Happy birthday, dear Tobin!

We went out to dinner tonight, and even though you chose not to order from it, I noticed that the age limit for the kids’ menu was twelve. It’s a relief to know that, at least by that restaurant’s standards, you’re still a youth. You seem more grown-up every day to me, though you do sometimes show your little-boy self. Sixth grade has begun, and I’ll write more about that next month. It’s a time of big change and growth, and you’re doing great for the most part.

You’ve been busy-busy-busy this summer, with social activities multiple times a week. It seems like every day you’re out an about with your friends, riding bikes around the neighborhood, playing video games at someone’s house, or going to the swimming pool. You did a lot of good swimming this summer, and you chose the pool as the setting for your birthday party. You and a handful of your friends splashed in the chilly outdoor pool water, jumped off the diving board a hundred times, and then dried off for some time eating treats and hanging out. Over the last year or so, you’ve cultivated a good group of friends. You are still close with Kit, and you’ve gotten to be better friends with Jack, too. We’ve known Jack and his family for a long time, but it was only in the last school year that you two got to know each other well. He lives nearby, so you’ve trod the path between our houses many times.

Your friend group is a mostly nice, respectful, and kind bunch of kids. I thought you would be the only twelve-year-old in the world who requested a veggie platter at his birthday party (along side Double-Stuffed Oreos, chips, cake, and Gatorade), but the veggies actually went pretty fast.

In fact, you got to have two birthday cakes: one for your party with friends (Grammy’s chocolate cake) and one at home (pumpkin cake). You decided chocolate would probably be more of a crowd-pleaser, which is probably true, but it also made for a lot of cake-baking for me. That’s okay; I like baking cakes and celebrating you. You haven’t received it yet, but you’ll be getting an Apple Watch some time in the next couple of weeks. You’ve been begging for a phone, citing very reasonable examples of times when it would be useful for communicating with me. Your dad and I aren’t sure you’re ready for a phone yet, but an Apple Watch seemed like a good compromise. You’ll be able to text and call with it, so we can be in touch, and I can use it to track your location. As you are a person who is frequently on the move, having an idea of where you are will be good for my mental health. Hopefully something that’s strapped to your wrist will be hard to lose, too.

The week before your birthday, you spent a week at Mubby and Skitter’s house with your siblings. I think you inherited your on-the-move nature from Mubby, because she kept you kids hopping. Every day you were there, I think you did at least three activities. One day you went fishing in the morning, out for lunch, then to a movie, then to the swimming pool. I don’t know how Mubby has the energy to do so many things, but you especially thrived in such a stimulating environment. I know you guys played a lot of poker, too. I bet you also had a lot of cocktail hours and junky snacks. Mubby and Skitter also reported that you got along well with your siblings and were kind and well-mannered. The last time we heard a report like that, Artemis muttered that it was just because Mubby and Skitter can’t hear you very well. That may be the case, but I’m glad you can at least give the illusion of good behavior.

You tell me that your career goals include being a chef or an astronaut. You have been expanding your palette lately, trying new foods and preferring vegetables to apple slices in your sack lunch. You’ve reached a level of competence that when you help me make your favorite dinner, stir-fry, you’re legitimately helpful. You said you want to start helping make dinner more often, so I’ll have to take advantage of that. I have zero expertise in terms of space, though, so you’re on your own for astronaut training.

Your current favorites: playing online (especially Fortnite) and in-person with your friends, swimming, helping cook, wearing your soccer and baseball jerseys as shirts, laughing, hot Funyuns and Cheetos, being in the center of any action available, and sleeping in. You used to be an early riser, but these days you’ve been enjoying a late sleep. You usually request an 8:30 a.m. wake-up on non-school days, but as often as you actually get out of bed, you tell me that you’d rather sleep. I guess the teen years aren’t far off.

In the meantime, I’ll have to love you extra hard as a twelve-year-old.

Love,

Mom