Today you turn eleven and start middle school. I cannot believe that we are at this stage, but welcome to this adventure called middle school! You are about to grow, stretch, stumble, laugh, learn, and change more in the next few years than you may even realize. And that’s okay—middle school is meant to be a little messy.
Here are a few things I want you to know:
It’s okay not to have it all figured out. You’re still learning who you are, what you like, and what matters most to you.
Mistakes are proof that you’re trying. Some of your biggest lessons won’t come from getting things right the first time, but from trying again.
Kindness matters. The way you treat others (and yourself!) will always matter more than grades, clothes, or being “cool.”
You are not alone. Even when it feels like no one understands, I promise there are people cheering you on—teachers, friends, family, and more.
You are enough. Exactly as you are today, you are worthy of love, respect, and joy.
Middle school is just one chapter in your story, but it’s an important one. Take chances, work hard, be curious, laugh often, and remember—who you are becoming matters more than who you’ve been.
So this is a very special birthday for you, you not only began a brand-new school year but also stepped into middle school today. Eleven is such a special age—you’re right in between being a kid and becoming a teenager. What I love most is how you get the best of both worlds: you still have that playful, silly side that makes life fun, and you’re also starting to see the world in deeper ways, asking big questions and sharing your thoughtful ideas.
I am so proud of you—of your positive attitude, your courage, and most of all, the way you are freely and unapologetically yourself. What a gift to walk into this new chapter on such a meaningful day.
In honor of his birthday, here are 10 of our favorite memories over the last decade.
We had our annual Storm the Gate event this week at my work, and I cannot go to the event without thinking of the year that George peed on the lawn. He was newly potty-trained, just turned three, and here we are on a college campus celebrating a new class. He was used to peeing in our yard, so just as several hundred college freshman and many staff and faculty gathered on the front lawn of campus, here is George pulling his pants down around his ankle to pee on one of the biggest trees on campus.
This past summer George had a charity lemonade stand at school. He saw that his table was not getting as much traffic as others, so he decided to add a something special. He offered a unique George dance for a $1, and each time he did it, it got more elaborate and special. I love his creative brain and willingness to put himself out there.
When he was about 4 years old, we went to the zoo and off course there is a train. This was in the height of his obsession with all things that go. We basically went to the zoo for him to call the train and follow it every where. He was so excited. And there is a moment that will live in my brain where the excitement was bursting from him as he happened to “Choo Choo” call and then it drove by like it heard him. He was so ecstatic that his little body shook as it went by.
There are so many memories around Legos, so we are wrapping it all into one. Tom built him a special Lego table, and we have spent so many hours creating and building together. From our Lego Master competitions during COVID to building all kinds of different scenes. Our favorite though is when our family all chipped in for his 5th birthday to get all the sets to the Volcano Rescue theme. It was so fun to see his reaction and then spending all the time building the complete scene. Some of those sets we still use now.
None of the kids have taken conventional swimming lessons past 2 years, so we have taught them by a lot of determination and exposure. The summer that George was 7, he was determined to swim under water. We tried different things all summer, but a few weeks before the summer ended, he just made it happen! I loved how proud he was off himself. He jumped out of the water in disbelief that he actually did it. And now we can’t keep him above water when we go swimming.
When George was in pre-school, he was really into Little Blue Truck. After reading the Christmas book, he was convinced that there as a Christmas Tree Truck guy that delivered our tree. We counted down until we put up the tree with a paper chain. And then we put it up over his nap. He came down in disbelief that it was delivered, and he thought it was the coolest thing ever .It was such a magical year where he believed this so fully. It honestly may have been the start of his obsession with Christmas, which led to his 6th birthday being a Christmas themed party (in August).
Before Daphne and Wally came along, I got a lot of solo nights with George. Tom was on shift work, so he was only home at night a third of the time. So we had a lot of just me and George nights his first couple years. It was so special to spend that time together, and I remember so many random things from our solo time then. While there are a lot of things he may not get as a first born kiddo, but he is the only one who got that.
When George was 6 and Daphne was 3, there was a black snake on the driveway. Daphne walked over to the snake because she was curious. He jumped between Daphne and the snake. Then he picked her up and ran away with her. He was a beast taking care of his sister. So no matter how much they can bicker and fight, I know that he will protect her when he needs to.
George meeting his siblings when they were born is such a special thing to witness. He was so sweet as a three year old with Daphne. He would rub her head and say sweet things to her to calm her down. When George met Wally when he was 6 years old, he cried because he was so emotional about having another sibling. He sat and just held him for so long, and always wanted to love on him. To watch them together and see their bond grow is so significant.
And for our most favorite George memory, is one before he was even born. He has been surprising us since the day we found out about him. You can read the full story here. It is funny to look at those pregnancy announcement photos that say September. Again, he has kept us on our toes since day 1.
My favorite thing to do with him is when we go for walks, and we just get to talk and explore. Tom’s favorite thing to do with him is drive around in the car and get to talk and listen to music. So in generally we love conversations with this kiddo, which are ever abundant. He always wants to talk through things and ask questions about things around him. Being able to give him space to talk has been so special to build as his parents.
It is weird to say I have been a mom for a decade. George has taught me so much about love, forgiveness, being fearless, and enjoying the moments for what they are. He is the first to take a piece of my heart with him, and I just love watching him grow. He is so kind and funny. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He wants to know everything about everything, and he lives out being curious and not judgmental. He is a ray of sunshine who is as pure as he can be. He is really special, and it is a joy to be part of his world.
It is so hard to believe that you are nine today sweet boy. You are the child that God knew that my heart needed. You have been unexpected since the moment we found out about you, and you teach me so much about life and love. As a parent, we hope for so much for our children. These are just a few of the wishes we have for you on your ninth birthday.
My wish is that you find your people. You are entering a time of complicated social dynamics, but you are also one who tries to connect with everyone you meet. You love reaching out to people and make them feel seen. However, we know that is not always reciprocated now. We hope that you are able to find people who lift you up and are able to recognize your specialness and not tear you down for it.
As much as we want you to find good friends, we also hope for you to be a kind and loyal friend. You are one of those people that when you find someone you connect with you imprint on them for life. I hope you never lose that dedication and zest for pouring into other people and pumping up your friends. You are so kind to others, and no matter how hard people can be I hope you never lose that ability to see past that and find goodness in others. This is one of your most special qualities.
You are going to a new school this year, and third grade just seems so big. My wish is that you keep an open mind to learning and transition to these new expectations like a champ. You are one of the smartest kids I know, and my wish is that you continue to find the fun in learning and are able to thrive.
My hope is that you can learn from failing. You are wild and go straight into things with unparalleled confidence. The road to success is paved with mistakes well-handled. I hope that you keep trying even when it seems impossible.
As we near double digits, I hope that you still have that child-like wonder and find fun in every day. I think in this world we try to jam so much into our days and forget to slow down to appreciate it. I want you still to be a kid even if the pressures around you are to grow up. I hope this year is filled will play, laughs, and freedom to explore.
I know we tell you all the time that you have a big responsibility as a big brother to Daphne and Wally. While I do want you to be a role model to them, what I hope most is that you develop a strong bond with your siblings. I hope that you are each other’s biggest cheerleaders and inspire each other as you grow together. My wish is that you know each other’s hearts and share time together.
George most of all I just hope that you just keep being you. My wish for you is that you don’t ever let anyone dampen your light. You have a presence about you that is unmatched. You make us smile every day, and we have loved watching you grow into the person you are.
I am incredibly proud to be your mom. I am so in love with your beautiful heart. Your sweet, curious, and blunt personality has kept us on our toes, and is a constant reminder that God gave me you for all the right reasons. You are my biggest teacher, the one who is up for any adventure, the one who can make me laugh until my belly hurts, and the one who is brave beyond measure. Here’s to year nine and may it be your wildest year yet. Happy birthday buddy!
We are going blindly into each new phase, just hoping that we are creating good core memories and raising a good human being. Most days I go to bed thinking how I could have done better, been more present, shown more patience, etc, etc, etc.
George, however, had a big year regardless of my over-worrying. Being our first born, he continues to show me the way.
We really turned a corner in school this year. This last year came with many learning moments, advocating for his needs, and trying different approaches to his education. He has been a little wild since the day he was born, and we definitely saw him mature over the last year to settle in at school. He has learned so much, and now he is a reading machine. Tom and I cannot spell things out in code anymore because he catches on faster than I can get the letters out. He also continues to challenge me to not project my definition of success on to him. Every day, I am also learning from him to be patient and lean into alternatives to be intentional with him. As he is learning about the world, he continues to open my eyes right along with him. I am so excited to see how he continues to grow this next year.
He is starting to hone in on his interests. He is really loving soccer, and with each season, you can see his determination grow. While I am sure we will continue to see his signature helicopter move for a few seasons to come, he has started to show some real promise and skill. He joined Cub Scouts this year, and from the first meeting, I knew that we had found his thing. He has loved every activity and moment as a scout. He cannot contain his excitement at each event, and it is so fun to watch the joy he has. It’s definitely a core memory watching him place at his first Pinewood Derby contest. He also dialed in on Star Wars, Pokemon, and Minecraft this year in a way I was not prepared for. So many times this year, he has shocked me with his understanding of the complexities of these universes.
The dynamics of relationships this year made a switch. It was very evident that we had entered the big kid phase. We are now in the stage that not everyone is automatically his best friend, and friend groups are being made. You can see little pieces of his innocence falling off as we have to step up our game in the types of conversations we had. We talked through how he navigates relationships with kids who are being unkind and how to remain true to who you are even when the crowd is going in a different direction. You never want to see your kid go through these challenges of peer pressure, but we have had to have hard conversations about our actions and what they say to others. There have been moments that we watched him struggle and as much as I want to shield him forever, I cannot. At the end of the day, I am so proud that George walks confidently in who he is mostly unabashed about what others think of him. I wish I had even an ounce of his confidence and carefreeness, because he either thinks everyone loves him or he does not seem to be bothered when they don’t. We received many comments from teachers about how kind he is and how he would tell classmates no when difficult situation arose. He is also extremely loyal to his people. If he has imprinted on you, you now have a hype squad for life. It was so fun to watch him create those connections this year.
Ultimately, this kid is too cool for me. He is so smart and follows his dad in quick wit. He tugs at my heartstrings. He is hilarious and creative. He is passionate and strong-willed. He can deliver the best stories and the strongest hugs. He finds the silver lining in everything and finds the meaning to things that others may have cast away. He is always a little wild from the way his hair constantly stands straight up or the way he brings his energy into every room he enters. Nothing is simple with this kid except that he has my heart forever.
Having him changed me forever, in the best and messiest kind of ways.
I was processing George growing another year older, and I think with every age, there is a different kind of weight to it.
But with seven, it’s like all that was of being little is gone. We have truly entered the big kid years.
George had so many pivotal moments this last year, most notably starting school and becoming a big brother again.
It was so fun, and emotional, to see George becoming a person away from our family unit. He now has a whole life that we are on the periphery of. He has relationships and experiences that we are not instigating, which is hard to let go of, but magical at the same time.
Seeing George this last year has highlighted his strengths, but also reminded me that I have no idea what I am doing as a parent still.
He is a full throttle kind of dude. When he zones in on something, he is all in. He has unwavering commitment to people and ideas. When George is determined to do something, we best be getting out of his way. It has been a challenge to parent him at times to understand where is the line to give him the freedom to be his own boss, but also letting him know when there are limitations. We don’t need to supervise him as much, but he still does need guidance because he is seven. There is definitely a balance that we are working through to expose him to new ideas and tap into his natural curiosity. I want him to have that kind of passion in his life. I want him be able to dedicate himself fully to projects and relationships, but I also want him to do it strategically and in a healthy way.
We have entered a new phase where he questions logic on everything, and the little kid magic is starting to disappear. It was quite the difference watching him react to Disney versus his sister. He wanted to break down the logistics of how rides work, who was behind the costume, and let everyone know that it wasn’t real. We are entering into more intense conversations of real world things especially as he engages with people more outside of our family. It is exciting to see him develop his world-view but also a part of me is sad the days of Christmas Tree Truck guy is gone.
He still loves to play though, his stories and worlds have just evolved. I love watching him create these different scenes and act out his characters. He is so good with details and setting up entire landscapes. If you were to come into our house, his room is constantly a construction zone due to Lego City government and trying to navigate the dinosaurs that have escaped Camp Cretaceous. Our living room is actually a war zone with hundreds of Army men, or squadrons in his terms, that are ready to get on the helicopters he strategically has in safe zones. The sun room is the new wild west with an elaborate train system getting people to and fro. On the driveway, he has his “mud creek” construction team who is always changing the layouts of piping and blocks to help with the rain fall. My new favorite is playing Harry Potter with him where we basically play an elaborate hide and seek game around the yard screaming spells at each other.
George is incredibly smart. He takes in information like a sponge. He loves to give you random facts about things, and he always has something to say about every subject. ALWAYS something to say and a story to tell.
On the flip side though, he is one of those people that if he does not care about the topic, he is not going to put his energy into it. For example, he says he hates reading and writing. However, he loves to make signs for the various worlds he has created with toys, and cataloging his finds in his notebook. But, because he has chosen the topic, he perfects the writing. We have had to navigate some pieces here since at school you don’t always get to choose the topic or activity or timing. So we are constantly trying to be creative on how to refocus his energy and tailor it to him, but also work within other’s expectations.
If he does focus and put his energy towards something, watch out. I truly believe that he is the type of person who is going to invent some thing some day or cure cancer because he doesn’t think in conventional methods. His mind is always going trying to see beyond the simple and dissect things. That’s why it is so hard with academics. I want him to do well and succeed, but at the same time his intelligence cannot be harnessed in the same way that I defined academic success. It’s definitely a humble reminder especially since my job is student success on the college level.
I am in awe of his confidence and passion. While it is sad to leave the littleness behind, I am excited to see what the new year brings and see where his interests continue to take shape.
If you will excuse me, this newly seven year old wants to make a tornado in our kitchen.
findingmyyellow.com 