this card arrived in the mail the other day.
my birthday is in january.
baby mac’s name was on the return address, so i figured she must have something to do with this, not to mention the “call me for an explanation” note sister J wrote on the back of the envelope…
i called.
me: sooooo, i got an interesting letter today.
sister J: oh my gosh. that was all baby mac. we were cleaning up some of the last remaining boxes [from the move] and she found a stack of hallmark cards. she saw that one and said, ‘send to abby?'”
me: *wonders why fuzzy golf cards and belated birthdays make baby mac think of me*
sister J: and then she wanted to get out the dot markers to decorate it. i let her do her thing and tried to stay out of it. i was very surprised when she refused to use her favorite purple marker. i asked her why and she said “abby no like purple.”
me: i have nothing against purple.
sister J: well, she knows sister E likes purple and i suppose only one person at a time can like a color, so in her head, you hate purple.
me: fair enough.
(side note: a few days after i got this card, sister J and baby mac were talking about colors again. when asked what my favorite color was, baby mac thought and thought and then said, “swedish fish!” well played, baby mac, well played. or should i say, well trained, aunt abby, well trained.)
sister J: did i even write anything in the card?
me: yes, you wrote her name and i love you. it’s super sweet.
sister J: and the best part was that she was SO EXCITED to take the letter to the mailbox. checking the mailbox and carrying in the mail is one of her favorite parts of the day, so she couldn’t wait to put something in it for a change.
her love of the mailbox was certainly infused in that card, as it made my checking of my mailbox the most exciting part of that day. i only wish i could be there to see her face when she finds the bright blue card i mailed to her.
in the meantime, i’m going to cherish this tangible element of the randomness of a kid’s brain.
UPDATED TO ADD:
Abigail Mumford 
Awww. So sweet! You are a lucky aunt. :)
i am the luckiest!
What a cutie pie. I love the purple marker theory.
she is such a cutie patootie! and i love hearing how her brain works re: colors and who likes what and why checking the mailbox is such an adventure. what a fun age she’s at. and what fun you have to look forward to with your two peanut nephews!
It was so fun to sit back and watch baby Mac in this latest endeavor :) She thinks and speaks of you often! And I love hearing the things she thinks about you such as Swedish fish being your favorite color!
Unfortunately her first three days back at daycare netted her a cold so off to take care of her. Talk to you on Sunday!!
Oh and she LOVED getting the card in the mail!! First one that arrived for her since she has been old enough to know what it is. She felt very important carrying that letter home and opening it!
that was my intention! i’m glad it worked. :)
i’m sure it takes a masterful amount of patience to sit back and let a kid do something on their own, but in this case, the outcome was completely worth it because we got to see her brain wheels in action.
poor baby. i hope she feels better soon!
Me too! She is not her normal charming self when sick. Hoping my sweet girl is feeling better and back to normal soon!
FYI. i printed out the pic of the two of you post rain dance and it’s hanging in my office. those smiles are so contagious! it brightens up my work area.
I enjoyed this and it givesme the idea to send Kaelyn and the other adult greats more mail Thanks, Love, Grandpa
there certainly is something to be said for receiving “snail mail” because of the thought and effort that goes into writing a letter / picking a card / addressing the envelope / putting the letter in the mailbox.
I too should be better about sending “snail mail”. I love getting it and so should remember that others do too :) Hope you are feeling well Grandpa!
i know. this was a good lesson/reminder how much fun mail is/can be. i’ll need to be better about sending the cards i’ve stocked away (can you tell we both got that from mom?)
How cute!
Sister J’s handwriting looks like yours.
Now that’s something I’ve never heard before. Hers is a bit loopier than mine, but I guess I can see the resemblance. If I squint.
Anyways, thanks for reading amidst your travels! Hope #RVtango continues to be full of fun.