Haven’t you missed me. That wasn’t a question.

My Peeps, I have been busy. I apologize for not writing lately. Been busy--hit up a bunch of the eastern sea board, played some mad tackle football with my Dad and learned to drive – my mom crazy.

First New York-Crazy times in the old town tonight. My terribly tall and dashingly handsome dad had a TDY to the area so before hand he took leave for week and we all went as a family to visit our cousins in Queens. Mom flew out first, then Dad and I fought the hoards of beasts packed into that Continental Airlines flying machine. We sat next to quite possibly the meanest and grumpiest old woman in the world. When we were walking onto the plane she groaned and stated, “Oh my gosh I can’t believe people are so inconsiderate to bring kids on airplanes.” But you know what, that’s cool because dad let me poop in my pants and blow it with that air vent across the aisle. And whenever I cried he made sure I was sitting on her side of his lap. Dad called her an old bag, I am pretty sure he was referring to Glad, not Dooney & Bourke.

Then we got to the big apple. As we came in on radar vectors to final I got the greatest view of the whole city. I leaned over two people so that I could check out the Statue, Manhattan, Brooklyn Bridge and the whole island. Dad was having a great time watching me, so was the rest of the plane.

I had so much fun in Forest Hills with Tom, Tyler, Tessa, Eden and Marliese. We ran around their place like it was nobodies business. I can’t believe we played so hard and still had enough left over to go into town. We rode the subway, saw Ground Zero, ate lunch in a park, rode a ferry and ran around on the lawn under the Statue of Liberty. It was nuts.

The ferry ride was my least favorite. After a long day of walking...and walking...and walking...and walking we stopped in some stand that sold “official Pioneer Children” badges. I earned it. Oh yeah, and the big tall green lady was pretty cool, too. Finally, we got on the ferry to go back home. Dad said, “He is done.” Mom said, “I am done.” And then I threw a tantrum and kicked my shoe off--and it was done. We happened to be sitting on the poop deck, stop giggling aunt Kellie, it wasn’t named after me despite all my efforts. Anyway, but like I said I was on the poop deck and all you old salty sailors out there, Susan and Connie, may recall that that is the rear section of the ship just hanging out into the water. Well, like I said, in the fury of my tantrum I kicked off my shoe. It rolled under the railing and out into the dirty blue water of the East River. As my super fast Orange and Blue Reebok floated away my mother learned an important lesson in life. You just gotta let some things go; hence she let my other shoe go too, since I didn’t have a set any more--just chucked it right into the river. We both grew a little that day - and I got a sweet set of new blue skater Airwalks out of the deal.

Dad and Mom also got to visit the Met, the Phantom, the Apple store, the Museum of Modern Art, the Rockefeller Center, the Temple, Carnegie Hall, Juliard, a great little Italian restaurant and a thousand other things.

So I flew back to Texas alone with my mom, bless her supermom heart. We didn’t meet that old mean woman again but there was a big grumpy smelly man who I almost had to poop on too. Blasted diapers have decreased the range of my main artillery piece exponentially.

So now we are back.

And mom is taking it easy. Last week she went in for a doctors appointment. It was cool but the doc told me that I might be a little big brother a shade before I was ready. It appears that mom is showing signs of labor at 35 ½ weeks. That is about two weeks before aunt KK thinks our baby should come stay with us. So under her orders, I can’t crawl all over mom and she can’t pick me up for a couple more weeks. Mom just kind of hangs out in the house being a UICU (unborn intensive care unit) for my baby brother or sister. On the ultra plus side, Grandpa Gene drove all the way from Denver to be with us. That is cool. We play and joke and love hanging out together. I totally dig the facial hair and have been growing mine out ever since Mustache March began; I’m going to have to have a phenomenal second half of the month to beat him.

Wish me luck.