Twelve!

Ah, Jonah, how did we get to your twelfth birthday already?!    How clearly I remember holding my newborn Jonah - you were light enough to lift with one arm and your head fit into my palm.  Now we are nearly head-to-head, and this will likely be the last year that I am taller than you!

Yesterday, you started middle school - a big transition! All of your emotions over the past week: excitement, nervousness, fear, uncertainty . . . these all coalesced yesterday afternoon when you got off the bus grinning, "It was a breeze, Mom!" 

You've become increasingly independent over this past year and you are so ready for middle school! 



You are still happiest when you're in motion. 

Whether it is running with the dog, flipping on the trampoline, biking, swimming, or tree-climbing: this motion completes you!  You fell in love with soccer this year: you've always enjoyed soccer but this year something clicked and you LOVED it!  You've found your niche on defense and while you're not a super-star, you are a solid and dependable player and you work hard on the field. 

I am so proud of the compassion you show others.  You happily work with other kids who might not be the easiest, or most sought-after.  I love this about you.  You are a steady and loyal friend and I've had glimpses this year into the importance of those solid relationships you've built with your close friends.  You've become confident in yourself: Ms. A. from Loring shared with me one of the qualities she admires in you: "Jonah is true to himself and he does not try to change or adapt to others' perceptions of him."  You will need this strength in the next few years. 

Much of this year was spent learning and re-learning responsibility and taking your work seriously.  You love to do things well; the flip side of this is that you don't want to try something if you're not sure you can do it well. Or spend time working on something that is hard or something which doesn't feel comfortable.  This is the down-side of perfectionism.  I know it well.  You and I are so alike in some ways.  My wish for you is that you will internalize solid work and study-habits now rather than learning this lesson the hard way.  I know that most lessons must be learned through experience, so this is an outside hope. . . 

Your sharp tongue is both a joy and frustration.  You are funny, sarcastic and love word play.  Unfortunately, this also means back-talk, word games, and getting the last word in during an argument!  But . . . You're not supposed to get the last word- I am!!!  (and therein lies the crux of most of the clashes between the two of us.)

You continue to enjoy music and your trombone and piano play a big role in your identity.  I'm glad you will continue band in middle school and I hope you continue to love it as you have.  The compliments you receive when you play publicly sustain you and I look forward to your concerts and solos.  Here is the video of one of your piano solos from this past Sunday when you played during the church service:

I love you, Jonah, and wish you a year filled with joy and harmony!

xoxo
Mom

Church Family Retreat

August 17 - 19, 2012


Sheri took a few pictures during our church's "Rest, Relax and Renew Retreat" at Pilgrim Point Camp (near Alexandria, MN).  Hope you enjoy the photos she took and the music!

Dog Days

We've had Pepper, our 6-month-old lab and hound mix, for nearly a month already!

She has learned "sit," "lie down," and the boys have taught her "shake":

"Shake, Pepper, shake!" 

Pepper loves to play! 

A dog and her boy

Puppy Love!

The cats have adjusted, although "tolerate" is the best word to describe their attitude toward Pepper.  Pepper cannot understand why she can't entice the cats to play with her!

Jazzy's stance just prior to "Hiss! Growl! Swat!"

Bella

The cats in their favorite daytime activity, lounging in the windowsills:

Jazzy

Toby turns nine!

Happy Ninth Birthday, Toby!



This past year has been a year of such growth for you!

Just one year ago today, you decided to stop sucking your thumb and you've never looked back: a testament to your will. 

You went from not being secure in the deep end of a pool to excelling in the butterfly in swim team! 



Toby at 18 months

 On our vacation this summer, you charged ahead with Jonah, climbing rocks and exploring trails.  You are finding your independence and it is wonderful to see that quality develop.  I love to see you venturing out of your comfort zone: riding your bike alone or with your brother, etc.

You still hesitate and work through big anxieties.  On our recent day at the beach, it took me awhile to realize that fear (fear of not being able to see the lake bottom? fear of the fish biting you?) was keeping you on shore.  I love that you let me lead you out into the water and that you trusted me enough to venture out to the diving platform with me swimming next to you.  You had such a blast after you conquered your fear and could not get enough of the jumping/diving/swimming after you tried it! 



I am so proud of you, always, for working through your anxiety, talking it through, reasoning with yourself, and I love seeing the confidence spring forth when you've overcome your hesitation. 



Toby in 2007 - 4 years old



Your fears are not always so simple to overcome.  You've heard too much about recent gun violence, and I can see how much it worries you.  It makes me sad to hear you ask why people are able to buy guns when they might do violence.  It breaks my heart when you ask if we've remembered to lock our doors at night and if it is likely that someone might shoot a gun in our neighborhood.  There are no easy answers for this one, although I suppose it is one more indication of your maturing brain: moving beyond a dualistic way of perceiving the world to the realization that not everything breaks down into "good" or "bad."

Your thinking is logical and thoughtful.  It is lovely to reason with you - your stubbornness finds a beautiful complement in your logical reasoning.  Your memory is amazing and you often surprise us by the details you recall about an event.  You still love to read non-fiction and you learn very well by reading: I suspect you are a contextual learner.  You eagerly share all that is in your head, whether it is the newest video game tidbit or something you read or learned at camp.  Your dialog is the soundtrack to our days and although some of it (Pokemon, for example) does not stick in my brain, I love to listen to you.

You readily accept the value in work first/ play later and are very motivated to get your "jobs" done in order to have free time. Similarly, you are willing to work hard to reach a goal.  You're proud of your progress in school, and you connect your effort with your performance: I admire your maturity in this area.  This summer you diligently worked on front flips on the trampoline: this is hard, since you've watched your brother effortlessly flipping on the trampoline for years, and it was frustrating for you to have to work so hard in order to inch incrementally closer to a full flip.  However, you perservered and now can perform a beautiful flip.

You're almost always calm and serene: and you draw others to you with your sunny disposition.  You have a wonderful group of friends and it has been fun for me to watch you make friends with new classmates and swim team-mates this last year.  You and Jonah continue to be best buds - you will both miss each other greatly being in separate schools this year!

You are sweet and loving and you still love to cuddle.  You are very gentle with the cats and Jazzy allows you to carry her around like a baby, an honor she does not tolerate well from anyone else!  You love Pepper as well, and you've been great at remembering the details of her care and training! 

Toby in his favorite orange shirt,
skinny jeans, and nikes!

Perhaps most surprising to me over the past year has been your developing fashion sense.  You still LOVE to wear orange and other bright colors.  You developed a preference for skinny jeans and during the school year, you refuse to wear anything other than jeans.  Your love of shoes thrills (and scares) me: this spring you just had to upgrade to some cool black and neon-green Nikes.  You have distinct musical likes (along with a few dislikes) and one of your great joys is listening to your ipod.

Fourth grade will bring many new opportunities and I look forward to seeing what this next year holds in store for you.

But for today, enjoy your special summer day!  Whenever you need me to be there, I will always swim right beside you through the deep waters: I will be the one cheering you on!

Have a very Happy Birthday, Toby!

xoxo.
Mom