Happy 13th Birthday Isaac!

Yep, this post is late. It's the holidays;). 2019 was the start of middle school. You attended Reynolds Middle School. Some might be nervous about starting MS but not you. Or at least you didn't let on if you were. You were cool as a cucumber, ready to take on this new adventure. You have a few classes with friends like Sam, Owen, and Grayson. The classes you didn't know anyone, you made friends. School was just school, at least for awhile... In March we went skiing in Colorado for Spring Break. You are a good skier but cautious and concerend about the safety of Mac;0. You take your time and do as you were taught. It is really interesting to me how you approach skiing. Most of the time, you don't care much to completely follow the rules. Skiing though, you really do as you should and go at a quick but reasonable pace. And you do not appreciate the speed at which Mac races down the hills. Thankfully we all survived without any broken bones or major accidents. At the end of the trip, Coronavirus took over the world. The slopes closed right after we left. There were lots of questions about this virus. It was scary. Hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and toilet paper were hard to find. If you were lucky enough to locate some at a store, you were only allowed to purchase one package per family. With so many questions and so much sickness, you finished sixth grade online. You didn't love online school and preferred the social opportunities that school provideed. But you rolled with it and finished the year like a champ. You did miss the variety in the day so many times you would ride with me to the store. You did't usually go into the store because of all the germs but you went to just get out of the house. If you did go into a store, masks were required. That's the new norm. Thankfully, we managed through and got to summer. You continued with soccer for as long as it lasted. The season was cancelled mid-way through but you still love soccer. This was the second year doing "Monday Funday" or "Tuesday Put on Your Shoes Day" or "Wednesday Let's Be Friends Day" or "Friday Friyay!" during the summer. I guess Thursdays never worked for activities because I can't think of what we would have called it.;0 Not much rhymes with Thursday. Regardless, we had our fun times all the other week days. This idea started last summer when I was working 3-4 days a week. I spent the my off days running errands so I knew we needed to have a plan if we were going to enjoy the summer. This summer we went to the movies, the water park, Top Golf, and we even had a poker tournament. I think you won. One day we went to Outback Steakhouse to have steaks to try a new restaurant. Normally we are too cheap for that. One week we made our own movie theater at home and watched Toy Story 3. It was a dine-in theater with menus and wait staff (Mom). It was hard to get out and do stuff this summer because so much was closed but we made the best of it and purposefully spent time together. That was the point after all. We ended summer with the annual whipped cream fight. You're a little big to get in on all the madness but your friends come and you just attack each other. Seventh grade started up normally, an answered prayer. Many schools delayed the start because of Covid but Prosper kept it's original start date and we were all blessed for it. Lots of precautions were put in place but they made it as safe as we could have hoped for. Masks were required. Desks were separated. Water fountains are not in use. It's different but you're in the building learning so that feels like a win! We haven't yet celebrated your birthday but you have hopes of a trampoline part with the guys. I'm working on that. First, I had to finish this blog;0 Isaac, you just outgrew me.:( You are becoming an awesome young man and no matter how hard I try, I cannot slow it down. You are taking on new challenges all the time without fear or reservation. You are a good kid and care about what others think of you but in a good way. You might not show it but you care. You have a hidden, tender heart. Once in awhile, will you please let Mac hug you? I love you Ike! Happy 13th Birthday!!