Happy Birthday, AJ3! At six years old you are becoming such a handsome young boy, full of energy, a cheeky smile always on your face, constantly curious, in love with reading, and a weird obsession with animal shows...
You always seem to get the short end of the stick when it comes to birthdays, not least because we are usually in Florida for Pesach and so throwing a full party for you (with all your friends, a super hero, and loot bags that seem to cost more than the party itself) is impossible. And yet, you never complain or get upset. It could be because a birthday in a hotel with your larger family and a swimming pool is a pretty great alternative! It could also be that you're a classic middle child, who is agreeable and doesn't like to make a fuss (unlike certain other Avocado Juniors, ahem...). But whatever the reason, the COVID lockdown has not only kept us in Toronto, but also ensured that you got to celebrate multiple times.
There was your morning celebration with your siblings, a plethora of Bakugon (don't ask; no idea) and a special message from your favourite, Hollywood movie stars in the whole wide world ever ...
...then there was a celebration with your class via Zoom...
...and again during a Lego party with your posse...
...and again with your larger family...
...and, because you only turn six once, one more party in the night...
Five was definitely a great year for you, AJ3....
...but Pater has a feeling that six will be even better! Happy Birthday, AJ3!!!!
Mater and Pater love you lots!
Dear Avocado Juniors
Years from now, you'll look back and remember an unprecedented, somewhat surreal Carolesque-time, when we socially distanced from the people we loved...
...Zoom no longer just meant going fast...
...Pater had to learn a new skill (quickly!) ...
...exercise became restricted to the confines of our homestead and surrounding area...
...and going into a bank with a mask on was greeted with a smile and not a call to the cops. Our nuclear unit became ever so more nuclear and most definitely a unit, as we stayed home to protect against a virus no one had ever heard of six months ago but suddenly had an intimate knowledge of, courtesy of an incessantly and hourly sharing of medical opinions, memes, YouTube clips, newspaper articles etc etc.
It was a time of fear. Stepping out of the house required Purell, a medical mask and gloves...
...not to mention a regime of not touching ones face, washing hands post-trip for the time it takes to sing happy birthday twice, and always wondering who came close to you at any point during the time it took to go out and buy a carton of milk.
But it was also a time of family bonding. We became each other's best friends, social circle and distraction, closer than we've ever been while staying within the four walls of our castle. Mater and Pater couldn't be prouder nor grateful for the way you've adapted to everything, whether it was schooling from home...
...channeling your creativity in new directions...
...cooking and eating...
...playing with each other inside....
...and out...
And we have to give extra thanks for the wonderful people at Apple...
...not to mention Lego!!!
But most of all we have to thank God for keeping you, our precious Avocado Juniors, as well as all our family and loved ones safe from harm. It's been a very weird Spring, the repercussions for which will be written about, dissected, theorized and remembered for many years to come. But, whatever history decides, we will always be grateful that we got to spend quality, inspirational time with the four most wonderful children in the whole world.
Love Mater
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