Today You Are Twelve

Dear Jett,

Holy moly you're 12! It's your last year as a tween! That's absolutely crazy to me seeing as just yesterday you were 8 months old and crawling around on the floor, biting the dog with your love bites. But you are quite the young man now, Jett. You've always been an old soul with an amazing sense of humor. You are wise beyond your years and the kindest person I know. You care so deeply about others and find ways to help people who need it. You are beloved in all groups you frequent. You're not only kind, but you are such a funny kid. You make me laugh every day, and laughing is one of my most favorite things. I love that you can laugh at yourself and have the confidence to just be you. 

You are also an incredibly smart kid. You learn things quickly and you love learning. You problem solve and never give up quickly. Quite often I find that you've read up on something or watched a documentary or video about a subject to understand an interest. Your classmates find you to be so helpful to them when they're struggling understanding something. 

You are so talented as well. You are my I.T. guy when I'm *this* close to throwing the computer against the wall. You're creative and come up with the best stories and art. You are an amazing wakeboarder. You are SUCH an incredible baker. I don't know how you do it, but your baked goods blow my baked goods out of the water. Just the other day you made pizza dough and made an entire pizza from scratch to share with the whole family. Holy cow I LOVED it!  I just absolutely adore cooking and baking with you. It will always be one of my favorite memories.

But my most favorite thing about you, Jett, is your ability to show empathy and compassion. And your ability to see things from another perspective. Most adults can't do that. You help your dad and I out so much, especially when you see us struggling. You help your brothers all the time. You see a need and fill that need. You go above and beyond what is expected. Just a few weeks ago I woke up on a Saturday to find that you had cleaned the entire kitchen. Like, DEEP cleaned. I never asked you to do that. In fact, I've never asked you to do that. But you saw the need and cleaned it and it was glorious. 

Something I love is that you message me every day while you're at school. I don't know if it's frowned upon or not, but you always find time to shoot me a quick message to say hi and to tell me you love me. I always look forward to it. I love our silly banter and that you like talking to me. I love that you come to me with your worries or struggles and that you feel safe confiding in me.

I am so pleased with the man you are becoming. I have been so blessed and can't take much credit for the person you are. You were born the funny, kind, empathetic, snuggly kid that you are today. Gosh, you are such an example to me. I want to be like you when I grow up. 😊

This year is your last in elementary school. You are going to be moving up and on and that totally blows my mind. But you are so ready for more opportunities and responsibility. I have all the confidence that you will rock jr. high. I am so happy that you love your current school and that you've made good friends. I am so grateful that you have kids around you who appreciate all your goodness. Continue to keep good friends.

Jett, boy, I just love you! I hope you've had a fantastic birthday. You bring our family so much joy and you make my Mama heart so proud. Thank you for being such a good son and a really, really good person. 

Thanks for letting me be your mom and your friend. 

Love,

Mom