Fish Family

Monday, March 22, 2021

Lofton,

ELEVEN. Double bacon! My heart has a pause when I think about how on earth you could be eleven. What a year it has been! In some ways, more than ever, I feel like you just turned 10. We. Had. A. Year. Everyone did.

2020-your 10th year leading up to this day was wild. Your birthday marks a year since our world literally shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While your year wasn't defined by only that, I can't talk about the year and not talk about this huge global event. There were trying times in our lockdown, but there were also really amazing times where we got to spend more time together and slow down in ways we would have never been able to do in your 10-year-old scheduled life! It was likely a gift that we will continue to realize as you get older. I'm never going to complain about more time with you.

While there were some disappointments and canceled trips, events, and milestones, there were also some really wonderful things to celebrate and do. Though delayed until the summer, you had a tremendous baseball season. You pitched through the summer heat and did an amazing job. I love watching you play any sport, but your calm demeanor in baseball is really fun to watch. This fall, you hung up your soccer cleats (sorry, Dad) and tried flag football for the first time and loved it! You love a good acrobatic catch in the end zone and there were several that would've made SportsCenter Top 10. Basketball remains your first love, and you put in A LOT, I mean A LOT, of time playing over quarantine. I mentioned several times that I could picture you one day being interviewed after a Final Four run and them asking what you credit your expertise in shooting to and you referencing the hours you put in over quarantine in 2020! You finally got to put your practice to the test in a season, that felt like a gift. This winter, because school sports were shut down, you played on a new team with your best friend, Jack, and LOVED it. You were a great leader on the court, your basketball IQ is high, your defense was solid, and you scored when needed, but dished off assists with finesse! You absolutely loved it this season and it was so fun to watch. Your team fell short in the semi-finals, but I have a feeling the Grizzlies will be back. :)

Your interests are consistent, with a few new additions. You've really gotten into the NBA with the Celtics and Nets being your favorite teams. You also just follow players you like and will watch a highlight on any team. You'll play on your Switch (NBA2k & Animal Crossing are your favs), with Teenymates, outside throwing or playing with any ball (football, basketball, baseball), or with Legos anywhere anytime. You still LOVE lovies and it's pointless to even try to count how many you sleep with...I'm pretty sure it's over 60, but I won't tell Dad! Bear Bear is still #1 and always will be, but any stuffed animal, food, or blanket will do. It keeps you little to me, which little does these days, so I'll take it and feed the obsession! You find comfort and security with your favorite dog, Ozzie and no one loved our quarantined time more than he did.

Lofton, you continue to amaze us with how well you take on life. You are a Renaissance Man--great at school, sports, a good friend, anything you try really. You continue to excel in math and at the end of last school year (while in virtual learning even) you moved up a math class again and are in the top 7th grade class doing schoolwork I can no longer help you with this school year! Last year, you were the recipient of the Division Head award for leadership and academic excellence for your grade. In December, you won the Language Art award and the Art award for your grade, which just proved again how well-rounded you are. All that is wonderful, but mostly I'm still just overwhelmingly proud of the friend and leader you are in your school and life. As a school Ambassador, you host visitors, serve your peers, and lead on the kickball field, in the classroom, and in the halls. I still feel so blessed to be able to watch you when you don't know I'm watching, having you at school with me. I see glimpses of how kind you are and how sensitive you are to your friends needs every day. When I don't see, others let me know. I pray you continue to be kind and compassionate. You will always contribute to the world around you with those traits guiding the way.

This year allowed you to have a lot of time with your best friend, Jack. Luke and Myla are still tops in your book and there's never enough time with them. While Dad and I are your biggest fans, Nana and Pop are close behind and they logged so many miles coming to watch you play sports and just to give you a hug in the chaos. You LOVE to travel and despite having a few trips canceled, we still managed to get to the beach, to Disney (Happy 40th to me!) and to Colorado where you became a skilled snowboarder! Seeing you fearlessly and fast head down the mountain made me so proud of you and so in awe of your courage, perseverance, and athleticism.

Lofton, Dad and I love you so much and our pride for you is limitless. As you are getting older, our worry is also increasing. We pray and labor over the young man you will grow to be and the life we long for you. We know with age and maturity come bigger decisions and moments. We pray for you to continue to seek and know Jesus and to one day invite him to be your Lord and Savior. We pray for school decisions that are coming this year ahead. We pray that you stay safe as you begin to become a more independent and adventurous pre-teen. We pray for you to always love home and know that you are safe and loved in our pack. As our voices become softer in your ears, we pray that the voices that increase in volume are ones that pour into your life and that your strong foundation of love, compassion, and kindness show the way.

I'm confident ELEVEN will prove to be a year that is defined by you and only you. Your confidence and energy (and good hair, you'll remind me) will lead you this year. As always, know you are loved and you are my favorite.

I love you the most.

Mom

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Happy 10th Birthday Lofton!

Happy 10th Birthday Smalls!

2011-First Birthday Letter

2012-Second Birthday Letter

2013-Third Birthday Letter

2014-Fourth Birthday Letter

2015-Fifth Birthday Letter

2016-Sixth Birthday Letter

2017-Seventh Birthday Letter

2018-Eighth Birthday Letter

2019-Ninth Birthday Letter

Lofton,

TEN. Double digits! A whole decade. I truly can’t believe that it’s the year 2020 and I have a ten year old. In fact, I have an amazing ten year old. While I’m a bit sad you’re growing up so fast, you get cooler every day and I enjoy time with you as you are maturing and our relationship grows as you do. I really treasure time with you and am so proud to be your mom.

It has been quite a year! Travel, academic achievements, tremendous growth athletically, and more. However, one of the things I love the most is that at your core, you are the same, kind, caring, and thoughtful kid. You love to compete, but you’re a good sport. You have a tight group of friends, but you are so kind and everyone considers you their friend. You have confidence that could literally move mountains and has held strong as you’ve started Middle School, but you are never boastful. You are strong, but sensitive and reflective. You look out for others and want peace for all. You love your family, your lovies (some things never change), your dog (yes, you broke me and we got a dog!), time creating a world in your Legos, playing point and shooting guard in basketball, infield and relief pitcher in baseball, and being the glue on your soccer team. You still love my spaghetti, have grown to love Mexican day at school thanks to your homemade nachos, and if a sweet is involved, ice cream calls your name (that’s my boy)! You’re into video games, but not obsessed and thankfully you have enjoyed time in our pool at our new house! Yes, it’s been a big year, but such a great one.

I experienced some of my favorite moments ever with you this year. At the end of last school year, I watched you accept the school’s prestigious Leadership Award. It was such a great ending to your time in the Lower School at Currey Ingram. You truly earned it and we were so proud to hear all the things your teachers said about you and celebrate your strength in Leadership. Over the summer, we made memories galore by traveling to 30A, Orlando, and New York City! My favorite day ever was a day you and I had at Disney, just the two of us, while dad was at a conference. In one day, without even meaning to or planning to, we conquered all 4 parks, used 9 fast passes, collected pressed pennies throughout Magic Kingdom, and I had the pleasure of spending the day saying YES to everything you wanted to do! It was so much fun, so unexpected, and yes, so magical! It is my favorite day ever, to this point in my life. Then, in July, we took you (with Nana & Pop) to New York City. This was your 9th birthday gift—a trip to see your beloved Yankees play. Despite record highs in temperature, we had a great time visiting landmarks, riding public transportation, and of course, staying in a hotel, your favorite! I think you left the trip glad you had seen it, but not eager to move to the city anytime soon.

In August, you entered Middle School as a 9-year old 5th grader. I was probably more apprehensive than you, but I think you were uncertain of what to expect. If there’s such a thing as rocking Middle School, you’re doing it! The nickname, Smalls, has seemed to stick the most in the halls of the Middle School, and I received this text from a Middle School faculty member on a trip for grades 5-8 to start the year…”I don’t know what Lofton’s end goal was in giving himself the name Smalls, but if it was to go to a field trip and have all the Middle School girls calling out to him, then he succeeded!” You are a popular kid—manager for the volleyball team, on Student Council (“Go Big, Vote for Smalls”), point guard for the basketball team, and friends with all kids from all grades. However, you really seem to use your influence for good. Recently, I got to watch you play 4-square with some of your peers. It was a small glimpse into your world. You were competitive, but so kind and encouraging. Everyone wanted to get you out, but you took it in stride and had a little smirk of pride when you got them despite their collective efforts to come at you, but then you gave the a nod of respect when they got you and took your place in line. You simply navigate relationships, school, and yes, even Middle School, with such ease and grace. I feel so fortunate to get these little glimpses into your day at school, with you at CIA with me.

You’ve really had some clutch moments this year. You were the leading scorer for the season on the Middle School Green team, combined of kids from 5-7 grade. Last spring, your baseball team, the Yankees (you got lucky in this name assignment!) won the championship, thanks to your pitching in the final innings. You came in with the team down and the pressure on and with ice water in your veins, you struck out batters, through clutch strikes, and got some great hits to propel your team to victory! You are still a rockstar in math, excelling in an advanced 6th grade math class. Not everything comes easy to you, but you work hard and strive to do your best.

Physically you’ve changed quite a bit in a year. You had braces to align your front four teeth, along with an expander, face mask, and now a retainer. You’ve hated every step—especially the mold making, but one day you’ll thank me for your straight smile. :) You have grown out your hair and are rocking a new style and you remind me often, “I’ve got great hair!” There’s something about Middle School that just makes you look older and more mature. And yes, you’re handsome!

The biggest news for the year is probably that you talked your dad and I into getting you a dog, Ozzie Smith Buckles Fish. You advocated for a dog for quite some time and just continued to make such a strong case for needing one. I broke. Ozzie is cute and he is your best friend, so I’m coming around…slowly. It’s rocked our world a bit, but to see you so joyful with him brings me joy.

Finally, it’s just so important to say that Dad and I are so proud of your 10-year old self. You’re such a good kid. It sounds cliche, but the truth is the truth. You make parenting easy, you’re kind and respectful, and you work hard in school and do anything we need you to do. You have good friends and are a good friend. From my original prayer for you, you are kind and compassionate. You love your family (Myla and Luke are still bff cousins you never see enough) and still crave time at home. You feel safe with your stuffed animals around you, but bring security to our family by being consistent, funny, quick witted, and oh so sweet.

You are my favorite.

Love,

Mom

Friday, March 22, 2019

Happy 9th Birthday, Smalls!

2011-First Birthday Letter
2012-Second Birthday Letter
2013-Third Birthday Letter
2014-Fourth Birthday Letter
2015 -Fifth Birthday Letter
2016-Sixth Birthday Letter
2017 -Seventh Birthday Letter
2018-Eighth Birthday Letter

Lofton,

Lofton, LB, Smalls (that's what you really want to be called)...my favorite. I can't believe you're 9. Each year seems to zoom by now, which probably has something to do with how insanely busy you are these days! Between soccer, baseball, basketball, Singing Stallions, Student Council, 4th grade leader duties, and piano lessons, you're booked more than I care to admit. However, we are never too busy to celebrate YOU! So again, Happy Birthday!

With such varied interests, it seems difficult to sum you up in a way that will fully capture you at 9-years old. You're wise beyond your years, incredibly empathetic, and always a compassionate, sweet kid at heart. You have a witty sense of humor, that mostly adults seem to understand, you are kind and accepting of others, and you can ease into most any situation in a way that others, including myself, envy. If you try it, you're good at it. If you practice it, you are really good at it! For all that you are willing to try and embrace, there are certain things that never change about you, and it's so sweet to see you hang onto those things that make you our Lofton.

This year, as a 4th grader, you have etched your name in the halls of your school for good! You take on leadership roles (4th grade leader, Student Council rep) and led your school's basketball team to a shockingly successful season (with me as your coach)! You excel in sports, math, and really just school in general. You still love playing soccer for Dad each fall, played on two basketball teams this winter, and are headed into your first season of kid-pitch baseball! You seem to love and play basketball the most, but whatever you're playing, you find a way to make it fun and to be a leader on the court or field. You are still (semi-reluctantly) taking piano lessons and performed a solo in the school's holiday program! Even if you don't love it, you're good at it. Math is your jam and you love tackling difficult problems and stumping your parents! That's getting pretty easy to do as you keep advancing and we are stuck with memories of solving for x!

While all these things are growing and changing and you keep finding ways to excel, you are still Lofton who loves (like more than anything) lovies, being at home, working on crafts with Nana, and building Legos. Your stuffed animal population keeps growing and I'd say it's too big except that you play with every "guy." They all have assigned superpowers and live in a hierarchy of family trees and good guy/bad guy alliances. Anyone in earshot should be prepared to be quizzed on any of the various ways they are named, sorted, and their place of origin! You are simple and staying little in that way and I will hang on to it as long as you.

You had a big year in terms of traveling this year! It was so much fun to get to explore and enjoy different places with you. You and I got to explore Washington D.C. together while dad was in a conference and it was like traveling with a friend. We explored the zoo, Capitol, monuments, Arlington, National Archives, Supreme Court, and so much more! You're easy to travel with and you enjoy being in new places. However, the thing you love the most is a hotel! This fall, you and I spent the night in a hotel in town for fall break and it was a blast! We had room service, swam, had races in the halls, and chilled all night in our room. We also had another AMAZING Buckles family trip to Disney last summer, which was the best! I love seeing you spend time with your cousins and you enjoy it so much. You and Luke are best buds, but all three of you enjoy time together and have so much in common. You love time with your family.

You're really starting to develop your own taste in fandoms for sports teams and as usual with you, they're opposite of teams we support, which humors you. You love the Nashville Preds, the Broncos, Oklahoma football, the Yankees, UK (puke), Duke, the Celtics, and the Golden State Warriors. Clearly lots of teams and mostly our team's rivals. You can oddly name nearly every NHL team, which seems to be a hobby you picked up from friends at school as you all love identifying NHL team logos and mascots. I have some work to do to catch up to your NHL knowledge. Thankfully you are well-rounded and stay up-to-date on NCAA basketball, the NFL, NBA, and MLB too.

Some big things lie ahead this year--we are trying to sell our house, you have orthodontic work ahead, Middle School is coming, and more traveling is planned! I think you are a bit hesitant about some of the "growing up" stuff you know is coming, but you just continue to get cooler with age and I know you'll tackle it with courage and confidence.

Long story short, I love you and you're my favorite, like ever. In this in between age for you, you are all the special things I love about you and that make you you and you are exploring new things that make me excited to see where your passions will lead you and we are so proud to be your parents. You make it easier than it should be and you're the MVP on our team!

Love,
Mom

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Happy 8th Birthday Lofton!

EIGHT!?!? Lately you've enjoyed looking at your baby books, which has been a great reminder of the last eight years with you. You have been so consistent in who you are and grown into such a handsome, smart, fun boy. When it comes to parenting you, you make it easy! I think you know that if it were any harder, I couldn't do it, so you just take it easy on me. As much as it's hard to think about you growing up, it's truly a joy to watch you grow and to watch you live! Here's to you, on your 8th Birthday, bug-a-boo (yep, still call you that!)...

2011-First Birthday Letter
2012-Second Birthday Letter
2013-Third Birthday Letter
2014-Fourth Birthday Letter
2015-Fifth Birthday Letter
2016-Sixth Birthday Letter
2017-Seventh Birthday Letter

Lofton,
Happy 8th Birthday, Smalls! You are working so hard on getting everyone to officially call you that, I figured I better address you that way to start. You put it on your schoolwork, proudly wear your "Smalls" shirt, and correct me when I call you Lofton. So, Smalls, HBD, you're one-of-a-kind!

This letter feels hard to write this year. I just love you so much and think you're the coolest person on Earth. My heart fills with joy just thinking about you, celebrating you, and reminiscing on our first 8 years together. It is simply a joy to be your mom and most often, you feel more like a friend I get to hang out with than someone I have to parent. I'll give it my best effort to sum you up on your 8th birthday, but man, it's hard to sum up someone so awesome with just words.

This was, in my opinion, your best year yet. You did some amazingly brave and cool things, and you grew in leaps and bounds in so many areas. First off, you skipped a grade and never skipped a beat. When your school's Division Head reached out to us about you skipping 2nd grade, we were anxious, but agreed it was the right decision for you. You were already working up academically, but felt you would be able to make stronger connections with peers if you were moved to 3rd grade. When we told you, you had no hesitations and were both thoughtful and considerate to your 2nd grade friends, and excited for the opportunity. You started as a 3rd grader this year with confidence and it has been your best year yet. You have a busy social schedule, you're still thriving academically, and you have stepped up to challenges offered to 3rd graders, that many of your older peers don't. You ran and won a position on Student Council, having to bravely give a speech to and campaign to your entire school. You chose to play this basketball season with your peers, which meant playing against older and bigger kids. In any assemblies or class presentations, you standout for your confidence and excellence, not as the youngest kid in your class! Just recently, you presented Thomas Edison in the 3rd Grade Wax Museum and you were the only one with your speech memorized and who delivered your presentation with clarity, looking every visitor in the eye and speaking loud and clear the facts you had researched! It was so impressive. Like I said, 3rd grade has been your best year yet.

In addition, this year you started piano lessons, played soccer, took tennis lessons, played on the school basketball team, and continued playing baseball. You fearlessly learned to snowboard in Colorado this winter. You also participated in choir at church, and as I said, you were elected as a Student Council representative from the 3rd grade. You grew a love for reading and writing your own graphic novels (think comics with a story) and really learned to write elaborate, fun stories. Your strength in school is still definitely in math, which you love to be challenged in and bring home problems you know we can't solve, but of course, you can. Also this year, you lost your first tooth and about 5 more after that. It's changed your looks a bit, but you get cuter every year, in my opinion--toothless or not.

One word that comes to mind when I think of how to describe you is independent. You show a lot of independence in all that you do. You, on your own, will choose to practice a new ball-handling move in basketball until you get it. You are completely satisfied playing on your own and sometimes prefer to. You never fret about being asked to do something on your own, and while you are great in a group of friends, you are completely content working or playing on your own. When you grow up, you want to be an inventor and I can see you going off on your own in a lab or workshop and creating something grand before you come back to the team to share and get to work!

When I think of your favorite things, not much has changed since you were able to choose your own things. You still love, and I mean love, snuggling with mom or your lovies! You are happiest when surrounded by a million stuffed animals and turning them into your own army or warriors, or dividing them up into good and bad guys. ALWAYS a good guy--Bear Bear! He still is #1 and this year, you've brought both 1- and 2-tagger into the mix, but 2-tagger remains the most loved. You really, and I mean have a million sets to prove it, really love Legos. You enjoy putting them together, but mostly you like to play with the new creation. As I said, you still love math, and also enjoy PE, reading, science, and art. While you don't love watching sports as much as you used to, you do love playing them. You're a coach's dream in that you practice outside of practice, take instruction, and always give your best. Your palette hasn't grown much and my spaghetti is still your all-time favorite food, but snack tray (crackers, cheese, and pepperoni) and mac-n-cheese are options you never turn down. When there's ice cream around, especially milkshakes, you are easy to find! You still enjoy playing games, video games, watching movies (Star Wars & Harry Potter), watching TV (Full House, Andy Griffith, and Little Big Shots), playing on the iPad and playing outside. You love the beach, particularly the Bahamas or "Rosemary," traveling, especially with Nana and Pop, and riding in airplanes. Finally, your favorite thing is definitely being at home. I think it's because we stay on the go so much and you're at school so long, but if given the option to do anything else or go home, you choose home every time. My little outgoing homebody!

I like to list the things you don't like, but you're so easy going it's hard to think of what those are with the exception of one thing...you despise showers. You don't throw fits about it, but you make it no secret that you do not like them. Like I said, pretty easy going! It's worth noting that as much as you like playing video games or on the iPad, when I ask you to be done, you turn it off, no questions asked, no whining, or begging for more. I forget that's impressive until someone points it out because it's just what you've always done. We did learn this year that, like them or not, cashews are off-limits! After a very scary incident on the way to visit family, in which you were very brave, we now know that you have a severe allergy to cashews and find ourselves reading labels and carrying epiPens.

You've developed so many friendships this year. Wes is still your best friend, even though you don't see him as often as you'd like. Friends from school include Charlie, Banks, Christian, Eli, and Carter. You are quite popular at your school and seem to know students from all grades, especially the high school boys who play on my sport teams. You can't wait to say HI to them in the lunchroom. You probably know more kids than anyone else at Currey Ingram, and you love it. You also still think the world of your big brother, Jayden. He gets older and into different things than you, but you still anticipate getting to hang out with him and love every minute of time together. I think your favorite people to play with and the people you look forward to seeing the most are your cousins, Myla and Luke. There's no better time in your world than when you're hanging with them. I wish you lived closer and could see them more often, but it does make the time you see them that much more special.

I'm so lucky to get to hang with you so much, since you are at school with me. We've worked hard to get you that perfect attendance and no tardy trophy this year and our rides to school are pretty special, and ALWAYS on time (so far ;) ). You're my favorite cuddle buddy, and we are finally living up to that whole "moms and their boys" stereotype. I tell you every night that "You're my favorite." I leave it at that, because you're really my favorite everything. You make me happy, you make me laugh, you make me proud, and you make me content. We have so much fun together and my favorite time is time spent with you. Of course, you have such a fun relationship with Dad, you always have. You and he literally make a memory every time you hang out. He definitely remains your favorite playmate, but I think you have quite the soft spot in your heart for me now, and I'm so lucky for it. You still look just like your Dad, so everyone says, but you still act a lot like me (see all of your traits above: homebody, independent, love of ice cream, oh and we still scare Daddy every chance we get...!). You're just the best, 8 years in!

For the year ahead, I can't wait to watch you continue to learn and grow. Keep trying new things and don't lose your sense of exploration. Keep letting your imagination run wild in light saber fights in our woods, lovie battles, and Lego masterpieces! Keep being a good friend and rely on your friends to be that in return. Be known for your kindness, patience, and care you show others. Find the fun in every day, and when you can't find it, make it! Know you are safe and loved. You make the world a better place. Be who God made you to be and when you are ready, welcome him into your heart with no reservations. I can't wait to see you be GREAT at EIGHT!

Thank you Jesus for Lofton. You're my favorite. I love you.

Love,
Mom