Dear Callum,

We started our Spring Break trip to the Keys in a pickle: you came down with a sore throat on the morning we left. We gave it a couple of days to see if it was a virus that would pass on its own, but it didn’t, so your dad took you to a local clinic. One strep throat diagnosis and a penicillin prescription later, you were much better. I’m sorry the trip didn’t get off to a great start for you, but the antibiotics worked quickly and you were still able to have a great time.

Lucky for us, the weather was gorgeous, and you spent a lot of time in the pool. While you’re still a beginner at swimming, you’re a lot more confident than you used to be, and we were able to trust you to stay safe in the pool without a bigger person right next to you. You’ve been taking swimming lessons, and you were able to use some of your skills on vacation. One goal you set for yourself was for all three siblings to jump in the pool together, and you did just that.

An activity we did that you really enjoyed was a trip to Pigeon Key. That’s a small island off the main drag that was the home base for railroad workers who built the original Six Mile Bridge. You took the historical tour with your dad and Art, and when that was done, you joined Tobin and me for some snorkeling under the pier. You got the hang of snorkel breathing pretty well, and the water was shallow enough that it wasn’t too intimidating for you. We saw lots of colorful and interesting fish, including some very big ones, and you pointed out sea urchins to us. You had so much fun that you used the snorkel in the pool when we got back to our condo, and you were able to do more face-down swimming than you had done previously.

Photo by Denny

Another goal you set for the trip was to eat mozzarella sticks. I know it sounds like an easily-attainable goal, but we don’t eat in restaurants very often at home, and mozzarella sticks are best consumed fresh out of the fryer. I was looking through different area restaurant menus and saw that Porky’s Bayside had mozzarella sticks on order. We had never been there before, but they also had a mini-golf course, which sounded like a fun thing to do on a nice evening. It ended up being lots of fun, and the food was great. You loved the mozzarella sticks and ribs (though you didn’t think they were quite as good as Skitter’s ribs), and my shrimp tacos were delicious. We had a lot of fun playing mini-golf, too. The course was very pretty, with fun water features and tropical plants. I think Porky’s Bayside will be on our “must-do” list for our next trip down.

Unfortunately, vacations have to end, so we got back to real life. Spring is always super busy around here, with sports and music concerts and school events. You’ve been enjoying school this year, especially ELP and reading. You like playing with your friends Griffin, Landon, Josie, and Norah. On Thursdays, you have recess right before dismissal time, so I sometimes get to watch you playing with your friends when I come to pick you up. Your group is often examining rocks, bugs, and other elements of the natural world. I enjoyed being a chaperone on your school trip to the Stanley Art Museum a week or two ago. You and your friends were respectful and interested, and it was really interesting to learn more about some of the artwork. I even got to sit next to you on the bus. Third graders can sing “The Wheels on the Bus” very loudly.

Your school started a chess club, and you and Tobin have been attending that after school once a week. You have been holding your own just fine, even though you’re one of the younger members of the club. You often get paired with a sixth-grader for a match. Recently, you beat a sixth-grader in five moves. She was a beginner, so she wasn’t too surprised by the outcome, but it was still cool. You’ve also been crazy about solving your Rubik’s cube lately. Until recently, you could only solve one side. That’s more than I can solve, so I was plenty impressed by just that. You kept studying and practicing algorithms, and now you can solve it every time. You’ve been timing yourself and sometimes asking me to time you, and now you can consistently do it in about two minutes, sometimes less. You are a sharp little guy.

Your current favorites: Rubik’s cube, the Masterminds book series by Gordon Korman, baseball (both practicing with your team and playing in the park with your dad and Tobin), cookie tubes, ribeye steaks, playing Gorilla Tag on the Oculus with your friends, and being cozy with your stuffed animals at night.

You’re such a joy, my sweet Callum. Thank you for having a wonderful vacation with me, and thank you for making even normal days better than normal.

Love,

Mom