Back to School and Other Thoughts -- Big E

 

Summer's over and I'm back to doing homework. This does and doesn't please me. I love being at school because I love to see my friends and learn. However, I'm really not too happy about my homework, it cuts into my alone time. Actually, homework would be fine if I didn't have piano, Spanish, Hip Hop AND gymnastics. You can see I'm definitely overscheduled. Where is my childhood? My Mom doesn't understand. If I only had to go to lessons and tutoring, then life would be good and I'd get my alone time. BUT she makes me practice and do work. I have had only ten minutes of alone time in the last two days. This does not make me happy.

Another thing that is completely bothering me is that I had to take down my fort in my room. For the last month, I've had a fort over my bed. It's protection from all others, so I can be alone and stay alone. Well, my Mom and Dad are putting our house up for sale so someone will buy it. So, they made me take down my fort. I just want someone to offer us money so I can put my fort up again. Can someone do it already????

I'm very excited to move. My parents have told me that I don't have to change schools. I better not! Since I've lived in this house my whole life, I'm extremely excited to move. I'm going to really miss my tree, though. I have a spider friend in the tree. We hang out together. Her on her beautiful, HUGE web and me in the tree. She's a orb weaver spider. She has lots of family members. They have taken over our pine tree. I don't climb the pine tree. It hurts. But our Liquid Amber is a perfect climbing tree. I'm going to miss it. I've been climbing it since I was four years old.

I'm going to miss my neighbors, Jim, Flo and Dorothy. I love visiting them, especially because they are always so glad to see me. It's going to be different moving. Two of my best friends, who were my neighbors, moved away two years ago and I was very sad. I want to move like they did. But I guess there are a lot of unanswered questions, like where we're going to live. My parents have been discussing whether they have enough money to buy a new house. I told them I have $400.00 in the bank that they can use. I've been saving it for six years now. Both Lil' e and I have a savings account.

Of course! As if MY mom would let me spend all my birthday and Christmas money! Please! She ALWAYS makes me save some and even give some away. Last year a bought a goat for a family at Christmas. I guess that wasn't so bad. It still makes me mad that I HAVE to do it. As if I wouldn't want to give some of my own money away without her telling me.

I've gotta go. I need my alone time before Lil' e figures out I'm home and available.

Love,

Big E

appy Birt'day to you, Daddy -- Lil e

We had the greatest birthday celebration, yet. In the morning, real early, Issy and I burst into the garage, where my dad was sleeping because Mimi and Papa were sleeping in his bed, and sang "Appy Birt'day to you, 'Appy Birt'day to you" at the top of our lungs. We gave him our cards that we had made with Mimi. Eventually, he got up and treated US to chocolate chip pancakes. My mom refused to join us, claiming she was too tired and needed more sleep.

Of course, she did get up at some point and my dad left. I couldn't find him, "Where's 'appy birt'day?" I asked my mom. She let me know he was at church so I knew he would come back. I was just glad I didn't have to go and be left behind. You see, they have no feelings and it makes me anxious. I hang onto my Mommy's neck crying and screaming, "No. No. Don't go." only to have her pry my arms off her neck and my legs off her body by another worker. She walks out telling me that she'll be back. She always does come back, with my Dad, but sometime you never know, she might not. But I digress, back to my dad's birt'day.

Later, after my dad returned from church, Issy and I celebrated him again. Issy told him, "Close your eyes." He closed his eyes. She sang "Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you" before leaping into his arms and giving him a big hug. Of course, I had to follow that act. Anything she can do, I can do bigger AND better.

I told him, "Cloz your eye." Then I sang to him, "Appy Birt'day to you, 'Appy Birt'day to you." Finally, with his eyes closed, I sprang onto him and hit him in the head with my glow stick. He was so surprised, he jolted up with a laugh and rubbed his head. It was so funny, I almost fell over on the floor. WAYY better than Issy's surprise.

At the end of the day, I helped Mommy make a yellow cake with chocolate frosting, his favorite. She tried to jip me out of some dough but I wouldn't let her. I demanded a bowl with dough. Daddy got one too, enjoying it before our dinner.

I wish birthdays were everyday! We had a good one.

Tomorrow is my first day of school. I get to play in the sand AND on the bike.

Later,

Lil' e

Zoo, then Alone -- Big E

This is a Mom and Baby Giraffe. They were at the San Diego Zoo.

 

This is an AMAZING BIRD. So beautiful, AND big. It's a Secretary bird, in the elephant odyssey.

 

Look closely, can you see what is beside the Lily Pad?

 

I'm up in the air, riding the thing that goes across the zoo and you can look down. We only got to ride ONCE, a BIG disappointment. Decision made by you-know-who.

 

We made a fabulous trip down to the San Diego Zoo. The only thing on my mind to see-- a salamander. Would you believe that they only have ONE tank with them? We waited and waited and waited but we never saw it. Their absence and disrespect to viewers may be the reason they only have one. Salamanders can go on both land and water, staying under water for long periods of time. I was disappointed but made the best of the day. The giraffes were soo very cool, second best to the Lemonade Icee I got to eat for dinner. My third favorite animal was the komodo dragon. It was asleep, the best way to look at it. I would've been scared had it been up and awake. Seeing all the animals was great, especially when we got to ride in the cart in the air. I saw the gorillas running around below me. It was very fun. Lil' e and I tried to get my mom to take us on the ride again but she wouldn't negotiate. She said something about being late and needing to get home...who needs sleep? I never sleep. I told her I could drive for her but she didn't go for it. So, we only traveled across once.

After the zoo, we spent a couple days at home before she, well, they, abandoned me and Lil' e. My Mom and my Dad left us with Mimi and Papa to go on their very first trip alone for my entire life. They went to Maui, for eight days. It looked like a long ways away on the map. I think there may only be people vacationing there. I don't think anyone lives on the island itself. It looks too small or something. Besides, how would anyone get there to live? Every night, I asked them what they saw. One day, they swam with sharks and saw a white tip reef shark. Almost everyday they saw spotted eagle rays. Lil' e and I watched one of my shark dvds. (When I was little I LOVED sharks and probably have every shark dvd ever made). Anyways, when we saw the shark video, we saw some of the animals they saw. It was cool.

I really wished they would've been here to see all the Orb Weaving Spiders make their webs. We have a family of them living in our trees. Before you feel to bad for me being left by my parents, let me remind you who I was with -- Mimi and Grandpa. Do you know what this means? It means daily bike rides with Grandpa, daily trips to Wild Berry yogurt (do you think MY parents take me there? PLEASE! maybe once every three months.), daily packages full of surprises because my parents felt guilty about leaving us so they filled bags with lots of goodies, AND a special trip to see my cousins in Santa Barbara. We didn't miss them, well at least not very much. Lil' e even got upset when Mimi said she wasn't coming back down to visit just yet. He wants Mimi back. I want Mimi AND Grandpa back.

I'm hoping my Grammy comes out soon because you know where she likes to take me, Baskins and Robbins. I'm hoping at least sometime soon I'll get to go out for ice cream or frozen yogurt. No luck without visitors.

I'm off for some alone time,

Big E

Come, Mimi and Papa! - Lil' e

Mimi and Papa are coming to see me. However, I want to go back to their house. Every day I ask to go on an airplane. We have lots that fly over our house. My mom tells me it's too late to get on them because they're already flying. Still, she hasn't taken me to get on a different airplane. It makes me sad. When I think of all the cars they have and all the dirt, it just makes me want to lay on the floor and say, "NO!!!!!"

I'm glad Mimi is coming. She makes great pancakes, even better than my dad. She also plays the best games with me AND does puzzles. She even plays with me when Issy isn't around, which I like. Issy and Mommy can cramp my style "lil' bit." I like to be free to make messes, Mimi lets me do that. Then there is Papa. He plays catch with me. Someday I'm going to be a smokejumper like him. I even told my mom. Being the WAY over-the-top teacher that she is, immediately got a book from the library for me to read about smokejumpers. I LOVE airplanes, helicopters, fire and jumping! I'm going to be a great smokejumper, just like Papa. If only I had a forest so I could know what one is...

This picture is of my cat, Oedipus. She has gotten me in some real trouble lately. She keeps biting me. My mom says it isn't biting because she doesn't draw blood or leave a mark. She tells me that Oedipus is warning me. But I know what I feel -- she's biting me!! She bites me when I do things like, use her as a pillow or pull her tail. I get that she doesn't like it but she doesn't need to bite. That's what my mom keeps telling me anyways. She tells me I need to stop biting and use my words. My mom doesn't know that I'm part animal and have to bite when I don't get my way. I've even started biting people outside of my family. My friend, Bree didn't want me to have Issy's pillow. That made me mad! So, she got bit. She didn't want to be my friend anymore. But maybe she'll like me when we play "happy day" on the hammick or climb on the slide...things where we can both get our way. The thing that bugs me so much is that my mom has such high expectations...if Oedipus, who is 12 bites, how can I, a mere 2 year 8 month old, be expected not to bite? She has such high expectations. I'm going to need some serious therapy when I get older!

 

Later,

Lil e

P.S. if smokejumping doesn't work out, I'm going to be a rapper. You should see my MAD moves. I even yell and scream when my mom changes the radio station from hip hop...who wants to listen to country? Please! We're in the city again...hip hop only!!!

Things We'll Miss -- Esquared

 

Jigbee and Max

 

Fawns
 

Tree Frog by the house
 

Mixie and Bootz

What we really miss already...
KITTENS and CATS
Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Apple Deer Tree and Mamas with fawns
oh, and all the frogs...
Mimi and Papa, too
Chocolate Chip Waffles
And the kittens
Did we mention we miss the kittens?
And Chocolate Chip pancakes with no eggs for breakfast...Thanks, Mimi!

Can't sleep because we need the kitties and we have nothing to wake up to...no chocolate chip pancakes,

Esquared

Things I'll Miss -- Big E

It is really no fair that my Mom got to grow up here. What do I get to see in the city? Nothing! These are the things I'm going to miss...

 

Kittens chasing my string...

 

Taking pictures of the sunset...

 

Clouds. I rarely get to see clouds where I live. How fair is that?

 

Pottery Class. I can't wait to get my pottery pieces. This is me on the wheel making a bowl.

Other things I'll miss...
1. Visiting Uncle Rhys and his kitties
2. Kittens
3. Golf Cart Rides
4. Doing gymnastics with Aunt Anna
5. Playing jokes on Mark, Jerry or John
6. Kittens

Things I'll Miss -- Lil' E

I've said Good-bye to Mimi and Papa.
I'm sad. I keep asking to go to Mimi and Papa's in the airplane but my parents won't let me. Come, Mimi and Papa!

 

Snakes, especially when Papa chases them. This is one he put in his bike pack when he found it while riding his bike. It arrived safe and sound. Of course, he returned it where he got it...driving.

 

Mountains with snow. This is the view from Mimi and Papa's front yard.

 

Helicopters. Do you see I'm in it!!! I wanted to ride one back home but I had to ride an airplane instead. Maybe next time.

 

Riding Lawn Mowers with Papa

Other things I'll miss...
1. Golf Cart Rides
2. Dirt and trucks
3. Mimi
4. Papa
5. Cousins and Uncle Kerby and Aunt Anna