Six-ing in the Sweet Spot

I remember distinctly a conversation I had with Ben's half sister Susan years ago.  At that time, her kids were at about the same age as mine are now, and I can still to this day hear her words exactly: "6 and 8 is the best.  The absolute best."  At the time, 6 and 8 seemed eons away.  We were still in the trenches of diapers and naps and tantrums and exhaustion.  6 and 8 seemed unattainable, and frankly, irrelevant, from where we stood.  But just like that, here we are - on the doorstep of 6 and 8.   

On Sunday, our Adam turns 6.  In January, our Ethan will turn 8.  I won't dwell on the "how can this be?"s and the "wasn't it just yesterday?"s (ok, I will, but privately), but I will say that (almost) 6 and (almost) 8 is pretty darn great.  I hope it's not the absolute best, as that would imply that it's all downhill from here, but I'll take it for now, and celebrate and cherish all that comes with being in the midst of 6 and 8.

So more about my soon-to-be six-year old...  At six, Adam is a master of paradoxes.  He is small but oh-so mighty.  He is calm and laid back and happy to go with the flow, until he isn't.  And then he really, really isn't.  Still a human tornado who leaves a messy path in his dust, Adam is also keenly interested in organizing his stuff and putting things in categories.  He is either intensely determined or kind of lazy, depending on what he's asked to do.  Adam is one smart little cookie, but makes some really silly choices (like writing labels on his dresser drawers or using a rock to draw smiley faces on the car).  Adam is squirmy but focused - his bum will be wiggling in the air for the entire hour he concentrates on a puzzle or a math problem.  And while often the class clown who seeks attention, Adam also enjoys playing all by himself. 

But despite his paradoxes, our Adam is dependable.  So much of who he is has always been there - his empathy towards others, his omnipresent desire to make people laugh, his unquenchable thirst for knowledge and figuring out how the world works.  The other day, Adam dismantled his music box, just to see how the thing worked, and then explained it all to me.  Again, not the smartest choice, but this is how it goes with Adam - all of his missteps come from a place of pure innocence and curiosity.  It's always been hard to stay mad at Adam for long.

At six, Adam loves Pokemon and Angry Birds and Minecraft.  His interest in Legos has exploded in the past year, and unlike his manual-abiding older brother, his favorite thing is to dump out a whole bunch of Lego sets and build something new.  Adam likes watching football with his dad and brother, but likes organizing his football cards and memorizing the teams in each division more.  At six, Adam is still attached to Horsey but has ditched his thumb.  We enjoy a near-daily snuggle in my bed every morning, but he asks to be carried less and less (if at all).  Six-year old Adam would be a pescatarian if he could - he can never get enough fruits and vegetables, isn't so excited about meat, but loves his fish.  He prefers sour and salty to sweet, and always asks for his sauce on the side, even when we're serving spaghetti.  Together with his brother, the kid is eating us out of house and home, and I still question where all the food can possibly go.  At six, Adam LOVES school, and loves riding the bus even more.  He has some sort of Pokemon trading ring going, where he seems to acquire dozens of new cards on a daily basis.  I suspect that, in true Adam form, he charms and argues and outsmarts his way into his trading partners' heads and somehow convinces them that they are getting the better deal.  Law and/or politics are most certainly in Adam's future.  At six, Adam still loves playing soccer, costumes, superheroes, wrestling with his brother, bathtime, being read to (though he is able to read to himself), riding his bike, coloring, and climbing on furniture (much to my dismay).  He still has the longest eyelashes, the dreamiest curls (though they are straightening!), the bluest eyes, and the cutest freckles on his back.  And I still, and always will, love him to the moon and back.

Happy Sixth Birthday my sweet Adam!  You are so very loved.   

Memorizing NFL divisions

Daddy's helper in the garden

This outfit is just so Adam

Clowning around

Always in costume

My little loverboy

First day of kindergarten

And the facts:

Adam - Age 6

Height: 45 inches (+2.5 inches (6%) from last year)

Weight: 40.8 lbs (+1.2 lbs (3%) from last year)

(* indicates same answer as last year.  not so many this time!)
Favorite color: Orange

Favorite toy: Pokemon

Favorite fruit: Pineapple

Favorite TV show: Pokemon

Favorite thing to eat for lunch: Salami

Favorite outfit: Jammies

Favorite game: Ratuki

Favorite snack: Crackers (huh.  there's always at least one surprising answer.  he never eats crackers.)

Favorite animal: Coyote* (well, wolf was last year's answer)

Favorite song: BINGO

Favorite book: Fly Guy

Best friend: Eli* (BFF I guess)

Favorite cereal: Chex

Favorite thing to do outside: Play on the swingset

Favorite drink: Lemonade*

Favorite holiday: My birthday (not sure that's a holiday, but ok)

What you take to bed at night: Horsey* and Pillow Pet* and Teddy and Uni (why does our bedtime set keep growing bigger when most kids' is growing smaller?)

Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: Toast (editor's note: with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top.  or with lots o' butter)

What you want for your special birthday dinner: Mac 'n cheese

What you want to be when you grow up: Artist (love this!)