And this has been a year of changes, but fundamentals stay the same. Like the willingness to put off work for games or snacks. It is good to be able to count on that. Speaking of which, you of all my children will not judge me for the lateness of this blog. Especially with your propensity to put off work you find unnecessary...like paper writing. Have you finished that history paper, yet? Asking for a friend.
(Narrator: He had, in fact, finished that paper three months ago)
We continue to be inspired by how seriously you take your faith. Whether it is in reading about it, preparing to serve Mass, or in how you consciously slow down your decade during evening prayers (much to a certain younger sibling's chagrin), you are setting a wonderful example and reminding us daily to do the same.
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| You also have embraced Cross Country. More or less. While you don't relish going for a run on your own, you also appreciate that one needs to do so in order to actually improve, and you do love improving and seeing the splits go down. Particularly after you spent way more time calculating those splits than you did actually running the race. | |
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| As with most parents, in many ways, I wish time could slow down...but, man, now that you and Dom can seriously help with yard work...I wish it could slow down MORE!! It will only be a few short years before I'll need to start mowing again. But, I'm grateful for the time I have now to watch you from the window. While drinking an ice cold Sprechers. |
Another area I count on you in is helping with puzzles. At the very least in those early stages when it can be overwhelming to start. You, of really all of us, seem to have the patience to stick with it until it gets to the point that finding individual pieces becomes much easier. Or what we like to call "Dom's time to shine". The winter is coming, and I have three or four puzzles I'm looking forward to starting with you and letting John and Dom nearly finish before Molly places the last piece that she swiped and hid for just that occasion.
(Fact Check: True)
One of those moments that rivals being outside: A box of Pringles all for you: Jackpot
Last year, you took a literature class that introduced you to many wonderful works including Tale of Two Cities and Dante's Inferno. Also, you discovered an interest in poetry. Something that I really did a poor job of covering in our home lessons...and by 'poor job' I mean: I never covered it after Dr. Seuss. I loved discovering you on the couch reading this book that was gifted to us from my Oma's collection. She had a love of poetry as well. Naturally, you did very well in that class as well as your math and sciences. You really could choose anything to study and find something interesting in it. What a gift. Man oh man!
And, while The Wall Street Journal has been a staple of your morning routine for a couple of years, I really think the last year it took on a whole new place as you would surreptitiously swipe it as soon as possible from a parent getting up to grab a coffee refill (Fools!). You read nearly all of the articles and have a solid knowledge of all current events whether domestic or international. If Dom covers most of the sports trivia in the house, you can probably cover just about all the rest. Except Pokemon or Tear of the Kingdom. John has a monopoly on that for now.
By the way, full points to Aunt Mitzi for discovering the best gifts for young men pass the age of 12 is food. All the food. This also works for certain moms of certain young men...it's me: Dark Chocolate Caramels for the win!
(Note the shirt)
Happy Birthday, William Thomas!! We are so proud to call you our son and Thank God you are part of our family. While you tend to stay in the background at public events, your wit and intelligence shine at our family times where you can make all of us laugh with a quick remark, clever observation, or a pause before an affirmative yes or hard pass on some crazy notion of Dom's. You always seem to have time to play with John whether it is making hot wheel tracks, marble runs, complicated train routes, or creating battles between army men and dinosaurs (huh..no wonder that paper was never worked on in a timely fashion). And, the special times when you and Molly can talk about fantasy and sing songs together are not lost on us as we pass by closed doors. You are a wonderful sibling that has managed to find something of interest and in common with all of your family. And, I want to document here that you are rarely, if ever, the cause of discord in our home. One simple example: William NEVER fights over a specific seat in the car. Ever. God Bless You, Son!
In the coming year, I hope you continue to study everything that interests you and share the cliff notes with me. I hope you don't shy away from challenges, but embrace them knowing that you are more than capable of doing hard things (like writing papers). I hope you will always know you are loved and appreciated by those that know you best. I hope you always see me as a threat in some board games (and Dr. Mario) and solid ally in others. And, perhaps most of all, I hope you find another shirt to wear. I mean...come on! I buy you loads of shirts. I even see yellow under your jacket in the above photo. Seriously.
I love you and like you! Have a wonderful 16th year, Will! Looking forward to all of it (even your complete dominance in Tetris)!
Mom
2 comments:
We saw that smile so many times. It was especially neat to see it as he opened birthday gifts on the screened-in porch about a week before the Philmont trip. Love you, William
The above was not Anonymous. It was Nana! Darn computer!
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