Dear Arianna, February 8, 2013

Dear Arianna,
    Unlike normal, the house is very quiet this Friday night.  The reason?  You are not here to keep us on our toes.  You insisted on having a sleepover with your cousins tonight, so I only saw you in the morning when we got ready for school and then after school, when I picked you up and drove you to Titi's house.  We made a stop at home first, though.  You needed your markers, colored pencils, three My Little Ponies, a stuffed cat (since you would miss your real kitties) a stuffed bear, your own toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, and swish-swish cup.  You didn't seem to mind not having extra clothes, but that's what Daddies are for, and I packed those, too.
    Unfortunately, I had a conference call for work to dial into while I was driving you to your cousins' house, so we didn't get to talk much.  The talking heads droning on and on during the call were still doing so when I got you out of the car and walked you to the door, so we didn't get to say much of anything to each other   You must have been excited because you ran in with nary a complaint.  We had to hurry to get you there though, because you went to see your cousin Raven compete this afternoon with pom-pon squad in the Chicago Public sectionals this afternoon.  Mommy and I wish that we could have gone, too, but work stood in the way.  The fantastic news is that they are moving on to the Regionals!  And Titi Alma also let us know that she ordered a DVD of the show so we can all watch it together.
   In other news, Titi told me that you tried to throw a tantrum at McDonald's afterwards, but she soon put a stop to that by warning you that there will be no more sleep-overs for you if you act like a stinker.  Maybe Mommy and Daddy should try that the next time you act like a stinker in public!

    We both miss you very much, but we will see you tomorrow, and your weekend is action-packed.  Before we pick you up, I am going to take a retest for the Tuesday test that I failed.  Then you will miss Mommy and Daddy paying the bills.  When we do pick you up, we are headed to the Spaghetti Dinner and clothes drive at your school, and on Sunday, we have a play-date after church with your friend Phoebe.
  As for Mommy and Daddy tonight, we went out on a date and had Thai food for dinner, and then we headed over to Target and bought you new pencils, markers, and paint, to fuel your creativity when you come home.  We miss you very much, and I will especially miss my "Mythbusters"-watching snuggle-buddy tonight.  We love you.

Love,
Daddy