It is that time again. Another year is coming to pass. While I am not glad to see you get older, I think am glad to close the door on year 7. 6 ended with such high hopes, but 7 was completely opposite. It was a rough year to the last day.
I think I will flip-flop this letter. Last I ended on a bit of sad note, and I want to end on the silver linings we have. Last year started off sad with our beloved M going into hospice. I didn't get to spend any of your birthday with you at all because I was at the hospital getting all the arrangements made, and you were asleep when I got home that night. She passed away on one of your favorite holidays, July 4th, and this really hit you hard. With all the craziness of the funeral, getting her stuff packed away, and school starting, we never got a chance to stop and take things in as a family. My sensitive one-you have felt the void of her being gone more than anyone else. You are still processing it even today. We really had hoped this would be the worst to weather, but we soon found there was more.
2nd grade was definitely not as smooth as 1st. You had been really hoping that you would get Ms. Y because you thought she was the coolest, but it was not to be. You ended up being with the perfect teacher for you, Mrs. B. You took a long time to trust her for some reason; it was probably because she was pushing you more and more. When you finally started trusting her, we started to see you bloom more. Too bad it was really starting as Covid-19 decided to come into the picture, but we will get to that in a bit.
The fall brought some brightness. L became officially ours in September, and our family finally felt finished. Grandma E and Grandpa R were perfect additions to our family, and they helped fill some of those voids in our family. We got to go to San Antonio to spend time with family and watch one of your favorite cousins J get married. We stopped in Waco to see Baylor which fueled your love for it more. You loved getting to see the Catholic ceremony even if you had trouble getting through the whole thing. You also got to go on your first trip down the Riverwalk, and we visited the Alamo. You enjoyed getting talk to some of the actors about their weapons and what happened there. You also loved the statues.
The year was really an emotional roller coaster. Around Christmas, more seemed to roll in. It really was a "when it rains, it pours" once 2020 came. In February, your other favorite person, great-aunt S or the Great One as we was known, passed away. We had finally gotten over one of the major grief humps when it happened, so you kind of spiraled again. She really was your buddy, and she got you on so many levels that others did not. After she passed, I realized more than ever that you were her kindred spirit. You was the more extrovert one like she was, and you have her gift for gab. We also lost our sweet kitty as well. You weren't exactly attached to her, but she had always been there as we had her before you were. You lost your new friends across the street this spring when they moved to Rockwall. You started to worry everyone you loved might leave you.
Being a June baby, your birth years always cross over two years. You started 7 in 2019, and you end it in 2020 which has been a bit of chaotic mess of a year so far. Your generation will be defined of what is happening as you exit year 7, Covid-19. There have been minor pandemic type viruses before in your life-Swine Flu, H1N1, etc, but nothing is quite like this. Around the end of February/beginning of March, Covid-19 began shutting down the world. You went on Spring Break, and you never got to go back. This was really hard for the extrovert that you are. Distance Learning was definitely an issue, and we do not think you grew quite as much as you could have in a classroom environment. It was hard to keep up with things because we were still working while trying to homeschool you and keep L alive. As I write this, we are still the heart of all this. Life has become a new normal to us. Even celebrating your birthday was hard. We had a parade rather than a party. You have been craving so much the human interaction. We keep hoping things are coming to an end, but we have had to scrap all kinds of plans including our big Disney cruise twice. We don't even know at this point what will happen with your 3rd grade year.
Even with so much up in the air and disappointment, we have silver linings. We have gotten you to grow so much. You are definitely showing more leanings to Daddy than me. You have less than a foot until we are the same height! You have become such a good big brother as well. It definitely is not all roses with you two together. Lots of screaming, yelling, and tears! However, you are also gentle, patient, and loving with him. No spit dropping like Daddy and Uncle R. While it is still hard, you are slowly developing in your reading ability. You still love to listen to books. Daddy swears if you ever start reading on your own that we will never see you again. You developed your love of history more with adding an obsession with Ancient Egypt and King Tut. You also are showing more interest in drawing and art. Your test in musical theater is also growing, and you have added "Six" to your list of favorites like Hamilton and Descendants. We hope in year 8 that you will grow into someone who can cope better with the pressures. Resilience is really becoming a key thing to you. This is truly as time of transition, and I think you are ready for it.
Year 8 will really become a year of transitions. You will have your last recital because you have decided to not dance next year. I am a little sad because I know you love it and have potential, but until your heart is there like other things, you won't progress the way you should. We are doing what we can to get you help to become more successful. You are entering the later half of elementary, and things are getting serious in school with state testing. You may try something new like karate or playing an instrument, but we will have to get schooling under control first. We hoping to finally do some more traveling. We had hoped to do the Disney Cruise before the end of the year, but Covid again had its say in it. We had to push things out again until next summer, and we will be on the ship for your birthday next year. Who knows what this year will hold, but like always I hope to be better at chronically than I have been this year! I leave things off here. While it is not the exact time, we have now entered the day as it is after midnight. I love you my crazy pants! I hope you rock this new year.
Love,
Mommy
