Dear family and friends,
When Jefferson was born all kinds of "fourth baby" jokes and sayings came about. At one point I thought I should write a book about the fourth baby, I so wish I'd written down my thoughts as I know they were funny.
One night Melly was there visiting and needed the baby bath for Ellis (who was 18 months at the time). She came back into the kitchen with her clean baby in her arms to see me with my clean baby in my arms too. She looked at me in wonder and asked how I'd bathed him as she knew she had the baby bath. I picked up the Ajax dish washing soap and announced he was the fourth baby.
Well, today my sweet little fourth baby was so excited! As he was running around the Honolulu zoo with delight and wonder I was horrified to realize that he hadn't been to the zoo since the fall we'd moved to Alabama. He was 18 months old the last time he'd been to the zoo and had no memory of it what so ever. I actually stood there for a moment feeling like a loser Mother....my poor baby is going to start the 1st grade on Monday and this is the first memory he has of going to the zoo.
Then my horror turned into laughter....since the last time Jefferson has been to the zoo he has been to the Civil Rights Museum, two IMAX showings, the Rosa Parks Museum, Civil War battle grounds, Monticello, Breckenridge for summertime fun, and the battlegrounds of Little Big Horn.
Jefferson has floated down the Missouri river, played in streams that Lewis and Clark crossed, camped in Yellowstone Park, hiked in Glacier National Park, seen Mt. Rushmore, driven across the Northern States of America, enjoyed a jousting match, drawn pictures at Mt. Vernon, loved the Smithsonian's, had his picture taken in the Cherry Blossoms, walked the monuments on the Mall countless times, and delighted in the fire works on the 4th of July while sitting on the lawn of the Untied States Capital.
Jefferson has been to the White House, Library of Congress, Supreme Court, Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross's house, and seen more locks of George Washington's hair than one could imagine (the children have a wonderful time talking about how Mr. Washington must have been buried bald as Mrs. Washington cut all of his hair off after he died and mailed it out to everyone). Jefferson has danced with his mother where Mr. Washington danced in Philadelphia, seen how bills are made at the National Treasury, ridden the Staten Island Ferry, and loved the evening where he was able to see The Phantom of the Opera in New York City.
My list isn't all inclusive but I'm assuming at this point you're getting the picture I'm trying to paint. We won't even mention the whole Hawaii thing...our fourth baby hasn't had time for the zoo. Now why would a mother feel bad about that? God has given this little one more experiences in the past four and a half years than some have in a lifetime. His parents are extremely grateful to God for all of His provsion, the children just think it's normal. At this point it is their normal...
Love in Christ,
Dinah for The Troops
