Dear Spotty Chop you are 44 months old today

What have you done that has made me giggle?

We were at one of your classmates birthday parties and when you showed up all the kids that were there started screaming “SPOTTY, IT’S SPOTTY, Hi Spotty hi!!!” as you ran over to play with them. A little while later a late comer came and you were the first to see her and you started yelling “Katie, Katie, you’re here. LOOK LOOK everyone Katie is here!!!!” I loved seeing how well liked you seem to be, but I actually loved to see the enthusiasm you show when you see friends more.

You LOVE to make cake with me. I love how you first dip a finger in the batter and the second my eye is diverted somehow your entire hand is in the batter. You make everything taste better.

We went to a wedding in Jersey. We stayed on the beach. Every morning you and I would wake up and go off on an adventure. It was a beautiful weekend the sun shined, the sand was warm and your mind was full of games. We chased the waves, sometimes the waves chased us. I always seemed to forget to put our bathing suits on, but we ending up doing some “swimming” anyways. Someone had dug a large hole that became “ours”. We played pirates and set out pirate traps which (clam shells we had gathered). You told me to spread them out around the hole and when the pirates stepped on them we would hear them yelling “ow ow my feet hurt”. You and your daddy used the hole to cook. You made alien soup and gave it out to the pirates. You took naps with me and slept on top of your dad. At the wedding you met your 2nd cousin j2. He is 6 and a great kid. The bride’s parents had thoughtfully hired a babysitter so that everyone could enjoy the wedding. You and j2 hit it off well. My favorite part of it all was seeing you and j2 on the dance floor at the end of the night encircled by a bunch of drunken marines in full dress dancing your hearts out and having these guys playing air guitar and high 5ing you.

You have been incredibly clingy when I have dropped you off this month. Not sure what that is all about, but there is a lot of drama when I leave. Luckily we have Grammie who has tasks for you to do in the office, so you are happy to see me go. When we are leaving people (Grammies, Nannies and Papa’s, Moo’s) you tell me you are sad because you miss them so much.

At Moo’s house you have a routine, first you play the piano, then you socialize for a bit, then you want to be upstairs in the attic playing. You may want someone to play with you at first, but then you generally will send whomever (sorry Freak Show) away so you can play by yourself. I am glad you have been able to spend more time with them lately.

We have been having lots of races inside. We run from one side of the house to the other. You don’t seem to ever tire (which totally sucks for me as I apparently really need to exercise). We have been playing Caraboo and CandyLand and a silly Star Wars game that I got off of a lunchable. It’s a battle game using cards. I believe this is the “first hit is free” crack that will slowly drag you into the world of game play…not that your father and I ever played games like that…

You weren’t really into Halloween this year. That’s not quite true. You had a blast talking about it, and decorating the house, and putting on costumes, but when the big night came and we got dressed and went out to get candy, you only went to a house or two and then decided you wanted to go home. I don’t know if you were scared, tired or what. I tried to convince you to try a few more houses and I think you would have gotten over whatever it was you were feeling, but you just didn’t want to go. So I took you home and you had a blast handing out candy in your underwear.

You are the wackiest kid around, and I love you tons!