Dear Jack at 14

Dear Jack,

Today you are 14 years old!  Normally I would say, “I can’t believe you are 14,” but I actually feel like you have been 14 for a long time. You have always been mature for your age. You aren’t the typical middle school boy, even though you like to do typical middle school boy stuff. 

You love to talk to your friends and play video games for hours. 

You are addicted to your cell phone (although so am I).

  You have gotten into working out and have some serious muscles. 

 But I think middle school has also been a little rough for you (I know it has been for me) and I am glad this is your last year of it.  Even though I desperately miss the little boy who would come to me with his cuddles and tears, I love watching the young man you are becoming.  You can be so thoughtful and insightful.  You are still the kid who has an uncanny ability to read people and understand them.  You do have your dad’s dark sense of humor, though, which I also appreciate.

Jack, sometimes I worry that you take the guidance and corrections I give as a parent and internalize it as criticisms of you as a person.  I wish you could read my mind or feel the tremendous love I have for you.  When I became a parent, I realized for the first time what it is to love someone unconditionally.  It is immeasurable and almost impossible to explain.  Just know that I see you, I love you, and I will ALWAYS be here for you.  No matter what.

Happy birthday, my Jack. 

Love,

Mom

Dear Ellie on Your 17th Birthday

 

Dear Ellie,

Today is your 17th birthday!  Or, as you informed me, your Dancing Queen birthday (and considering how much you loved Mama Mia when you were little, I loved the ABBA reference).

This last year has been one of tremendous growth and maturation for you.  You have always been determined and goal-oriented, but I have watched with awe as you have tackled the many challenges the past year has presented.  You are taking 5 AP classes, on the swim and water polo team, involved in numerous clubs (one of which, NEHS, you founded), and volunteering at every opportunity. I honestly don't know how you manage your busy schedule, but you do it all with very little input from your parents.

I have always admired your fiery spirt and stubborn determination (while simultaneously feeling frustrated by those same qualities).  I love that you are a leader and not swayed by the actions of others.  I know you struggle with anxiety, like so many of us do, but you confront your fears and put yourself out there.  

Ellie, as much as I want to stop time, or at least slow it down a little, I am also excited to see what the future holds for you. This next year, you will have to make many important decisions.  No matter what you path you choose, I have complete confidence in your abilities.  

My birthday wish for you is that you will be a little less hard on yourself.  You don't have to be perfect. You are enough. You have always been enough.  You always will be enough.  

Happy birthday, Choo-choo.

Mom

Dear Sam on your 10th Birthday

 

Dear Sam,

Happy birthday, Sam the man! You are now double digits, but you will always be my baby. Luckily for me, you haven't yet decided that you are too old for snuggles.  You still need me and I make a point to not rush your childhood. I know what comes next.

This past year your interest in baseball, particularly the Astros, has really grown. You have developed a pretty impressive baseball card collection.  You also know all the teams and who their best players are. I love your enthusiasm for the sport, which you are currently playing.

You are so social. You want to talk to everyone. It can sometimes get you in trouble at school, but also gives you a lot of friends. I love your sense of humor and inquisitive nature.  You definitely keep us on our toes.

Sam, you are such a unique soul.  Just thinking about you makes my heart swell.  My birthday wish for you is that you realize how truly loved you are.  

Happy birthday, Sam. I love you forever. I like you for always.

Mom

Dear Jack on Your 13th Birthday

 Dear Jack,

Happy birthday to my teenager!  Even after I made you promise over and over that you wouldn't turn into a teenager, you went and did it anyway.  Thanks a lot.  Just kidding, you are actually a pretty impressive teenager.  You are kind, observant, wickedly funny, so incredibly smart, and just such a cool kid.  

This last year has been a big adjustment for us as your parents.  You want your independence so badly, and I still desperately want to protect you and take care of you.  I want you to know that when we correct you or give you restrictions, we are only doing so with your best interest in mind.  I love you more than you can possibly imagine.  I take my job as your mom very seriously.  I know I mess up a lot, but I am trying every day to be a better mom...because it is my favorite role in life.

This year has been all about friends and gaming for you.  You spend a lot of time in your room "on a call"...meaning talking and gaming with friends.  We have reached the stage where you would rather hang with friends than family. I know that is a normal rite of passage, but it doesn't mean I don't miss you!  However, I am impressed with you as a friend.  You are someone who is accepting of all, and I see how people like you and are drawn to your overall goodness (and your sense of humor, of course).

This year you also reluctantly joined cross country.  I think some of your resistance was because you come from a running family.  Your first cross country meet, you were an alternate.  Some of the kids were teasing you about being an alternate and then you beat those kids in the meet.  Each week, you improved your place and time by leaps and bounds. At the last meet, you were 6th place out of almost 100 kids!  That is amazing!  How fast you are or where you place isn't what is the most important to me, though.  It is that you are improving and putting in the effort.  Your coach told your dad that you work hard at practice even when others are playing around.  That right there matters more than times or places in meets.  

You are still playing guitar and you still love music.  You recently had oral surgery and, as you were coming out of anesthesia, all you wanted to talk about was what music they played in the operating room (Pearl Jam and Nirvana).  I like how music is one of the many things you and your dad bond over.

Oh, my Jack, I could go on and on writing about you at this stage of your life.  I hope you know how very loved and valued you are.  I am so proud of you, kiddo.  Happy birthday.

Love you forever,

Mom

School Pictures 2022-2023

Ellie - Grade 11

Jack - Grade 7

Sam - Grade 4