Bruh, You're a Teenager!

Dear Luke,

You have officially entered your teenage years! We celebrated your birthday on the 27th with fun, family and friends. You went to school that morning to learn that you'd been selected as Student of the Month on your team, which you'd been hoping to earn sometime! Daddy and I picked you and Nora up early from school to head to Jim & Nick's for lunch, then home for presents... including your first phone. You facetimed with grandparents and showed them your new presents, including legos, bat grip, and a puzzle from Nora. A bit later we headed to your birthday party at Adventure Air Trampoline Park after picking up your gluten free pizza from Brixx. You rated the day a 13 out of 10, so I'm glad you felt well celebrated!

This past weekend, it was my turn to take you on your 13th birthday trip, since Daddy took you on your 10th birthday trip. You planned out exactly what you wanted to do for an overnight in Greenville - Top Golf, Nose Dive, Jeni's Ice Cream, Hyatt Place, Swamp Rabbit Trail, Grill Marks, and shopping on Main St. We had a great time, in spite of you getting sick Friday night. You must have just overdone it, so that was very sad. We both hated that it happened, but you said you were so thankful I was there and that I cared for you. 

The bike trail on Saturday had some pretty major construction, so we had to search around and figure out a detour with the help of a construction worker. It was a bit complicated to find where we needed to be, but you led us the right way! We probably rode 10 miles or a bit more over close to 2 hours. You told me it was more fun with the detour, because it was like a puzzle we had to figure out and we didn't make any wrong moves!

So, how would I describe you at 13?

You are very responsible and organized. You manage all your schoolwork completely on your own and are quite proud of your high A average! I never have to tell you to straighten up your room because you keep it clean on your own (minus dusting!) You recently typed up your own checklist to help you stick to your daily routine and think through details related to playing percussion, practicing baseball and keeping up with track meets.

You care a lot about going to church. You have hardly ever missed a Youth Tribe (or youth event for that matter) and serve in the kids ministry every other week. We have you attend the adult service once a week and you seem content with that more so than when you were in 6th grade. We will have 4 Easter services in a few weeks and currently, you say you want to attend all 4, including the sunrise service! 

It's clear you are growing in your relationship with the Lord. You are also very disciplined about reading your daily devotional and underlining important verses in your Bible from your devotional, youth tribe, or kids ministry. You wear your cross necklace most days, have Bible verses as your ipad wallpaper, attend Fellowship of Christian Athlete meetings and have a Bible verse in your school e-mail signature. I pray with you before school that you will be a bright light for Jesus. 

You love to watch Young Sheldon with Daddy and me, but also still watch Lego Ninjago with Nora. You like to stay up late and are not a fan of being told it's time for bed. Some nights we go to bed at the same time or you aren't even in bed when I go to bed, so that's been a big adjustment! You will also sleep in pretty late. Monday school was cancelled due to weather and I woke you up at 11...

You love waffles, peanut butter bananas, bacon cheeseburgers, and usually seem to like my cooking. :)

You're running track this spring, which is your first school sport. You sadly didn't make the school baseball team, which was a big disappointment. But I feel like you have processed it well and you are working every day at practicing to improve for the next round. And you seem to have really enjoyed track. You've run the 800 and will run the 400 next week. It's a great social event for you with all the hang out time during the meets, too!

You still like having me sub for your classes, although you don't interact with me when you see me at school. But you'll tell me if one of your teachers is going to be out and ask me if I can sub.

If it's up to you, you prefer to wear a baseball hat backwards, hoodie, shorts, Nike crew socks and crocs.

You have almost reached my height. It seems every week at church people are commenting on how tall you're getting. It won't be long and I'll be looking up to you!

You give great hugs and tell me you love me when we end a phone call or when we say goodbye. And I sure love you!

Love,

Mommy

Twelve!

Dear Luke,

We officially have a preteen in the house! We celebrated your birthday early when Honey and Grandpa were here. You wanted to eat at home instead of going out, since we'd eaten out so much in Boone on our recent winter intercession vacation. You requested frozen pizza and wanted to bake a chocolate cake with me. I also got you some Orange Crush as a surprise. On your actual birthday, you wanted spaghetti and broccoli, to be followed by Blue Bell strawberry ice cream. Your new baseball team had their first practice that night and you brought homeade rice krispy treats for your teammates. We closed out the celebrations with a party at Air Adventure on Friday night. Whew, what fun!

At twelve years old,

You really love church. We missed it last weekend for a rugby tournament and you told me how you were really bummed to not be there. Sunday mornings find you either in a Cornerstone class, where you are learning basic tenets of the Christian faith, or helping out in the kids ministry. You go to Youth Tribe every Sunday night.

You've been on your first weekend retreat experience with Young Life last month and we have plans to send you to student camp in Charleston this summer. It was so sweet you called us from your Young Life retreat during free time to tell us how you were doing, and you sold a pack of sour patch kids someone had given you for $10 to buy each of us gifts in the gift shop!

You pick your clothes just about every day and are almost always wearing a hoodie. We'll see if you keep that up in the summer. You also wear Nike Dunks and got some new Crocs for Christmas, so you are a stylin 6th grader.

You are excelling at percussion and are also now playing drums for Youth Tribe after starting out with a Youth Sunday in the main service. It's so fun to listen to your beat!

You have adapted to middle school so very well. At times, you become overwhelmingly stressed out when a lot of assignments pile up, but overall I pay very little attention to what schoolwork you have. You just seem to take care of it and get it done, receiving lots of great feedback from your teachers.

You have a lot of freedom to play in the neighborhood. You love to play soccer with Landon, jump on the trampoline with Ethan, ride scooters with Luke, and I'm so incredibly thankful you have made such good friends so close by.

You love keeping up with current events through your new magazine subscription, The Week Jr., and frequently ask to check the mail to see if you have a new one.

You are a very sweet big brother. On our recent trip to Boone, Nora wasn't feeling very happy one afternoon and went back to the hotel with Daddy to take a nap. You and I walked around some shops and you decided you wanted to buy Nora some new earrings to help cheer her up. You walked straight to the jewelry section in each shop we visited and picked out a pair of cross earrings she had noticed the day before, without asking to buy a thing for yourself.

You've started wearing glasses and have gotten your braces off. You just keep growing and getting taller! I notice it every time we hug and you no longer fit under my chin.

You largely get yourself ready in the mornings. I leave to take Nora to school while you do what you need to do, then I get home just in time to give you your ipad and send you out to the bus stop. I hardly see you before school!

We love you so much and are so thankful you belong in our family.

Love,

Mommy

5th Grade Graduation

Dear Luke, 

Congratulations on your graduation from elementary school! Each of us has only one opportunity to be an elementary schooler, and I am so proud of how you handled yourself. 

Your teachers loved you, you made friends easily, you earned excellent grades, and you won various awards for behavior and achievement. You seemed to enjoy yourself, too, which was fun to see. 

You also experienced some significant challenges and interruptions: Hurricane Harvey, remote learning during the Covid pandemic, a Celiac diagnosis, and moving from Texas to South Carolina before your fifth grade year. You handled these challenges, and others, with bravery and resilience. I know you'll continue to flourish in middle school.

I couldn't be more proud of you, Luke. It's a gift to be your Dad!

love,

Daddy

Eleven.

Dear Luke,

Somehow, you are now eleven years old! You had a very happy birthday, which was such a gift. You had been saying for a long time that you wanted to go to Houston or have a sleepover for your birthday, so there was some sadness when we explained that neither was going to work out. I felt sad that you weren't able to invite the friends that have attended your parties for years, some going back to your first or second birthdays! But we came up with a plan to have your party at Altitude and you had no trouble thinking of 7 friends to invite. They were all able to come and some brought siblings, so it all felt very festive! You and the other kids had a blast jumping and running around the park before eating pizza and the m&m frosting sandwich cookies you helped me make. Nora enjoyed her time with a couple of the sibling friends and Daddy and I also had fun talking with the parents. It was neat to realize the connections and friendships that have formed for our family over these past 7 months since you started school.

You asked Grandpa over Thanksgiving if he and Honey could come visit for your birthday and they did! It was fun to have them here. You woke up to Minecraft themed decorations at the table and had a couple candles in your gluten free waffles before school. You used 2 "eat with a friend" passes for lunch, so sat in the classroom with Ethan and Eli. After school, we drove over to see your Astros themed birthday spirit rock, then you opened your presents (baseball and Astros stuff, speed cubes, and a gabb watch to name a few). You had requested bacon cheeseburgers for dinner and picked out Blue Bell cherry vanilla ice cream for dessert. To finish the day, you got to go to baseball practice and share peanut butter chocolate chip cookies with your teammates to close it out as they all sang happy birthday!

A few things to note about you at eleven years old:

You have started to call us Mom and Dad. We noticed especially in Boone on our snow tubing trip, you might call out "Mommy", then immediately after, say "Mom." We are happy for you to call us either one.

You LOVE to play outside. You've made friends with some kids over the hill in our backyard and eagerly ask to go outside most days after school. You'll even put down your Switch for an opportunity to play out back. You love to jump on the trampoline, trade Pokemon cards, and recently have started walking with a friend's dog.

You are crazy about U2 and like to practice drumming on the carpet upstairs. Daddy recently brought in several old CDs from the garage and gave you the ones he thought might be good for you to listen to, so you've spent lots of time up there listening to songs from our youth. You have good rhythm!

You are back into the world of Pokemon cards. One of your favorite birthday gifts was a binder from a friend, Eli, so you've spent lots of time trading, organizing, and playing the game with Nora.

You have started serving at church. You recently told me you were getting bored with church and I figured you may feel like you're outgrowing the kids ministry with just a few more months of 5th grade. You've started serving in the preschool class and are going to try helping out with tech in the older kids class next weekend.

You love to tell people that you have the whole upstairs of the house to yourself and mostly try to claim the game room as yours. It's usually not a problem, since Nora likes to be in her room or color at her desk so much. You're also learning some responsibility in cleaning your bathroom counter up there and dusting the stairs every weekend!

You just finished an excellent season of rugby! I remember you crying on the way to your first practice and asking why on earth I signed you up for it. After your team won the championship last weekend I heard you tell someone you will definitely be playing again next winter. I'm so proud of you for sticking with it, making friends, and giving it your all. Your coach said you had a great attitude and he loved your enthusiasm!

You wear a sweatshirt just about daily, and rotate between the 4 or so that you have. You are particular about the clothes you wear. Mostly athletic, short sleeve shirt with a sweatshirt, and pants in the winter.

You will still come cuddle with me, occasionally. One day after school you laid down on the couch next to me for about 5 minutes and recently you also grabbed my hand while we were watching a movie. I'll take it. :)

You are growing in trustworthiness and doing a better job of calming yourself when you get upset. We are proud of you and grateful for the changes.

We love you!

Love,

Mommy (I can still say that, right? ;)

A Different Kind of Summer

Dear Luke & Nora,

Today marks exactly 3 months since we moved to South Carolina! We've been in our house now for 5 weeks and you've completed 4 weeks at Crowders Creek Elementary School. The past summer was so full and unique. I had underestimated the monumental tasks we would face when we arrived related to finding doctors, registering for school, getting our drivers licenses, etc. Thankfully, we found our house only 3 days after arriving and on day 2 of house hunting. That enabled us to get the ball rolling on many other dominoes to follow and try to enjoy the lake house as much as possible. 

The lake house started out almost magical for you two... playing baseball in the yard, running around for hide and seek tag, playing fetch with Millie (Ms. Ellen's dog), catching fireflies, and jumping off the dock into the lake. We never hooked up our TV, and while you weren't thrilled with this original plan, you adjusted just fine. We watched a couple movies on the ipad and you enjoyed your switch, Luke, but you also got to play outside and read a lot of books and spend time in the sunroom. We ate almost all our meals out on the deck and loved having Daddy grill burgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, pineapple, frozen pizza... We sat out there our last night in the lake house and shared so many things we were thankful to God for as we reminisced on our summer experience there.

We didn't get out and explore Charlotte as much as I expected, due to all the moving related work and the fact that the lake house was such a nice place to be. You did get to participate in some camps though: Camp Thunderbird and baseball camps for Luke, art and softball camps for Nora. We got library cards and made a habit of checking out lots of books. We went out to eat as a family and found several delicious gluten free restaurants. We enjoyed our membership at the Discovery Place Science Center, thanks to the Jones family! Going out to tube on the Meyer-Cunos' boat was definitely a highlight, along with fun visits from the Pellerins and Justices, followed by Ms Katy, Michael and Anna. 

We got to travel quite a bit, even after all the travel that brought us here. Gramps went to be with Jesus the week after we arrived, so we traveled to California in June. Aside from the incredibly complicated time we had getting there, including an unexpected night sleeping in the airport, it was so special to celebrate his life and get to introduce you to so many family members and second cousins. I'm also very thankful we got to travel to Dallas for the 4th of July birthdays, since that has been a meaningful tradition over recent years. This year Wesley turned 10 and Grandpa turned 70!

As wonderful as the lake house was in many respects, it also grew old on us and we were very ready to move into our own permanent space by the time our house was ready. You two enjoyed sharing a room initially, but it was time to spread out and start connecting with other kids in the community. You both seem to have adapted incredibly well to school, sports, and church, and I could not be more grateful. We are certainly still finding our way at home with our routines, establishing friendships, and trying to get enough sleep. But I'm so thankful to God that you seem to be feeling at home here and making connections so quickly with other kids. Thank you, Lord, for guiding all our steps and help us to keep following!

Love,

Mommy

Double Digits

Dear Luke,

You are now a 10 year old! You had been talking for months about how you couldn't wait to be 10, but then a few days before your birthday you started saying you were sad to not be a kid anymore. I assured you that you would still be a kid at age 10, but I suppose the tween days are not far away! I'm glad you still want to be a kid, because I'm happy with that plan, too. :)

We celebrated your birthday big this year! The day before your birthday started off with a birthday breakfast while Honey and Grandpa were here. Then on your birthday, Daddy and I both walked with you and Nora to school, you brought gluten free rice krispy treats with Pokemon napkins for your class to have at lunch, and I picked you up an hour early. Once we got home, you opened some more gifts, we looked at pictures of you as a baby, we had your requested frozen Caulipower pizza for dinner, then off you went to baseball practice with your gluten free peanut butter chocolate chip cookies for your team. Daddy said they all stood in a circle and sang happy birthday to you while you danced in the middle. You also told me after school you didn't realize you were so popular anymore, but everybody was telling you happy birthday. I think it was a happy day!

Last weekend, you and Daddy took a special guys overnight trip to Austin. You got to watch Lord of the Rings, visit the Texas Capitol, go on a hike, and eat some delicious gf food. He said you talked the whole way there about everything under the sun. You've really been bonding with Daddy these last few months as you approach some developmental transitions, and I'm so thankful for your relationship. When you got home Saturday, we celebrated with Nana and Papa at Torchy's Tacos. On Sunday, we had your birthday at Main Event with bowling, pizza, ice cream cookie sandwiches, and arcades. It was so fun to see you playing with your friends and I know you had a ball!

So, what would I say about you at 10 years old?

You care a lot about Nora. You two fight plenty and sometimes you say she's annoying, but you care a lot about what she thinks and how she treats you. When I wanted to take a group picture at your birthday party and Nora was sitting on the other side of the table, you called her over and specifically invited her to stand right in front of you. She was beaming. Daddy and I were so proud of you for how you included her, even in front of your friends.

You still like to build with Legos. Uncle Sean got you a big Saturn V Lego set for your birthday, and you wasted no time putting it together. You generally spend less time playing with toys and more time asking for screens, but it was nice to see you so interested in building.

You are a very good baseball player. Something clicked last summer and you are now a confident baseball player who knows how to make crazy catches and clobber the ball when up to bat. Gone is the kid who is afraid of being hit with the ball!

You love to talk. You've been meeting with a therapist virtually over the last several weeks and have really enjoyed the time with her. When I asked what you like about her, you said, "she asks me lots of questions." It's fun to overhear bits and pieces of you talking enthusiastically about your life. :)

You are very social and make friends easily, with kids and adults. You were telling me the other day how much you love our church and love that everyone there knows you. The kids ministry leaders have commented on how you reach out and are kind when new kids visit as well.

You tell me you're doing 6th grade math on your math computer programs for school, and I believe it. Reading is increasingly less interesting to you and you've told me you like books with pictures, ie. graphic novels. I keep trying to get you hooked on the right genres at the library!

You love wearing athletic clothes, to the point that I buy very few polos or long sleeve button downs anymore. Only enough to require for very nice occasions. I try to find athletic polos or nice athletic clothes we can both agree are good options.

Your favorite activity is your Nintendo Switch. Although you did tell Daddy last weekend that you would rather have me not work and stay home with you than have lots of time on your Switch if we were both working and had less time to spend with you. So that melted my heart!

You love it when I substitute at school. I have hardly done it this semester because life has been so full with our preparations to move, but I have missed it and expect to do it again after you start school in South Carolina.

You are sad that we're moving. When Daddy and I told you last week, you immediately put your face in your hands and started to cry. You listed all the reasons you didn't want to move and asked lots of questions we couldn't necessarily answer. Later that night, you told me you were actually kind of excited to move to a new state. So, I know there are mixed feelings, but you seem to be processing it well. Even though removing you from your life here feels so very sad, I am so incredibly thankful that your 10 years have been so incredibly happy. You have thrived and felt so very secure in the life God has blessed us with here. I know His plans for you moving forward are good, and we are clinging to Him as we make this transition.

I love you, Luke!

Love,

Mommy

From Summer to 4th Grade

Dear Luke,

This week wraps up the 3rd week of your 4th grade year and you've adjusted well to being back in school! I'm getting used to it being quiet at home again after all the time together this past summer. I'm so very thankful for all the memories we made, in spite of the limitations my tendonitis caused, especially during the first half. A big highlight for the first part of our summer included participating in swim team, with swim meets lasting until 11 or 11:30 at night! You had a ball staying up late, competing, playing with the other 9 year old boys in between heats, and spending your money at the concessions on pizza, Chick-fil-A sandwiches, chips, whatever I would agree to. ;) 

Some other firsts included visiting the Rosemeade Rainforest Pool in Carrollton where Daddy and I grew up swimming, learning to dive off a diving board, and taking a family day trip to Splashway Waterpark. Nana also joined you, Nora, and me one day at Typhoon Texas and for a Surfside Beach day, which we hadn't done in over a year. We saw a good handful of summer movies, in particular the Despicable Me series, enjoyed a couple of visits to the childrens museums, checked out the Rosenberg Railroad Museum, climbed the play structures at Sugar Creek Baptist Playscape, and you spent lots of hours jumping on the trampolines at Altitude. You also really loved the LCISD stem events throughout the summer.

A big first for you included staying at Honey and Grandpa's by yourself for a few nights after we all 4 were there for the 4th of July. This was a big deal for us and for you, but you had a great time and told me it was a highlight of your summer! I met you and Grandpa at the end of the trip for lunch at Texas Burger and you ran straight toward me with the biggest smile on your face when you saw me. It was so fun hearing you recount all the fun things you did. Then on the way home you said, "This is probably gonna be my favorite day of the whole trip." When I asked why, you said "Because I'm going home!" Of course this made my heart happy. :)

We also learned this summer that you have celiac disease, which was a shock and disappointment, of course. Daddy decided to get tested as part of his routine physical in June, and when his result came back positive, Dr. Batchelor felt we should check you as well. It hasn't been easy on you, but really you have adapted very well. At first it was hard to even remember that you have it. We are so used to the idea of a gluten allergy, but think of it for Nora. You are doing a good job now, one month in, with checking labels to verify what is safe for you to eat. Now I'm the odd one out without a gluten allergy! Removing gluten from one's diet can improve overall mood, and Daddy and I have seen that with you. You seem a lot more content and slower to get frustrated, which has been really nice to see. 

A few weeks ago, we decided we were ready for you to get a device and enter the world of video games, which you had been increasingly expressing a desire to do! So you spent your well saved birthday money on a Nintendo Switch lite, which you are feeling really proud of and excited about. And we are happy for you!

Awana and baseball will start soon, and you are auditioning for the Bentley Beatz ensemble next week. We love you and are proud of the sweet, fun boy you are at 9 1/2!

Love,

Mommy