Dear Harry,
Well, you’re already 5 ½ and I cannot believe that in a few
weeks you’ll be starting Kindergarten. This summer has been so much fun
spending time with you and your brother. You two are becoming such great
friends lately (wrestling, cracking each other up, and playing together more
and more as Ellis gets bigger).
We’ve enjoyed our backyard more than ever this summer now
that we have our new patio. It’s been fun swimming in our little blow-up pool
and having water balloon fights together in the heat. We’ve also built quite a
few fires in our new fire pit and had lots of family and friends over to roast
marshmallows and enjoy s’mores together.
You grew about two inches since your birthday, and as summer
has been winding down we can tell you are more than ready for school to start.
You love reading chapter books with Daddy and I...and you’ve got quite a few
sight words and decoding strategies under your belt. You’ve also got some great
math strategies for adding and subtracting which we talk about throughout the
day. You’re so excited to wear your new red sneakers and Power Ranger backpack
on the school bus (which you’ll be riding with your friends Mason and Gavin). I’m
honestly not sure that I can quite handle seeing you climb on that big yellow
school bus yet. It really seems like you were just Ellis’ age, toddling around
and learning to talk...and now you’re about to head off into Elementary School.
It just doesn’t seem possible, but here we are.
My hope and prayer for you Harry, is that you will be a kind
boy to everyone you meet this year. God loves you so much and I am sure that he
will use your creativity and enthusiasm for life to show other people how much
He loves them too. There will certainly be challenging moments this year when your
character is tested, when kids are mean or situations tempt you to be selfish
or react out of frustration. I’m sure you’ll make mistakes as you navigate this
whole new place, but I promise to lovingly guide you along the way. I know you’ll
do great things as you grow in your independence; I am already so proud of who
you are Harry. You probably get sick of hearing this phrase, but you truly are
my blessing.
Five (and a half) years ago you made me a mom, and I’m still
surprised sometimes by how immense my love for you is. The funny thing is, as
much as I loved you from the moment I knew you were growing in my belly...I
love you more today than ever before. Sending you off to school feels a little
bit like sending you off into the world, and I guess in a way it is. Maybe that’s
why I’m sitting here at my computer with tears streaming down my face while I
write you this letter. I love the boy you are growing into, and part of me just
wants to hold onto this stage of life and never let you go. But I know that God
created you to live your life to the fullest, and growing up and going to
school is just part of that plan.
I’m really going to miss spending so much time with you
during the week, but I cannot wait to hear about your adventures at recess, the
new friendships you’ll be making, and what kinds of things you will learn about
in your classroom. I know it’s going to be great! I’ll try to keep it together
on the first day, but I’m sure I’ll shed a few tears after you get onto the
bus...and I’ll be counting down the hours until brother and I get to meet you
at the bus stop and hear all about your first day!
Love always,
Your Mama
