To Timmy, at 10 years old

I cannot believe that you are TEN!  That number is so big!  That makes me so old!  As I posted on Facebook on your birthday, "No one has affected my life and heart as much as this one. Turning me into a mom and growing into a person I am so proud of I could burst."  You totally turned Daddy and I into the people we are today, into parents, into a family.  You entered our lives easily and nothing has been the same since.  I have not been bored since the day you were born.  I have not felt alone or lonely or without purpose or motivation.  My life is split into before Timmy was born and after!

You are a sweet, sweet kid.  You still love to climb into our bed and cuddle with us, you regularly slip your hand into mine while out in public, and you greeted me with a (awkward) hug in the middle of the cafeteria the last week of school, knowing that you wanted to hug me but that you would be teased, which you were.  You are a great friend and a fantastic big brother.  You are open with your feelings, telling people when you miss them and when you feel hurt.  I hope you never stop. You acknowledge the every day things, you will see me carrying the laundry basket and thank me for doing the laundry.  You wrote a 'story' about me in computer lab, it said, "She's nice and fun she always cares for me. She always comes to see me play sports. She works hard on everything she does."  You are impressed when Dad tackles a new project around the house, surprised he knows how to do whatever it is.  You notice how many hours Dad puts into Little League and miss him when he's at meetings at bed time.  This doesn't mean that you always show appreciation or make things easier on us though!  You might put baseball pants inside out on the floor, instead of right side out in the hamper, the same day you thank me for doing the laundry!  But I'm working on you on that, and it's validating just for you to notice, most of the time.

You have gotten so big!  You are officially taller than M&M and approaching Baba's height.  Your new tennis shoes are too big for me.  You are now 4'-9 3/4" and you've also filled out, you are solid and strong.  You are big enough for some new chores now too!

We got you your own phone, for various reasons but you can largely thank Movie Pass.  But you have started running home from school, walking Sonic, going to friend's houses from school, and being left home alone for short stints, so it was time.  It's worth mentioning just to share this video.

You continue to be a friend to everyone in your classes, but you definitely have your best friends.  The Three Doritos voted to add a 4th this year when Carson joined your school, but the three original members are definitely still BFF's.  

You and Caleb get super excited to see each other every chance you get, though visits are further between then any of us would like!

Your birthday party was an epic pool party again this year, there were at least 40 kids, mostly 4th graders with some younger siblings.  You had a blast and I loved seeing you smile all afternoon.

You are undoubtedly a baseball player.  Over the past year you have really taken pride in your playing.  Not to say that you don't have other interests, or that you never complain about going to practice.  But when you're on the field you own it.  We are wrapping up All Star season right now and there are few things I love more then watching you play third, hitting, and running the bases.  I recently overheard you telling Tyler that his upcoming season, moving up to AA, is when baseball will really click.  You have big plans to play lots of catch with Tyler this summer.  The second half of this season, and into All Star season I have seen a big change in your attention on the field.  I have regularly heard you being the first and loudest to respond, "Yes, Coach!" and you are the first to call out and charge at bunts.  Your running is smart and you have made some great tagging outs.  I have not heard a coach tell you to get into position or pay attention in months, you already are.

During your House season this Spring, there was a game that Dad had to leave early to attend a League meeting.  You had a fantastic game, great fielding, great hitting, great pitching.  On our drive home I was telling you what a great game you had, and you kept asking what time Dad would be home.  I asked you, "Why are you so worried about what time Dad is getting home?" and you answered, "Because I want him to congratulate me."  I let out a little laugh and you said, "What? I'm always working hard so he will be proud of me."  I told you that was a very honest response!

Pitching during said game

You had a big Spring activity wise.  The Warriors did a tournament in Dewey on Saint Patrick's Day  Weekend and in Manassas on Memorial Day Weekend, giving you guys a chance to have fun on and off the field!

You participated in Running with the Stars after school and ran a 5K with the club and Aunt Becky at the end of the season.  

Your House team won the regular season with an 8-2-1 record and you were a leader and star on the team.  

You also played flag football and that team won the Championship game as well, with plenty of plays by you helping to get them there, racking up interceptions and breaking up passes throughout the season.  (You missed the actual Championship game though, due to an All-Star game at the same time).   

Interception!

You have also continued with Piano Lessons, and you take pride in your friend's surprise when they find out you play the piano, you like that, "You wouldn't think from looking at me that I play the piano."  You did wonderfully at your recital a few weeks ago.

You had an absolutely fantastic school year!  It was the first grade that the classes had two teachers, moving between their classrooms during the day.  They were an amazing team and they loved your classes as much as you all loved them!  You actually cried when showing me selfies you took with your teachers on the last day, an emotion you haven't shown at the end of a school year since preschool!  Your grades were great, and you really started to shine in history especially.  We still need to get you on track with your multiplication facts, but you tested well enough in math that you were selected for AP math next year.  There was very little homework this year, which was great for our schedule, but I'm worried about getting you back into the swing of homework next year!

One of many field day victories sealed in this clip! (You're not competitive at all...)

If I didn't talk more about how you are with Tyler, I would be leaving out a huge part of your life.  You are still a great big brother 99% of the time.  You show frustration when you're asked to do more then him, or to run upstairs to get something for him, or to set a good example for him.  One night even ended in you sobbing that you didn't want to be the oldest and that we 'love Tyler more because he's little and cute.'  But the more typical Timmy loves waking Tyler up for school with cuddles and sneaking him into your bed when I've told him to sleep in his own.  When Tyler recently went for a sleepover at Grandad and Susan's you begged to go too, and went to bed early, bored, when I suggested Tyler get some time there to himself.  Just this week Tyler was overtired and missing me while I was at work, so you called me for him and let him talk to me, and when I asked you to give Tyler a big hug for me, you said you were already snuggling him.  You are both quick to defend the other when one of you does get into trouble with us.  And you are more then worthy of all of his admiration of you!  You guys turned your whole room into a fort the first day of summer and won't let me take it down, you've been playing in it and sleeping in it every night.

One more example of the great kid you are turning out to be: I was watching the 4th grade kick ball game on the second to last day of school, talking with your teachers.  You and Nate were on one team, Logan and Josh on the other, and it was very competitive.  You were pitching and Catherine came up to kick (she has multiple developmental issues, and has been in your classes since Kindergarten) and she kicked the ball right back to you.  Several of your teammates yelled for you to get her out, you shrugged and threw the ball... 10 feet behind her.  I almost cried, and both of your teacher's said, "Awww," and then made comments to me that knowing you, it didn't really surprise them that you had done that.  (And this was all you, not a mandated class rule, a few plays later one of your teammates got Catherine out as she was running to third.)

Just keep doing what you're doing buddy, you are on the right track!  We love you so much!

To Tyler, at 7 years old

Tyler,

Tyler, Tyler Tyler.  You are still something else and I hope that never changes!  In some ways, you haven't changed at all.  You are still imaginative, stubborn, silly, and loving.  You still suck your thumb as you're falling asleep and in your sleep, but as of the last two days you actually want to stop and you're asking me to "put the yucky stuff on" at bedtime.  You are still afraid to be in any room alone (except the family room) and you worry over bedtime arriving before Timmy gets home from practice two days a week.  You need your sleep, and it's evident the minute you wake up if you needed more!  You are still as sweet as can be too, and will curl up with me to cuddle, end up half way on my chair while eating dinner, and climb on top of me to sit on me while watching TV, all seemingly absent mindedly, and I love it.

If Mom is for loving on, Dad is for playing with.  You spend lots of time together for baseball, but you also have quality time practicing "burns" on each other and you've been doing lots of reading with him.  You love family movie night as much as Dad too, whether it's on our couch or at the theater!

You still make up "facts" and stand by them no matter what!  Sometimes you tell me things about your day and I can't decide if they're real or not, or maybe real but exaggerated.  You rode with a friend to football the other day and told me that you saw a car, that had hit a tree, that was lying on a power line, and the car was on fire, and the person was still in it but escaped all by themselves.  Due to a power outage 5 hours earlier that morning, I believed the first three parts of that story.  You swore over and over that the whole thing was true though.  I recently asked you what you remember of your Rainbow Monsters and if you could draw me one.  You eagerly agreed, but then said you really didn't remember.  I'm so glad I have the videos of you telling me about them!

Tyler's Monsters

Rainbow Monster Update

I struggle with how to manage your silliness when I am in a hurry or worn out, mostly trying to leave the house or get you to go to bed!  These activities try my patience and activate your silliness, which don't go well together!  After a recent challenging time getting out of the house I made myself a promise to let you be silly whenever I possibly can and not to hurry you unless it was really necessary, realizing you will probably grow out of this trait eventually.  I'm so glad you haven't yet!  Most of the time your silliness is easy to appreciate!

You work so hard in school!  If asked, you say you don't like school but you do.  You never complain about going or complain about anything when you get home, and your teacher says you're always participating and involved.  You've made great progress in reading, but it still hasn't completely clicked for you.  We gave you an incentive for extra reading at home, with a reward of going to Chuck E. Cheese when you earned all your stamps.  You earned the last one the week of your birthday party, at Chuck E Cheese anyways, so we still owe you a reward!  You love science experiments and you seem to understand math very naturally.  I hope that continues for you!  Your favorite subject by far is recess.  You will go into extreme detail relaying the events on the playground when asked.  You are the self proclaimed Leader of the Boys Team and the Girls Team is your nemesis.  You talk about plans, attacks, tricks, and spies.  It sounds like it's mostly the girls chasing the boys around trying to catch them.  You get very excited and silly when you tell us about your fun.

Showing off your PBL Project, an interactive book on snake facts that you researched and wrote.

Field Day was your favorite day this school year, you were totally in your element!

Being silly, per usual! After you pulled this pose for your turn, everyone else on your team started doing silly things during their turns!

Boys Team

Somewhere along the line in the last year you started talking about how you are never going to get married.  At first you would say that you only want to be an Uncle, but then you decided you are going to adopt.  Recently Daddy was telling you how good looking you are, and that no wonder the girls are always chasing you.  You replied, "I can't wait to see their face when I tell them I'm never getting married, only adopting!" 

You tried two new activities this year, Adrenaline Dance Club after school, and Flag Football.   I suggested Adrenaline to you, knowing several of your friends were doing it.  The first few weeks were funny, because the activity wasn't really explained to you in advance so when I asked you how it was you would say, "I thought we were just going to get to dance battle, we have to do what they tell us to though."  You enjoyed it and have already said several times that you want to do it again next year.  At the end of the season performance you knew most of the routine, but I don't think you smiled a single time until it was over!

Flag football you asked to play when I was talking to Timmy about him playing.  I believe it was the first time you asked to do an activity without prompting.  Because of scheduling, I ended up taking you to "try outs" with Timmy's age group, you took one look and burst into tears, saying you didn't want to do it and didn't want to do football at all.  I don't know if you would have been as nervous if it was your own age group or not.  I reminded you that you asked to play, that you knew a ton of the kids there at try outs and would have friends in your games as well.  You still weren't interested.  I reasoned, begged, demanded, and finally threatened you with the loss of electronics.  You still weren't moving.  I then told you that I would take Timmy's electronics away too.  You glared at me and stomped off to join the other kids.  You weren't going to let me do that to Timmy (which is what I was counting on!)  Once you were out there, you participated fully and happily the whole time.  I was so proud of you!  When you were done you ran off the field with the biggest smile on your face!  You admitted you were glad that I had forced you to do it, but I was still mean.  The season itself you've really enjoyed practices but you didn't love the games as much as first, you would complain to us about how much you were sitting out and that you weren't getting to touch the ball.  (You were a lineman).  You started asking your coach for fun jobs like Center and to be the Rusher on defense.  You haven't pulled a flag yet, but you've been close, you just hesitate at the last second!  You have gotten to run the ball a few times too.  I'm curious to see if you have any new interest in watching football this fall, since you have a little understanding of the game now!

Tyler at Center

Timmy is your favorite human.  I had thought it was me, but it was clearly evident back in January that I was wrong.  We all went to Florida for a short trip for the Pro Bowl, and you and I headed home before Timmy and Dad, because I had to work, and you didn't care about football so there was no reason for you to miss school.  You cried the whole way to the airport that you just wanted to stay with Timmy, and it was fine if I went but that you would come home when Timmy did.  Even with promises of sleeping in my room every night, doing something fun after school, and being with me, you wanted Timmy.  Timmy has more responsibilities then you do, and you usually revel in that, but if you can see that he really doesn't want to do something, or is really anxious to get to do something else, you will jump up and offer to do what's being asked of him.  You were in trouble recently and I overheard you muttering to yourself from the bathroom, "Timmy is the only person who even cares about me."  He can do no wrong in your eyes, and 90% of the time he is deserving of your high regards of him!

All on his own, Timmy made you a birthday card and had every single one of his classmates write you a birthday greeting.  The minute you came downstairs on your birthday, he called you to the couch and read it all to you!

Your birthday party was super fun, you and 11 of your friends had unlimited play at Chuck E Cheese!  You finally got to do the ticket wind tunnel and you looked like it was the best thing ever!  Every kid earned enough tickets that it took several minutes a piece to get them counted up by the machine, and everyone went home with lots of prizes!

You have grown a ton this year!  You are now at 49.5" and just over 50 pounds.  You are 2" shorter then Timmy was at 7 though, so you are probably due for a growth spurt soon!  You are super skinny, still needing size small shorts so they don't fall off, even though you are in size medium shirts.  You are probably so skinny because I can't get you to eat anything!  You rarely eat breakfast, no matter what I offer you, and you've told me to stop packing anything in your lunch besides the chips and oreos... bringing home anything else I send!  You want a fancier haircut, asking for one like Timmy's or a mohawk.  I talked you into this one for now, but you are currently determined to have a mohawk during the summer.

Tyler on his 7th birthday, holding a picture from just before his 1st birthday

You love watching YouTube, playing on your IPad, playing basketball or on the trampoline with April, and playing video games with Timmy, mostly Minecraft, Overwatch, and Fortnight.  You ask to sleep in Timmy's bed every night, but you're only allowed to on the weekends.  You still sneak into my bed in the middle of the night sometimes, but less and less often.  You finally love to snuggle for reading time and you beg for "one more chapter" every time I say we're done for the night.  You are just the best!!!