Dear Tobin,

As usual, your month has been full of activity. You’ve been that way since you were born. Actually it’s been since before you were born. You were a very wiggly fetus. I swear you broke my water with an extra-powerful kick from the inside. I’ve said it suits you that your name sounds like a verb. You’re always Tobin’ over here, Tobin’ over there, Tobin’ all over the place.

This month’s adventures have included a lot of outdoor playing with your friend Kit. It’s been a mostly-nice fall, but today is really quite abysmal. It hasn’t stopped you, though I did insist on driving you over to Kit’s house rather than sending you on your bike. You two like to hang out in his garage and talk about Minecraft and all kinds of other things. Lately you’ve been training for his Olympics-themed birthday party, which is coming up soon. I hope you have the good sense to keep your training limited to the garage today, though. I don’t want the job of cleaning your sneakers if they get really muddy in the rain.

We also had a good time hanging out at Lake MacBride state park with Suzy and Joe. They came to the area to do some camping and to attend our Family Folk Machine concert, and we joined up with them at their campsite. You had a ton of fun hiking (in much more precarious areas that I wished you had chosen), chopping wood for the fire, and playing with your new pocket knife. You’re social and outdoorsy, so these kind of activites have been perfect for you. All signs are pointing to FDA emergency approval of the Pfizer vaccine for your age group soon, so I hope by this time next month, I can include a picture of you with your first vaccine in your arm. It will certainly be good for you to be able to return to a more normal life, because as winter comes on, it won’t be practical for you to play outside so much. You’re also looking forward to returning to in-person school, which we expect will happen in early January, after winter break.

Not surprisingly, your one regret about leaving your online fourth grade class is leaving the friends you’ve made there. I’m guessing many of them will return to in-person school around the same time as you, so it doesn’t really influence your decision, but you’ll still miss them. You’ve spoken a lot about a certain Harriet. We know she lives in our neighborhood, so it won’t be too hard to get together at the park or something in the future. She’s also likely to attend the same junior high as you. Two and a half years from now probably sounds like forever to you, but I know from experience that the day will come swiftly.

Photo by Gary Clarke

A big milestone for you was your first time playing with the Family Folk Machine band. As we were getting organized for this fall’s all-outdoor session, our director suggested that family groups do a song. Our concerts often involve small-group numbers, usually made up of volunteers from the choir at large. Our director thought it would be easier to handle the rehearsal process this time around if the groups were family-based, so we signed up for an old favorite: “Ain’t No Hole in the Washtub,” from Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas. That decision came right around the time you started bass lessons, and with some help from your bass teacher, I put together a part for you. You practiced really hard and absolutely nailed it at the performance. The band leader even set the tempo faster than you were used to, but you didn’t let it throw you. Afterward, you got so many compliments, and you were flying high for days. Your bass teacher even gave you a thoughtful note and a Dairy Queen gift card to celebrate your success. You were rightly proud of yourself, and I was so proud of you too.

Providing further evidence of your hard-working attitude is your readiness for taekwondo testing. You will be testing for your green belt later this week, and your teachers are certain that you’re well-prepared. Your taekwondo studio is conservative about testing. They only let students test if the instructors truly believe they’re ready, and no one is pressured to test if they don’t want to. You are definitely ready, though. After a brief setback due to a foot injury (nothing serious; you just needed to rest), you’re excited to move to the next level. We’re making a one-time exception to our “no indoor stuff for unvaccinated children” rule for your testing, since masking is required at taekwondo. After that you’ll probably take a break from class until your vaccination series is complete. You seem okay with that, though I know you’re excited to move forward in the line when you return to class.

Though the weather has now turned, we had a glorious day yesterday. We gardened and did yard work, and you took great joy in raking up leaf piles for Callum to jump in. I have a great picture of you two hugging among the leaves, but I’ll save it for next month, because it technically happened in your 123rd month of life. Rest assured it was an organic moment, two brothers happy and having fun together on a beautiful day. You are always ready to lend a hand, to pitch in and help.

Halloween is coming, and you’ve chosen to be some character from some Anime show I know nothing about. However, Google Images is my friend, and I’ve got your costume almost ready. I think you’ll probably go trick-or-treating this year. Our community has a high vaccination rate, and if you’re masked, it should be fine. Either your dad or I can do the part of grabbing the candy for you if the situation seems dodgy. One important clue is that we will avoid houses with lawn signs for the anti-mask school board candidate. It’s useful information.

Your current favorites: watching Pokémon with Callum, online and in-person playdates with your friends, Minecraft, chips and salsa, the Spy School book series, the TV adaptation of the A Series of Unfortunate Events book series, peanut butter crackers with milk, and helping me make stir-fry. You’re a helper all-around. Your smile makes even gloomy days bright.

Love, Mom