Day 5 - Day 2 in Glacier

While today's hikes were not as exciting as yesterday's, it was still a great day in Glacier. Our day started with some oversleeping. 3 of the 4 of us woke up at 8. Ethan, happily playing the iPad he cracked the code on said he knew better than to wake us up. Yesterday, we were up and out of the house at 7:30, so Will was a bit panicked. But I, for one, was feeling great that we all got a much needed good night's sleep. Will packed up some lunches, et cetera while I made eggs and sausage to fuel our hikes. We were on the road by 9 something, I believe. 

Glacier National Park has one major road that drives across the park from one side to the other. It's called the Going to the Sun Road. That is what we took yesterday to the Logan Pass area where we did our hikes. But because you are driving through mountains, it takes a while to cover the mileage. A 30 mile drive takes at least an hour, etc. We decided today that we would stay closer to the entrance. Our original plan was to do a popular hike called Avalanche Lake, but with our late start, we chose some different hikes, as we knew the trailhead would be filled up. We ended up at a hike called John's Lake. It hikes alongside a rushing creek, and there were many places to go to the water and explore. The highlight was a waterfall and large set of rapids leading down to the creek. The rushing blue-green water with the backdrop of the mountains was just beautiful. This is a trial shared by horses, so Eleanor was thrilled when we had to wait on the side as several horses passed. The actual namesake of the hike, John's Lake, wasn't too exciting. It was small and still, and surrounded by small trees so you couldn't easily look out at it. But the hike itself was pretty, winding through dense forests. Still no bear sightings, but since this hike wasn't as populated, Will had the bear spray at the ready. 

It was already past lunch time when we finished this hike, so we got in the car and went back to Lake McDonald (I was spelling it wrong before). We had lunch, changed into our suits, and had another lovely swim. At one point, I was floating on my back, soaking in the sun and the scenery. I will return to this place in my head come winter when I am stuck indoors in cold Illinois. The weather is hot here now, in the 90s, and the sun is intense. The swim felt so great, as did lying out on the rocky beach afterwards. Eleanor and Ethan are definitely water bugs and spent a lot of time swimming and then stacking rocks. We have seen so many cairns around, so they enjoy making their own. 

When we had our fill of swimming, we got dressed again and got in the car. We wanted to see the Apgar Visitor Center, close to the entrance, but we turned early and ended up at the campground area. It was a happy accident for me and the kids, though, because there was an ice cream stand. Ethan and I both got huckleberry frozen yogurt, while Eleanor opted for chocolate ice cream. As we drive toward Glacier, there are tons of stores and stands advertising huckleberry things: pie, jams, syrup, and just the berries themselves. I became familiar with them in Mt. Rainier. There were some bushes right off the trail people would eat from. They are delicious! 

By the time we finished going into some stores and eating our ice cream, it was after 4, so we decided to head for home rather than find another hike. Even short ones can take an hour or more. At "home," I took the kids swimming for a bit while Will made tacos. We hope now to be up and out earlier tomorrow since we are all going to bed a bit earlier tonight. We plan to try Avalanche Lake tomorrow for sure!

On a side note, I am loving that I was able to download audio books onto my phone to listen to in the car. We are just about done with The Wizard of Oz. We are only familiar with the movie so hearing the original book is very interesting. There is a lot more to the story than the movie. Eleanor likes it so much she asks constantly if we can turn it back on, even if we just have a short drive. And she will ask us to pause it to ask questions. I need to find another book to listen to now since we are just about done! 

Day 4 - Day one in Glacier

Well, it's 8:45, and I can barely keep my eyes open, so it was a pretty eventful day in Glacier National Park. Glacier is incredible! The kids and I counted this morning, and we have been to 8 National Parks so far. I'm pretty sure Glacier will be our favorite. What a beautiful place!

Fearing long waits for the best hikes, we left the house at 7:30 this morning. We had snacks and lunch packed and hit the road for a decent drive to the park. From where we are at on the mountain, it took just under an hour to get to the gates of Glacier. We could have stayed closer, but I chose Whitefish because it has more to do than the other towns and I found the best place for the money here. As is always the case, though, once you get into the NP gates, you still have some driving to do. 

We chose to go pretty far in today, about 30 miles, to Logan Pass. Will had read about it as one of the most popular hikes. It was quite a ways up, so Will had to navigate on a lot of winding roads. What's hardest for him is not being able to look at the scenery as we go. That, and trying not to kill us all by driving off a cliff.  We didn't stop at all along the way, though we saw many enticing places, because we knew the parking lot at Logan fills up. It took at least another 50 minutes to drive there, but it was worth it! Logan pass has a hike up to Hidden Lake Lookout. From there, you can also hike down to the lake. Each hike is about 1.5 miles. When we started out, we learned via signage that the hike down to the lake was closed due to major bear activity! Good to know, at least, that they warn you. 

The hike started off with wooden platforms with stairs but quickly turned to walking over feet of snow. It was so much fun! The sun is intense at the higher elevation, and with a high in the 90s, it felt plenty warm. So here we all were, clad in shorts and t-shirts, walking through the snow. One highlight was when we rounded a bend only to run smack dab into a family of mountain goats. Will and Eleanor were a bit behind and came right upon them. They were probably only a couple feet away, so Will got some great pics. They told us later that the baby jumped up onto the ice and did some kind of flip. Eleanor loved it! 

We slipped and slid up some more snow before getting back onto solid ground at the lookout. The view down to the lake was spectacular. It was a long, narrow lake with hues of blue and green against the mountain backdrop, it was just breathtaking. We chose to have our picnic lunch up here, alongside many others and some more mountain goats. 

As you can imagine, our hike down was a bit more difficult, but also a lot of fun. We essentially slid down on the snow in some parts. I heard a woman say that she took her niece to the same place last June, and there was barely any snow. Apparently, they had a pretty significant snowfall this year. Really, this was my most fun hiking experience. There was something so great about being out in the sun, feeling plenty warm, while looking down at your feet in the snow. So cool. Get it? 

After the Hidden Lake hike, we took a little fruit and water break before deciding to hike part of the Highline trail. This was a long hike, and more dangerous, but we had read that many people went in a ways and then turned around. It started off easy enough but then turned into a section with a cliff going up on your right and straight down on your left. At this point, Will decided to call it for him and Eleanor, and Ethan and I decided to go in a bit more. It was quite steep, but there was a rubber rope of sorts attached to the cliff side to hold onto. I gave Ethan strict orders not to let go of the rope, and we hiked a bit more. You could easily hike it without holding on, but one major misstep could be disastrous, so I felt better holding on. A bit into the trail, though, the rope disappeared because the right side was no longer a high cliff. To your left, though, was still a 80 degree drop, though, so we decided we would turn around, too. 

Next, we decided to go back to the car (Will had had to park a ways down the road due to a full parking lot) and hit some of the sites we missed on the way. Our first stop was a big waterfall we had seen people climbing on. This was the perfect place to take off our shoes and soak our sore feet. It wasn't a steep waterfall where we were, so you could walk around on the rocks and even go close to the cliff wall and take a little mountain water shower, which we all did. 

Our next stop, I believe, was at Lake MacDonald, which is not far from the entrance. I am hazy here because I know I dozed a bit in the car at this point. My sleep has been restless while away, so I am very tired. The combo of the music, the open windows, and my exhaustion put me in a bit of a trance on this part of the ride. Regardless, we got to Lake MacDonald. I was not a proponent of taking our suits with us, as it was already close to 4 pm. With an hour to get home, I had really hoped that we could try to have dinner set before 7 pm, as these are such long days. But then when I saw the lake, I thought, okay, we better go in!

We changed al fresco again (I am getting pretty good at putting my suit on under a towel) and got into the water. The beach is all rocks, which was a bit difficult since we didn't have water shoes. I did cut my foot on one rock. But when you got in a few feet, you could go forward into the water. With goggles on, I saw that the rocks had a steep drop off about 5 feet in. It was pretty neat. The water was not very cold and felt amazing. We spent some times swimming around before drying off and going back to the car. 

On the way home, I stopped off at Safeway for a couple things we forgot yesterday. Once home, the kids wanted to go to the pool since we had said they could earlier when we thought it wouldn't be too late. Since dinner would take at least 30 minutes, I sent Will with them and made some burgers and fries. We ate, I showered, and half of us are asleep. The other half are half asleep.

So far, this trip is going really well. The kids bicker a bit at times, but there has not been a lot of major complaining. Eleanor hasn't had a problem on the hiking and is enjoying herself. And while the driving seems long, it really goes by fairly quickly because there's so much to look at. I'm so happy we took this trip and look forward to exploring Glacier the next few days. Will is reading up right now on what we should do tomorrow. 

Day 3 - First Border Cross and onto Whitefish

This morning, we enjoyed the Lizard Creek Lodge a bit more by taking advantage of the pool again as well as the workout room (for Will). I decided to run a ways up the mountain, staying on the paved road the whole time. It was a great run with awesome views, and I didn't feel the altitude too much. Obviously, it was all uphill the first half, so the way down was pretty easy. After our respective activities, we showered, packed up, and hit the road. 

The drive to Whitefish from Fernie was under 2 hours and went by quickly with the beautiful vistas as well as a little help from The Wizard of Oz audiobook. We went over the border very easily-this was the first time Will or I ever drove across the border of a country. Neat. We declared our broccoli and carrots and were invited into Big Sky country. 

Ethan got a little car sick toward the end of our ride, though I think it was more hunger than anything else because the road was smooth and not at all winding yet...at least not until we got very close. We took a break to check out a beach before getting to town and then found our condo for the next five days. 

Our place is up a mountain a couple of miles and called Ptarmigan Village. It is a modest place with a living room, kitchen, and loft for Will and I. Ethan is going to sleep on the pull out couch and the owner had a camp cot we padded up for Eleanor. Should work out just fine. The loft is a bit stuffy, but I just figured out how to open the window up here, which will provide a much needed cross breeze. The loft has a crawl space area the kids immediately claimed as their "bat cave." When we were in Maine, the loft had a similar area, which for sure Ethan remembers and Eleanor claims to as well. 

After settling in a bit here and looking over some maps, we decided to head up the mountain to the alpine ski area they have with some fun activities. First, Eleanor, Ethan, and I did the alpine slide while Will gladly sat out and acted as photographer. It looks like a luge track that you put these sleds onto. You push forward on a lever to accelerate and back to slow down or stop. Eleanor wasn't tall enough to go on her own so I got to go with her. It was fun and didn't go nearly as fast as expected. I could tell Ethan was a bit nervous on his own, but he made it down happily. Once we got down, we had to take a short ski lift ride back up to where Will was. Now, I'm not afraid of heights, but once we were on the lift, I had a fair amount of anxiety. The lift worker hadn't put the bar over us and I felt very exposed and frightened with the kids. I kept telling them to sit back and not lean forward at all. I didn't even realize there was a bar until another mom riding the other way saw me looking panicked, I think, and said, "You can pull the bar behind you down." That made me feel a bit better but every once and a while the lift would stop and then rock, and it just was a freaky feeling. 

Our next activity, of course, was a ride up another lift to the very top of the mountain! By then, I felt it was pretty safe, so we ventured on. What I forgot, though, is that as much as I am not really afraid of heights, Will definitely is. We had barely left the ground when Will realized how much he HATED the ski lift. More than a few choice words were muttered under his break, much to Ethan's amusement. He was truly freaked out, and in the pictures I took, you can see how hard he is gripping the bar. Poor Will! It was a much longer ride this time, too, and we were much higher than the kids and I had been before. Thankfully, my fear subsided, and at least the kids and I really enjoyed it. We even turned around to look down at the crazy awesome views of Lake Whitefish behind us. All along the mountain, there were wildflowers in bloom, including a white puffy Dr. Seuss-like flower we learned was called Bear Grass. And the smell of all these flowers and the fresh mountain air = incredible! Will survived the ride but was seriously considering hiking down (it would have taken him over an hour) instead of riding back to the bottom. He decided instead, though, that he would ride in the closed gondola instead. So after taking some pictures and exploring the store at the top, Will took his gondola while the kids and I opted for the open air ski lift. I felt less anxious going down surprisingly, and it was just such a pretty ride. We took a lot of mental (and actual snapshots) once again. We also talked about how we are glad we take these trips. 

Once Will had kissed the ground, we got in the car and went back down the mountain to the public beach for Lake Whitefish. We changed into suits al fresco and everyone but me swam a bit. I knew our next stop was the grocery store and didn't want to worry about being dry. I was happy on the sand, taking pictures. The sun was super intense, even at 5:30. We were into the 80s today. We stayed about an hour and then hit the Safeway (felt like home since it looks just like Mariano's) for a big grocery shop. We got our food for meals this week and a couple of frozen pizzas for tonight. We are on a bit of a late schedule here and didn't eat until 8:30 or so. Now, at 10, I believe the kids are asleep. And, based on how my eyelids are drooping, I will be soon, too! Tomorrow we will have our first day exploring Glacier National Park. We could see the mountains from where we are, and we can't wait!

Day 2 (7/11) - Calgary and drive to Fernie

Our flight to Calgary was easy and smooth. At one point, the flight attendants announced that they had to pick up our garbage early and that everyone needed to sit with seatbelts because it was going to get very turbulent. Will and I were a bit nervous because the kids were seated by themselves across from us. We waited and waited, but it never got bad. There were a few very minor bumps right before landing. Oh, Canada.

Immigration was easy as can be, and it wasn't long before we had our rental car. We have a dark grey Malibu that still smells new. With leather seats and a sunroof, it's one of the nicest rentals we have had. It has a navigation system, which is super handy, too. The only drawback is that it is so new that it doesn't have a CD player. We brought several books on cd for the car rides. Thankfully, I was able to download a couple of youth audiobooks onto my phone last night, so we can listen through the Bluetooth system. I also have several kids' podcasts downloaded on my phone. On our drive yesterday, we listened to a timely science podcast about why people get car sick. 

The drive to Fernie, our stop for the night, was a bit longer than anticipated. The kids were not thrilled to learn they were going to have to sit down again and for triple our flight time. But shortly after leaving the Calgary airport, the landscape is beautiful. Huge, rolling hills and ranch after ranch on either side. It reminded me a lot of our drive through Vermont on our way to Maine. As we moved along, we got closer to the mountains, and we all peeled our eyes for bears, mountain Rams, and elk. We didn't spot any. 

When we were about 20 minutes away from our lodge, Will saw a sign for the World's Largest Truck, so, obviously, we had to stop. It did not disappoint. It is a truck that was used to carve up the mountain, essentially. Admittedly, I didn't read all the placards, so Will can fill you in at some point if you're so interested. We took the obligatory pictures and were back on our way. 

Our lodging for the night was at Lizard Creek Lodge, a ski resort. For less money than our Seattle Days Inn, we have a one bedroom condo with a living room (with fireplace), kitchen, and huge loft for the kids. They each got their own bed and have a bathroom up there. Not bad at all! Both kids are disappointed that we are only here for the night! The place does have a restaurant, but with $30 entrees, we opted to cook. Will volunteered to shop while I took the kids to the pool. Oh, and there is also an Ice Bar here, a bar made out of ice. We peeked in but obviously couldn't take our kids in there. I think they do vodka tastings there. It didn't appear to be open, so may be more of a high season thing. 

It was only in the 60s here yesterday, but the pool is nicely heated, and it is our favorite hotel pool to date. It looks right out at the mountains and ski lifts - so picturesque! Several times, I made the kids stop and take mental pictures. I took some actual pics, too, which I will try to include here. We swam, soaked a bit in the hot tub and then headed back to our room for showers and dinner a la dad, which was spaghetti and some broccoli. Felt good to have a real meal after a lot of quick bites at the airport or on the road. 

Both kids went to sleep quickly since it was after 10, and I got to work taking some things out of the suitcase to make room for WIll's clothes, which were packed in a roller cooler we bring as a carry-on. I packed several toiletries in tupperware so we can have it on our trip. I moved those to smaller bags, and our leftovers went into the Tupperware. We have done enough of these trips that I've learned some tricks along the way. Will even remembered to bring our good carrot peeler. As he always says, "You never want to be stuck someplace without your good carrot peeler." Ok, he doesn't actually say that, but he might some day. 

While I worked on the suitcase, Will went to get something from the car and to just "check things out." He came back about 30 minutes later with a tale of seeing an adolescent brown bear just off this little path, behind someone's garage. He said he thought it was a cat at first (big cat!), but then realized it was a bear. By the time he took out his phone to get a pic, he heard another noise. Worried it could be another bear, he got out of there quickly. Everything we read says that the bears are not interested in us. As long as you are talking and making your presence known, they will stay out of your way. We will also be sure not to leave a trail of nuts and berries for them and also carry some bear spray, whatever that is. And we will only hike well-populated trails. I'm typing this with Mr. Ethan by my side, as we both couldn't sleep much past 6. When I told him his dad's bear story, he was ready to go walk on the same path. I said, no way, Jose.

Today, we will do a little exploring around here and then hit the road for Whitefish, MT, where we will be for the next five nights. 

Day 1 (7/10) - Travel Day

We had a fairly uneventful trip to Seattle. We did leave Eleanor's booster seat in our Uber, but, thankfully, I was able to get a hold of our kind driver, Loretta, who circled back around for us. The rain had stopped by the time our flight was to take off, but due to bad storms to the west, we waited on the runway for about 40 minutes while our flight was rerouted. It is a longer flight than what we're used to, but kids did fine. 

When we landed, we called our hotel for the shuttle and then moved on to our Days Inn, our airport hotel in need of a face lift. Once settled, we walked 3 blocks to a nearby Link station, which is the train that runs into the city. It took about 25 minutes for us to reach the station closest to the Pike's Place Market. 

Seattle itself reminded me a lot of San Francisco. Not only is it very hilly, but there is a decent amount of homeless all around. (One of the more interesting homeless men had a hammock suspended between a building and lamp post and was perched above the sidewalk.) From the train station, we had a short walk to the Market, which we simply explored. We went to see the area where the guys throw fish, which was funny. When someone orders one of the whole fish on display, they yell it out and then toss it to another guy behind the counter to be filleted and packaged. You can pack up fish, crab, etc. and take it right on the place with you. It's good for 48 hours. We have enough to carry on a plane, though, so we passed. Eleanor was not a fan of the smell (not bad because all so fresh) or a fish that they would make move from a string under the ice. If a little kid approached it, someone would make the fish move, resulting in either hilarity or terror from the child. Entertaining to watch for sure.

For dinner, Will and I both had a blackened  salmon fish sandwich from the Market Grill, which was delicious. The kids, despite eating it at home, weren't interested in salmon and shared a chicken basket. Ethan did try my fish, though, and approved. 

Next to the market, we came upon an alleyway covered in used gum. I didn't know this was a thing, but apparently it's called the Gum Wall. We chose not to add to it, but we did have the kids pose for pictures, of course. Some people had even written their name in stretched out gum. Pretty gross. After the market, we stopped off at an ice cream place for terribly expensive but also very tasty handmade ice cream. Then, we went down to the waterfront to explore some shops and sites before heading back to the train station and back to our hotel. 

It was still light out at 9pm when we went to bed, but since it was 11 to us, 3 out of the 4 of us were asleep quickly. You can guess who chose to stay up. Ok fine - it was Eleanor. We were all up early with the time change, which was a-ok because we needed to get to the airport around 8 for our international flight. The airport has a neat common area with a huge section of Windows where you can watch planes land and take off. We grabbed another little breakfast (hotel continental breakfast left much to be desired) and relaxed for a while before going to our gate. 

I'm typing this while on our Delta flight to Calgary. We will be in the air for just over an hour, so it should go very quickly compared to yesterday. We will pick up our rental car at the airport and then hit the road for Fernie, BC, where we are staying in a beautiful ski lodge for the night before driving south into Whitefish, MT.

On the Eve of Kindergarten

My dear little Eleanor,

Tomorrow is your first day of Kindergarten. And you are going for a full day. You will be in the first group of students at Seventh Avenue in a full day Kindergarten, something that is happening in more and more schools right now. Looking back at my letter to Ethan before his first day in Kindergarten, I realize that I am not feeling as sad this time around, and I think there are a few reasons for this:

1. We are exceedingly busier these days, and I don’t have as much time to devote to sentimentality.

2. I have seen what fun it is to have Ethan learning and growing in school, and I’m anxious to see it for you as well.

3. You have been excessively whiny lately.

4. I am in denial.

5. I have a lot of projects around the house to get done!

Number four is likely the most accurate. This is not only a big transition for you, but for me as well. For the first time in 8+ years, I will not have at least one child home with me for the better part of the day. This is huge. I will no longer have a little buddy with me on errands, shopping trips, outings, et cetera. And while the reality of this is somewhat exciting, it makes me a bit sad as well. Truly, it is the end of an era. In the quite near future, I will be back to working outside the home, and I will be turning in my stay (and work) at home mom card. It has been an amazing blessing to be home for these years of your life, and I can’t help but be sad that the end is near.

It also is a clear indication that you both are growing up. Tonight, as I put you to bed, you had a lot of anxiety about being around any “big kids” tomorrow. You kept asking about it. I told you about how Ethan had a 6^th grade Buddy his first year at school and that now that Buddy is a student in Daddy’s history class at LT. She knows this kid’s little sister, Mariah, and wanted to tell her. I said, well, Mariah is not at Seventh anymore either. She is in middle school and soon she will be in high school, just like eventually you and Ethan will be in high school. You laughed and said, verbatim, “Ethan in high school? Now that I can’t imagine!” Me neither, kid. Me neither. But 5 years ago, your first day of Kindergarten seemed eons off, too.

While your biggest worry seems to be a fear of the big kids, mine is that you will not eat enough every day. You are, quite possibly, the slowest eater. You always say that you are 100% Italian, and while I know this to be false, you sure to eat like a European: you savor your meals.  In keeping with this idea, your lunch tomorrow is very European: salami, baby cheese wheels, pistachio nuts, and strawberries. I’m hopeful that small bits of finger food (with a lot of protein) will be the best bet for you. Hopefully, you won’t spend your whole lunch talking, instead of eating.

I do feel like you are ready and will do well with a full day of Kindergarten. I’m hopeful a full day program will allow for more play in the midst of new Common Core (education reform of the minute) responsibilities. While you are independent, you do play well with others, and I hope this continues. You will have your best friend Jason in class, but I am confident you will make new friends as well. Just like your brother, I teach you to always be nice to everyone and never exclude new friends who want to play.

You have always been a pretty independent kid, and you can play on your own for hours. Most often, I find you in your room, “reading” book after book. While you do not show much interest in learning to read on your own (at least with me), your love of books is just as big as it was for Ethan. You have a children’s Bible that you have “read” at least 100 times. In fact, on one of our trips to the lake this summer, you read the Bible to yourself for over an hour of the drive. I am excited to watch you go from a book page turner to a bona fide reader, just like your brother, because I know you will read as voraciously as him, opening up so many new worlds and ideas. It does this English teacher mommy good to see you two loving reading so much.

Imaginative play is another specialty. One of my biggest joys comes from listening to you spin stories with pretty much anything, whether it be your dolls, super hero figures, Lego characters, or, like this past weekend, tiny shells. On our family canoe trip, you collected about 30 tiny conch shells. On the drive someplace, you sat with them in a hat and made up the longest, most intricate story about what they were doing. At one point, I had daddy turn down the radio so that we could just listen to you because it is so darn cute. One time, on a 12 hour drive home from Hilton Head, you played with a Wet Wipe for a full hour. You don’t take much to entertain yourself, and it’s fantastic! This creativity will be put to use in school, hopefully, as you navigate new territory.

Eleanor, I love you so fiercely that sometimes I need to just kiss your face repeatedly. Your goofy personality paired with your sassy attitude is a lethal combination. I see so many great things for you in your future. And I will be in the front row watching, and cheering, all the way.

Love you,

Mommy

P.S. I am on the substitute list for your school this year. If I ever get to sub for your class, I hope you will call me Mrs. Mommy!

On the Eve of Third Grade (posted two nights late...)

Dear Ethan,

Tomorrow you start the 3^rd Grade! The middle: three years before third grade, three years after third grade. Wild.

You seemed to have a really great second grade year, and I am so grateful for that. After struggling slightly with your reading fluency in first grade, we really kicked things into high gear, and you improved so quickly. Your second grade teacher couldn’t believe you had any trouble whatsoever, and you were one of the strongest readers in the class. And you continued to work hard to come out of your shy shell, even rocking a narrator part in a school performance!

Your interests right now are mostly the same as last year: Legos, drawing, reading, and creating stories. Your Lego collection is getting slightly out of control, but you really do play with them all and enjoy them so much. You are careful to keep them together and organized, too. You don’t love to write, as evidenced by the big fuss you put up every time we tried to get you to journal over the summer, but you do love to illustrate. You have read the entire Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (some books several times), and you always want to draw and write if you have to write, just like the protagonist in the book, Greg Hefley. You created a character with some friends at school last year called Iron Pigeon, and you wrote several stories for him. Wherever you go, you leave your Pigeon mark, based on the Pigeon from the Mo Willem’s stories. It’s pretty funny how you incorporate him into drawings all the time.

I continue to be proud of your treatment of others, as you seem like a genuinely nice kid. You are upset, at times, by the way friends treat you, though I notice you do not treat them back in the same way. We are working on ways to express yourself better when you feel wronged, rather than simply shying away from the conflict—a skill that is certainly difficult to teach, especially for this pushover mom. You are a likable kid and have a variety of friends at school, not just those you’ve known for a long time.

Your treatment of Eleanor is still great most of the time, but we have surely noticed you figuring out how to push her buttons and manipulate her, and we are working on this as well. But the other day, when Eleanor was trying to get you to let her do something with you, she begged, “Please! I’ll be your best friend!” You paused a minute and replied, “Well, you already are.” I said, “Really?” And you said, “Kind of...” And my heart burst in a million pieces. Most of the time when you have conflicts, really, it’s because you are trying to get her to play with you or go along with something and she is uninterested. Then you get angry and take it out on her. But when you play well together, it is awesome! Just this week, you started a little morning tradition of climbing into Eleanor’s bed and reading Captain Underpants to her. It’s so flipping adorable! We got secret video of it, too, so you can’t deny it later.

You are still doing lots of activities, and soon you will start soccer and fall baseball. Daddy continues to “make” you practice with him, and you continue to whine and cry about it until you are actually outside doing it and, miraculously, enjoying it. We wish you would go with Dad more willingly and appreciate this time he spends with you, but I also know you will look back fondly on the time Dad spent with you working on throwing, catching, etc.

My hopes for you this year is that you continue to be a kind kid, one who is not exclusive of others, and that you work to the best of your potential. You can get a bit lazy when it comes to homework, and while we do not expect perfection, we do want you to always try your hardest. We know you will continue to make us proud.

I love you so much, bud!

Mommy

Addendum: It is two nights later, and I just read Harry Potter with you before bed. When I turned out the light, I talked about how you need to really be the best big brother and help show Eleanor around the school. I told you if you saw her during the day to be sure and wave and smile at her and help her if she ever seems upset. I could hear the smile in your voice as you said, “Sounds good.” I can tell how happy you are to have Eleanor become a part of your great school.