My sweet Miles,

I held off on writing this for a few days because I wanted to include pictures from a very special event:  your first school play.

Photo by Denny Crall

I was so proud when your teacher approached me and said she wanted to give you the lead role of Farmer Brown in the Willowwind preschool production of Click, Clack, Moo:  Cows that Type.  You were the only kid in the whole play with a speaking part, and you worked so hard to memorize your lines.  We went over them a couple of times every day, and by the end, you were incorporating your actions.  Much to my surprise, when we showed up for the performance yesterday, the script (or crisp, as you call it) was a bit different from the one your teacher gave me.  No worries, though.  You handled it just fine, saying your long lines perfectly and even ad-libbing a bit.

I don’t know if you can even remember it, Miles, but when you first started school you wouldn’t even talk to any of the kids.  You just stuck by your teacher’s side all the time and watched other kids work and play.  Now you are brave and confident enough to be Farmer Brown in front of all your friends and their parents.  Nice work, little dude.

One fun thing that happened this month was that Mubby visited your class to do a dance activity.  You and your friends had a lot of fun wiggling around, and I think you were very proud to have her there.

Photo by Gary Clarke

Next week you’ll start in Mr. Drew’s room.  You seem a little nervous about it, but we’ve been emphasizing that there are going to be kids who are just starting school for the first time.  You do very well in the big brother role, so you’re primed to help and reassure the new kids who might be scared.  “It’s a little bit new for me, but it’s very new for them,” you reminded me the other night.  I think you’ll do fine, especially since you’ll still have recess with your old friends, and you’ve gotten to a know a few kids who will be in your class.

Sharing toys is still a bit of a struggle at home, and it’s probably only going to get worse as Tobin becomes more attached to specific objects.  Mostly, though, you remain a fantastic big brother.  You are very patient and understanding with Tobin, and you’re patient and understanding with me when I have to abruptly stop in the middle of reading a book to you so I can handle a Tobin situation.

You still love computer games, but you also love imagination games.  You and your dad play Miles and Tessa a lot, which is a game that I think is mostly about exploring in the woods.  Daddy plays Tessa.  You like to play bear cave, and you love it when the little bear cub (Tobin) roars.  Hide and seek has been very popular around here lately, both indoors and out.

At night when we cuddle in bed together, you like to loudly announce when you hear cicadas.  You also like it when I announce their presence.  I don’t do it if it seems like you might be asleep (or getting there), so you sometimes chastise me for not yelling CICADA at the right moment.  You like finding cicada shells and actual dead winged cicadas around the yard and neighborhood, and you’re not squeamish at all about picking them up.  Last night you brought a few dried cicada shells inside and put them into a cup.  “Here’s your new home, little guys,” you said very gently.

We had a mini-vacation to Ames a couple of weeks ago.  Uncle Larry and Aunt Lily were in town from California, and Aunt Suzy and Uncle Joe came from Minnesota, too.  We went to the water park twice, to a movie, to the library, to Castle Playground (as you call the Roosevelt play structure that your progenitors built), and you ate a lot of popsicles.

Photo by Gary Clarke

We also got to see Nana and Papa and other Crall relations last weekend at a picnic.  You had so much fun playing with Papa on a play structure.  I think you about wore him out, but it seemed like he enjoyed it.  Papa convinced a horse in a nearby field to come over and say hi, and you liked petting it (as long as you were safe in Papa’s arms).

We’ve had a fun summer together, Miles.  We put a lot of miles on the stroller with our frequent trips down the path.  The lady at the Flavor Ice stand knows our favorite order.  You’ve played in the sprinkler, with the splort balls we made, and watched movies in the cool, dark basement.  It’s not such a big transition for the summer to end since you were in school the whole time, but I’ll still be sad to see the month end.  Fall has its charms, but summer time with a little kid is pretty much the best.

Especially when the kid is pretty much the best.

I love you, Miles.

Mommy