Dear Henry,
Oh my sweet boy, I cannot believe you are eleven years
old. When you were first born people were
constantly telling us to take it all in and enjoy every moment because it would
fly by. At the time, it felt like unnecessary
advice. “Yes, babies don’t keep”, I thought. Time moves, as it always does, but thanks for
the heads up. Except… I needed the heads
up. Or maybe, even though I was told, I have still found myself shocked with
how quickly time has slipped by. How are
you eleven? How is this your very last year
of elementary school? How have the hours and days added up to this, a pre-teen
living in my house who is simultaneously my baby and his entire own person? How
can time possibly move this fast, and how is a Mama’s heart supposed to adjust
this quickly?
This year, if I am being completely honest, has not gone
according to plan. Let’s get the big thing out of the way first; we are currently
living through a worldwide pandemic. On March 13 your school closed for a few
weeks to help slow the spread of Covid-19. We didn’t know it at the time, but
that was your last day of traditional elementary school. You had so looked forward to finishing out
the year. Your Robotics Team had worked since September to defend their state
title in March, but that was canceled too. You haven’t been with your friends
or family beyond me and Papa for the last two months, and while we hope to see them
soon, we will not be fully back to normal for quite some time. You have always been so blessed to be
surrounded by so many family members and friends that love you, it has been extremely
hard to transition to not being with them in person.
It’s been hard, and yet you have rolled with this as you
seem to do most things. You have done well with classes online and are enjoying
your time playing online with your friends. You, Luke, Zeke, Darcy, and other
school friends have spent a ton of time hanging out on Roblox and Discord. I am
so thankful you have that connection with them. Who would have thought your
favorite pastime would have come in so handy during a pandemic?! We have also watched a lot of movies as a
family, which we have all enjoyed. You and I have been taking long bike rides every
day the weather is nice and you and your Papa have enjoy baking together and
playing video games. You have also started taking online piano lessons, which has
been fun to listen to, and I hope you choose to stick with it once we get back
to regular life.
Of course, this year is more than the pandemic. You had ten
entire months of normal life leading up to that moment. So, what has happened
since your turned 10? Well, as always,
we did some traveling. We went back to Florida to visit Nana and Grandpa and
spend a week on Anna Maria Island. You love the trip as always and had a
wonderful time with your family. We then
took Nanny to Disney World, which was amazing!
Darcy and her family were there too and we had a wonderful time. Beyond
Florida, you took a few new trips this year. We went to Alabama, where you
haven’t been since you were very young. We also took a trip to Washington DC
for my birthday and you loved exploring one of my favorite cities. We also discovered
a new love of renting cabins at state parks here in Kentucky! We went for a
weekend with Grandaddy and GrandVal last fall and you had a wonderful time out
on Grandaddy’s boat. You even managed to talk me into going tubing with you!
You also went to Kings Island three times last summer, so it is safe to say
that is one of your new favorite places.
This year you have gotten more into movies and music, and
have found a new favorite video game. You and Papaw have started watching all
of the Marvel movies together in order, which has been really fun. You hate
that you have had to pause the movie series, but don’t want to watch any of
them without Papaw. You also watched
Lord of the Rings for the first time this year, and with that you discovered
your favorite movie! You also have started listening to the Beetles, who you
really love. You commonly put them on loop to listen to while you sleep. You
continue to love bluegrass, with Mandolin Orange being one of your favorite
groups. You also fell in love with the game Undertale, and you plan to have
that be the theme of your birthday party when we are able to have it later in
the summer. You and your Papa have very similar taste in music, movies, and
games, so that has been fun to share together.
You continue to love making video games and moved up in your
Coding Club with Awesome Inc. You and Luke
love being part of that group, and you are more sure than ever that you want to
design games when you grow up. You also still love to write stories, and your
skill is truly amazing. You are currently working on a book, Swords of War, and
so far, it is incredible. Watching your
growth in this area blows my mind, as I can watch your creativity and
imagination pour out onto the digital page.
As we begin your eleventh year, you are wrapping up your
time in elementary school. And while it isn’t ending as we ever would have
wanted, I do want to take just an extra minute to say what your school as meant
to you. I remember on your first day of
kindergarten being full of worry for you. How would you know where to go? Were you
really ready for this big place? On that day, you sat next to a boy named Luke,
and the rest is history. From that moment on, you have been at home at Clays
Mill. You have excelled in ways we never could have imagined. You have had
incredible teachers and amazing experiences each and every year. They have all have had such a huge influence
on who you are today, it is hard for me to imagine your life without CME. And
as you move into this next stage, I know your new school will be the same. I
worry about you heading off on this new middle school adventure, but deep down
I know you are ready. You are always ready for whatever comes your way. This year you have had some illness issues
that have made the year uniquely challenging. As that slowly started to
improve, you found ourselves dealing with the pandemic. And yet here you are, constantly
teaching me how to roll with the punches.
You are ready, sweet Henry, for whatever middle school brings. But for today, I am just a little sad your elementary
years has come to an end.
As always, we love you sweet boy. While these eleven years have flown by, it is at the same time
hard to remember life before you. What did we do when you weren’t here to make
us smile? How were our hearts full without you in them? You are always our joy,
and through good times and bad, we are always better because of you.
Happy birthday, sweet Henry.
Mama
No comments:
Post a Comment