Dear Kaylee,

Well, you are four months old today. Happy four months! You must be eating quite a bit because you now weigh twice what you weighed at birth. You are just about 15 pounds, which is about the weight of my bowling ball. So, you know what’s coming…

Kaylee, my little bowling ball!

Grandma gave me a picture frame for two pictures and one of them is you doing your best imitation of Katy Perry singing, “Roar!”

Katy Perry is one of the most popular singers in the world right now. She started out as a Christian gospel singer. Her dad is a pastor just like Grandpa. I have her first album with songs about faith and Jesus. She wrote every song on that album herself. Even as a teenager, she had an amazing voice.

Here is how you can compare yourself to Grandpa. When I was your age, the most popular singer was also a Christian who sang faith songs, but he too is much more famous for his other work. His name is Elvis Presley. “Heartbreak Hotel” was the #1 song when I was born.

You are already a wonderful singer. I love to listen to the songs you come up with your primordial singing. I know you will grow up to be a beautiful singer because your mommy is one, and the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. Or I should say…

The bowling ball!

Love,
Grandpa

Dear Kaylee,

Here’s more Halloween memories from Grandpa.

The first thing my brothers and I had to do was carve pumpkins. I don’t remember where our pumpkins came from, but because we lived in a city that was close to farms in Wisconsin, I suppose the local farms supplied them. My daddy, your great-grandpa would carve a pumpkin, too, and it was always silly, rather than scary.

I would also go trick or treating with your uncles. We knew everyone in our neighborhood and so we would go out by ourselves, while your great grandma and grandpa would stay home and hand out candy. My dad would always hand out full size candy bars because he wanted the kids to get something real good! After a few years trick or treating, you learn who has the best stuff.

We would get some things you probably won’t get when you go trick or treating. Apples, popcorn balls, and maybe even five pennies taped together with Scotch tape. I guess those people didn’t like candy, but I think it is more likely they ran out and so they improvised!

We would use pillow cases for the candy and they would hold a lot. Because your uncles are brothers, we would fight sometimes. This was especially fun when you would hit each other with pillow cases full of candy. Your Uncle David is the strongest, and so when I was swinging at him I wish I had all apples in my pillow case!

Your mommy didn’t fight with your uncles, though. She was always tougher than they were until they got older, and then they liked her too much by then to fight, though she could still punch them good if she needed to!

Another thing that happened on Halloween is that older kids would try to scare you. They would hide and jump out from behind a bush or a tree. They would be ghosts or monsters or something else scary. This didn’t work for us Hanson boys, however.

You see, Kaylee, our daddy and grandpa were funeral directors. We grew up seeing dead people at our grandpa’s house because he lived over the funeral home.

So, when you’re used to seeing dead people at your grandpa’s house, some kid with a wolfman mask who jumps at you from behind a bush might surprise you, but he sure isn’t going to scare you!

No one will scare you when you go trick or treating because your daddy will be with you and he is a strong man who doesn’t even need a pillow case full or apples!

Love,
Grandpa

Dear Kaylee,

Halloween is coming up! This is an American holiday where children get to dress up in make-believe and go to their neighbor’s houses or apartments and do something called, “Trick or treat.” This is when your knock or ring the bell of your neighbor’s house and say, “Trick or treat!” Then they open the door and put candy in a bag that you are carrying. When you are finally done, you go back home and your mommy and daddy help you sort out your candy and tell you how much of it you can eat.

Well, minus the candy that mommy and daddy sneak out of the pile and eat themselves, that is!

If this sounds like fun, that’s because it is fun! You already picked out your pumpkin, too, at the pumpkin patch. When you are a little older, you will get to carve your pumpkin and give it a scary or a silly face and there will be a candle inside that makes the light shine inside and it looks amazing at night. You will really love that.

So, what was Halloween like for Grandpa?

Well, we would dress up in costumes just like you do. Grandpa’s favorite costumes were a Superman costume and being a cowboy. Grandpa liked Superman so much that he insisted on using his name for a long time. In school he even signed his homework,

“Dana Edward Superman Hanson!”

Grandpa’s teacher didn’t think that was a good idea…

Kaylee, your mommy had really cute costumes! Nana would make them. My favorites were Princess Jasmine and a cow. We still have the Jasmine costume so…guess who is going to be Princess Jasmine for Halloween in a couple years? My guess is-

You!

Love,
Grandpa

Dear Kaylee,

What is going on behind those eyes of yours? I think at your age you can see clearly about 15 inches or so. I notice you like bright colors and patterns. So, close up, I’m holding colorful objects, shaking a small rattle back and forth, laying you on a colorful mat with stuff hanging above you and watching you look around- those kind of things.

When we are involved in these activities, I wonder if you are thinking,

“Why doesn’t that guy just relax and let me be?”

No, my hunch is you like to have things happening around you so you can get to know your world. Yet, it is at a very quiet, very focused time that I see you the most attentive. It is the time your eyes are most still and most focused, staring right into my eyes. It is when I am cradling you in my arm and feeding you a bottle.

I love that time of the day. You are safe, hugging close to your grandpa’s side, and the look in your eyes says,

“Everything is going to be alright…”

As it should be.

Love,

Grandpa