Eleven

Dear Toby,

I have so many thoughts in my head as I reflect upon your eleven-year-old self and remember that summer morning 11 years ago when I first held you and looked into your sunny face! 

You have matured so much in this past year.  I remember those first days of school last August, and how anxious you were about getting yourself to school and home: packing your backpack, getting your bike out and shutting the garage door, crossing a busy road, locking up your bike, and letting yourself back into the house.  Your commitment to the school safety patrol gave you the courage to take on this independence.   Now your independence is something we take for granted.

I see your maturity in your social interactions. You have a keen sense of justice and fairness and you are a deep thinker.  You're coming out of your shell more and more and I love hearing how you speak up and contribute to group discussions.  You're a quiet leader and your ability to "read" people and your gentle measured approach to problem-solving enables you to work with others to complete a task or activity.   This is what your classmates said about you and it really speaks to your character:

You are steady and calm and driven by logic.  You have taught me to better articulate my position by using logic.  But oh, boy, if you feel that a decision is not "fair" or that you're not being listened to, your temper kicks in! 

You are still an early riser although on occasion you can sleep until 8 or so.  You love to tease and you have a great sense of humor.  Your willingness to share details of your day gives me a window into your world: I love to listen to your observations.  Sometimes, though, I KNOW you are testing to see if I'm still listening, when you quietly drop a verbal bomb like "the Vomit Comet..." into the conversation.

You are determined and stubborn.  This quality enables you to set and reach goals and try new approaches to solve problems; however, it can also be your worst enemy as it is difficult to overcome your belief that you "can't" do something.  I'm grateful that you had the gentle nudges this spring to overcome your self-imposed limits by acting in plays at church and at school this spring.

Toby with Coaches PJ and Michelle at Regionals

You have so enjoyed swim team and I love to see your dedication, hard work and drive.  It is so much fun to watch you swim.


You love your movies, and it makes it really easy to plan a birthday party for you! This year we went to "How to Train Your Dragon 2" and came back home for cupcakes and nerf gun war.

Birthday party fun!

Brothers 2008

The Beck boys

You and Jonah are best buds and it has been apparent to me this summer how much you miss each other when one of you is gone (camps, etc.).  I hope you will always be there for one another.








As you turn eleven, so many exciting things are on your horizon.  In 2 weeks you'll begin middle school (!) and you're excited about joining the church youth group.  You are very much looking forward to jumping into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) afterschool activities and having more independence and responsibility. 

Happy Happy Birthday, my Toby!  I love you and am so proud of you, each and every day!

Love and hugs,
Mom