Dear Tate,

Dear Tate,

We made it.  Your first birthday in Saudi Arabia.  We've lived here for four months now and I'm amazed and so proud to say that you are loving life here and rolling with every single punch that threatens to knock you down and out.  And there have been a fair amount.  You are a great example to me on days when I'm feeling beat down by this place and the changes we've had to make.  Watching you enjoy yourself and make the most of this new experience and find joy in the strange new elements of our lives here is a marvel, Tate.

You have grown up a lot this year.  It breaks my heart to see you so big.  Every time I see your little ankles sticking out from yet another pair of pants or we have to take you for yet another haircut I'm reminded how incredibly fast you continue to grow bigger and older and a little farther away from my little boy Tate.  My little Tate who will willingly hold my hand on the way to the bus stop and ask to snuggle during family movie night.  And at the same time, I'm immensely proud of how you have changed and matured this year and it feels like my heart might burst when you talk about things you've learned or things that happen on the bus or at school that you've just brushed off that would have thrown you for a loop and ruined your whole day a year ago.  It's funny to me that this drastic move has made you tougher and more easygoing rather than completely rocking your world.  I'm just so proud of you, kid.

This year has not been a very easy one for our family, but you've been a spot of sunshine when things are stressful, as always.  I was really sick for a while, we were really busy getting ready to move, we had family living with us, you started full day kindergarten and then had to leave your new class and teacher and start all over here in Saudi, going to school all day every day and riding a bus by yourself, and then your new little sisters joined us just three short weeks ago, and none of this has really made you too upset.  It's been amazing to watch.

You are still a very positive kid, Tate.  You say the sweetest, kindest things and give the most thoughtful compliments.  Your teacher, Ms. Karr, tell us all the time how much she likes you and how you give her compliments all the time.  You're always telling people that they look lovely or that you like their shirt, their shoes, their bike, or their hat.  My favorite was when I was huge and pregnant you would tell me all the time, "Mom, you still look pretty even though you're getting big." A couple of weeks ago you had a little run in with a kid who was not very nice on the bus.  You got over it quickly but your dad and I were a little upset.  The thought of anyone hurting your feelings just crushes me as your mom.  And as we talked to you about being nice to others no matter what they do, you started telling us about a lesson your teacher taught you at school.  You said, "I am a bucket filler, not a bucket dipper.  I always want to fill other people's buckets and make them feel good."  Your dad and I looked at each other, got a little teary, and told you we were so proud of you.   You are a bucket filler.  You make people around you smile and feel good.  You always have.

You're a great big brother.  You love your brother Finn and he loves you too.  He just lights up when you get home from school.  He misses you all day long being stuck here on camp with just me, and now me and the babies and he's so excited to be able to play toys with you and wrestle and chase you around our house when you get home.  You are great to humor him and play nicely with him even though you're really tired from a long day at school.  You adore your baby sisters.  You were SO excited for them to be born.  You would hug my tummy and tell everyone you met that your mom was going to have twin baby sisters and how you were so excited to feed them bottles and snuggle them and kiss their tiny cheeks.  And you do all of those things.  You are a great help and a sweet brother to your little sisters.  I'm excited for them to grow a bit more and be able to interact with you.  You're going to love making them smile, just like everyone else you meet.

You love to swim.  It's probably your favorite thing to do.  Your dad took you swimming with Finn today after you got home from school and you were so excited.  Can you believe we live in a place where  you can go swimming on your birthday now?!  You've always loved the water but the last few months you've really taken off swimming on your own.  We still need to get you in to some lessons to help you learn the strokes and gain a little more stability, but you can jump into the pool now and swim to me or your dad or the wall without any trouble all by yourself.  Every once in a while you've been under for a while and I get nervous and yank you up.  You just smile and say, "I like to be under the water."

When we lived in Denver you were in gymnastics.  You did gymnastics for about 6 months right up until we moved.  I've really missed seeing you in that setting every week.  It was so fun to watch your coordination improve every week and watch your little body figure out cool new things you could do. I think they have classes for your age on main camp but all of our activities are kind of on hold while we're living out here on Rakah.  It's just so hard to get over there that we're just sort of waiting until we move to get you in classes and sports over there.  Luckily, you're completely fine with that.  You're so tired when you get home from school that all you really want to do is play with your brother and maybe go bowling or watch a movie.  We don't have a lot to do here on camp but the things we do have, we do often.  We go bowling, play at the park, and swim when it's warm enough.  We've also been to Rashid mall several times to ride rides.  You're a pretty brave rider and it's fun to watch your face while you get whipped around.

You're still a pretty picky eater.  Your favorite food is macaroni and cheese. You have peanut butter and honey sandwiches every day for lunch at school.  You've had a LOT of pepperoni pizza in the last few months since we've moved here.  It's your favorite thing to order when we go out or when we get lazy or busy and order from the snack bar here on camp.  You are getting a little braver and more willing to try new foods now, however.  You can usually be convinced to try a bite of dinner.  You don't usually have more than one bite, but the fact that you can be persuaded to try a bite is a very big deal for you.

The last few months you have also taken HUGE strides in your reading.  We finished your reading practice book a couple of months ago and it's been almost magical watching how much confidence it's given you and how the simple skills learned in that book have been a springboard to you enjoying reading.  You read incredibly well and you like it.  You're constantly reading signs and you don't fight me on reading time when you get home from school anymore.  You're such a smart little stinker and your dad and I often look at each other over your head while you're reading and exchange looks of disbelief that you can read the words you can.  It makes me so proud to see you enjoy reading.  It's a skill that will take you so far in life, my boy.

Man, Tate.  I just can't believe that it was 6 whole years ago that you came into my life.  I say it every year, but your birthday is an extra big deal for me because it was the day I became a Momma.  My favorite job in the whole world.  You and me, we've been on this crazy ride for 6 years now and I think we're doing pretty well.  Every day you become a smarter, more amazing little boy.  And every day you teach me more about how to be your Mom.  I am impressed and amazed by you every single day, Tate.  I can't believe that someone so wonderful came in any way from me.  It's been a great 5th year Tate and I think year six is going to be just as great.

I love you more than you can even imagine, my kiddo.

The world is yours, Tate.

Love,

Mom