First of all, how can you be 6?!?  I feel like it was just yesterday, or maybe last week, that you were 4, and I’m certain it was no more than a few months ago that you were just 2 or 3.  Time flies, as a mommy, and it’s astonishing to watch the speed with which you grow and become more and more a part of the world.

But it is WONDERFUL that you are 6!  I love you, turning 6, with my whole heart.  You are such an amazing little fellow.  Shockingly smart, startlingly observant, with a silly sense of humor and a quiet, kind, and sensitive heart.  As you grow, you become increasingly brave, and your energetic enthusiasm and intensely competitive spirit often leave me cringing in the face of whatever new challenge you’ve decided to attack and conquer, but also thrilled to see your spirit encourage you to take on new challenges.  You are an amazing brother to Liam, and seeing you enjoy each other’s company and seek each other out as playmates have been some of my favorite moments as a parent so far.  You feel things very deeply, my sweet boy, and though I see the difficulty of that at times, I also know how strongly you experience all of the good things that happen in your life, as well.

This has been a big year!  You finished your kindergarten year, and have now left preschool behind you.  A place that you were reluctant to enter 3 years ago has become a comfortable haven for you, and I am sad to say goodbye to it and to your teachers.  You learned a lot there — your German is excellent, and you’ve learned to write all of the letters!  You lost your first tooth this year, too, just recently, and you’re working on a second one.  You don’t even realize it yet, but you’ve started being able to read a little, which is fun to see, and you absolutely blow us away with your memory, your sense for space and numbers, your creativity, your compassion, and your ability to make connections between ideas.  You are a phenomenal boy, and you constantly amaze me.  You tell great stories, and you remember EVERYTHING.

And you are getting so tall, so big and strong.  You can wash your hands without a step-stool and so often your feet hang over the edge of your bed when you are sleeping.  You can run and jump and climb and ski and sled and swim.  You are an amazing guy.

I love you so much.  You’re growing up and getting bigger, but you will always be my little guy.  I love being with you, watching you try new things, listening to the stories that you tell, or just chatting about whatever is on your mind.  You are a great kid and a really cool person.  I am so glad to know you and incredibly grateful to be your mom.  I love you, my wonderful boy.  Happy birthday!