Dear Landon,
Wow, this month went by fast! I actually didn’t even get the pictures up from last month before I was supposed to be writing this letter to you. Oops! We did so much this month that it’s hard to narrow it down to just a few to talk about.
October was such a nice month weather wise, that every time a festival or something came up, I agreed to go. We went to Greekfest – which was mostly about eating for me, and mostly about jumping in moonwalks for you.
We went to the Renaissance festival, which I’m not sure you appreciated as much as you might when you’re a little bit older, but it did help you settle on being a knight for Halloween.
We went to Dewberry Farms – I thought they’d have a better pumpkin selection being a pumpkin patch and all, but the games were awesome, and we’re totally going back every year for as long as you will agree to go.
We also went to Zoo Boo. Honestly, the Halloween stuff the zoo was up to was mediocre at best, but we did manage to see their dinosaur exhibit. It put the one in Bastrop to shame. And I’m beginning to think we need a membership. I just found out that they got new Rhinos this week for their new African exhibit.
But honestly all of those were just the beginning. You took your first vacation. We went to New Jersey and New York and visited my Great Aunt Mary Lou. We took Grandma and Grandpa Logan and Great Grandma Rowland. Mary Lou’s parrot, Pedro, just adored you. Every morning we would get up and if you didn’t go in the room where he was right away he would just keep saying “HELLO!!” until you came in and talked to him.
Our original purpose in going to New York was because you did a study on sky scrapers, and wanted to go to the top of a really tall building and look out the window. In preparation for the trip I bought you a digital camera it’s not an expensive one, although it supposedly will take better pictures than the one I was using previously. I also bought myself one, but then on Sunday during our trip I fell on the beach trying to avoid a wave and managed to drop it in the water. No worries, I now have a new camera and two of everything else that came with it. Also, I now have the extra warranty plan. You didn’t take too many pictures, but you did take some pretty good ones of some geese in the park by Mary Lou’s house.
We went to a bunch of the usual touristy stuff. State of Liberty, Ground Zero, Central Park, Central Park Zoo, Coney Island (although closed for the season) and the New York Aquarium. We had a great time and I hope to take you back again one day when you’re a little older and we can see a Broadway show, and see some more of the city.
I remember only bits and pieces of the trip I took to New York when I was your age, so I’m not all that hopeful that you’ll remember the whole trip, but I do want you to remember some of it anyway.
Because Halloween fell in the middle of our trip, we also went trick or treating while we were there. The police department shut down the street one block from Mary Lou’s house, and nearly everyone on the street participated in the festivities. They started super early, in Texas we don’t start trick or treating until dusk. There were people already out at 2pm in New Jersey. I felt a little out of place, since I wasn’t carrying a glass of wine, but everyone LOVED your knight in shining armor costume – and you really hammed it up for them.
We did learn a few lessons from this trip. 1) I over packed. Not only was our suitcase over packed, our carry-on was over packed. 2) Some planes have the cigarette lighter style plugs for electronic devices. It would have been nice to know that for your DVD player. 3) Cameras hardly ever recover from dips in the ocean. 4) Maps, both general and detailed are good to have on hand, in case, say, you’re headed to leave for the airport and the exit you’re supposed to take is blocked for some reason and you need to find an alternate route.
I hope this was a memorable trip for you, at least in the short term, and a few stick with you longer term. I hope to take you on lots more vacations.
As far as your personal developments, you have become extra lovey this month, lots of extra smooches without asking. Your Phineas and Ferb obsession continues, and I may be encouraging it, because that show is full of awesome.
Love,
Mama
