Dear Kids,
I wish I had done a better job of writing down stories about you. In going through my old journals and lists, I’ve found dozens of notes that were supposed to be turned into blog posts. I assumed at the time that I’d know what I meant by those brief notes, but now they seem cryptic. For example, I wrote “Marshall’s perfect grades.” Perfect grades would indeed be noteworthy, and I’m proud Marshall for achieving them. I just wish I remember what test or project he had gotten them on! I also wrote “Silly old mommy head!” and “Hooray for Daddy!,” but I no longer have any idea who said these things or why.
So here I will attempt to make something out of the notes that do still make sense to me.
Drawing on Walls: Livia wrote her name on the knee wall in the bathroom. The stars on the wall in the stairway are obviously her handiwork, too. She was so proud when she finally learned how to draw a five-pointed star. I guess she wanted to show off her new skill. We’re going to repaint anyway, so no big deal. Just don’t do it again!
Die Water: That’s a game you used to play together. You pretended that there was a type of water that would instantly kill you if you touched it. There was die water everywhere. I don’t know how you both managed to survive.
I found a note written by Marshall that said,
Wake up Marshall—-if he doseent in 1 minit, spanck him on the butt!—-as soon as I wake up. Sined Marshall.
I asked you what this was about, and you explained that Marshall had written it one night for Livia, to remind her to wake him up. I asked if she had had to smack him on the butt (luckily for Marshall, she hadn’t). It amuses me how you have always loved to communicate by note. However much you may have inherited from your father, in this you are so very much my children.
I also found a page on which I had written down random comments from a very young Marshall. He said, “People build bridges so cars won’t fall down.” So true! He also said, “Birds make me happy.” Aw!
Love,
Mom
