your sister race by:

Owen, you did a lot of hanging out, but you were very happy looking at all the unusual things:

It’s the happiest place on Earth — and you were SO happy there!

Love you,
Mama