Sophie at 11

 Dear Sophie, Soph, Sophinator, SweetPea, Lopins, Lopinsy Popinsy,

And just like that you're 11 and all finished with 5th grade. It's been another wonderful year watching you grow (both mentally and physically!) and you continue to be a sweet kind hearted person with a solid level of self-confidence that makes somewhat of an unstoppable force. I guess that's why at the recent RYSA sports awards, you were given the Kindness and Brick Wall awards! You've had another great year of soccer, and it's quickly become your go-to sport, a place of not just fitness but a place where you're able to use your strength and your intelligence, and somewhere to make some good friends (and invite Emma along the way!). We made the playoffs this year, but you had somehow tripped over air at recess and broke your fingers so you had to miss the last few games of the season. While this was tough on you, you still turned up to practice and cheered everyone on from the sidelines (I think you became the unofficial snack manager for the team!), and you've told me you're ready to come back for more in the fall. You're also interested in trying out for the school team (imagine you and Emma bossing the defense out there!) so there could a lot of soccer on your horizon. I still adore being your coach, and watching you organize the defense and stand strong against all attackers, often coming away with the ball and looking for a great pass. Long may you find joy on the soccer field.

You've continued on your "renaissance woman' trajectory, taking on as many interests as you can both in school and at home. You played basketball for the school B team this year, and while your team wasn't super successful, you had a good time with Coach Pagnotta, and I would guess that you'll sign up for it again. However, you also got involved in the school play, and the director made space for you as a stage hand which you enjoyed greatly. The play rehearsals and basketball seasons do overlap so it'll be interesting to see where you land next year. 

You've continued with the clarinet at school, and you tell me you're going to play again next year, but the piano is still your favorite instrument. You and Miss Mary continue to be as thick as thieves, and even when you couldn't use your right hand, she found some great left hand only pieces for you to play (and you played left hand flute on the piano when you couldn't play clarinet in the end of year concert!). You're playing pieces that sound wonderfully complex, and your whole schedule is always built around keeping Monday evenings free for piano. When we went to Italy and Slovenia this summer, you discovered a grand piano at Boston airport and put on quite the performance without your books in front of you! We're headed to see Auntie Caz in a few weeks, so I think you'll have some fun showing her what you've been up to. 

You've really got into letter writing this year, and you keep yourself stocked with pens, paper, stamps and wax seals. It's quite the process, but one that we are keen for you keep up. I would say Allie's girlies are the main recipients of it, but you've also managed to keep in touch with your friends like Anne who moved to a new school mid-year. Thinking about friendships, you've continued with pretty much the same crew as last time round. Your party was a sleepover at Papa's with Tessa, Martin and Anne and it was as goofy as it sounds. We're taking Emma down to see Boston Legacy when we get back from traveling this summer, and I wonder where that friendship will go as you two are always giggling and chatting whenever we ride together for soccer or camp stuff. Tessa has wrangled you for your first sleepaway camp in August and I think you're excited for it - you're enough of an adventurer that being away from home won't be an issue and you've got an open mind and a natural way of making new friends that I think you're going to love it. 

Overall, you're just a sweet, fun, goofy kid to hang out with. You have a very caring side (your current career goal is to be a therapist for kids, and I keep getting offered terrible therapy sessions with Old Sophie on car rides!), and you LOVE going to Dedham to see the crazies or to Marblehead to see Henry and Claire. You were asked to join a mental health leadership team in the fall school because your kindess and leadership skills, and you were quite taken with some of the non-academic awards being given out at Jake's graduation. I can see you looking to take on more responsibilities at school as it also fits with your "I want to try everything" approach to life. 

It'll be weird this year, I think, for you not to have Jake with you at school, especially as you'll have to get yourself to the bus on time each morning! However, you're confident enough and well organized enough that you'll succeed at whatever it is that captures your imagination this coming year. As always, your mom and I will be your cheerleaders, doing whatever we can to support you with your many dreams and watching you continue to grow up into a wonderful human being.

With all my love,

Dad, Daaaad, Plebster

Jake at 14

 Dear Jake, Jake-a, Iaccoppo,

14 sounds like such a large number, and the idea that I have a kid who will be starting high school in the fall feels somewhat wild to me. I guess part of it is that I don't see you show many of the typical 8th grade behaviors that I see at school, and you continue be a thoughtful, funny and considerate kind of kid (you'll always check in on me and Momma when we get home each day). Speaking of school, you have a few weeks left of Strafford School, and when you and I talk about it, you're the typical mix of being ready to be done with grade school (especially with some of the recess nonsense that has come your way this year!), being excited to meet new people at high school (you in particular want to find people who are more interested in soccer than your current crew) and being nervous about how what high school will bring. We had a good long discussion about your math courses in particular, with both us and your math teacher believing you to be capable of AP math courses, and you being somewhat hesistant due to the homework and rigor of the classes. I'm hoping that once you get in there and you realize that you are capable of it, and that sometimes putting in the extra effort is worth it, that you'll continue to push yourself more.

On that note, this year has been fun for you and me as gym buddies. We signed you on your birthday last year, and we've probably averaged around once a week since then. You like to take your airpods and jam out as you work out, but we also hang out on the machines together, and it's a good motivation to get myself to the gym on those days when I could easily sit on the couch. While you've spent most of the year just bumbling around on the various equipment, you've become more focused recently on building your strength and pushing yourself, discovering the magical feeling of endorphins as a result. You're eyeing up freshman soccer this fall, so we'll need to be hitting the gym hard to get you in shape if you want to realize your dreams of making the team.

Soccer continues to be a massive part of your life. We found you a much better home with Maximum Velocity this year. Not only did they run a year round program so we didn't have to scramble for a spring soccer option, but the coaches are more focused on development and equal playing instead of results. While the team's results haven't always been stellar, you come home from each practice and game saying you had fun and that you're enjoying yourself. It's time for tryouts and signups for next year, and you've emphatically told us you want to do it again, so I'm delighted that your soccer confidence has returned. You've also being playing for Northwood Bears who put together a rec team to bring together potential freshmen, and you chose 27 as your new shirt number for Nana. You continue to find good ways to honor her legacy and her memory.

You also became a patched referee this year, which has been a great source of personal growth (and financial gains!) for you. The idea that you, who never really likes to be the center of attention, will take charge of games and stand up to mean coaches and parents in a calm and collected way is great to see (if not a little stressful to watch!). You're already planning on how to make your fortune again over the fall, especially as we've found a couple of soccer shirt stores nearby (best birthday day ever!) to continue to expand your collection. 

Your core group of friends continues to be the same with a few ins and outs. While it's hard to get a gauge on how things go when you hang out (you and Michael will just sit and play games on your phones as we drive you around to various soccer things!), I keep an eye on your chats on your phone and it's good to see the friendly banter and respect you have for each other, especially when things got tough with middle school soccer and basketball drama. You're beginning to open up with me and Momma more about things at school, and you've found Momma in particular to be a sounding board with "car drama" where you tell her all the dating gossip. You don't share much about your own crushes or dating, but knowing that you've got an open line of communication with us will be important as you navigate high school.

Finally, you're learning to explore your freedoms and find ways to push your independence. On our recent trip to Slovenia, you absolutely delighted in renting city bikes with and going on somewhat directionless rides just to go explore. You've definitely caught the travel bug, and you're taking us to Barcelona this summer with a lot of things that you're excited to see and do, including renting more bikes of course! I will always feed this sense of discovery and adventure with you as it'll be something that will sustain you through your early adulthood. You do still love to be at home (you did back to back trips to Europe and your class trip to DC and towards the end of it you told us you were just ready to be home with Patronus and your own bed!) and your spare time still sees you playing Minecraft inside or basketball outside. You've become interested in cooking and you're enjoying using AI to create recipes to try (last night was a homemade Big Mac sauce, but you've also made spice mixes and delicious pizza sauce recipes). Again, I'll support this as much as you'll take it as cooking has always been a creative outlet for me, as well as a source of relaxation and enjoyment. 

This year ahead promises to one of big change as you leave the familiar and start on the next leg of your school journey. I think you have a solid toolkit of personal strategies and strengths to adapt and grow, and as always, Momma and I (and Sophie!) will be right behind you as your biggest cheerleaders and sources of comfort and support to make this year successful.

Love you with all my heart,

Web, Plebster, Dad