The Good Kids

 

Year 6…..the year of the Mature Monkey…..sort of.   Such growth in you little man…..and not just in your long, skinny legs….but in your spirit and your responsibility and your outlook on life.   But…..you still hate to brush your teeth, you are still the pickiest eater I’ve ever met (although you are taking very, very slow baby steps to maybe sometimes try something new…sigh) and you very rarely pick up your room…but hey…nobody’s perfect and I absolutely adore your absurd imperfections….even if you drive me bonkers most days!   

BASEBALL!!  I knew you were athletic from the time you started walking…..but I had no idea you were a wicked good baseball player until this year!   Watching you slide into home plate (even when it wasn’t necessary and no one was there to tag you out) made my day!!!  You loved watching that dust swirl up around you and the rush you got diving across the base.   So cool!  You seemed to excel at pitcher and 2nd base and pretty much hit your target with the ball every time you threw to get someone out.  Your team was known for dog piling each other at every field play….at times taking your focus completely off the game and the outs you were supposed to be making just so you could all get a good tackle in with your own teammates…even if this meant completely abandoning first base for the outfield to get in on the action…..I’m realizing this is far more important to 6 year old boys than the actual rules of the game.  And you know what…..awesome!  Plenty of time for ‘getting it right’ when you’re older.  

You were in virtual school for pretty much all of first grade and I’d say after you got your wiggles out each day (by doing somersaults on the couch) and getting up to get a snack every two minutes, you were able to focus pretty darn well…until it was time to do another somersault!  Needless to say, you were ready to go back in person!  Seeing your friends and Mrs. Niemeyer in the flesh was just the thing you needed to make first grade a hit.   You started out the year not really enjoying reading.  You didn’t want to do it for fun or for assignments.  But one day, we were driving around and you just started reading every sign and billboard like a champ!  You had been learning to read all along…you just weren’t quite ready to share it with all of us.  Now you can’t stop reading, which makes me so happy!  You love ‘Piggy and Elephant’ books and you love nonfiction about sea animals, monster trucks and you are absolutely obsessed by the Titanic!   You really excel at math.  You turn everything about your day into a mathematic word problem.  It is so fascinating to me to hear how you come up with numerical solutions for everything you’re doing….you are one smart little boy! 

You love monster trucks and building with magna-tiles.  You probably built a dozen lego creations this year.  You love to bike and go to the beach.  Your buddies are Lincoln and Griffin, Robert, Duncan, Kai, Walter, Drake and Charlie.  You love playing soccer or tag at recess….you are always in motion.  You howl and you growl when we ask you questions.  You love dancing the Kokopelli.  You are always happy and only have small outbursts to protest something you don’t like….and you recover from them quickly.  You love to annoy your sisters and disrupt things in their room.   But you’re so lucky, because the two of them adore you and usually let you get away with it!  Your favorite food is cucumber sushi and pasta with butter and parmesan.  You are a picky little eater still, but your options are slowly expanding.  You looooooove Lucky Boy and go for walks with he and I down to the beach.  You are really into Sponge Bob and Fineas and Pherb.  You cut a mullet this year and you rock it! 

You’ve taught me so much this year, Ewan.  Having a boy is something I had no clue would be so fun and rewarding.  You are the cutest thing with your freckled nose and long skinny legs.  You put the biggest smile on my face.  I have loved your 6th year and all of the growing your body and mind have done.   You are so fun to be with!   You teach me so much.  You are the best addition to our family and we adore you, Sweet Ewan.  Happy birthday my boy….you’ve been waiting for this day for so long!!  7 is going to be a fabulous year!!  Love, Mom xoxo

 My Sweet, Sweet Millie Beans……I have sat this entire evening trying to reflect on all things Millie and it’s done nothing but bring me the happiest tears……the amount of joy and excitement and pride and fun you have brought into our lives is just immeasurable.  And on this eve of you becoming a teenager I can’t help but get the biggest smile on my face thinking of all that you are and all that you have achieved in 13 years.   Before you set off to enjoy what I think will be the best years yet, I want to tell you all of the things that made you YOU during your 12th year.  Here goes……

A pandemic during middle school!  Surprisingly this did not slow you down!   School was done from the comfort of your bed, surrounded by pillows and blankets and lounging in your favorite sweats….you actually enjoyed it!  While you missed seeing your friends daily, you thrived in online school.   You got all A’s and B’s and great reports from your teachers.  When it was time to go back in person, you were excited…..you are a social lady and you love being around people.  

Speaking of social….you and your friends made it work!  You guys would meet outside rain or shine, masked up and distanced just to keep up with your friendships.  It was not uncommon to see you guys dancing outside in the rain in the pitch black of night, bundled up in Gor-tex!  My favorite was watching you and Soleil on multiple occasions knitting outside in your winter parkas  huddled around the fire pit, laughing your fannies off!!  Despite the lockdown, you strengthened your friendships ten-fold……Soleil, Ellie, Anya, Elsa, Stella, Caroline, Olivia (x’s 2), Rachael, Addy, Eva, to name a few!   And once you got your vaccine, the power of a hug (especially between you and Soleil and all of the family members outside of our house) was never more evident……you hugged as if it were your last!   You value your relationship with others above all else….you are loyal and kind and emotional and faithful….we are all so lucky to have your commitment to us! 

You and your best friend, Soleil, thought up, designed, advertised and executed an outdoor PE class for kids ages 4-9.  ‘Rain or Shine.’  You saw the cancellations in kid activities during the pandemic and seized on the opportunity to offer something safe and fun for parents in need.  You ran this business for a full school year and became famous amongst parents in the neighborhood!  You guys made incredible money and both earned other jobs with the families that  participated.  We were so proud of your leadership and entrepreneurial spirit!   It was a glimpse into the success you will have in your future careers and endeavors!   Your bank account grew and your business skills grew :)

You took soccer to the next level this year!  You were given the opportunity to try out for a newer, more elite club…OL Reign.  You were torn because throughout the process you ended up loving both OL Reign and your original club, Celtic.  You found out that you made Celtic team first.  Hooray!  You loved this team.  OL Reign was a mystery….you were told there would be several cuts and not everyone would make the team.  There was a lot of talent at those tryouts from all over the state.  You were content to continue to play for Celtic, thinking you might not make Reign.   And then, sure enough, the letter arrived and you made it!  You made OL Reign and you were ecstatic!  You accepted with a semi heavy heart leaving your beloved Celtic.  But you had a goal to improve your game and branch out to a more elite level of play.  I am blown away at how your skill-level has increased in just a few short weeks with your new team.  Your self esteem, courage, leadership and of course ball skills…..i’ve said it before, but I absolutely LOVE watching you play soccer, Millie!!! 

As if soccer and a part time job weren’t enough for a 12 year old, you also eagerly ran for Treasurer of Whitman Middle School and you won!   You committed to ASB with gusto, making weekly videos for the student body, managing the school funds and working on a team with other student council members.  You learned how to run board meetings, vote on issues and make difficult decisions……your confidence blows me away!  

I can’t end this note without touching on your personal style….it’s amazing!  While you love a good trend, you also add a Millie flare to it and it works every time!  It’s fun to see what you come up with and how you pull it off.   At 12 you are still the healthiest kid I know!  You choose broccoli over ice cream. I loved listening to ‘our songs’ on our way to and from soccer practice…’Sweet Child of Mine, Beautiful Noise, Maggie Rogers to name a few!   You love snowboarding and knitting and chocolate covered almonds.  You love high-wasted jeans, crop tops and flannels.  You love making videos with your friends.  You love to hug and you hang on tight.  You use a diffuser every night.  You are the messiest eater I know!  You ask a question and answer it yourself immediately before I have time to respond.  You are lousy at putting your dishes in the dishwasher.  You are so loving to your siblings.  Your dance skills are the envy of others.  You are genuinely happy when others succeed.  Your favorite shows areFuller House, Grays Anatomy and Gilmore Girls.  Your favorite meal is vegan sausage and white beans over sourdough bread.  

You are amazing, Millie Sky Keegan!  I love watching you grow and mature and become who you are becoming!  Thanks for being such a meaningful daughter, sister and friend!  We love you so, so much!!!!  Happy 13th!! xoxoxoxo

Mom

Ezzy Bezzy!  My girl!  Another trip around the sun for you…I’m so lucky I get to watch you grow.  This past year was a doozy for us all…unexpected, weird and challenging.  But you made it so much fun for all of us!  You had to come up with creative ways during your 10th year to entertain yourself and in the process you entertained all of us.  You are the heartbeat of this family…..we would all be lost without you.   Despite the funky year here are the things that captured you the past 365 days.  

Your knack for being the most helpful, most available-when-we-need-you, most willing family member increased 10 fold!  You are always there for everyone…even(and especially)for the jobs everyone else runs away from!  You hold the garbage bag when we’re emptying the cans, you pick weeds until there are NO MORE WEEDS, you carry heavy things, you fix things, you stand by our side to assist whenever we need it.  The best part is we never have to ask….you see us in need of help and you instantly stop what you’re doing and step in.  And you always finish with….’is there anything else I can do?’  Rockstar!!!  Seriously the greatest character trait, Ezzy Girl! 

You confidently said good bye to soccer and let us know that it just wasn’t your sport.  I was so proud of you for listening to your heart and having the courage to let dad and I know.   You are now an official hip-hop dancer and you are loving it.  You have rhythm in your bones…you are always dancing and in the studio is where you are meant to be. You come alive. You also took up running this year.  You are up to 3 miles and I love having you as a running partner.  You set a goal and stuck with it and you’ve put some miles on that track!  We ran the St. Paddy’s Day dash together and it was certainly a highlight of my year! And…your skiing…well, lets just say I’m glad you wear bright pink so I can see the little speck you become when you blaze by me at top speed and leave me in the dust…ha!  You are fast!!  And now you say you want to pick snowboarding up again next year…I’m all for it!  I love your athletic drive!  

Online school was definitely not your first choice but you THRIVED!  You went from a not-so-organized, not-so-great with time management and shall we say a little forgetful when it came to assignments …to very organized, very good at managing your time, a self starter, a self motivator and a tech whiz kid!  Your teacher always commented how much she appreciated you in the zoom meetings because you were focused and participated so well in all of your discussions.  She has told me on many occasions what a great example you are for your classmates.  I had fun being able to listen in on your school days and really see what a true leader you are…..I often had to remind myself that you were only a 5th grader….because you sounded like a college student!  

You are so aware of and concerned with social justice…you always have been.  But now you have a fire lit inside of you to see where inequalities exist in your school, your community and around the world.  You recognize when things aren’t fair and it bothers you. Thinking about you leading your community and your school and your peers to right the wrongs and call out injustices when you see them makes my heart swell beyond words…..you will be the change, Ezzy!  

With friend meet-ups and hang outs pretty much off the table, you and neighbor Ellie decided to get creative and figure out ways to spend every daylight hour together in between school and sleep.   The two of you formed a friendship that is beyond special and you have bonded more than you ever probably would have had we not been locked down.   You guys are so loyal to each other and do the kindest things to show how much you care.  You baked special treats, talked for hours around the fire pit in the pouring rain and cold, dark winter. You danced endlessly in the street, you became awesome little skateboarders (and you have the scars to prove it) you performed plays and built a tree-house, you rode your bikes for miles and miles on the long summer days, you spent evenings at the beach photographing the sunsets, you walked Lucky up and down the hills of Blue Ridge, you camped in the backyard, you sold vegetables from the garden to all the neighbors, you chased the ice cream truck barefooted to get him to stop on many occasions, you played badminton in the street until it got dark, you ate udon and rice and pizza and just about every dinner together outside on the deck or in the yard…this last year was basically one big picnic with Ellie!   Your friendship is pure, genuine magic…..it’s so beautiful to watch.  

Things you loved…Full House episodes, making videos, pushing Lucky in a wagon down the street, sleeping on the couch with Millie and Ewan and falling asleep to movies, long boarding, Brooklyn, Avery, Frances, Sofia, Vivian, Isla and Ninon (in addition to Ellie), poetry, reading, Phineas and Ferb, non-dairy ice cream, sushi and salad wraps, wearing my high heels, overalls, converse tennis shoes, hamburgers, Roblox and netflix parties with Sofia! 

Esmee, you put the biggest smile on my face!!  I think about our inside jokes all the time and find myself hysterically laughing (crying) because they are just so funny!  I love that you still want to hold hands and stay extra long in our hugs.  I love that we got so into our reading together for the GLC…that was something I looked forward to every evening.  You are the greatest middle child ever!  Our lives would be completely boring without you.  Thank you for all the joy you bring to everyone around you!  Happy birthday little (not-so-little) Buggy!!  I love you so so so so much!!!!!   xoxoxoxo   

- Mom