Dear Mikey Bug –
You are finally 8! I am not sure why, but 8 seems very … kid. Also, I am too young to have an 8-year-old, but here we are. This was a big year for you kiddo, and Daddy and I got to see you grow and change so closely because we’ve spent SO much time together! You continue to be an incredibly sweet, empathetic kid – almost to a fault. You are my cautious kiddo, always thinking 10 steps ahead. I think this year was the first time you crossed the street alone, which you thought long and hard about.
This was also a challenging year because we were (and still are) dealing with Covid19 and the restrictions that we took to keep everyone safe. Our holidays were different because we didn’t see family. We didn’t have playdates or visit many cool places or even restaurants. Despite a few tough days for you being stuck inside, you handled it SO well. Probably better than Daddy and I did. This is mostly because you wanted to keep everyone safe, which you reminded me of quite a bit. You were our ‘mask police’ and made sure we had ours on and wore it properly.
{Big Brother Status} This was the year! The year you finally became a big brother and holy smokes did you embrace that role. When people ask how you are doing with Hannah, my response is always the same – you both are obsessed with each other. You live to make her smile and sometimes love too hard.
You are so cautious all the time with her and I thought you would implode when she fell off the bed under your watchful eye. You even told me you didn’t want her to walk because it was ‘dangerous’! Any time you walk in the door she lights up. I love to watch your relationship blossom and I hope every day that you both take care of each other. You love being a big brother.
{Virtual Learning} Thanks to COVID19, your school year was different. For the first part, you were going to daycare and they were helping you through your learning online. You were doing okay there, then I started working from home and we pulled you out of daycare and man, we were over virtual learning QUICK at that point. Right now we are counting down the days – 7. We are excited to have you back in school 5 days a week in the fall, but in the meantime, you are super tech savvy, which has been fun to watch.
{Beach Trip} In January we all needed a break from being stuck inside our house, so we found an AirBnB at Ocean City, packed everyone up and decided to go look at four different walls. It was the first trip for Hannah and you made sure she had a great time. It was chilly, but we had fun sitting on the beach with Stomp Rockets, watching TV in bed, walking on the boardwalk, and playing indoor mini-golf. We liked the condo so much, we rented it then and there for our summer vacation!
{Video Games} You have turned into quite a gamer! We bought the Nintendo Switch a bit over a year ago and we have had such a great time playing video games together. You also use the iPad to play games like Roblox and Minecraft. Video games have come a long way since Daddy and I were kids. It is a lot of fun to see you create worlds and learn new skills.
My little love, it’s been a year of ups and downs but we have met the challenges head on and I hope you have grand memories of the year you were 7 and quarantined for the majority of it. I hope you remember our sleepovers in your room, playing Untitled Goose Game with Dad, chasing Monster Truck RCs and Stomp Rockets in the field, and how much time we all spent together.
I have a feeling being 8 is going to be the best age yet!
Love,
Momma xoxo
