Dear Moon,

I found this while looking through files on my computer. It is a copy of a letter I found on my computer that I wrote to my Dad back in 2000. I don’t know if I ever sent it actually. That was a really crazy time for me. Literally actually! I was on depression medication and things were just really difficult.  I really hope my Dad knew I loved him and thought of him. I guess if he didn’t know then he knows now. I love how this gives me info about the kids and what was going on at the time and it seems pretty “Happy” which was rare for that time.

September 10, 2000

Dear Dad,

I just wanted to write to you and let you know I was thinking about you.  I haven’t written before I don’t think, and I figured it was about time I did.  Also, I wanted to send you some current pictures of the kids.  I haven’t sent any of those in a while either.

We are all doing fine here.  Timothy just started 1^st grade and really likes his teacher Mrs. McDonald.  He is really pretty smart and he seems to enjoy school.  He will be 7 on March 1^st.  Over the Summer we were able to take the training wheels off his bike and he just buzzes around now.

Lydia is getting to be so grown up looking.  She has lost all the baby-ness in her face and she is starting to enjoy me putting “pretties” in her hair.  She never would let me put any ponytails or clips in her hair unless I bribed her.  We have been debating about putting her into pre-school, but I figure she is still a little to young for that.  She will be 4 on January 26^th.

Clarissa is changing so quickly.  She does her best at running, which actually isn’t too good, but she looks really cute trying to run really fast, especially when I am chasing her. She still has the baby face look with the chubby cheeks and tubby tummy and legs.  I suspect in the next few months here she will be loosing a lot of her baby attributes.  She is in the stage where she is getting into EVERYTHING she can.  She usually starts her day in going into my bathroom and pulling what ever she can find off of the counter, than she heads for the pantry and starts to pull all the cans off the shelves, than she heads into the kitchen and starts pulling things out of the junk drawer (which is actually really dangerous), and  than she usually ends up pulling anything she can reach off the kitchen counter which is usually cereal bowls that are quarter of the way full of milk that Timothy & Lydia didn’t finish off their cereal, and she does all that in about 15min.  Ha ha ha

I am not sure what pictures I am going to enclose in this letter, but I will try and find fairly recent ones and I will write what information I can remember about the photo on the back of each one.

Patrick is up for orders next year and we are getting pretty excited.  We are hoping that he will be able to get Washington State again.  We really liked it up there and hope to settle there someday.  He made the Chief’s selection board again this time, but didn’t get picked.  Maybe next year it will be his turn.  He has just over 14 years in the Navy now.  WOW…I can’t believe it has been 14 years.  We have been married for 10 of it, which is such a shocker.

I have been doing odd jobs setting up computers and doing some computer training on the side to help ends meet.  I just started baby-sitting a 3mos old baby girl named Natalie she is REALLY cute.  She looks like she could be my baby more than my own babies do.  She has dark hair like me, where all of mine have blonde.  I baby-sit her on Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri, and get $40 a day.  It should help tremendously with the bills and things.  Her Mother, Laura, is a second grade teacher at Timothy’s school, so I will have the same breaks as Timothy does, which is really nice.

How have you been?  How is little Alex your doggy?  Are you still able to keep in contact with Elsie?  Tell her Hi from me if you do see her.  I really think she was really wonderful to us kids.  Have you heard from Sam, Susan or Stuart lately?  I haven’t talked with anyone for about a month now.  Kristine’s birthday is on the 17^th so I should try and remember to get something in the mail to her.  Have you struck gold yet?  Last time we talked you sounded like you were really close.  I have been talking with Patrick about trying to set up some weekend that we could come out and stay with you.  I think the last time you were able to see Timothy he was 2 or 3 years old, and I don’t believe you have ever met Lydia or Clarissa, which is really sad.  You are there Grandpa and I want to make every effort for the kids to meet you and get to know you.  Now that I have this babysitting money coming in it should be possible for us to maybe afford coming out there.  Money has been really tight.  We are currently using the Bishop Store House for most all of our groceries.   I know it is hard for you to get around these days so we have been trying to figure out how to get out there to see you.  Hopefully we can do it soon.  I will have to let you know how things go.

Well, I better wrap this up.  This letter is about 4 pages long now and probably won’t fit in the envelope.  Ha ha ha.  I just mainly wanted to let you know I love you and you are on my mind often.  I hope that you are doing well.

Love always,

I guess I better get back to finding the “Printable” Christmas labels I was originally looking for. hehe

Merry Christmas EVE!