I'm sorry I haven't been writing my letters. I was busy with school ending and then it was Summer Vacation and I wanted to play outside as much as I could, but today it's really hot outside and I want to stay inside where the air conditioning is on. So I'll tell you what I've been doing since last time!
I had more meetings with Doctor Cadenhead, and she had me draw a picture of the house, a tree, and a person. I don't really know why, but she looked at my drawings for a long time and then said I did a very good job on them. Mom and Dad came in to talk with her a while, and they stayed when I went back to class after my session. After school, Dad talked to me and said he'd pay more attention to me and wouldn't go back for his laptop if there was another fire, he'd just make sure that Mom and Robin and me got out safely. I hugged him and told him I loved him 'cause it's good to know he won't get burnt up if something happens and it was really scary last time. He said he loved me, too, and then he took me and Mom and Robin out for ice cream.
For Mother's Day, Daddy said Robin and me were going to make some presents for Mom and help show other kids how to make them, so he drove us to Toronto to have our pictures taken while we did them. It was fun at first, but the guy taking the pictures was kinda creepy and I was glad when Dad took us home. We still made some nice presents for Mom, and she really liked them.
Then Dad took us shopping so we could go to Uncle Jo's place to get some nice pictures taken for Mom and Grandma Mira and Grandma Elly. I got lots of great dress-up clothes plus a pretty dress that went with Robin's outfit. I liked having Uncle Jo take my picture better than the other guy; he's nice and funny and isn't scary, and Robin and I had lots of fun even though we had to be sure to stay really still while he took the pictures.
As a thank-you present for being so good, Dad got us the Enchanted DVD. I really like the movie – It's funny and scary and romantic and Giselle is so pretty and fought the dragon herself! Dad's been paying more attention to us, except when he's on the computer. He says he's writing then, but I'm tall enough to see the screen and can tell when he's not.
Robin is doing good with his speech lessons. I try to help him with the microphone and some games his therapist gave us, but mostly we've just been playing in the backyard. Robin likes playing in the sand with his trucks, but I like doing cartwheels or reading or drawing in the shade with Roary more. Sometimes when I stay really still when I'm reading, a ladybug will land on me! Mom took us to a used bookstore, and I got a bunch of books I like – Baa, The Wolves in the Walls, Munschworks Grand Treasury, Matilda, and Coraline. Matilda and Coraline don't have many pictures, but they're really good.
I wish I could go exploring like Coraline, but I know it's dangerous to cross the street on my own and can only really do it when someone takes me to the park, and then I have to make sure not to go too far and get lost.
For Father's Day, Mom told us to let Dad sleep in, and Robin and I helped make him pancakes for breakfast. They weren't as good as Mom's, but he told us they were yummy. Then we went to see a play in Toronto that he really liked! It was called Rent and the songs were good but it was late and I fell asleep and didn't get to see how it ended.
Dad took us to a Farmer's Market and we got to see a bunch of different vegetables. It was better than the stuff we usually have for school lunches, and I liked the crunchy raw carrots better than the cooked ones Mom used to make all the time. We got lots of stuff for Grampa Jim and Iris, who don't get to go out as much because Grampa Jim is sick. When school got out, we went to the park with them for a picnic so they could have a nice meal in the sunshine. I like Grandpa Jim, even if he can't talk much. His wheelchair is fun like Robin's microphone and headset – I know not to play with it if he really needs it, but when he doesn't it's better than Miss Corbeilson's rolling chair that she'd let us play on when it was too rainy to go outside at lunch.
Because we liked the Farmer's Market, Dad and Robin and I started a garden in the backyard. We planted tea for Mom and mint and corn and tomatoes and peppers and sunflowers and beans in some old boxes. I like to garden, and Dad spends a lot of time with us out there. I'm good at telling weeds from plants and make sure to help Robin learn the difference. Dad talks with us when we're gardening, and it's good to have him paying more attention to us. I don't have nightmares about the fire anymore, and he hugged me when I told him this.
Dad says we'll be able to eat the food from the garden soon, when it's grown enough. I hope it'll taste like the corn and tomatoes that we got at the Farmer's Market instead of the stuff from a can that Grandma Elly makes.
Aunt April doesn't eat meat anymore, so she'll get some of the food from the garden, too. She eats dinner with us a lot, even when she's not babysitting. Mom's been making lots of meals with good vegetables and sauces and stuff, which she likes. It sometimes looks weird, but Mom said I just need to try a bite of everything and make sure if I like it or not. I still don't like peas, but mostly everything else is good. I really like the little carrots and the rice with brown bits in it.
I like staying out at night to watch the fireflies, and Mom and Dad let me sometimes, but usually I have to go to bed before they come out. Those nights I turn off all the lights right away and watch them through my window.
There's a show online that Dad showed me called Doctor Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog and it's amazing. I had to watch it on the computer, but Dad says we'll get the DVD when it comes out. It's about a guy named Billy Horrible who's a mad scientist and evil but secretly nice and he sings about the girl he likes and how he'll stop the hero who's a jerk and beats him up. I had to ask Dad what some of the stuff in the show meant and he explained most of it but I still don't know what the hammer was really. The girl that Billy likes is named Penny and she's really pretty and likes to help people and I drew a picture of them together stopping Captain Hammer. Dad put it up on the fridge!
Aunt Elizabeth is getting married to Anthony, and Francie and I are going to be flower girls. It sounded like fun when she told us, but the dresses aren't very pretty. I asked Mom if I could wear my good dress instead, but she said no because I had to match the colours that Aunt Elizabeth picked out. Francie really doesn't like the dress that Grandma Mira made her – I think she said it was teal -- and started to cry. Mine was the same, and I didn't like it any more than her so I told her that at least she wouldn't be the only one who had to wear it. Grandma Mira gave us cookies and apologized and said she'd try to make better dresses. I gave her a hug because I don't think she liked the dresses, either, and it wasn't her fault.
I don't like being over at Grandma Elly's much – everyone just talks about Aunt Elizabeth's wedding and talks about how much work there is to do and I don't do much there except hide with Edgar and Aunt April when she can get away because they don't like it either.
That's all for now – I'll let you know how the wedding went next time!