FOuR 'dA

Newest Play?

Shadden Kai: grabbing monkey suitcase, filling it with sports balls (obviously I've been packing wrong all this time), wheeling it to Mommy announcing, "FOuR 'dA"

Mommy: "Oh! You're going to Florida?"

Shadden Kai: "Yeah." "Fii" (fly) pointing to the sky "Air" Goodbye stare to Mommy.

Mommy: "Can Mommy come? Or Mommy stay home?"

Shadden Kai: "Stay." using stop signal hand

Mommy: "Okay. Mommy stay home. Bye Bye!!!"

Shadden Kai: "Bye Bye!" waving and walking to front door. Touch & turn knob. Turn around, "HOME! HOME! HOME!" Smiling and running to Mommy with suitcase wheeling behind.

Mommy: Down on knees, falling backwards from running hug, sharing welcome home kisses and hugs, "ohhhh! Your HOME!"

Because we did just take a family trip to Florida. And we are home. As much as you loved traveling-flying in the air, visiting cousin Mason, playing music with GG and house with Grampy-you clap every time you say, "home" and give a, "yeaaaaa!" Mommy could have used another week of vacation, but you are excited to be home playing with your toys. So excited you didn't want to leave the house for the first day back-not even for the playground!

Sadly, we spent over a week in 80 degree temperatures and sunshine and never hit the beach with all the other tourists. Your Mommy is a bit paranoid of toxic dispersant's and oil currently residing in the Gulf. Being that the ocean is one of Mommy's most favorite things in the entire world-this was a hard parent call to make. Meaning, she and your Daddy deliberated over and over but agreed they couldn't consciously let you swim in something that dangerously polluted. We had hoops of fun at the botanical gardens, conservatory, train museum, parks and playgrounds, pool, eating Florida Key Lime Pie and drinking fresh squeezed OJ, and having music lessons with GG. So much fun, we never actually made it to the beach for sunset or kite flying. Something we deemed "okay" (even though the sand particles off the Gulf have been tested dangerously poisonous) because we were convinced that Naples is one of the few places which actually imports sand for tourist season. Of course your favorite thing about vacation was cousin Mason. You wanted to hold his hand, play boat rides in the rocking chair with him, play parade, and do and say everything Mason did. You even took a bath together! You picked up Mason's saying, "No Waaay!" and use with with perfect pronunciation. We are so thankful God blessed Auntie CoCo with a baby before us because he is the best older cousin and you adore him completely.