An Ollie Tale

Where to begin? Ah, yes.  Concerning Ollie...

Ollie's are happy, jolly and love to eat.  You prefer to be held, comfortable and cozy, rather than run off and have adventures.

Thus making you a hobbit of sorts...

Eight years old, baby! I can't believe it. Every year I have to pause when I write the number of years old you are and this year was no exception.

You still love to be fancy. Setting a table, your accents, video games. You also love to be the best.

This is the first year of school you’ve had from start to finish. How insane is it to think about that. You rocked it, of course. You love Mrs. Swanson, she was an incredible teacher, both challenging you and dressing up like a groundhog. A great balance for you. You scored really well in your hi-cap tests. You got so many raven raves. Your art is so beautiful and I can’t wait to see what you do with it. You got to go on a field trip! On a bus! To the zoo! You were most excited about the red foxes.

You got to celebrate your first birthday in school! You gave your classmates favors and got to have them sing happy birthday to you. I think you enjoyed being the last birthday of the school year.

You love brain teasers and jokes and fun facts. You love being with your people. You are growing out of being a little kid to being a big kid.

We had to say good bye to Floyd this year. You were so concerned for everyone else. Making sure they were ok. It took some work on your part to process it all for you. You’re a caretaker. Mom and dad will always work to make sure you know it’s not your job and we’re here for you.

We’re about to go on a cruise to Alaska. You are most excited about the tenders to shore. I love that. And the food, of course.

Even though I still think of you as a hobbit, we do love to go on adventures, hikes and walks. You love the snacks that sometimes accompany us. You love throwing rocks in the river. We are going to do so much adventuring this summer.

You and I traveled to Cheney and back in a day to get your really really long hair cut. It was such a fun day. With windy times near Columbia river, gas station snacks, singalongs, conversations. What a great day.

We went to Seabrook and brought Tristan! Such fun with all the cousins! You had a whole floor to yourselves. The older you get the more fun you three have together.

You got to go to birthday parties! Martial arts and baseball and gymnastics! I’m so glad we’re able to attend these in person events again. You had so much fun and play hard. I love how brave you are. When we had your birthday party, you wanted to go ice skating and just flew out there, fell pretty hard, got up and ran some more.

I can't wait to see what adventures we all get into in the years to come. Complete with second breakfast, elevensies and the other four meals when we can get them.

It's been an incredible year, one of the best and most surprising of my life.  I'd do the parts with you all over in a heartbeat, there and back again, for sure.  Thanks for choosing me to be your mom.

All my love,
Your mama

To My Birthday Boy

 To my birthday boy,

Oh sweet boy. What a wonderful, hilarious, joyful, exceedingly blissful year it’s been. What do you think of your life so far? It’s hard to believe that, eight years ago today, I was just going in for one of your last checkups only to find out that you’d be joining us in the world a few short whirlwind hours later. 

DOUBLE DIGITS. How are you ten years old? I cannot believe you've been here a whole decade. And yet, I haven't aged a day. 

What a year. Going back to school, getting to see friends, getting to be a KID. Riding bikes with your brother, lots of walks and playing Harry Potter. I do so love our walks in the woods when Dumbledore hands you off to Sirius and you tell him what you've been up to. Picking up a wand and giving it back when we depart. Those woods behind our house have so much magic in them now.

This is your first birthday in two years that we're getting to have a PARTY. Peak Gymnastics, such a fun place and where we had parties before the pandemic. You're going to have such a blast. You're going to be so tired. So many people want to celebrate with you.

Everyone in our house has been fully vaccinated for months now. They don't require masks at school anymore. Things in the world feel weird and new and oddly familiar. And you are doing such a great job of navigating it. You're tired, sure. We have behaviors to adjust sometimes but overall, you're safe and loved and you know it. 

You requested pumpkin pie for your traditional birthday breakfast pie this year. I love that so much because I have to make it. No one has pumpkin pie right now. My sweet punkin.

This year, your birthday is on Mother's Day. Which is just the BEST because you are who made me a mama. I sure do love being yours. I love watching you grow into this amazing person. Who fights injustice fiercely, who protects his brother without hesitation, who knows how they want to change the world and who I know without a doubt, will. You already do.

Your teacher this year is Mrs. Long and she’s still amazing. School is HARD this year and you are rocking it out. You love learning (geometry is new fave) and reading. Even in the summer I know you will read and want to learn as much as you can. 

You love Jurassic Park and Pokemon and animals. You love history and learning strange and true facts. You want to go see Uncle Cody so you can help with the dogs and horses and pigs. You are going to a cat cafe this year and lord help us if I see you trying to sneak one home. You like being right. You miss Floyd. You love diving into your pile of animals. You love the giant cardboard box in your room and use it like a fort. You're still an extroverted extrovert and love people. Strangers, good friends, it's all the same to you.

I love your heart, so sensitive and open and honest. When Floyd died in March you said "I hope I can enjoy the rest of my life." You feel things so intensely and you are learning how to put it all into words. You knew it was the right time for Floyd to go but you knew it would hurt so much. You loved giving him cheeseburgers and tater tots on his last day. You'll miss him always but it'll change and morph into something not so sharp. And that's ok.

You are loved. You are safe. You are amazing. I am so proud of the human you are and the one you're growing into. You care deeply about people. You want the world to be a fair place. You are inclusive and kind and creative and aware and sensitive. You are going to change the world just by being you. You already are.

I cannot wait to see what this next year brings. 

I think you’re a great, cool kid and the best son a mom could ask for. Stay kind, stay curious, stay little, innocent and blind to the worse things in the world forever stay kind, even when the world seems against you, work to change it. Tuck on in next to me and let’s read. You're my most favorite Felix in the whole world. I know I say it each year, but seriously, best year of my life.  

All my love, 
Your mama