Dear Arianna, February 10, 2013

Dear Arianna,
    Today after church, you had a play date over at your friend Phoebe's house with another school friend  Kait.  Mommy and I were a little worried at first since this was going to be your first play date without either of us there.  We planned to pick you up at 1:30 PM, but Phoebe's mommy called and told us that you weren't ready to go yet because you were having so much fun, and we didn't come to get you until after 2:30 PM.  We are very happy that you are working well with your shyness and opening up to more friends.  I always have had trouble doing this and worried about the same for you.  Once you get going though, you are a great friend.

You look like such a big girl with Turlough in this picture!

    I spent a lot of my day reading and studying for my class, and I got to thinking as my mind drifted away from how a computer encodes data to put on a wire about how much you love your animals and how much they love you in return.  We saw it yesterday when you came home from your sleepover.  You kittens, Ian & Turlough crawled all over you, purring and wanting to be pet by you.  I saw it again today when you came home from your play date.  At first, we all took a nap together this afternoon, but when you came downstairs  Turlough, especially could not get enough of you tonight.

    You made a lot of art on your play date and did huge finger painting art tonight while Mommy and Daddy paid the bills and Daddy studied some more.  As you can see in the above pictures with you and Turlough, you also made anther fantastic Ponyville tonight.  I have to tell you that listening to you and your imagination as you play with your toys and make your drawings is one of the things I love most about being your Daddy. The other fun thing tonight is that when you  were coloring by numbers in your activity books, you are reading the instructions on your own.  To think that your mind is expanding now into the world of words is quite amazing!  It's time to read even more stories to you each and every day.
     As I write this letter, it is very late (almost one in the morning), but we did so much this weekend, and I was so busy with school and paying the bills with Mommy earlier tonight that I did not have time to write, but I didn't want the day to slip away before I had a chance to record another day with you.  That is so much more important in the grand scheme of things than a few extra hours of sleep.  Besides, who wants to go to bed early on a Sunday night.  All that is waiting for me is another Monday workday away from you and Mommy.

Love,
Daddy