Dear Boo,
You are turning 5 today. It has been quite the year, one that has gone on forever, yet flown by all the same. As a parent more experienced then I once said, with children “the days are long, but the years are short.”
And this year, where to even begin... We kicked off your “4 birthday” at the Splash Pad, running with your crew. You were surrounded by love as both Nana AND Grandma Ellen were there to celebrate with you.
Then life got crazy.
You lived in 6 different houses in 5 different cities (and 2 different countries on opposite sides of the planet) not counting a week camped out on the floor of a brownstone in Brooklyn, NY.
You played in the volcanic sand of the Amalfi Coast, rode the carousel in Florence and chased peacocks in Rome. You witnessed your Uncle Chewie marry your Aunt Lydia while being distracted from disrupting the ceremony by Uncle Strafe. You made friends in Israel while playing with a crab on a beach surrounded by excavations going back through several millennia and at least 4 different civilizations. Then slept for over 10 hours on the plane ride home, a skill that would serve you well for our many plane rides to come.
You said goodbye to our parrot Violet, the only parrot we had that didn’t bite you, as she found a new family. You flew to Canada and soaked up some time with your “sisters,” Courtney and Sarah, while visiting with the crazy clan that is the Clarks. You traveled across the United States in an RV with mommy and daddy, Diego, Harley and Daisy and were so happy to be “camping”. You made pizza with Aunt Lydia and Nana while they “kept an eye on” you as mommy and daddy took care of business up and down the Atlantic Seaboard.
Then you smooched Harley goodbye, the big, furry ball of golden retriever love who you had been snuggling up to, climbing on top of and generally mauling since you were able to move on your own.
Then you did the same to your Nana, your constant source of love and adoration since the moment you were born. But you were still in the middle of our “movin’” adventure and were not too fazed, but your Nana felt the separation keenly.
You rode the subway in New York like a native and got a kick out of running through Washington Square Park as if you didn’t have a care in the world. And finally, our visas came through and we were on a plane to South Africa. Only we had to overnight in Dubai to get here...
Now you swim with penguins and have an eagle eye for spotting the zebra on Table Mountain. You’ve become a connoisseur of Cape Town playgrounds and pick up new friends every time we go, no matter which we go to. You play with children who only speak Afrikaans or Xhosa or German and don’t bat at eye at the language “barrier.”
You have witnessed a lion lolling with his lioness in the wild and are on intimate terms with the dominant male behavior of gemsbok, springbok and wildebeest. You have found a haven of predictability in a tiny Montessori preschool on the grounds of a children’s home. And the day is not complete unless we get out and “do something fun” - Boo-speak for water-taxi rides, frozen yogurt runs, and lots of time in the sand.
You miss your Nana, and your Harley-Barley, and your “best friends” in Arizona, but you “love South Africa” and you want to know if we love it too.
So, baby, it’s been a year. We’ve been through a lot and it hasn’t all been sunshine and legos. But you have never failed to amaze us at your enthusiasm for what the next day will bring and your generosity with hugs and kisses and orders about what to do next. You make our world a bigger and better place and we’re thrilled to be on this journey with you.
Looking forward to another year of living out loud with our Boo! Though, hopefully, with a slightly more stable home base.
Much love, Mommy and Daddy
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