Dear Farrah July 2010

To my little girl:

I wanted to document some big things that have happened lately and some things I want to be sure I put in here before I forget.

First, we'll start with our trip to Kentucky. You were a very good girl on the trip. You, me, Daddy, and Alex went to visit relatives in Lexington, KY for the Thomas family reunion (on Grandma Rita's side). You had a lot of fun on the airplane. You got scared a couple of times, but it was probably from reading my nerves, so sorry about that. There were a couple of times that your dad and I got overwhelmed with work issues while on our "vacation" that made it so you and your brother were stuck in the hotel rooms, but you both made the best of it. You and Alex shared a hotel room that joined with ours. You two did so well and had a lot of fun together. :) That was awesome. Your brother, however, suffered through your constant need to watch "Ponies". You got to meet Uncle Russel, Aunt Betty, and Cousin Janey. You loved spending time with them and playing with Uncle Russel's toys. Those toys were so noisy and irritating, but you and Russel got a big kick out of 'em. You got to meet Aunt Thelma, Cousin Steven, Betina, Cody, Tara, and of Cousin Rita (how could you forget!) I'm pretty sure your favorite part of the trip was the visit to the Kentucky Horse Park. Unfortunately, for you and the rest of us, it was one of the hottest days we were there in the 90s and you were cranky and just a little difficult. But it was your favorite because you got to go on a horsey ride (pony) and you got to ride on Copper. You were about ready to call it a day when we were done at the Park, but then we decided to make you tough out a trek to Louisville in the car with Grandma, Alex, Daddy, and me. You survived and you behaved the best you could at the Louisville Slugger Manufacturer.
You swam! You swam all on your own with no fear!!! Our hotel had a nice pool outside and we covered you with plenty of sunscreen, put your floaties on, and let you loose. You learned how to kick your feet in the water and how to move your arms around to get you to move forward. You swam from me to your dad, back to me again, and even to Alex. You were so proud of your accomplishment and so were we. Swim lessons are right around the corner.

Your Daddy had his 43rd Birthday on June 26th and he was given the first steps to getting his pilot's license from your mommy as his birthday present. He was given 3 flight lessons along with some ground schooling and a couple of "how to" books. Daddy's first day of school was Friday, July 16th. He spent a good hour going through ground school and then thoroughly inspecting the airplane. Then he was off and running (or flying). I video taped as much as I could see; once he was in the clouds I had to pull out my book and start reading. So, Daddy is going to fly airplanes among the SEVERAL other things he already does...but this is something that put the biggest smile on his face than I've seen in a real long time. It's something he's always wanted to do and we get to watch him experience it. Aren't we lucky, Farrah?

I wanted to document some things that you say because before I know it, the "toddler way" you say things could be gone. You're starting school this Fall, which means people (including me and Daddy) will begin to start correcting how you formulate sentences or pronounce words.

Here's what you say:

"My love you...my don't want to...my want to wear a dress"

"Mama, can you get me a poon (spoon)? I like to pin (spin). "

"Butter-lye" (butterfly)

"Can I have dese? (these)"

"Oli-ler (Oliver), Leeshla (Elisha), Juleelan (Julianne)"

By the way, Happy Birthday to our nephew (Farrah's cousin), Oliver. He's 4 today! Yay!!!

You and I have planted a garden of vegetables. You are the "mommy" because you have to water them and care for them. Little do you know, when you're not paying attention, I'm doing my best to keep them alive. I'm certainly not known for having a green thumb. That being said, I hope they live all the way to the point of us getting to pull them and ultimately eat them. That's the whole goal.

Farrah, you've experienced some much needed discipline lately, but you've accepted your punishments with tact and grace. Sometimes, not as graceful as others, but you're starting to finally learn your boundaries. You've got so much personality, but that's not ever been anything that we haven't already known since day one. I love you so much. Sometimes one hug just isn't near enough for me.

Oops! Almost forgot!! For Father's Day, you had your pictures taken by Kelly and we put together a wonderful photo album book for your Daddy (you also made one for Poppy Boppy, too). You were difficult to photograph, but we ended up with some beautiful pictures of the true Farrah Raquelle Moody. The real YOU was captured. ;)

I'll have to upload photos later...