six

Rory Carolan,

Six years old- my oh my.  Rory, you are a guy who knows what he wants (until you change your mind) and a guy full of ideas (oh the ideas).  You recently have been coming up with recipes that make absolute no sense and I am terrified to let you loose in the kitchen.  So far I have been able to distract you with something delicious that I know you like- but I anticipate this won’t work for long…

You are regularly the first one up and you come into bed with me and immediately tell me you are hungry.  Every. Single. Morning.  But you also want to snuggle wrestle which is when you tell me you want to snuggle but then don’t stop moving and stealing my covers.  Mornings are equally enjoyable and irritating at the same time.

You are convinced you have 3 loose teeth, although no one else can feel them.  You are very tall and quite the string bean.  Your body is covered in bruises and scratches and you have no idea how you get them.  I suspect it has something to do with your new obsession of tree climbing, but also could be just form being a six year old boy.

Every year Grandma makes you a birthday cake and you really take things to the next level.  This year it was a wedding cake, with chocolate Lego guys and penguins no less.  You loved it, got to decorate with sprinkles and were very proud of the creation.  That Grandma sure knows how to spoil you.

We have finally been able to start chapter books.  We have a special one we read together and this is one of my most favorite times with you.  You are cruising right through swim lessons and have swam a whole length of the pool (with Mama on the side nervously making sure you weren’t going to drown- the instructor misjudged abilities a bit and I was ready to jump in…but you made it!).

You argue just about any chance you get.  It could be over what is for breakfast, getting pants on, going outside, coming inside, which books we read, where we sit to read the books, which book Thacker picked first, which toy Thacker picked, the way Bennett walked by you- it really gets a bit out of hand.  We are working on calming down and going with the flow.  Mama and Dada are also working on these thing- we are learning to pick our battles and let your creativity fly.  Bennett is your favorite playmate but also your biggest button pusher.  You have a lot on your mind, but not the tools to share that with others (especially your brothers) so this turns into frustration and yelling and arguing.  I think we will get the hang of it someday…

You say the funniest things every day.  Between you and Thacker your Dada and I can’t get enough of you (until the above mentioned arguing, then we want to hide…).  You start sentences with “I don’t mean to complain…” or “I am sorry to say” and then add something totally random like, “but I would like these marshmallows in my cereal” or “but I am a good artist.”  Ugh kid, seriously, why do you have to be so cute and funny?

We get asked if we are going to cut your hair.  You mention that you would like a hair cut and when I say that we will make an appointment with Aunt Teresa you respond that that is not what you want to do.  So, in the mean time, we are enjoying your beautiful blonde locks.  I wish I had just half of the thickness of your hair…

You enjoy doing school work when it is your idea.  I struggled this year keeping things interesting for you.  I would prep some things and then you would go through the pile and decide you didn’t want to do them.  I never pushed, and now that our school year is pretty much concluded, you are showing more interest.  I created your own math binder yesterday and you were so excited.  Now you match your brothers.  You will be reading in no time- you had no interest in letters and then all of a sudden you knew your sounds.  I have done this before and trust your innate nature to want to learn.  I am sure we will have another reader in the house soon- you love books and I can only imagine the added joy when you can read the words!  I love watching you learn.

This year you started at Wilderness Awareness School and every Wednesday we would drop you off with your fellow classmates for four hours of fun and play and dirt and nature.  It took you a looonnnggg time to warm up to your instructors, but finally after half the year I came to pick you up one day and your instructor said “Rory finally shared with us today!”  It was huge!  Funny though, when you got in the car every Wednesday, you would talk the entire way home about your day.  You are such a silly kid.  You are excited to go again next year and I hope that you will be able to have the same confidence you had at the end of the school year next year.  You regularly were the muddiest kid there- way to out shine everyone kiddo.

You are the most creative person I know.  Most of us can not follow along- you have a lot to say- but everything is a complicated, rich story or idea that is going to take you far.  Most recently you have been wearing your underwear over your pajama bottoms so that you look like a superhero when you go to bed- duh!  Your descriptive ability to come up with amazing story lines for what will happen to the Lego guys or what if that car blew up, etc. is pretty amazing.  You can sit and talk and tell a story, even if no one is listening.

Rory, you are a humongous goofball, love being outside and want a treat/sweet every meal.  You give the biggest hugs and the slobberiest (is that a word?) kisses.  You are the first person to greet me when I arrive home and come running full tilt into me (this was an issue while I was recovering, you are glad I am feeling better and can handle your weight load now).  You have the most amazing smile and we are so fortunate that we get to enjoy it every day.  You are growing so so fast and it is a pleasure to see your creative mind at work.  Happy 6th Birthday kiddo- we all love you.

june

 Since we last spoke so much has been going on.  We had a work schedule adjustment- Dada has been working longer days, but staying home on Thursday’s while Mama heads downtown for an extra day of work.  It has been a bit of a transition.

To make things more interesting, Mama had surgery the first week of the month to fix some chronic pain she has been having for the past two years.  Recovery has been smooth and although a fifth abdominal surgery was not really my idea of a good time, I am looking forward to be pain free.

The boys have been finishing up the school year and had their end of year testing.  We just got the results back and they are doing great and as we expected.

We spent most of the first half of the month at home while Mama recovered.  I could never have done it without my boys.  Chris was home for a week and the older two  boys have taken over in helping Mama recover.  I haven’t had to lift anything or really pack anything.  They have been extraordinary.  I am blown away by their kindness and thoughtfulness.  I am a very lucky Mama.

Father’s day fell in the middle of the month and we celebrated with breakfast in bed, homemade peanut butter cups and a BBQ at Aunt Amy’s.  We are lucky to have such great guys in our life.

I bribed my fellas with lunch out and ice cream while they accompanied me to my post-op appointment.  It worked!

But nearly 3 weeks post surgery we have taken advantage of some sunny weather.  We spent a midweek evening at our friends cabin on Camano Island (where dear friends took care of Mama and she didn’t have to lift a finger- what a gift!) and threw a joint birthday party for Rory and Thacker.  We thought our plans of a water balloon battle were going to be dampened due to cooler temperatures, but those kids didn’t care and were soaked and frozen but had fun. We kept the slip and slide in the box though- we needed 20 more degrees for that to be enjoyable…  After the warm weather we have been having we thought we would be in the clear but on the day of the party it decided to have a high of 59 degrees… go figure.

On top of all this, Dada received a much deserved promotion at work!  He interviewed and was notified last week that he was the chosen one.  He is beyond excited and we keep brainstorming ways to decorate his OFFICE!!!  No more cubicle life for this fella.  We are so excited and proud of him- he is going to be brilliant.

And during this last week of June… Henry has been in a WW2 tank camp at a local museum.  He has two of his best friends with him and he has had a blast.  I know more about tanks than I ever needed to know and he has even more knowledge.  I am so glad he had a fun time.

And because I have to document this event (even if he will be mortified later) Bennett swallowed the Monopoly thimble the other day.  I mean seriously.  It was a juggling accident, I am still not sure about the physics of how it all happened, but we have had confirmation that the thimble has exited his body so we are all good to go.   We may need to put a hold on board games for awhile though.

And THEN we participate in Space Night at the Museum of Flight.  It took forever to get there (one can not just easily drive from North Seattle to South Seattle at 4 PM) and we almost lost it more than once- but then we got to make rockets and try virtual reality and play with 3D printing pens- so all was good.

It has been a weird month- a stressful, exhausting, emotional, sad, but fun month.  I am honestly kind of glad it is wrapping up.  Summer we are ready for you.