Dear Tate,

 Dear Tate,

Oh my kiddo.  My first baby.  My little lispy encyclopedia.  You're a teenager now.  And I gotta say, I kind of love it.  It makes my heart hurt if I ever slip and think about how few years we have left with you before you are grown, but I'm really loving 12 and 13 year old you.  You are kind, dedicated, responsible, helpful and you're conscious of those around you in new ways this year.  Tate, you're a stud.  

This year has been a good year.  COVID has been a beast this year. Shutting things down, forcing quarantines or virtual school and travel restrictions in phases but we hope there's a light at the end of the tunnel.  

We had a fun year of travel.  For spring break we escaped to Sri Lanka and stayed in a little jungle beach resort in our own little cozy family bungalow just steps from the beach with the biggest waves we've seen yet.  It was incredible.  Plenty of bugs and critters and a huge monitor lizard that lived beneath our bungalow but the waves were huge and the food was so yummy and we all got some feet and leg massages from the masseuse on site.  You and Finn could have played in the waves all day every day.  And we just about did.  We'd get beat up in the waves, debating whether to jump over, duck under or just stand and get smashed, then we'd take a break for lunch and head to the bungalow for an hour or two before more beach time and then dinner.  It was glorious.  We took a couple of day trips to Udawalawe and Kandy which meant a lot of hours in the car but we had some fun audiobooks that made the drives bearable.  

Last summer was very full as we made a ton of stops.  We started in Denver, made a quick trip so South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore and get your dad and I our drivers licenses.  Then we visited the Larsons in Kentucky for just a day, drove to visit Kenzie and Trevan and their kids in Virginia for a day which was far too short.  We got to meet your new baby cousin, Marlee and she was just the cutest little squish there ever was.  You love babies and you loved holding your new cousin and playing with Tucker all day.  

Next we drove to DC and Nana and Grandpa came with us to explore for a few days.  I've been wanting to do some US history stops during our summers for years and we finally felt like your guys were old enough this year to remember and to learn.  I loved those days in DC. We woke up for morning runs, walked for miles all over the city seeing museums and monuments and historical sites.  We ate delicious food and you guys were such troopers.  

After DC we drove to Gettysburg where we met up with Adam and Cami and their kids for a quick tour of the battlefield and then a day in Philadelphia.  It was again, too short, but so cool to see those places in person.  You had done your presentation on the Civil War and it was cool to have a some places to file with those facts you'd learned.  

We spent our last week in the US in New Hampshire which is always a highlight of the summer.  Swimming in lakes, hiking and eating such delicious food.  We all went together to a Red Sox game and I don't think you knew to expect what a powerful experience a game at Fenway can be. You, Finn, Glenn and Uncle Brendaen ended up finding seats down at the front and you sang, "Sweet Caroline", ate all the snacks and cheered with the crowd for the whole game.  You loved it which delighted your dad.  It's such an amazing place to see a baseball game and it was really fun to do as a whole family.

Our last trip of the year was to France with Carson and Mallo.  A new strain of COVID was wreaking havoc on our travel plans so we had to fly into Germany and drive to France where cases were a little lower at the time.  We stopped in Luxembourg for just a day and then to Paris.  We spent two days at Disneyland and two wandering Paris and seeing markets and museums.  We ate a ton of French bread and pastries.  We soaked in the Christmas lights and decorations.  And you, Finn and I rode all the roller coasters multiple times with Carson and Mallo while Glenn hung with the girls and rode smaller rides that they were tall enough for.  Tate, you are so fun to travel with.  You're getting to be more enthusiastic about the fun and unique stuff we see and it's really nice to see you openly appreciate our adventures together.  After Paris we drove to La Bresse for a few days to ski and also take a day trip to Colmar and Strasbourg.  You took to skiing so well and had a great time in your morning lessons and then taking off up the mountain with us in the afternoons.  It was a magical time in the snow.  All you wanted to do was find some powder and have a snowball fight and luckily we got in a few.

Last year during your 6th grade spring your dad started hosting pick up baseball games and then they turned into a short make-shift season.  You played on the team with Finn and your dad as the coach and you liked it.  Sports are not your favorite thing but you tried and had a good attitude which was not the way you used to deal with sports so it was a huge improvement.  In the fall baseball was more organized and we were allowed to officially have a season so you played on the Falcons team again and it was so great.  I loved going to your games every Thursday night and watching you swing your bat as your jauntily walked to the plate.  You didn't always make contact with the ball but you got a lot of walks and a few base hits and you were just happy to be there no matter what happened.  Getting you to stay focused on the game and cheer for your teammates while you were in the dugout was another matter as you would be happy to talk D&D with Reece and Conor every spare second you had.  It was a great season and so fun to see you enjoy the game.  

You joined run club with very little encouragement in January last year and you've been running with them twice a week ever since.  Coach Lindsey Law is just incredible.  She's provided this awesome opportunity to run as a group and some expert coaching along the way.  She plans a speed workout every Monday evening and a longer run on Wednesdays.  You've had a really good time and we have been incredibly proud of your dedication and grit.  Running is not easy and you're doing it independently and enjoying it too.  During the summer, Lindsey challenged you guys to run 50 miles and you had it done on the treadmill before we even left for repat.  I don't even care how fast you run.  The fact that moving your body is rewarding to you and you are motivated to do it makes me so proud of you.  You come home from run club sweaty and smiling.  In November some people in the community organized a set of races and you and a couple of your buddies signed up to run the 10K.  Max and Ben are fast runners and they took off and left you which made you a little disappointed but you kept running.  Your dad and I finished the 5K with Finn and the girls and came back to finish with you and you were a little bummed that your buddies didn't run with you but you were also determined and proud of yourself for running farther than you ever had before.  That was a very proud day, Tate.

Your food tastes have expanded a little bit this year and it's been so fun to see you try new things and get excited about good food.  You still love popcorn chicken and mac and cheese but you also love lemon curd, home made pesto and pasta, home made french bread, creme brulee.  Occasionally you'll have a Deacons Quorum activity or a celebration at school where you can bring treats and you always have an idea of something you want to make from scratch.  Buying something is never your first go-to suggestion.  You want to make confetti cookies, caramel popcorn, your own confetti cake for your birthday.  You're so much fun to talk food with and I love seeing you enjoy and geek out about food with me.  It's super fun.

Your first year in the Deacon's quorum was a good one.  You had great friends in there with you.  Particularly Reece Weitzel, Max Arnold, and Ben Weight.  You were very thoughtful and aware about the responsibility of holding the priesthood and you've really tried to live close to the spirit this year.  More than once you've been reading your scriptures at night and come down stairs to tearfully relate to your dad and I a verse you just read and how it touched your heart and you knew it was true.  You've born your testimony in church more frequently than I have and you're always willing to prepare a lesson or an activity.  It's been inspiring to see you take some initiative with your spirituality this year, Tate.

You have some really great friends and we're totally heartbroken that your two best buddies, the ones you fit with so easily, are moving back to the US this year.  Reece and Max.  We're going to miss their families terribly.  They're both such easy matches for ours as they have great kids who get along well with our family and are at ages that line up with us too.  I think I'm going to miss those two boys the most of all because I just love the kind of friends they are to you.  They are the kind of kids I would pick to be your friends.  They don't get in trouble, they don't push boundaries, they have hearts of gold, they are kind and imaginative and fun.  You have a few other buddies who you have clicked with this year in school and hopefully they'll stick around for a little bit.  Emily O'Reilly is a good buddy from school.  We love the O'Reilly family and have connected with them a lot this year as we've overlapped in kids classes and baseball teams.  It will be interesting to see what 8th and 9th grade bring for you as many kids start to test the limits a little more and feel a lot of angst about their independence.  And many of the kids here start to go to boarding school in 8th or 9th grade which will leave fewer kids for you to interact with.  I pray for you to find good friends who can see how incredible you are, Tate.  You are a goof and you are very much still coming into your own and sometimes miss social cues but you are, as of today, so happy to be you.  And it's such a huge blessing at 13 to just be happy being you.  I pray that confidence and satisfaction with everything you are stays with you through the next few years!

Tate, you are an excellent student.  During the height of the pandemic when you were in virtual school full time you absolutely blossomed.  You loved knowing that all of your work and every bit of information was completely in your control and you were so very responsible with your schedule, school work, practicing and chores.  You were nervous that going to school in person again would be overwhelming but you seem to be tackling 7th grade as masterfully as you did 6th.  You read constantly.  Your D&D manuals, novels from the library or novels on Sora on your laptop.  You finish multiple novels each week and love to tell us about the stories with incredible detail.  You have fantastic grades, you rarely have homework and when you do you get on it without any prodding from us.  You always do some of your family economy work or practicing in the mornings before school.  You are always the first one done with Saturday chores and more than happy to fix something if one of your chores needs a little more attention.  You always help when we ask you to empty the dishwasher or take out the trash.  You are responsible with your laptop and internet use.  You watch your little siblings for us when Glenn and I need a date night out.  You try hard to be patient with your little sisters.  You get along famously with your brother.  You're a model oldest son, Tate.  Honestly we couldn't have designed a more helpful, kind, willing boy.

Tate, we love you so much.  You make our family more fun, more peaceful, more happy. You've grown into a wonderful young man and I have a feeling teenager-hood is going to suit you just fine.  I love you and admire you and learn so much from you.  I feel very lucky to be your Mom, Tate.  

Happy birthday, Tate-o.

The world is yours,

Mom