I write this in the first few months of the corona virus pandemic (or the sickness as you and your sister refer to it). I don't know how this will read when I give these letters to you, but I wanted to put it on record just in case :) You have adapted well to the restrictions on your life due to the pandemic; to be honest, you're such a homebody that being told to stay home and not go anywhere is actually a delight for you. Plus, the fact that our house is big enough both inside and out for you and Sophie to spend endless hours playing together also helps, and the the fact that you have incredible powers of concentration and a great ability to keep yourself entertained. That's not to say you don't love it when me and your mom come to join your games, but we're less necessary than we have been in previous years. Again, part of this is that Sophie is growing up to be an excellent playmate - this enforced time in quarantine has really brought you even closer together and there's continuous giggles and chatter wherever you two happen to be.
This year has brought about some changes to our house too. Last June we got Leo, and it's been interesting watching you learn to be around him. You're still not 100% sure about how to play with him, but you certainly love him, and he will follow you wherever you go (especially when you whistle to him!). You don't necessarily go find him to play with, but if he's there and around, you'll pat and kiss him and tell him how handsome he is (as we all do!). We also got 4 chickens last month, and you seem much more at home with them. We've nicknamed you the chicken whisperer because they always seem to come and sit near (and on!) you whenever we take them out.
After much deliberation, you named your chicken Raichu after one of your favorite Pokemon characters, and that has really been the story of the last year. We can't quite remember when you started to get invested in Pokemon, but you went from being a kid with a few cards in a binder to fit in with your friends at after school care to a full obsession with easily over 1,000 cards in your possession. I think it's neat how much you know and care about the characters, about how they evolve and what their types and powers are. You are much less interested in playing the card game (which is a bummer as I'm very keen to play!) than you are organizing, sorting and drawing the Pokemon. The walls in your room are quickly becoming full of your pictures, and you've got a great talent for copying from the cards onto paper easily. I'm excited to see how this drawing talent develops, and it's allowed me and your mom to talk about how we get better through endless practice rather than just expecting ourselves to be good at something.
This applies to your interest in hockey, which I'm still a little confused by. You are keen to go to every practice, but while you're out on the ice, you seem miserable and like you don't want to be there. It's hard to watch you play without being able to talk to you about what's going on in your head (there was one time when you were skating behind the goal when the puck was at the other end!), but you come out of practice telling me you enjoyed it and that you felt like you were improving. I will always encourage to follow your heart, even if I'm not sure about what your heart is telling you, so assuming we can get back on the ice in the fall, I'm sure we'll be there again. To help you out, we bought you a pair of inline skates (as something you and Momma can both do!) so I'm hoping that will help with your skating skills. You've been out on them regularly so let's see what the summer brings.
Overall, you continue to be that kind-hearted, thoughtful kid that you've always been. You have a funny sense of humor (that is still potty themed - how much longer?!?) and enjoy teasing people (and by people I mean me - you currently call me Bubbles which I worry will stick). You have a great curiosity about the world and how it works - you love to read non-fiction books and will happily relay facts and stories that you found out when reading in your room during rest time and at night. You love to have stories read to you - we've pretty much covered the entire Andrew Clements back catalog, and we like to talk about what's going to happen next and why characters acted the way they did. You're less sure about reading out loud; you can do it, and you have a fantastic sight vocabulary, but you don't enjoy it very much. That's something I want to help you learn to love, as a favorite part of my day is getting to read to you.
I don't know what the next year will look in terms of school, travel or socializing, but I do know that for now what you have here at home is enough for you, and that will always be enough for me. If we do need to get out, me, you and Sophie have just started geocaching, we started our camping career with a night out at Nana and Papa's, and we're already planning bigger hikes this summer. But for now, a set of Pokemon cards, a pencil and your sister is all you need to be happy; may you always find joy in the small things in life.
Love you, Jakey bear (which we can't call you!)
Dada
