The Young and the Restless

Six

I love this wild little firecracker of mine. I can't help but smile as I look at that cute little face while I'm typing this. He is the perfect balance of naughty and nice that every boy should be made of. He jumps on the couch, loves to show his brothers his naked bum, sneaks fruit snacks before dinner, rides his skateboard in the house and loves to watch youtube videos about fake poop pranks. But not a day goes by that he doesn't tell me I'm beautiful. He also has a special treasure drawer that he lets his friends rummage through and pick treasures to take home. The broken leg of a toy robot, the figurine from a happy meal, a rock he found hiking, a glow in the dark bracelet, an alien keychain, a used glitter glue pen, an empty bubble tape container....everything near and dear to his 6 year old heart. Thankfully he has not outgrown morning snuggles and back tickles are at the top of his list of favorites. He eats a steady diet of toast, jelly sandwiches and frosted mini wheats. It is a battle scene at the dinner table every single night. In an effort to get him to eat dinner one night Jayden informed him of the unfortunate food situation in Africa. Without skipping a beat he replied, "well Africa can just come to us, they can walk". If only life were as simple as seen through the eyes of a six year old. The bishop commented once that he walks into church like he owns the place, and that is how he is wherever he goes. He has this swagger to him, and that's not just me trying to use hipster slang, there really is no other way to describe his confident strut. He hangs with the 10 year olds on the playground, he is sweet as pie to his little three year old cousin, he has proposed to at least 3 girls in his kindergarten class, he melts the hearts of his teacher and the checkout lady at Frys.  He facetime's Kylie's friends, organizes games of tag at the McDonald's playland and is the first to knock the doors of every neighborhood kid to come out and ride bikes. Every quarterly report card had comments from his teacher that "he is well liked by his peers" and "he is a natural leader". And it's true. He has a gift when it comes to people and that will serve him well as he gets older. He loves the Magic Treehouse books, still thinks band-aids can cure anything, drinks approximately 10 "milk cups" a day and prefers baths over showers. He wants to be a police man when he grows up. Or have his own Youtube channel.  He doesn't like cake. He has the cutest sprinkle of freckles across his nose. He still sleeps with his blankey. His favorite part of the day is when dad comes home and swims with him. He wants to play hide and go seek in the dark for every family home evening activity. Nothing tops a Happy Meal. He is a true mama's boy through and through, he comes across as tough and confident but melts into a pile on my lap the minute he feels shy or insecure. I'm glad I'll always be that soft place for him to land. So his birthday was a nonstop party, donuts for breakfast, a trip to FINALLY get real fidget spinners, Chuck E Cheese for dinner, milkshakes at Joes' farm grill, picking out toys to spend his birthday money on, swimming, and Monster Trucks on the projector while snuggled up in my bed. He went to bed happy, content and one day older. Happy birthday my cheeky monkey.