Gavin - 10th Grade
It doesn't seem right. Time can't really go that fast. Can it? I swear, I still feel this age every single day. This must be some cruel joke time is playing on me. My baby becoming a giant. This year involves 2 AP classes, a trip to Germany and a possible summer internship at a company in downtown Minneapolis. This adult who has inhabited my son's body is hyper interested in programming and learning all he can as fast as he can. He checks out books called, "Hacking for Dummies" and "The Linux Bible". I have to ask him to dumb things down for me once in a while so I can understand parts of our conversations. He's in the process of creating for me a databank of all the popular texting and teenage acronyms so I can better follow along and look less confused. He's ever so kind. Don't even get me started on his love affair with the Science Channel. We have half of that channel on our DVR so he can learn more and more science. He is my chauffeur and my friend. We have deep, wonderful conversations. Then there are periods where we don't say more than 3 words to each other most of the day. We are both processing this thing called Growing Up.
Bennett - 7th Grade
Ever the happy, smiling, optimist. Everything he does (excluding reading a book - unless that book is Calvin and Hobbes) is done with a huge grin on his face. He radiates joy. He is a loyal friend. He's comfortable enough in his own skin to not worry about fitting in with the popular kids. He has a strong moral compass but isn't self righteous or condescending to others who don't see things the same way. He still has a heart for the underdog. We even joked together at the beginning of this school year wondering which bully he was going to befriend this time. The last three years he has ended up 'the friend of the bully' and I'm sure this year will be no exception. Befriend as in: love him anyways, be patient with, stand up to, earn the respect of and help whenever possible. Basketball is still his life and every lesson in life can be related back to basketball in some form or fashion. He even wrote on an "About Me" back to school paper that his favorite quote is: "I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying." - Michael Jordan
Chloe - 5th Grade
My baby is now at the highest ranks of the Elementary ladder. It doesn't seem possible. She was attached to my hip for years and now all the sudden this. It just can't be. I'm in denial. Happy for her, sad for me. Life is so exciting at this age. She chose to go to a new charter school that opened up this year in our community. It is small, project based and housed in one of the oldest school buildings in our city (which is a good thing since she loves all things old). It is a perfect complement to her personality. She is continuing horseback riding this year instead of gymnastics. She realized that being with horses was in her blood and she has to spend her time at the barn with them each week. Gymnastics was too competitive for her. I love that she is learning this about her self and able to make decisions to stay true to her self. She inhales books. She reads faster than me! She's become quite the fashionista but prefers the 'a la natural' look with her hair. She's got friends all over the place and not enough time to play with them all. Best of all, this is her very first year to ride the bus and to her ultimate joy she gets to ride the same bus as Bennett, her best friend.
