My dear Miles,

You, my love, are a study in contrasts.  Last night, after a fun time at the park, you and Tobin and your dad were coming back home.  You rang the doorbell and were rattling the door.  I was sitting on the couch.  Because the windows were open, I could hear your dad telling you, “We’re coming.  Don’t make Mommy get up” (it is a well-established fact in our household that Mommy’s Quiet Time is a very, very important part of each evening).

You kept ding-donging and banging, and when your dad and Tobes made it to the door, you did something uncooperative  (I’m not sure what because I couldn’t see it) that ended with Tobin getting bonked in the head with the door.  So, after a blissfully quiet hour while you guys played in the park, Mommy’s Quiet Time ended abruptly with a crying toddler, a rage-filled almost-kindergartener, and a frustrated dad.  We were all fine ten minutes later, but this kind of scene replays a lot around here.  You get your mind set on how something should work, and you have a very hard time deviating from that plan.

I report this not to disparage you, but to set up contrast with what your teacher told me yesterday after your first day in your summer class.  It’s a special three-week Get Ready for Kindergarten class at your old school.  Even though the people and the environment were familiar to you, change is hard, and you were nervous yesterday morning.  When I came to pick you up, Amber at the front desk reassured me that you jumped right in and did fine.  I chatted briefly with Ms. Lindsey, your teacher, and she remarked on how agreeable and easy-going you are.  She said that whenever she asked you to do something, you did it cheerfully.

We’ve heard similar stories from your previous teachers, so it’s nice (I guess) to know that you continue to save your rudest behavior for family.  Maybe that means you’re confident enough in our love to know we won’t kick you out of our gang.  I’m sure it’s hard having so little control over your world, and you’re asserting yourself in ways in which you can feel some authority.

We went on a walk yesterday past City High, which sparked a conversation about the schools you’ll go to in the future.  I told you that when you’re a teenager, if we’re still living in our current house, you’ll go to City High.  That seems like a long way off right now, but I have the feeling it’ll come faster than I can conceptualize now.  You couldn’t seem to conceptualize it at all, because you kept asked, “Yeah, but where will I go to first grade?”  Assuming all goes well for kindergarten, you’ll stay at Lucas for elementary school, so you’ll have a while to get used to that idea.

Your last day of preschool was super-fun.  It was a special day in which families were invited, and you were so excited to show Tobin around.  He was just as excited to be included, and he loved it when you read to him, did a puzzle with him, and showed him some scooping and sorting works.  You got a face painting (actually you chose your arm), played games, blew bubbles, and got a special rose as part of your graduation ceremony.

They kept the ceremony pretty low-key—no silly caps and gowns or stiff marching.  You just sat in a circle with your friends, and your teacher talked about the progress you’d made and the hard work you’d done that year.  I’m really proud of you.  You’ve grown tremendously since you started preschool, and you’re ready for new challenges.

You had a ton of fun at Uncle Tyler’s wedding a couple of weeks ago.  You got to do your all-time favorite thing, which is wedding-reception dancing.  We did some other fun things in Lincoln, too, like a trip to the Children’s Museum and the Children’s Zoo.  You played catch with Aunt Oxana while she was in her wedding dress, which solidified her “good sport” status in my eyes.  I hope we can spend more time with them in these upcoming years. You also got to see your cousins Maxwell, Meredith, and Anna at the wedding.  Meredith and Anna are good dance buddies, and Max showed you some exciting developments in the world of phone-based games.  We spent time at Mubby and Skittergramps’s house, and you and your dad and brother took a special day trip to the farm to see Nana and Papa, too.

Summer is truly underway now, after a slow and rainy start.  The air conditioning is running, the humidity is up, and we just got done making a batch of homemade raspberry lemonade.  You are a good lemon squeezer, and I’m glad you think it’s fun to make something from scratch rather than buy it by the jug.  We’ve gotten back into our nice-weather routine, which involves trips downtown to the Natural History Museum and the library, to the Flavor Ice stand, and to play in our yard and the neighborhood parks.  We celebrated Mother’s Day since my last update here, and as always, I am delighted to be your mother.  Your dad got one of my all-time favorite pictures of the two of us during our annual Mother’s Day photo shoot.

You are a human being, little Miles, full of contradictions and happiness and frustration and stinky feet and cuddles.  Having you around makes me feel such a wide array of emotions every single day.  Everything would be boring and stupid without you, so you’d better stick around a while.  No City High just yet, please.

Love every minute,

Mommy