Pomerleau Family Blog: Brandon's 10th birthday letter

Dear Brandon,

I sit here reflecting on all the changes you had to endure your 9th year and how you took them all in stride and with good humor. You started off your 9th year with everything going normally. You loved your third grade teacher, Mr. Hinkle and your third grade class. You had a fun basketball game season and were gearing up for a fun AA baseball season. In early March you first started hearing about Coronavirus and at first we thought it was just overseas and it wouldn't affect us. You went to school on Thursday March 12th 2020 never knowing that it would be over a year until you would step into a school classroom again. At first it was fun being out of school and it felt like a snow day. Then as the days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months, the repetitiveness of each day sunk in. You were cheerful though even when Mommy attempted to teach you long division, double multiplication, and how to write persuasive essays and mommy wasn't always the most patient.

While you and your sister still fought quite a bit you guys grew closer due to COVID. The first few weeks were spent with building forts, baking cookies, and watching Bunk'd together. You had a lot of fun with your babysitter Rachel. We did a lot of bike rides, walks in the park near our house. Your youngest pup brother Teddy was a welcome break to to break up the daily monotony. You were so happy that you were getting the boy brown pup the one that you had picked out on the puppy cam! Teddy had such a sweet spot for you and Olivia and really was the family pup as he was around you guys all the time (something you did not get to enjoy with Lulu as you were in school and doing sports and other activities). You began helping me walk the dogs which was such a help!

Your favorite activities this year was cooking with Daddy and baking with Mommy, you enjoyed playing basketball, games with the family, you really socialized with your friends through Xbox and playing video games with them, and you liked playing baseball. Your favorite color is green and orange (a true Oregonian that loves Beavers and Ducks). Your favorite food is sushi-you loved it so much you had it on your birthday. You even ate the raw fish and loved it. Your best friends this year were Logan and Colton and Riley still and you got quite close with John who participated in the tutoring pod. You loved your 4th grade teacher Ms. Berkowitz who appreciated your funny and often times weird sense of humor and seemed to share it as well.

You rarely complained about your virtual school and got all your schoolwork done. You really didn't like the Florida Virtual curriculum but at least you got to learn some cool stuff at your tutor's Sheri's house. You had fun playing summer and Fall baseball although grew a lot as you were quite scared in the summer of getting hit by a pitch. You excelled still at school testing in the end of the 6th grade in reading just at the beginning of 4th grade.

You are still huge! You were 5 ft tall at your 10 year doctor appointment and weighed 115 lbs. You wore a size 8 shoe and were the same size as me. You grew close to your Daddy and loved playing video games, watching all your Marvel movies, and the Lord of the Rings movies. Daddy loved it that he had someone that loved to watch shoes and movies that were not reality TV!

Brandon, this year has brought so many people so much stress, upheaval, and uncertainty but you chose to look each day with a glass half full attitude and it truly was inspiring. You helped out a lot with your sister while I had to work and was such a big help with puppy Teddy. You grew up so much this year. You will never forgot this year and you will be telling your kids and grandkids about the time that there was a world wide pandemic and you couldn't go to school for a year, how you had to wear masks everywhere, stay 6 feet apart from your friends with masks on, had to be outside with your loved ones, and how many fun activities and sports were closed. I hope you look back on this time with fondness as a time where we all got to step back, spend more time together at home, and reflect what are really the important things in our lives.

Love you,

Mommy

p.s. As always my favorite pictures of you each month of the year!