B is just a few weeks away from finishing middle school. Which means I will soon have two children in high school which is insane and honestly seems impossible. And yet, here I am.
The past year has been a big one for B with lots of amazing opportunities, big accomplishments, and the consistent sweetness and humor that we adore from him.
Opportunities
Marc and B went on another baseball trip that involved friends and family in different places, took place over 6 days in 7 states, covered 2,122 miles, visited 5 stadiums (4 MLB: Cubs, DET, PIT, CIN; 1 MiLB: Dayton), stayed in 3 hotels and 1 Little Caesar’s themed Airbnb (for real), and B had his first coffee (a mocha). Overall a huge success!
B had the great opportunity to play a game on the Timberwolves Court! Super fun to play a game in Target Center.
And of course he attended all the live sports he could. Twins, Gophers, Wild, Timberwolves plus so many others. Including seeing the Gophers beat the Badgers in a fun “snow globe” game.
Accomplishments
The baseball season last year was tough. If felt like every game or tournament we were in we were constantly delayed/canceled or playing in severe weather. By the end of the season we were all ready to be done. Then we got to the last tournament of the season, the state tournament, and we all thought we wouldn’t make it too far…it was just the vibe of the season. But the boys just kept winning. Then it came to the final game of the tournament and season.
We went back and forth with our opponent throughout the game. But by the time we got to the bottom of the last inning, we were down six runs. And we got 2 outs right away. It felt over even though we joked that we still had one out and anything was possible.
After that second out, our boys started a little rally. And before you knew it, we had runners on the bases. Still down six runs, still with two outs, but with the bases loaded. Suddenly, there was a little hope.
Then, the lights went out. The coaches called the city as it was earlier than the agreed upon time for the lights to go out and once they got in touch with someone and got the process started, it took a little time for those lights to warm up and turn back on.
While the umps were ready to call the game and send everyone home, the lights started getting more bright. The umps talked to the city worker who told them that we had 15 minutes and the lights would go out again, this time for real.
So the boys got to work. Including B, they scored SEVEN RUNS in that precious 15 minutes, all with 2 outs. Probably the biggest walk off win I’ll ever witness. Perseverance personified. So proud!
Another fun thing about his baseball season was that he got to play at some cool fields, like this one with some cool views.
B had another incredible season of basketball, his last travel season. We thought it was the last time Marc would be coaching him, but B decided to join an AAU team and Marc is supporting that team as an assistant coach again. It’s fun to see B do something that he loves…which is especially apparent as he is rarely without a basketball in hand. Like here, in November, when it was about 20 degrees and fresh snow was on the ground. He’s never not shooting around!
So much so that he can perfect trick shots…
One of the things I am most proud of B in this past year is him trying something new and going outside of his comfort zone. Last year we talked about him joining the cross country team as a 7th grader, but when he heard it was a joint MS/HS team, he was not interested. But then he surprised us by jumping into it this year, as an 8th grader.
It was so fun to see him do a sport where the biggest hurdle he needed to overcome was himself. Seeing him set personal goals and achieve them was inspiring. This sport helped him gain confidence, condition for the start of the basketball season, and truly proved to himself what he can accomplish when he puts his mind to it.
School is another accomplishment over the past year for B. He’s stayed consistent with his grades, he’s sharing more about his school work and projects, and he’s doing big things like his 8th grade community project and presenting to large groups. The theme? High school ready. Him, not me.
Here he is registering for 9th grade. It’s fine. It’s all fine.
Then there is fantasy football. 5 years ago B started participating in our friend league. In those 5 years he’s won the league twice (including this year) and also taken 3rd twice. Here he is getting the “trophy” from last year’s winner.
But, perhaps the biggest accomplishment for B this year? Braces! E got hers off and since Marc and I love spending tons of money on our kids’ teeth, it was his turn. He’s going to love that I included that in this write up of his year.
And now my favorite category…B’s sweetness and humor (as told through various vignettes, quotes, and memories from the past year)
B recently had a band concert. I saw him looking for us and the second he saw us he looked away. Then he looked back and saw his sister pointing her phone in his direction, recording him. To which he responded by raising his music stand to avoid being seen. Clever, clever.
Prior to that same band concert, I asked Marc to wish him luck as I wouldn’t see him prior to the show. Marc said this to him and his response? “Tell mom I don’t need it.” Love a confident kid.
This year there have been a few examples of him maturing just by how he talks. His basketball coach told us that during one practice he went up to him, very confidently, looked him in the eye the whole time and said “Coach, three things. One, I will not be at practice tomorrow. Two, I will not be at the varsity game Tuesday. And, three, I've thought a lot about this, and I want to be a part of your AAU team.” On a sillier note, even the way he orders food at restaurants has become more “adult.” For example, “I’ll take the single deluxe and can we make that a meal?”
But even though he’s maturing, he’s still a kid and he’s always up for having a good time and acting out a scenario. Like when we needed a new basketball net and he did not miss his opportunity to cut down our old net a la Final Four NCAA teams.
I also love when his “kid” side shines through during the holidays. B loves traditions which includes an annual watching of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” However, this was the first year that he agreed…it’s a little creepy in parts. So maybe that tradition ended in 2025…but I hope not.
Since both kids are so active and every night it feels like we are being pulled in a million directions, we’ve gotten into the habit of pre-activity “dinner'“ and then family dinner after. Kids were in the kitchen prepping their pre-practice dinner and B was making eggs for himself. E complimented him and said his eggs smelled good and he offered to make her some. Heart melting.
Speaking of both kids…it’s his favorite thing when they accidentally dress alike and I accidentally take a picture of it.
Part of the reason B was so willing to join Cross Country this year was due to a good friend being on the team. This friend got hurt in a race and after B was done running, he found me and we were talking when suddenly B ran away from me. I saw him over checking on his friend who was getting help from the trainer. He ran back over to me and simply stated, “sorry, I can’t leave a teammate behind, I gotta go” and returned to his side.
B has an incredible ability to exaggerate every moment of his life. He is always “exhausted.” He HATES spring because of allergies (relatable). And when he got braces…well, you would have thought we gave him a death sentence. At dinner one of the nights right after he got the braces put on, he gave a big sigh and stated, “I bet I could run a 5K faster than I can eat this bowl of pasta.”
And then there is his dry humor:
—> For most award shows, we, as a family, each pick our choices for winners. Last year during the Emmys, B said, “I’m gonna spice this up a little… I’m picking Top Chef.”
—> We were driving through a neighborhood with lots of beautiful homes and B asked what the neighborhood was called. Marc told him Linden Hills to which he quickly relied, “more like Beverly Hills, am I right?”
—> Sometimes he’s funny and he doesn’t even realize it. When seeing a dog he didn’t recognize he asked, “What other types of dog brands are there?”
I feel like every year I need to have one food anecdote as he doesn’t mess around when it comes to food. When we were in Milwaukee recently, we went to Kopps for some custard after eating a full meal and he convinced me to get him a double burger, fries, and custard. He was in heaven, gushing about the food saying things like “those fries are so good. They are dangerous! Omg why is Kopp’s so good?” as I sat in shock that he was eating ALL THAT, immediately following a full meal.
And, finally, he loves his people so much. He has a very caring and gentle side and my heart melts when I see it. For example, we were with his grammy recently and he was so quick to say to her “You have the front seat Grammy” and “Here take my hand I want to help you.” Losing his grandfather this year has been very hard but seeing how much he loves has been a huge gift…we should all be so lucky to love and be loved that deeply.
As I always tell him he’s my favorite… son. And he will always be my baby.
