Dearest 11-year-old,
In the past year you have:
-started your final year of elementary school
-played on a club baseball team
-swam with sharks
-given up your bedroom ONCE AGAIN for an exchange student
-held the office of Vice President at school
-traveled to NM to visit our family
-ran your first 5K on Fourth of July
-played Clarinet in 5th grade band
-watched the Ms at TMobile TWICE during the playoffs
This year has been such an amazing year of growth for you. You continue to be our silly, energetic, LOUD, chatty, kind, stubborn, busy boy. Lover of apples, Nutella, popsicles, CANDY, soda, SUGAR, chips, and eating as few vegetables as we'll let you get away with. You'll complain about EVERY MEAL we put in front of you at dinner time and then, very often, a few bites in will declare it SO GOOD.
School has been challenging, and it's been nice to see you rise to the occasion. You've been learning how to be responsible for incomplete and missing work AND also learned that your teacher knows you are capable of higher quality work than you submit sometimes. I love knowing you're being held accountable for your work now to prepare you for middle school. Shouldering the disappointment of not having the teacher you really, really, really wanted in 5th grade, you've been making it through, but it hasn't been your favorite year. :( I'm very very excited for you to be at Meeker with Zoë and me in the fall. You ran for ASB Vice President this year and it looks like (from an outside perspective) you've been doing a great job. I've gotten to see you run the assemblies in person a couple times and it brings me great joy to see you so comfortable up on the microphone! You've even led the CHE song by yourself. Your confidence is one of my favorite things about you (and can also be one of the most frustrating things...too). You've played in the 5th grade band by attending classes at Meeker two mornings a month and it's been fun to hear you play the clarinet. I know you're excited to pick up the saxophone when you finally get to 6th grade.
As always, it's been an incredible year of soccer and baseball for you. You played for Dad again in the fall on the SeaDawgs (you're so lucky to have him coach you, and I know you love it, too). Recently, you got invited to join a club baseball team (the Federal Way Knights) coached by Mark, who coached you several years ago and we all adore. You're the youngest on the team by a year, and your skills show it, but it's great for you to get such good coaching and experience with pretty talented players. You're playing for Soundview, too, on the Falcons which is also coached by Mark. It's so fun to see you do the things you love. We would have never said yes to a club ball team but we're getting nervous that without more baseball and time to practice your skills, the chances of making the high school team are slimmer. Not because you're not SUPER talented, but because ALL of the kids in our area do so much baseball outside of Little League. We want you to have a chance. ;)
You've enjoyed having Carlo here this year. He is so kind and plays so many things with you. I know it will be nice to have your room back in a couple of months but having a big brother for a chance has been fun. We just recently had a lovely visit from his whole family and you also got along well with his sister, Emma. It will be so fun to visit them in a year or two!
You, my child, are the most stubborn human being in our household. I say human being because Auggie and you might be tied for the most stubborn living being in our household. We continue to work on flexibility with you, because when plans change you are NOT happy. Stay tuned, because we think that growing older might help in this regard. ;)
My favorite memory of the year was getting to watch the Mariners TWICE during the playoffs together at TMobile Park. I accidentally bought tickets for game 5 in a panic when the tickets went on sale and THEN realized we might not even GET to game 5...so I panic bought tickets to game 3. Thousands of dollars later...we headed to game 3 excited because the Ms had beat the Blue Jays TWICE in Toronto to come home for game 3. When we got to the parking garage, I backed into a concrete overhang and completely shattered my back windshield. THEN, we lost the game 13-4, which was devastating. We were very glad we had tickets again (though I was less excited for another trip to Seattle so soon).
On Friday we headed up again (I didn't smash the windshield this time). We were not hopeful, as the series was now tied 2-2 and, well...the Ms are good at disappointing their fans. In the 8th inning the Blue Jays hit a deep fly ball to left field which was snatched out of homerun status by Randy Arozarena and the park went WILD. That kept the game 2-1, Blue Jays still in the lead. In the bottom of the 8th, Cal Raleigh (your favorite Ms catcher) hit a homerun to tie the game. Finally, Geno Suarez hit a GRAND SLAM to pull the Ms ahead for the eventual victory and I am SO GLAD we got to experience that moment in Seattle together. It was SO exciting and I'll NEVER forget the look on your face.
In many ways, it is so hard to put into words how proud we are of you. But it is also easy to point out that your charm, kindness, enthusiasm for trying new things, attention to family tradition, brains, and innate athletic ability paint you to be a pretty incredible 11-year-old. And this year, on your GOLDEN birthday, we can't wait to celebrate all that you've accomplished in the past year.
We love and celebrate YOU, Oliver Finn! Happy Birthday!!!
