Hello sweet girl and happy 89 months! Right now we’re heading over the river and through the woods – to Nana and Granddaddy’s house we go! As I write, you are in the backseat devouring an Ivy and Bean book, and asking “How much farther?” about every 15 minutes. The answer: lots farther. 

But the drive is worth it. This is one of my favorite events of the season, getting together with your Uncle Jeff and his family at Nana and Granddaddy’s house. We always have so much fun together.

We’ve been lucky to see a good bit of Nana and Granddaddy this last month. They came to Savannah for Thanksgiving and were able to stay almost a whole week! The first day of your Thanksgiving break we declared to be a low-key pajama morning, but apparently it was a little bit too low key for you. As I was in the kitchen trying to get ahead on some Thanksgiving cooking, you came in, plopped face down on the tile and declared, “This is how bored I am right now.”

Thankfully your boredom was short-lived. Thursday morning, Granddaddy ran in his first race, but not before cheering you on in the kids version of the Thanksgiving day turkey trot.  

It was great fun to have Erin and her family in Savannah this year, joining us for Thanksgiving too. After the meal we had a rousing session of Thanksgiving karaoke. Jones provided percussion, Eli played guitar, and the rest of us pitched in with vocals. And thus a new tradition was born.

Not long after Thanksgiving, you experienced a pretty big first – your first adventure with a sleep-away camp. Your Girl Scouts troop goes to a local scout camp each December, and I could scarcely believe I was letting you spend the weekend with a bunch of girls in cabins in the woods. But you loved it.

We packed up your clothes, a hula outfit and your sloth, and I tucked a love note in the suitcase when you weren’t looking. According to the leaders, the note was a hit, and you propped it in the window by your bunk. “That way if I get homesick,” you said, “I can look at this and feel better.”

But I don’t think you had time to be homesick, what with all the fun activities during the day, and the excitement of the raccoon trying to break into your cabin during the night. I snuck over for lunch and got to see you enjoying your friends and even watched you play your first-ever game of red rover. It’s nice to know some childhood games don’t change much.

Back from scout camp, our attention turned to all things Christmas. 

We decorated the tree. You and Daddy had a fake snowball fight in the backyard. You rode a trolley with your cousins, singing holiday songs and looking at neighborhood Christmas lights. 

You wrote a letter to Santa, including a picture of you and Mr. Claus.

   

Last weekend, you had a chance to deliver the letter in person when Santa came to a neighborhood holiday party. I love your expression when you leaned in for a hug – one of pure sweetness and joy. 

There has always been so much joy and magic in this season for me, but experiencing it all through you only elevates that magic even more. I couldn’t think of a gift better than the gift of being your mama. I love you so much.