...because home doesn't happen overnight.
12.14.10 / Letters From Layne

Layne is learning to read and write.  He’s my little bookworm.  Lately, he’s been writing little notes to Handy Hubby and me.  He tapes them to walls, doors and furniture and leaves them for us to find. He’s a sneaky guy.  I can’t bear to part with these letters, so I’ve got them hanging on an empty wall in our kitchen.  I put them at kid height.  That way Layne can see them too.

Let me translate for you.  {I already mentioned my handmade birthday card here.}

Mom and Dad, I want to go to Kings Island.” Layne said this was a summer letter.  Kings Island is a nearby amusement park that we didn’t make it to this past summer.

“Mom, I want you to go to bed and give me a goodnight kiss.” I found this one on the door leading from our garage to the kitchen.  I had just come home from a 10-hour day at work, and it was late.  I went upstairs, snuck into the boys’ bedroom and gave my boys goodnight kisses.  How could I resist?

“Dada, can we go on an adventure?” Layne hung this note on the refrigerator.  We had hosted Thanksgiving the day before.  Handy Hubby and I had spent most of the day in the kitchen preparing the meal while Layne and Everett played with their grandparents.  As much as Layne enjoyed it, I think he missed his Dada.  We did end up going on an adventure the day he wrote this note.  It included walking in a nearby cornfield, traipsing through the woods, peeing on corncobs {the boys not me} and searching for clues.

“Mario, can you give me a DS?” Mario is the name of our Elf on the Shelf.  Layne really wants a Nintendo DS for Christmas.  Really.

“Dad, I want to watch Scooby Doo.” This note got taped to the bathroom door while Handy Hubby was taking a shower one Saturday.  {I was at work.}  Scooby Doo is Layne’s favorite cartoon.

“Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad.  Love, Layne.” I found this sweet note in Layne’s backpack after school one day.  Awww.  He thinks of us when he’s at school!  Who knew?

“Grinch.” ‘Nuf said.

I think we have a writer on our hands.  Okay by me.  Even though Layne looks like the mini-version of Handy Hubby, he has my tendencies.  When I was little, I was so bummed at the end of the school day wanting it to last longer.  I’d come home and write poems, songs or stories.  I even wrote and illustrated a few books.  I still have these books, and Layne has quite an interest in them. We’ve read them probably 100 times each.  I’m not sure why…they aren’t that great.  I think he’s just fascinated by the thought of his Mama writing books as a kid.  He can’t wait to write his own. Someday…  Until then, I’m hoping to fill this wall with his adorable notes.

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

15 Comments

15.December.2010

This is so very sweet! I am sure you are super proud of your very thoughtful little guy. Thanks for sharing this :)

15.December.2010

I LOVE THIS POST! My son is beginning to read and write and it reminded me of him and I can’t wait until I start getting little notes around the house. Also, I might have to steal your “Elf on the Shelf” idea for next Christmas. Currently I “email Santa” on whether my eldest is being naughty or nice and Santa drops off little gifts before we come home from school and work.

This is my fist time commenting, but I love your blog and read it in my Google Reader daily!

15.December.2010

awww, so sweet!

As an experienced kid-writing-decipherer, I did pretty well reading the notes, except for the one to Mario. I thought it might have something to do with mariachi bands or maybe R2D2?

15.December.2010

Carole – I know, that one was a little rough. Sometimes his ‘s’ gets reversed. Too funny!

15.December.2010

Kenesha – We love our Elf on the Shelf. I plan to do a little write up on him next week. He’s made the last few weeks interesting! Glad to have you as a reader.

15.December.2010

Awwww! I love this post. Your little guy is so sweet.

15.December.2010

This is adorable! I was smiling the entire time I was reading this post!

15.December.2010

So cute. My son is 6 and does the same thing. They teach him at school to not worry about how to spell it correctly because they want him to start writing fluently and what they are thinking at the time. If they start to spell each word how it should be spelled, they lose the fluent writing (it’s a montessori theory).

15.December.2010

Love this post!! Precious!!!

16.December.2010

Layne is fantastic at writing. I was able read most of them.. my daughter is 5. Amazing how children learn quicker and at an earlier age, than I remember. I adore my daughter Isabella’s notes especially when she decides she’ll write my shopping list when I tell her what we need. I plan to turn those into an artwork. I totally agree with you that it is hard to part with them. An idea could be date them at the back and store them in a box once you have finished displaying them for when Layne is older.

Love reading your blog. Bianca

16.December.2010

This is priceless! I especially love the “Dada, can we go on an adventure?”

My 3-year-old daughter asks my hubs this and it is the most precious sound.

Thanks for sharing these!
Gina
http://www.thedailyb.net

17.December.2010

Gina – I just checked out your blog. I’m hooked! What an open and honest way to document the life of a parent. Thanks for commenting and linking to your blog.

17.December.2010

I just wanted to say your little guy is doing great! I can read all of the words in the letters. I guess it helps that I am an elementary school teacher and am used to reading little ones works! Also wanted to add that Scooby Doo is my sons favorite too!!

20.December.2010

Sweet, sweet, sweeeeeeeeeeeet! :)

03.January.2011

Ever so fun! I’d keep it forever.