Dear Grandma and Poppop,

I just wanted to let you know that I'm working very hard getting ready for your visit next weekend. Mommy says that you are going to be so impressed with all my new tricks!

For instance, we've been working on my letters. I know you might think that's kind of harsh, since I'm only 16 and a half months, BUT it's really not so bad. We do it to music. The only letter I've really gotten is Y. But I'm really good at it! One day recently we were listening to music, and the letter song finally came on. Mommy and Daddy were talking and didn't notice, but I did. I started dancing without them, and telling them the letter Y. I really like to dance. When they finally did hear the song, they helped me do the rest of the letters : Y - M-C -A. Mommy says I'm going to be a big hit at weddings and that Grandma will love singing this song with me!

I also made Mommy laugh today because I was practicing my animals. I have a cool little water bottle that has all these animals on it - and since I'd finished scarfing up my clementine for snack, I decided to see if I could name them all. Lion and elephant are easy - I've been doing those signs/sounds for months! Then I pointed to one animal that's big and round, colored purple on my bottle though Mommy says that isn't the real color. I tried to do the sign like Mommy and Poppop taught me. And I sort of said the first syllable, sort of. "Hih" Can you guess what animal it was? That's right, a hippo! When Mommy realized how smart I was, she made the same "naw, naw, naw" silly sound that Poppop made at me when I visited him in September. I did it back to her and kept doing it really loud. She almost fell out of her chair laughing at me. She told me I should tell Poppop to be sure to bring his hippo shirt to visit because then I can tell him about hippos all day long!

The other thing I've been working on is a Vosburgh family tradition. Mommy says she's not doing it quite right, because we've been using a book and the book is about a bear, not a lion. But we do lots of "exploring" in the book, going through rivers and mud and forests. And my favorite part is at the end when Mommy pretends we're running really fast away from the bear. She's SO silly. But she tells me that Grandma is the BEST at going on a lion/bear hunt, so we have to do one while you're here. I bet Jay would like going on a lion hunt too!

So that's what I've been working on. I can't wait for you to come visit and to bring Dooley with you so I can get lots of licks. I'll probably remember how to say Dooley too. Right now, I just sort of say Dee when we look at pictures. But I say "doggie" for Blizzard and other dogs now, and I like to howl when I hear Blizzard howling. I love making sounds like her!

Have a happy Thanksgiving and I'll see you in a week!

Love,

Hayden

PS. Mommy says to ask, did you really think she could do a post with out a picture in it? Not a chance, she says! Here I am smiling and showing off my dimples!