Dear Ezra,
Happy 10th birthday! You’re a decade old now. That blows my mind. What a special ten years it has been.
The past year was hopefully filled with lots of great memories for you.
We started off year nine by chopping off your hair. You, Micah, and I were out to dinner together and you told me that you wanted to get your haircut, so we went home and I got out my clippers and we shaved most of it off. You immediately said you were going to grow it out again. And that’s what you’ve done, with a couple trims in between.
Not too long after your birthday we took a trip to Okoboji. Lane came with us and you had a great time playing games, making your room into a “swamp,” and going to a water park inside of a hotel nearby.
When the weather got a bit warmer you spent a lot of time playing outside. You learned to ride around on your new roller blades, too.
For spring break mom took you and Micah out to Indiana to spend time with Grandma Terri. At the time you didn’t know that she had been diagnosed with cancer, but we knew that spending time with her was going to be important. She was having testing done while you were there. Time with Grandma Terri and Grandpa Jerry and BB are always special to you.
You finished third grade and moved into the summer schedule. You still never sleep in. Almost always up well before 7:00 am. One day I assume this will change, but it has not thus far.
We took a special trip out to Galveston, Texas in the summer. We rented a minivan and Grandma Cindy came with us. That made the trip pretty special. It was your first time to go to the ocean, too. We spent an entire week there, and although it was very hot and sunny, we had a great time. Our AirBnb was very nice. We even ate a nice steak dinner on the back patio. We were only a couple blocks from the beach, and we were able to walk to and from the beach so easily. We spent one day at Pleasure Pier there and you rode all the rides. We also rode the trolley around Galveston, and one day you were sadly stung by a jellyfish when we went to a different beach hoping to find some good shells. You were a champ about it, and it eventually made for a good story.
We went to Okoboji with our Boys Town family, too, and had a great time playing in the water there and riding the boats. You love to be near water and play with the rocks and sand. We also returned to Okoboji for Micah’s birthday weekend, and this time we took along Grandma Cindy. We took the boat around the lake and you even “drove” it around for a while.
You started fourth grade well, and have been learning a lot. Your reading skills have continued to improve. You still go to piano lessons each week and you play the cello now, too. In fact you had an orchestra performance at school the same day you had your piano recital later that night. That was your second recital of the year. Earlier in the year you played in a piano recital and mom joined you. You even played a duet with her. That was a really special day, too. I really enjoy seeing you have so much fun playing the piano. You often come home and practice the piano after school. I think that’s really neat.
You helped mom with her garden in the spring and summer and fall. So many tomatoes and peppers and sugar snap peas! In the fall you helped pick cherries and mulberries with her to make into jam.
You love playing Xbox, mostly Goat Simulator. You recently started learning Japanese on Duolingo. You practice that every day to keep your streak alive. I think you’re up to 27 days in a row today.
We visited Grandma Terri in the fall, and then again over Christmas. We are trying to spend as much time as we can with her to help show her how much we love her and feel sad that she has to suffer because of cancer. She very much loves her time with you and our family, too. Grandma Terri also got another dog this year, Neville, and we learned pretty quickly just how different he was than BB.
Mom usually takes you to school in the mornings, and I usually pick you up. Sometimes when I pick you up I look back at you. You are often lost in thought, quiet in the back and looking out the window. I just look at you and think about how special this time in life is. You’re smart and funny and a thoughtful kid. I really love that you’re my son. I love that you enjoy hanging out with me, too.
A few weekends ago we had a guys’ weekend when mom went out with some friends. And that was such a special weekend for me. We watched the movie Perfect Days together. We had meals together. We watched episodes of Anthony Bourdain talking about different cultures and food. And we just hung out and had a wonderful time. I think I’ll always remember that weekend as a special time with you.
We are currently in Lincoln, Nebraska spending the weekend in a hotel and enjoying time together as a family. We spent time in the pool and hot tub last night, and you even got in the sauna with me for a few minutes.
What a fun year it’s been. There’s plenty more that I could have mentioned, like another trip to FunPlex, and the couple weeks together with just you, Micah and Grandma Cindy when your mom and I went to the Dominican Republic and later to Germany. Those were special times, too. But today I’m mostly thinking about how proud I am of how much you’ve grown this past year. You are insightful and witty. You are perceptive and loving.
I think you’ll think back to this past year fondly. It was filled with special trips and experiences. I look forward to the next year, as well. Ten sounds so old to me! But I am soaking it all up. It’s so good to be your dad. I love you and am so proud of you.
Love,
Dad
Stepping Back 