My little Tobin,

This is my last monthly letter to you of your sixth year.  In the next month, you’ll turn seven, go to the back to school night to get acquainted with your first grade classroom, and begin your next calendar and school year.  You’re very excited for your birthday, and I’m sure you’re looking forward to getting back together with your friends, but we’ve had a good summer so far.  You loved all the outdoorsy activities you did both in your summer classes and on your own.  You even got to drive a lawn tracker all by yourself at Nana and Papa’s farm last week (not pictured:  Papa, who was close behind you the whole time).

We’ve had some nice evenings lately, so you’ve been able to enjoy outside time at our park and beyond.  Miles is currently working on a short film, and he cast you in a major role.  You’re a natural on camera, and the scene of you doing a triumphant happy dance is one of my favorites.  Your favorite part is the enormous puffy wig you wear for a brief scene in which you play a different character (we ran out of family members for all the roles Miles wrote).  You wanted to wear it to eat lunch today, but I thought the potential for a tomato sauce/hair disaster was too great, so I didn’t let you.  We still have a little filming and editing to do, but it will be fun to share when we’re done.

Photo by Denny

We took a fun trip to Innsbrook, Missouri, for a get-together with Mubby, Skitter, Tyler, Oxana, and your cousins.  You caught the kayaking bug big time.  You didn’t have the patience to do a lot of fishing—standing still and being quiet are not your strong suits.  Kayaking, though, was perfect for you.  Your first time out, you shared a two-seater canoe with your dad, but you quickly convinced him that you could handle a solo kayak.  Your swimming skills are getting stronger all the time, and you wore a life jacket, so it seemed like a reasonable activity.  You loved it so much that you even woke up early on our last day so you could have a final spin around the lake.

Photo by Gary Clarke

Like Miles, you have been swept up in Hamilton mania.  We had a wonderful time at the show in Des Moines, thanks to the kindness of Nana for buying us the tickets.  You had no problem at all sitting still for the three-hour show (apparently the creative work of Lin Manuel Miranda is more compelling than fishing).  It ended way past your bedtime, but you didn’t fall asleep until you were strapped into the car.  You and Miles know almost all the lyrics, and you sing the soundtrack together all the time.

Most of your formal summer activities have ended now, so we’ve been having more relaxed time.  I took you and Miles to a showing of The Karate Kid a couple of weeks ago, and you enjoyed that a lot.  You haven’t caught a fly with chopsticks yet, but you’ve done a lot of air kicks.

As usual, I was bemoaning how old seven sounds, how I want you to be my cuddly baby.  Of course I only mean that in a nostalgic sense, because I’m thrilled with how you’re learning and growing.  The fact that you’re willing to read Callum the same book four times in a row is priceless, since it gives me a break from doing it.  You have maintained your generally sweet, sunshiney personality, your ability to make friends quickly, and your high-excitement approach to life.

Your current favorites:  the Wii U game Splatoon, pepperoni pizza, reading to Callum, outfit extremes (either bundled up in winter clothing or running around half-naked), giant and colossal squid, and drinking slushies.  You particularly enjoyed the non-alcoholic frozen margaritas we made last weekend.

Have a good last month of being six, my blue-eyed son.  I hope you keep happy-dancing as long as you have wiggly energy in your bones.

Love,

Mommy

Happy 3.5 birthday, sweet Callum!

The absolute biggest event of the month has been potty training.  After our last (disastrous) Booty Camp weekend, I was worried that you’d have to go a size up in your wedding tuxedo to accommodate your diaper.  But this time, it went so much better.  The first day wasn’t so great, rife with accidents and loooong stints on the potty with no results.  Still, I considered it a step in the right direction, because on Round 1 a couple of months ago you refused to even sit.  On the first day of this round, you agreed to sit, but you refused to wear underpants.  I bought those Peppa and George Pig underpants just for you, since they’re two of your favorite book and TV show characters.  Still, since you were willing to go commando, we just went with it.  On Day 2 you had your first success, and by Day 3, we felt brave enough to go out to a restaurant.  It went just fine, with no profuse apologies to the staff necessary.

You still have some work to do, but I think you’re really on the right track.  You’re now happily wearing underwear—you were especially excited when I got out your brothers’ old Jake and the Neverland Pirates and superhero underpants from storage.  This afternoon will mark our biggest diaper-free adventure:  a trip to Coralville for our weekly  ice cream, piano lesson, and Co-Op shopping trip.  I’ll bring some back-up clothes and towels and hope for the best.  I have the feeling you’ll do great.

Photo by Denny

We’ve had some other good fun this month.  We spent a long weekend at a lake house in Innsbrook, Missouri, with Mubby, Skitter, Uncle Tyler, and his family.  You and your cousins had fun together, and you were very proud to catch a fish.  I’m so glad you got to spend time with your cousins, because that cousin relationship is such an important one.  While you have a huge extended family on your dad’s side and a decent chunk on mine as well, Aleks and Vera are your only first cousins.  You are also theirs, for the time being, and I hope you can continue to develop your friendship as you grow.

Photo by Gary Clarke

I was a little concerned that we might have to put our Summer Activity List on hold due to the potty training, but if you continue your success at this rate, I bet we’ll be able to get right back on track.  We have lots of things we still need to do:  the Fossil Gorge, more library visits, the splash pad, the City Park amusement rides, and more.  I recently learned that this is the last year the City Park rides will be around, which is a little sad, but also a bit of a relief.  Those things look like they haven’t had a tune-up since the Ford administration.

One of the larger challenges you’ve faced this summer is mosquito bites.  You are especially delicious to them for some reason.  I’ve heard that certain blood types are more attractive to mosquitoes than others, but I’m pretty sure our whole immediately family shares a blood type, so I don’t know why you suffer so much more than the others.  Maybe everybody gets bitten, but your highly allergic nature extends to your response to mosquito bites.  You do love anything with a spray nozzle, so bug spray is no problem for you, but it doesn’t seem to truly keep them away.  I don’t like to cover you in chemicals, so we go with the natural kind, and maybe that doesn’t work as well.  You’re probably just delicious.  The mosquitoes have good taste.

Your love of spray bottles has extended to Silly String, surface cleaner, and anything else that can squirt.  I got you an empty one to fill with water, which you enjoy spraying around in the bathtub.  You really, really wanted spray sunscreen at Walgreens the other day, but we decided to stick to the toy fan you chose as a Level 2 potty prize.

(Your dad would probably disapprove of such vulgarity, but I just might have encouraged the spray nozzle metaphor to get you to aim at a fragment of tortilla chip that ended up in your potty.  I’m not sorry.)

I’m so proud of your hard work, my little pup.  I asked you if I should start calling you “Mr. Success,” and you said, “I’m not Mr. Muh-sess.  I’m Callum.”  I’m glad you know who you are, not that I was worried about the strength of your personality and preferences.  I’m also glad that your personality has grown to accommodate some new ideas.

Have a good month, my sweet boy.

Love,

Mommy

Happy 10.5 birthday, Miles!

This month has been a busy one, full of camps and trips and adventures.  In your first two camps of the summer, Comics & Zines and Filmscene Animation, two of your best friends were also participants.  That was good for you, since you still get a little nervous about unfamiliar situations.  You didn’t try anything radically different this year—Willowwind and Filmscene are both places you’ve spent plenty of time.  We also attended a revival showing of The Karate Kid at Filmscene last weekend.  That was one of my childhood favorites, and I found it to hold up pretty well.  Even the fashions didn’t look too out of date, considering all the high-waisted jeans I see on people nowadays.  You are convinced that the main villain, Johnny Lawrence, was a reference to John Laurens of Hamilton.  Laurens wasn’t a villain and his name is spelled differently, but you’re quite sure.

In terms of excitement, our trip to see the touring production of Hamilton in Des Moines was undoubtedly the highlight of your month.  Thanks to a very generous gift from Nana, we had incredible seats.  We could see the actors’ facial expressions easily, and that added so much to our enjoyment.  We’ve listened to the soundtrack many, many times, but seeing it live was a whole new experience.  There were so many visual jokes and expressive personalities on stage.  You and Tobin listened well to my talk about theater etiquette, and you were so well-behaved.  You listened fervently, laughed, and clapped with vigor, all in a contextually appropriate way.

I mentioned to your dad last night that people could save their money on Hamilton tickets and just come hang out at our house, because you and Tobin have pretty much the whole thing memorized.  You act out long stretches, nailing all (or most of) the quick and subtle turns of phrase.  You can swap roles and do it all over again.

Another highlight of the month was our trip to a lake house in Innsbrook, Missouri, west of St. Louis.  We joined Mubby, Skitter, Tyler, Oxana, Aleks, and Vera for a long weekend full of fishing, roasting marshmallows, and relaxation.  You declined a traditional bed, though we had plenty of sleeping space, in order to sleep on a couch.  I guess it was comfortable, because you didn’t vary from your normal late-rising routine.

You finished up your baseball season, and your personal improvement really showed in your later games.  You were hitting pitches, advancing runners, and making it to base.  You did some good fielding work, too.  It was nice to have Mubby and Skitter and Nana and Papa attend games to cheer you on.

You have one more camp this summer, then the remaining weeks will be more free-form.  We have a trip out to the farm planned, and you’ll spend time at Mubby and Skitter’s house.  We still have a good number of items to complete on our summer activity list, too.  I’m sure you’ll keep busy with your hobbies, like reading, Minecraft, idiotic YouTube videos, and making stop-motion animation videos.  In fact, that’s what you’re doing right now, using Tobin’s fleece footie pajamas as a green screen.

Before we know it, you’ll be getting organized to head back to school.  With four sections in your grade, odds are fairly low that you’ll be in the same class as Jacob and Daniel again.  It would be great if you were, but it wouldn’t hurt you to get to know some of the other kids in your grade, too.  That’s one thing I like about you attending camps and playing baseball on teams that bring a mix of kids together.  Once junior high time comes (7th grade will arrive scarily soon, I know it), you’ll be grateful to have been campmates and teammates with other east side kids.

Enjoy the second half of summer and the second half of your tenth year, my dear Miles.  I love your sharp mind and quick wit, and I look forward to all the interesting things you have yet to do.

Love,

Mom