Your older brother Noah, who is turning 7-years-old in one month, started Grade 2 today. He is like a weed growing before my eyes. I suddenly really saw him as a little man today. He picked out his own outfit for first day - a pair of black soccer shorts, a blue "Skylanders" T-shirt and orange rain boots. It's certainly not the first time he's picked out his clothes. In fact, he has been voicing his preference for certain outfits or dislike for others. If it was up to me I would have chosen a pair of jeans or khaki shorts and a plaid button-down shirt with the top button unbuttoned. Who am I to define "cool"? I certainly didn't know what it was when I was in elementary school... But I allowed and encouraged him to pick his own outfit so that he will feel confident for the first day. He is slowly (but it feels more like suddenly) maturing and becoming his own little person. I can't believe how tall he's gotten already; how attentively he hears the world around him and everything I say even when he is super hyper-focused on the LEGO gizmos he's been building. I can be in the other room talking to his Buni or on the phone with someone and suddenly I hear him ask, "What's that mom? Where are we going on Sunday for lunch?" Or as I'm describing your other brother's latest shenanigans to your daddy, Noah will say "... yeah, Josh IS a trouble-maker." I look over at him and he is still fully engulfed in his LEGO creation and has not even looked up. At dinner tonight, while you were napping in the other room, he told me - in French - that he is full and can't have anymore. I don't speak French so I was thankful that he followed up that sentence with the translation in English. It's amazing how quickly he has picked up the language. This will be his fourth year in the French Immersion program offered by his school. He has a knack for languages and I am certain he will be quite fluent fairly soon - if he isn't already.
I was glad to see him start school today. He does well in that structured environment and he is doing very well academically. I have very high respect for teachers. They are truly in the trenches everyday and I am very grateful to them.
One day, Zoe, you'll also head off to school in whatever outfit you come up with and I'm certain you'll love it too. Although I can't yet envision you running around in a little tutu around the house even, I'm sure that day will come before I know it. I don't know what I'm feeding you kids, but you all grow up so quickly.
In fact, your turning-4-years-old-in-2-days brother Josh starts his very first day of junior kindergarden next week. Today I visited the school with Josh and we met his teacher and walked around the classroom to see all the various centres. He is excited about school and I'm fairly sure he'll adjust well too. Hopefully that love for adventure and exploring won't land him into too much trouble. Your older brother Josh has always loved "all things outside". His favourite was the moon since he was very, very young. He'd point it out and we'd have to acknowledge that we saw the moon too. He could barely talk, but every single evening Josh would look around for the moon. He'd excitedly point out "Moooooon, mama. Moon!" On the nights that the moon was not out, he's always say, "No moon, mama?" He now collects rocks, sticks and loves to peel tree bark off the giant tree next to Buni's driveway. He ALWAYS picks flowers for me - even out of Apko or Sigi's garden - and asked me to put it behind my ear. We joke around that your brother will become a park ranger on day. Your two brothers couldn't be more different. For Noah, spending lengthy time outside is a chore. One day this summer Noah said the following quote: "Mama, I'm outside-sick. When people spend too much time out at sea, they get sea-sick. So I'm outside-sick. Can I come in?" And later that same week Noah said to Buni when she asked for help in her garden, "I'm an indoor kid, Buni, not an outdoor one."
I wonder what you will love Zoe. Where will your heart gravitate? I can't wait to see your little personality emerge. For now I'm enjoying the new little smirks and smiles you're offering.
I love you,
Your mama
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