An Ollie Tale
Where to begin? Ah, yes. Concerning Ollie. . .
Ollie's are happy, jolly and love to eat. You prefer to be comfortable and cozy, rather than run off and have adventures.
Thus making you a hobbit of sorts. . .
It's funny, because while you do enjoy the comforts of a hobbit life immensely - the food, the blankets, the cozy routine, you, my dear boy, have found you have a flair for the adventure, the dramatic and the epic. From reading (devouring, really) book after book of daring tales to participating in a drama club and performance to the creative questions and stories that come out of your head non-stop, you are here for the adventure.
You are TEN. Two whole hands. You are not a little kid anymore. You are a big kid. You have grown up so much in the last year. I can see your brain figuring things out left and right. You have gone from being in a scared and anxious space to having the tools and support to solve for the need. You are brave and strong and vulnerable. You can ask for what you want and stand up for yourself - in big and small ways. From telling a server that you do want more mac and cheese to telling me you'd like to clean your room differently - you gather your courage and speak up.
School is a breeze for you. You changed classrooms early on in the year and had to leave some of your friends behind. But you got to join Mr. Holmquist's class. Now you, Felix and Dad have had Mr. Holmquist as a teacher and that is so weird and awesome and special. You ran for class vice-president and when you didn't win you said, "It's ok, now I can help the class in other ways." You are bored in class a lot and so you read. You went to your first dance and were so brave and ready and then ready to go home. Next year will be awesome, your last year of elementary school.
You are such a good swimmer now and got to put it to good use this year. We went to Lompoc (a tradition at this point) and swam every single day. We went swimming with Laura and Shelbo and the kids. You went to a swimming party. My little fish.
You love to do things your own self. Pushing yourself and asking to do things yourself is common practice with you. I love to see what you come up with from a new soda to a new chapter in the book you're writing, it's all gold. I love when you see things I usually do (for you, for the family) and you want to do them instead - make cookies, write on the calendar, make things with yarn.
Mabel and Jasper have been with us for a year and a half now and boy do you love them. You are so good with them and take such good care of them. It's amazing to see how different it is to have pets with older kiddos. You get to be such a part of their lives. They are so excited to see you. They miss you. They love you so much.
You chose to celebrate your birthday with two friends instead of a party this year. It was so much fun but it was a LOT for you. We did Dave and Buster's, pizza, cake, sleepover and you were DONE after so much engaging. Maybe next year we can do a trip or something more your speed. You are learning!
I love how clever you are. You are so funny and your timing is fantastic. You just get humor. Playing the hiding the socks game back and forth that came out of you not putting them away was chef’s kiss. You are great at roasting people, so good that mom doesn’t even want to hear it!
You're an amazing kid and I can't wait to see what adventures we all get into this coming year. Complete with second breakfast, elevensies and the other four meals when we can get them.
It's been an incredible year, I'd do it all over in a heartbeat, there and back again, for sure. Thanks for choosing me to be your mom.
All my love,
Your mama
