You have stopped growing like a weed like you used to. There was a time when we were buying new shoes several times a year. This year, we had to buy a new pair in the same size because (after an entire year of use) they were trashed! It's been okay to see this halt in your crazy growth, because to be quite honest, you were getting way too close in height to the adults in your life and that's just ridiculous! It's also been a nice change to have you staying in clothes for longer than one season. After all, you're now in men's sized clothes and those cost a lot more...not to mention, in all of your pre-teenness, you love name brands ($$$).
The only insane clothing purchase made this year was for your band outfit that will be worn a total of two times. Regardless, it was a worthwhile purchase since you've seemed to really take a liking to band. Even though it means getting up for 7:00am band twice a week, you haven't complained once. You got a bit worked up and worried before your winter show...afraid that you'd make a huge mistake doing one of the percussion parts by yourself, but you surprised yourself (not us, though, because we knew you'd be fine) and did great! You've learned so much and are eager to keep going. We now own the percussion kit that started out with a trial rental, so the eagerness to keep going better stay!
Other than band, most of your school extracurriculars have stayed the same. You, once again, signed up for tons of clubs and have even expanded your horizons and added some new ones. You've loved your decision to join the library helper club. It's been neat to watch you take ownership of this role that allows you to serve your school in a positive way. You also chose to join chess club and almost backed out due to an irrational fear that you'd never win. Much to your surprise, you're pretty good, and even made it to the finals of the tournament at the end of the club. When you're not busy with all of your extracurricular school stuff, you're simply being a 5th grade boy. You love everything about school....your teachers, friends, academics, and the time away from your brother and sister! School is definitely one area where you shine. You make it look so easy and definitely make it a breeze for your parents! We never have to worry about you and you've proven to be incredibly responsible with your job of being a good student and doing your best at all times. Your teachers say that you're a great student and (most importantly to us) a kindhearted kid to your classmates.
When it comes to life at home, you're a pretty predictable kid. Your favorite thing to do is to be with friends. We are quite thankful that you have surrounded yourself with some of the kindest and most genuine kids. We love your friends and love that they are such a positive influence in your life. If you aren't with friends, you are outside shooting hoops or playing catch or rollerblading or doing anything sports related. You still love all things sports...watching sports, playing sports, talking about sports. You have continued to love playing flag football, basketball, and baseball. You have lucked out by having some great coaches...dad being one of them! We really enjoyed watching your baseball team go undefeated for over 10 games in a row last summer. You all started out a bit rocky and pulled together to be an awesome group of boys that played so well together. It was heartbreaking to lose near the end of the playoffs...especially since we goofed on the timing of our first trip to the lake and schedule it during your last playoff game. It was probably a good thing that the team lost, because you didn't feel quite as bad about missing out on that!
If friends and sports don't keep you occupied, your next two favorite things are reading and video games. You could spend hours doing both! Unfortunately (for you) we don't let you play endless video games, but you certainly get your fill of them! It's especially fun to watch you teaching Joel all about the games that you've gotten so good at. You are certainly growing in your patience level for a younger brother that wants to do everything you do! If your electronic time is cut off, you're most likely found somewhere in the house with your face in a book. You read anything and everything. Your biggest reading accomplishment this year was finally finishing up the Harry Potter series that TiTi challenged you to do a couple years ago. Your reward was a VERY special trip with just TiTi to Universal Studios. You were so excited to go and came back with all sorts of awesome memories.
No matter what types of changes come in a year, we still love that some things never change with our Caleb. You still have that same smile that you had as a baby - the one that lights up your whole face and makes anyone watching smile back. You have an innocence and curiosity for the world that we cherish deeply. You love to talk and we know that there are times when we appear to be drained of your endless chatter, but we are truly so grateful to have a child that wants to tell us everything. You have a love and passion for animals that is so incredibly sweet. Losing your first dog, Chesney, this year was a tough experience, but it's going to be amazing to watch you bond with our new dog in another month. You have a huge need for justice and fairness. In your younger years, this meant a lot of whining and complaining when things weren't "fair". However, as you're getting older we see less of the whining and more your ability to see that sometimes it's okay for things to be unequal. Even more so, you're recognizing that the way things work out often depends upon your ability to make wise choices. Thankfully, you are great at following your intuition and know when to make the right choice. We know how hard that can be at this age. It's very easy to be a follower and just go along with what others are doing - right or wrong. You are choosing the harder path, and we know that God will honor that in big ways. You are certainly entering some of the hardest years of your life. Many of the choices you will make have big consequences. Your firm foundation is built on your strong faith in God. We will continue to pray that this faith grows and that God proves faithful in his promise to guide you along the path He has planned for you. You're going to do great and awesome things one day....and, in the meantime, you're going to be a super great and majorly awesome 11 year old! Happy Birthday to you sweet boy!
Love,
Dad and Mom
