Tate ~ 6 Years Old

I can't believe it, either. 6 years old...

Wow, it's sounding like such a kid. And when I look at the post from last year, I realize he is growing up right before my eyes. It's really happening, and I can't stop it.

I see more maturity creeping in.
I see him really getting it on so many things he is learning.
I see him asking questions. Smart questions, hard questions.
I see his competitive nature getting the best of him at times.
I see him becoming a Lego rockstar (400+ piece kit ALL by himself!).
I see someone who can wear me out and make me laugh all within seconds of each other.
I see him loving his little brother's attention and companionship.
I see someone who can spend hours playing with or drawing Star Wars characters.
I see him continue to all-caps LOVE his Daddy.
I see him surpassing my knowledge of NFL teams and corresponding mascots.
I see someone who values quality time and remembers everything about it.
I see him very slowly trying some new foods. Some. :)
I see him continuing to be a friend to most anyone around him.
I see someone who sees things in black or white.
I see him loving school (even though he thinks it's funny to pretend he doesn't like it).
I see his love of reading taking off.
I see someone who gives 100% to most anything he does...the good and the bad. :)

Most of all I see a little boy who is slowly coming into his own person (as much as you can at age 6). It's fascinating, terrifying, and beautiful to watch.

Dear Lord, I ask for the knowledge, strength, and humility to prepare this child for the path that is in front of him. May I remember that it is his path, not mine. Help me to foster his strengths. Help me to instill in him faith, integrity, and empathy.  Help me to teach him to lean on his faith for guidance and when things are hard. Help me to know when to let go and when to hold on tighter. May my gratitude for this gift never fade.

Tate had a great day celebrating his birthday, which started with a nutritious donut breakfast. And the highlight of the day was having Daddy at school all day as the Watch Dog.

We ended the fun day with a birthday dinner at a yummy pizza place. Who knew the cool sparkler candle I put on the cake would freak him out. OK, so it was a massive flame. Freaked out all of us a little.

And to commemorate what it's like to be a newly turned 6-year-old, the annual video interview with questions from The Birthday Book. 

Tateisms

My memory is horrible. Like really, really bad. My kids are lucky I remember to feed them most days. :)  This is such a fun and funny stage that I don't want to forget, so I've kept a running list to write some of the little jewels Tate says.

• When explaining that Tate would sleep on the floor in our room since overnights guests were in his room, he said: "But wait, does Daddy snore?"
• "I have three enemies: germs all over my hands, cavity bugs in my mouth, and sharks that can bite my arm off."
• "Will is funny. Daddy is really funny. I'm really, really funny. And Mommy is hilarious."
• "There's no homework in heaven, right?"
• "No really, how did I come out of your tummy?" (For this one, I used a distraction method my talking about Star Wars.)
• "There is a Lego toy that costs 80 whole dollars, so can I go to the Dollar Store and get 80 dollars from there?
• "Dear God, Help me be nice to everyone tomorrow, even (name of a mean kid at school)."

Party Like It's Your Birthday

Immediately after Tate went to the new local indoor trampoline place, he asked if that is where he could have his next birthday party. This was the first year to have a smaller group of 10 and just boys. Kind made me a little sad that he is to that point. But it is what it is. And what it was sure made Tate happy. Plus I was able to add some cute decorations in to make me happy. :)

And this was truly a 6-year-old boy's birthday party...complete with non-stop jumping, lots of sweat, Dodgeball, and light saber fights for the finale.

And stop the press, I even got a little crafty (doesn't happen often). I found a super easy online tutorial that I copied to make these pool noodle Light Sabers. 

It's always fun getting to see Tate in his element with his friends. I'm thankful for the sweet friends that he already has and the (crazy) fun they all have together!

Misc. November

I'm pretty sure this happened way before November (my brain cells disappear on a regular basis), but it's one memory I don't want to forget. There is a sweet family at church who has overcome some pretty incredible and challenging obstacles. We have rallied behind them in different ways, and they turned around and surprised me & Wade with such a special gift. They gave us proceeds from their Garage Sale to go toward a trip to Haiti. You can't tell from the picture, but there is a lot of cashola in that jar. It was such a sweet surprise, and I can not wait to use this when I finally get a ticket booked. Hoping sooner rather that later!

This was Tate's first time to be old enough to understand that an election was going on. Everyone at his school was able to vote, and the super-fun mom of one of his friends dressed up as Uncle Sam taking the votes. (Funny to think about the Founding Fathers learning about Kindergartners doing pretend elections and voting on iPads!) We have friends & family on both sides of the party lines, so no matter the outcome, it was most important for us to teach Tate that we respect the President. It's always a humbling moment to pause and be thankful for this freedom we have to elect the leader of our country.

Will's preschool had the annual Superhero Day. I knew this would be tricky for our no-costume, no-hat  kiddo. So imagine how excited I was to find this shirt (with a secret cape he didn't even know about!)? Parenting win!

In early November, Will hit a big milestone. He finally called me "Mama" on his own. Music to my ears. I know that is a special moment for every mother. But having to wait 2 1/2 years for it and knowing it's not something that came easy, it felt like he had just figured out world peace. Love hearing it all the time now. :)

This milestone isn't near as monumental, but it sure is hilarious. We discovered the CamWow app. Greatness.

And our sports-loving oldest also hit a big milestone. He made it through an entire 18-hole round of golf with Wade, Poppy, and Trip. We were all shocked. And this video cracked me up. I think if most golfers are honest, this is what they really want to do after a good shot.


He has also been loving football season...and the fact that the Cowboys are actually winning (knocking on wood now). We often find him running around the house, making tackles, and diving for catches.


And a fun tradition that started 4 years ago was that I started hosting a Holiday Trunk Show at our home for some of my super-talented friends to promote their businesses or sell some of their creations. I always enjoy throwing a party, so it has become something I look forward to each year. We had over 80 people come shop from the 12 vendors. And this year, I was excited to also feature some items that would benefit charities in both Haiti & Honduras. And by the end of the night, over $800 went to the non-profits. Pretty cool!

Thanksgiving ~ 2012

I love Thanksgiving. Everything about it. Fall weather (ha ha....I at least pretend), pumpkins, fall decorations, football, yummy food, and a reminder to take the time be grateful. This year's Thanksgiving was filled with lots of food, family and fun.

The season was kicked off with the Kindergarten Thanksgiving program at Tate's school. Adorable. Seriously, so cute. They performed several Thanksgiving songs, had a buffalo hunter/indian dance (music played with a real record player....not sure they had a clue what it was), and finished up with a feast of the traditional food from the pilgrim era (+ a juice box). So, so cute!

Will's preschool also hosted the annual Thanksgiving Feast. I was so sad that Wade & I had to miss it since we were out of town. But Mimi & Grandpa were great to show up and feast with Will. They said he did good and his feast included a few bites of chicken with a lot of biscuit and brownies. :)

And then it was time for the big day. Shannon & her family spent the night, so all the cousins were together for breakfast and to watch the parade. Pretty sure this is the best shot we got of all 5 together. :)

They got to spend the morning playing outside and jumping on the trampoline playing a pretty hilarious game where you have to freeze if a ball touches you.

Since we have both sets of families in town, we house hop on most Thanksgivings. That means a lot of eating and is why my Weight Watchers plan has taken a few steps backwards. But tis the season! First up was Thanksgiving lunch at the Strzineks. Everyone enjoyed spending a lot of time outside playing in MoMere's leaves and out on the golf course.

Then the next stop was Thanksgiving dinner at my parent's house. And Thanksgiving would not be complete without some representation from our longtime friends/practically family, the Barberenas.

This is the hilarious attempt at a big group picture.

And I saved the absolute best for last. It was the end of the night. We were all stuffed. Half of the kids had been bathed and pajamaed. As they were in my parent's playroom, my Dad discovered a great treasure of a song. And it has special meaning as it's also from the soundtrack of me and my sister's favorite '80s movies ever..."How do you spell quiche? You don't spell, son. You eat it!" Enjoy the awesomeness of a Family Thanksgiving Dance Party...

(and yes I asked permission from all parties involved before I posted this...except maybe from Will & Max)