April 6, 2023
Dear August,
Today you are six! Your golden birthday! You have been planning for this day for months;) In the weeks leading up to today, you have told anyone who would listen that your birthday was soon and that you were going to the Bahamas for your birthday. Well here we are, in the Bahamas celebrating your birthday, and I am pretty sure today was better than even you had expected. You started the day with a pancake feast, followed by snorkeling, the water park, beach, pool, and topped it all off with pizza and ice cream. You went to bed a very happy six year old.
I never look back over past birthday posts, but if I did, I know there would be similarities. You were born with all of the things that make you YOU, but each year these things just become a little more conspicuous. I remember writing about you throwing a ball right down the middle before you could even walk, and the older you get the more your natural athleticism shines. You are an impressive little soccer player, scoring more goals than we could count this year. You also played basketball for the first time this winter, and can now be found dribbling or shooting hoops most afternoons. You will also start baseball this spring and I know you will do great! You can throw and catch much better than me and you show real slugger potential.
You have always been charismatic—something I’ve probably mentioned more than once over the years, because it’s so true. People just seem to love you wherever you go; old men stopping to give you a high five on the street, a casual conversation with the checkout lady at the store, your friends cheering when you arrive (it’s true! I’ve witnessed this on multiple occasions!). I will never forget the brave little kindergartner who stepped out on the soccer field to play with the big kids the very first week of school, no hesitation, just focused on doing what he wants to do (as usual) and greeted with open arms by the other kids.
You have always been brilliant, but your first year of school has seemed to set your little mind on fire! You are a little mathematical whiz and can calculate large numbers in your head, and your reading has really taken off this year. You know so much about animals and all the things that interest you, and I just love your curiosity about the world around you.
You are a cuddle bear and still require a roommate at night:) You still don’t like scary things or the dark. Your stormy seas have calmed as of late and it’s smooth sailing a lot of the time, with just a few crashing waves here and there;) When alone, you are quiet and introspective, focused on a task or quietly contemplating the world. When your sister or a friend is around you are lively and silly. You like being on time or early to places, and do NOT like being late. Pizza and ice cream are the way to your heart, but you do eat most of the healthy foods we make you these days. Your sister is still your very best friend and at times your greatest enemy, but you guys are two peas in a pod adventuring in your own little pretend world more often than you are fighting.
In many ways you are growing up: you can finally reach the kitchen faucet all by yourself and get yourself a snack from the cabinet, you have your own sense of style, your cheeks and tummy have lost some of their baby roundness, and your finger can’t be found up your nose quite as often. Your little personality seems to have exploded the past year and I feel like I am getting small glimpses of the man you will someday be. But whether little six year old boy or big ol’ man, my baby boy you will be💙 And I love you.
Love,
Mama
