We Yam What We Yam: My Swee'Pea...

Sweet Boy.

I can't believe you are six years old.

Six!

Sometimes going on 60...

You are so often a little old man in a silly little boy's body and I love you so.

You've been talking about your birthday party since the moment we got home from your 5th birthday party... it is darling, but quite exhausting.

You spent weeks on Pinterest looking at ideas and making lists (so my child, by the way) and you basically planned the whole day by yourself.

On the morning of your birthday you woke up as happy as a clam, announced that you had grown overnight and felt different, and sat down to a breakfast of chocolate gravy and biscuits. You asked what the plans were for the day and I realized that we had been so preoccupied planning your actual party that we had hardly thought about what we would do on your actual birthday! A few quick phone calls and your day was set.

Lunch with daddy at your favorite Mexican Restaurant.

An evening of fun with your two best cousins.

Cars, dress-up, McDonald's Happy Meals, candy treats at 7-11, and a RedBox Lego movie.

Snuggled in blankets and giggling on the floor before you passed out at 9pm.

A few days later we celebrated you with the whole family.

Ninjago was the theme, complete with games you planned yourself.

You were giddy with excitement and could hardly stand getting through the morning and church services before it was time to celebrate you.

It was a wonderful day.

My darling boy, there is so much I want to remember about you right now that I always swear I'll write down and then all too often forget.

The way you love reading. You soak up the words and stories and spend hours on the couch during the week reading to me and to sister and to no one in particular. How you've started reading the Bible each morning and love to tell me about what you've learned. You feel my heart with joy the way you have grown to love studying God's word!

Your favorite subject to do in school is our Bible study, followed by Science and History. You don't dislike any subjects but there are ones, like math, that you would prefer not to do on a daily basis. You are zipping right along in school and it continues to be a delight watching you grow and learn and change along the way.

You still love your stuffed animals. It is kind of adorable and I hope this infatuation with your "pets" continues for a long, long time. You always want to be fair with them, giving each and equal change to sleep in your bed at night and choosing carefully who will get to go on long car rides and vacations with you.

You participate in lots of activities but I'm learning that sports aren't your favorite. Physical health and fitness is important to me, and I know its important FOR you... so we keep at it. We discuss what you do and don't like about each sport and even when you are having a tough day, we never have a problem getting you to your practices and games (although getting you to always have a positive attitude out on the field is another story). You like hitting in baseball, kicking in soccer, and the rings and pit in gymnastics. You don't like playing in the outfield, running fast, or doing stretches. You are interested in playing tennis so we might give that a go sometime soon as well. I hope someday you find something that you click with and feel passionate about, but for now we dabble in lots of different things and it has been a joy and a pleasure watching how much you have improved in your skills over the years.

You have a huge and hilarious vocabulary. Some of your favorite words to use are "actually" and "personally." You also have been known to use air quotes, but of course you never know when to use them in the appropriate place which provides a bit of entertainment when I am talking to you.

Your favorite shows are "How its Made" and "Myth Busters."

You are obsessed with your sister and love to talk about how cute she is. You admit that a brother would have been fun, but you are glad we have a sister because she is just so pretty. You have also joined me in my quest to beg daddy for more babies, and I'm sure we will wear daddy down eventually. ;)

You always want to know the plan for the day, the week, the month, the year.

You like knowing what time things will happen, and how many days until the next event occurs.

I need to get you your own little planner because you are slowly driving me crazy with your constant need to be informed of every. single. thing. we are doing for the next 365 days.

You are still obsessed with your Grandma Turbo.

You can play for hours and hours by yourself. You have a crazy imagination and I'm thankful that you are so independent, especially since I have been spending so much time with the baby.

Your favorite chores are folding the towels and dusting. You like to get a little crazy with the Pledge.

You do better when we have a schedule and you can be prepared for what is coming next. If we change the way we do something or do it out of order, you can be thrown and have a really hard time adjusting. You like order. And I get that. I really, really get that.

You can act crazy silly at the most inappropriate times and then act cool and calm when everyone else is being crazy. You are identical to me in that you get really awkward when you are uncomfortable, and you never ever know what to do with your hands when you are talking on the phone.

You talk. talk. talk. talk.

It has driven me to tears a few times because I just need quiet!

I try to remind myself that someday you'll be a busy teenager and won't have the time or desire to talk to your mommy non-stop, so I should embrace this time.

But I also try to remind you that sometimes, a lot of times, a good quiet cruise in the car with no one speaking is good for the soul.

You are generally obedient.

You like to sigh and roll your eyes in frustration and you can be a bit whiney at times...

but these are character traits you have totally gotten from your daddy and me so I can't be too hard on you when I know you are acting by the example given.

You like to repeat things. Over and over again. And when I ask you why, you say its because you didn't get the reaction you wanted when you said it the first time.

You don't like to ask for things, but instead say, "Boy, I sure wish I had that..." or "I hope I can get this..."

We are working on that.

We are working on a lot of things.

Being a kid is tough.

But being a mommy is harder.

I am trying really hard not to screw you up, but sometimes I have really bad days and I am thankful that you are always quick to forgive.

You don't like to hold my hand anymore (tear).

You only kiss me on the cheek (double tear).

And you rarely want to give me a hug when I drop you off at school or to spend the night at someone's house (sob sob sob).

You are growing up.

And I'm so proud of who you are becoming.

A fun little boy who is silly and naive and sweet and insanely smart.