Sophia turns 13!

My Dear Sophia,

Thirteen. There are certain birthdays that feel like markers, and this is one of them. Not because everything suddenly changes overnight, but because it gives me a moment to pause and take in who you are becoming — and who you already are. And Sophia, you are a remarkable young woman.

What stands out most to me is not just what you do, but how you do it. You are a good sibling — patient, playful, and steady in ways that matter more than you probably realize to your mom and I. You are a good friend — the kind of person others feel safe with, the kind who shows up, listens, and makes people feel seen.

You have this beautiful instinct to be intentional, especially in the way you give gifts small and big. Whether it’s a thoughtful gift, or a small gesture, you are thinking about how to best love those in your life. You pay attention. That is a trait you should keep for life.

I’ve also watched how you open your heart to others, especially the children who come into our home through foster care. You don’t hold back your kindness. You make space. You make them feel welcome. You make them feel like they belong. That kind of compassion will shape lives in ways you may never fully see.

You are growing into someone we can trust — whether it’s caring for younger kids as a babysitter, showing responsibility in your schoolwork, or simply carrying yourself with a quiet confidence. And yet, alongside all of that, you are still full of fun and life. Your laughter, your energy, your ability to bring lightness into a room, those are gifts too.

As you step into your teenage years, my prayer for you is not that you would rush to grow up, but that you would stay grounded in who you are: kind, thoughtful, joyful, and strong. There will be moments ahead that stretch you, and moments that test you, but you already have within you the character to meet them well. That you remember that you can like what matters to you, and be kind to others, even if friends around you make a different decision.

That you don’t grow out of dance parties with your siblings, or valuing time with your mom at things like mother daughter camp, or asking me random questions when you get home from school. Although I could do with a few less random questions when you are 45 minutes past your bed time. 

I hope you continue to be someone who welcomes others, who gives generously, who loves deeply, and who finds joy along the way. The world needs more of exactly who you are becoming.

I am so proud of you, Sophia. We love being your parents.

Happy 13th birthday.

Love always,

Dad

Jayden turns seven!

 

Hey Buddy,

Happy seventh birthday! It’s amazing watching you grow into such an active and busy boy. This has been a special year--the year you learned to swim without your life vest, the year you started devouring books (especially The Big Book of Knowledge with your mom before bed), learned to ride a bike even with a coordination disorder, excelled at ninja warrior, and the year you showed just how much love you have to give — especially to any dog that comes within petting distance!

Your love of Pokémon runs deep, and I love how confident you are when you tell me about your favorite characters and Pokémon trainers-- it may be your favorite topic of conversation. You also showed such a gentle heart this year when we had little Logan with us until he went to live with his pre-adoptive parents. 

Jayden, my prayer for you this year is that you keep learning how to be a good friend at school and to your siblings. When you are in a good place with them, it is the sweetest, but that can turn on a dime, and I would love for you to feel confident enough in yourself to step away for a few minutes, and then come back to reengage.

I hope you keep flashing that sly, sweet smile as much as your face allows before your cheeks get tired, and laughing out loud at movies on long car trips, or at potty humor in a book you are reading. You love to be silly, try to tell jokes, and love to wrestle, and be tickled.

I am hoping that in the coming year we can figure out how to help handle your occasional emotions rollercoaster--even when you’re feeling really mad. I am here for the journey and to walk alongside you.

Love you always and I am so proud of you,
Dad

 

 

Jayda turns Seven

My Sweet Jayda,

Seven. I can hardly believe it. Somehow you keep growing right before my eyes taller every day, and your loud, joyful laugh fills every room. You shine, Jayda, not just because of your beautiful long, curly hair, but because of the way you bring joy and energy wherever you go. Your pants are basically for one day use, given all the time you spend sliding and crawling as part of your play time.

This year, you learned to swim without your life vest, ride a bike, and embraced reading. I love watching you take so much pride and accomplishment as you have learned. You and Jayden have shared so many sweet moments together, playing with Magna-Tiles or building forts together, or looking over each other’s shoulders at a book.

You were especially welcoming for little Logan when he came into our home. The way you cared for him showed such big-sister love- joyful, and full of heart.

My prayer for you this year is that you’ll keep learning how to navigate those big feelings that sometimes seem bigger than you are, and that you’ll discover how strong and kind you can be even when plans change, or things don’t go perfectly, or friends don’t follow your leadership. And please keep giving those running hugs that fill people up with love, but give them a heads up, especially if they are over 75, so you don’t knock them over! The world needs every single one of them.

I am so proud to be your dad.

Love,
Dada

Jason turns 10!

Dear Jace,

Happy 10th Birthday, buddy! Double digits—what a fun milestone. It feels like just yesterday you were building towers out of blocks, and now here you are, dreaming up entire worlds with LEGOs. Whether it’s designing and building an entire airport scene, or the large complex LEGO plane set for Christmas, and then the pirate ship for your birthday—your imagination and building skills have really taken off this past year. My favorites are when you come up with your own creations with details like camper hitches and airplane ailerons.

But your love for building isn’t just about bricks. You build joy, kindness, and connection wherever you go. Whether it’s soccer practice in the backyard or kicking the ball around with your buddy Arthur behind your school, you bring energy to everything you do. This fall, you’ll be on your first rec team, and I can already picture you sprinting across the field, giving it your all—not just to score goals, but to lift up your teammates. That’s who you are.

You love to wrestle and build pillow forts in the living room, and had an obsession with learning about tornados this year, asking most people we met for about 3 months if they had ever seen one, and then peppering them with questions so you could learn more. I can only hope that this interest in learning continues to all kinds of future topics.

You often sit and watch a new situation before you engage, but you always end up finding a way to get involved.

Your third-grade teacher said it best: you are “honor bound.” You help others do the right thing at school. Every morning this past year, you walked Jayden into his classroom, helped him get settled, and made sure he felt ready for the day. You didn’t stop there—you helped other kids too, and then quietly made your way to your own classroom, setting up chairs while waiting for your classmates. There was the time you were out riding your new bike and when you got halfway up the hill, you stopped, put the kickstand down, and walked back to help your mom push the stroller—without being asked. Or the time you handed your lucky orange to a classmate during Chinese New Year, or your piece of candy or toy to a sibling. No fanfare. Just quiet leadership.

And then there are the moments that your mom and I want to remember forever. Like when she asked how your day was, and you beamed, “It was amazing!” before skipping down the sidewalk, as a 9-year-old! Most of your days are “amazing,” even the ones spent hanging around the house, or a regular day at school.

This past year you told your mother, “Sometimes when I can’t hold your hand because you aren’t there, I hold my hands together and pretend that one of them is yours.” That kind of tenderness is rare. We pray that God continues to deepen character in you as you grow.

We pray this year you continue to develop your quiet leadership at home, modeling the right ways to be a helper, and treating your siblings with respect.

Jason, you are a gift. Not just to our family, but to everyone lucky enough to know you. As you step into this next chapter—ten years old!— we pray that you keep looking out for the underdog, continue to be the mayor of the school saying hi to everyone (kids and adults alike), and lean into your love for math, science, and history.

Happy Birthday, love,

Dad

Sophia turns 12

 

My Dearest Sophia,

Happy 12th Birthday! It feels like just yesterday you were a tiny little thing, and now look at you – almost a teenager! This past year, your 6th grade year, has been such a joy to watch. It's been so awesome to see you thrive. Theater, band, and 3D printing club are just a few of the areas where you have gotten involved.

Your friendships continue to be such an important part of your life. You are thoughtful, remain a great gift giver, and love any adventure to shop for food, gifts, or clothes. You also have been stepping up your cooking game this year in the kitchen by routinely making some of the dinners. And your help taking care of, and connection with, our 17 month old foster placement has been an encouragement to us.

Your involvement in the Delta Youth group has been really fun. It's clear that you're growing in your faith, and it’s great that you have started to ask so many good questions.

As you step into being 12, I hope you continue to embrace all these wonderful parts of yourself. I hope you keep on not putting all of your attention to what others think of you – that confidence and self-assurance you've developed will serve you well. This will become more challenging as you get older with others trying to ascribe a particular wardrobe or behaviors to fit in a box that was never meant for you. My prayer is that you will continue to shine brightly in the one of a kind way that God designed you.

I am so incredibly proud of the young woman you are becoming- your kindness, helpfulness, thoughtfulness, and curiosity. I can't wait to see all the adventures this summer brings as well as next school year.

Happy Birthday, my sweet girl!

Love,

Dad

Happy 6th Birthday Jayden!

 

My Dearest Jayden,

Happy sixth birthday, superhero! Six years of spins, tumbles, and incredible adventures!

The other day when I was doing laundry, I was admiring your large collection of

spiderman themed clothes you have collected.

Your love for Spiderman and all things superhero runs deep. And now, you have super-

powered vision with your new glasses (even if you don’t see it that way yet and often

take them off)!

It's wonderful to see your intense friendship with Malcolm in your kindergarten class.

You two are a dynamic duo, always running up to each other every morning like you

have not seen each other for weeks. Your teacher says you have often act like siblings

in class.

More recently we have been working to tackle big emotions. This year, we’re praying

that you’ll continue to develop tools to handle those big emotions, just like a superhero

learns to control their powers.

We also hope that this year is filled with lots and lots of laughter. Your laughter is

contagious, and it brings so much joy to everyone around you.

Love,

Dad

Happy 6th Birthday Jayda!

 

My Dearest Jayda Joy,

Happy, happy sixth birthday! Can you believe it? Six whole years of your bright, shining

smile filling our lives with joy. Just like your beloved unicorns, you bring energy and a

sparkling smile wherever you go.

Whether you're leaping, dancing, or running around in your pink rain boots no matter the

weather, you seem to be trying to suck all of the emotions and experience out of every

moment.

You want to feel your food, paint all the colors, try one of each, and only speak with an

outside voice at all times, because life is so exciting.

This year as you are learning the basics of reading in kindergarten, you want to get it

perfect right away. It's okay to take your time and trust your brain to figure things out,

even if it takes a few tries.

We’re praying that this year, you’ll grow even more confident in the classroom. Your

ideas are amazing, and we can’t wait to see all the incredible things you’ll learn. We’re

also praying that you’ll continue to be a wonderful friend, someone who is flexible and

kind. Sometimes, plans change, and being able to invite others to play, even when

things don’t go exactly as expected, will make your friendships even stronger.

We love you more than words can say!

Love,

Dada

Jason's 9th Birthday Letter

 

Dearest Jason,

As you embark on your tenth year of life, we have loved to see you continue to grow this past year. You are often filled with the sweetness of your spirit and the boundless enthusiasm for the world around you.

Your love for games grew this year to include Monopoly, Clue, Scattergories, Guess Who, and card games. I enjoyed many evening rounds of the “Ladybug” game before bed, and I am sure your birthday gift of Trash Pandas will be the new favorite. We often find you reading a graphic novel on the couch in your underwear. You want to bring your soccer ball with you on most walks these days. And you've been checking books out at the library on Lego building.

You remain a man in charge as you still aspire to be a police officer one day, and sometimes that comes out in ways today as trying to parent, but also keep your siblings safe. One of your questions to adults this year was if they owned a pair of handcuffs or not.

We pray you will be a man after justice and fairness, as you pursue the higher goal of wisdom in each interaction you have with people inside and out of our home.

You got your first passport this year, and very much enjoyed our trip to Paris. You walked 43,000 steps or 17 miles one day, as you often circled your parents while we walked in a straight line.

You have one of the best subtle smiles that can warm anyone’s heart when it emerges, and we pray you will continue to be a joy giver this year.

Our goals for you this year are to grow into a protector at school, a good friend to many, and one who deepens in their faith.

Happy birthday, Jason! We love you.

Dad 

Sophia's 11th Birthday Letter

Dear Sophia,

As you turn 11, people are commenting more often to us how grown up you are becoming. You want to be part of most adult conversations, at least listening in to them, and often chime in with comments or questions. We hope your willingness to engage in meaningful conversations only grows as you enter your teens. So many of your peers will turn to technology for connection, we hope you lean into healthy and life giving personal relationships that help you to think deeply about what matters in life.

At the same time your mom and I have loved to see you continue to engage with your younger siblings, and friends in imaginative play. We pray that you hold onto a thread of that playfulness and creativity as it will serve you well in life, and make you a stellar babysitter in the near future. You have had two great examples for babysitters on that front this year with Rachel and Halle.

We have been so grateful for the girls Bible study that you joined this year, and the fun (and sometimes silly) relationships you have developed with those girls. We can’t wait to watch those relationships grow in this coming year.

This year has been filled with many lasts at Bernazzani as you wrap up 5^th grade, and we have been grateful for Ms. Caldwell being your teacher, coming full circle as she is one of the daughters of the CKH preschool Director that you had when you started going to school.

You continued the flute this year, sang in the kids choir, and joined a hip hop class. It is sounding like the transition to middle school may introduce a number of different clubs and activities, and we hope that you find your groove in some of these new adventures.

This year we pray that you find your footing quickly in middle school, that you don’t get caught up in any of the friend drama, and can be a peaceful and kind friend to many. That you live into continuing to build your faith and focus on healthy relationships with a long term view of developing yourself and focusing on issues that matter to you and our family, instead of what you are told you should care about.

We love you, and look forward to living alongside you this coming year.

Love,

Dad

 

Little J-Man Turns 5!

Dear J-Man,

Happy 5th Birthday! Does this make you a BIG kid? 

You love bouncing off the walls, just like your favorite superhero, Spider-Man. When we asked you what you wanted for your birthday, every single item you listed was somehow connected to Spider-Man, and you want to add Peter to your full name to pay homage to your love for him.

This year has been one of growth, maybe not as much as your doctors want in terms of

your weight, but it may be because you are too busy running around the house in your Spider-Man costume. Yet you are all too happy to take your mother up on the offer to be picked up in her arms, or to ride on my shoulders whenever possible.

Your favorite activities involve building with Legos, Magnatiles, and running around

and wrestling with Jason. You are full of funny catchphrases; for example, when I ask you to finish your dinner, you will often remark, “Nope, not today!” And you call bedtime story time “Book time, oh yeah!”

You have given your stuffed animals creative names like Noodles, Marley, Marty, Pasghetti, Burrito, Alex, Miko, Spots, Kitty-witty, Ketchup, and Loophole. 

Your mother and I both love your sly grin and the twinkle in your eye, and can’t get enough

of your snuggles. Your love for last year's CKH teacher, Ms. Lexi, endures as you must

find her first thing every morning to give her a hug or at least check in with her.

We will be praying for you this year that you continue to have such enthusiasm when

you see your friends at school, that we can work with you to continue to work on self-

control, and to express your emotions in words. You are as brave as a

superhero to look out for those who need a protector.

Keep being curious, keep being silly, and keep being the awesome little guy that

everyone loves.

I can't wait to see what amazing adventures this year holds!

Love,

Daddy

 

J-girl turns 5!

Dearest J-Girl,

All five fingers this year! 

It feels like just yesterday, you and your brother entered our house as tiny peanuts, filling our home with bottle after bottle and baby gear. You have kept your very bright smile, and just added some long legs that you use to run almost everywhere as you are now wearing size 6 clothes.

My mental picture for this past year as I come down the stairs in the morning is of you

wrapped in your beloved rainbow blanket, running out of the kitchen licking your fingers

after sticking them into whatever is on the kitchen counter, with your hair sticking up as

it is not yet braided for the day, running across the living room as you launch yourself up

onto the couch with a huge grin on your face.

You remain the best eater in the house, and I pray that your love for food continues to

grow and can be an area of connection for you, me and your mom in future years.

Watching you shovel your fourth serving of dinner most nights, reminds us to appreciate

the simple pleasures in life.

You see every puddle as something to hurdle over, or jump into, regardless of your boot

status. We love seeing your independence grow, the way you race ahead with a

determined glint in your eye. And I love when we take family walks in the woods so you

can run ahead.

This year at CKH, you have loved having Ms. Mary as your teacher, and we are grateful

for the teachers who have loved you well there during our final year of many. Ms. Mary has said you are a joy to have in class, even if you and a few of your friends need a reminder to give each other space some days.

As you celebrate this birthday, we will be praying that your curiosity continues to

blossom and that you ask tons of questions and explore the world. That you continue to

work on being a good friend to those around you, and pray for some role models in your

life that will be on Team J-Girl.

Most of all, we pray for you to always know just how loved you are. 

You bring sunshine to our family, and we can't wait to see all the amazing things you accomplish in this next year.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

Love,

Daddy

 

Christmas 2023

Christmas with Jason's Mama Maria.

Christmas with Glen and Carolyn.

Sophia's love for gift-giving.

First visit to Grammy and Grandpa's new place on Christmas day. 

Brought our Christmas tree to the Airbnb in Grantham, NH. 

Late night games and puzzles with the oldest three in our family.

Cookie decorating with 

Uncle Roger, Aunt Aimee, and Ella.

Swimming!

Thanksgiving 2023

Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania with Aunt Jan and Cousin Emilie 

Nada joined us for the day and brought accessories

Uncle James and Aunt Rachael came from nearby

Aunt Jan performed a duet with Sophia

Early Christmas gifts and stockings were exchanged

Christmas Cookies were made

A trip to the Brandywine River Museum

The interactive elements were the favorites

Longwood Gardens with James, Rachael, Sophia, Nana and I

An organ concert and hot chocolate

And memories of when I used to go as a child

Back home in time for the 70th annual Christmas parade

Jason's Birthday 2023

Birthday celebration at Alton Bay with Grammy, Grandpa, Aunt Aimee, Uncle Roger and Ella

Alton Bay Festival

Face painting by Aunt Aimee

                                   

Party at home with Glen, Carolyn, and Sue Caldwell:

With a Ben & Jerry's candy cake:

Birthday celebration with Mama Maria: 

                                                           Favorite gift this year: a drone!