Dear Kyle,
Happy sixth birthday, buddy Kyle! You some how manage to get a year older every single year! What an amazing person you are. Some days I think you are determined to learn every rule the hard way, but recently you’ve really been blowing me away with your good choices, gratitude and maturity. I am so happy I get to be your mommy. I get you, kid. I “get” you. You are an amazing person. You are funny, intelligent, authentic, and loving. You challenge me and I know God gave you to me as a gift to shape me into a better person.
I just got home from having lunch with you at school. You saw me and you got so excited you knocked and waved from the window between us. I LOVE that you are happy to see me! You started Kindergarten this year and you have a great teacher, Ms. Norris, who tells me that you two have great conversations. It’s been a month since school started and each day is an adventure. You are learning the rules and teaching your friends how to read. Some days when you come home and I ask you what you learned today, you say things like, “I learned that I’m not allowed to run in the halls at school.” I suppose that’s part of what school is about…learning to follow rules. Another day you came home and said you learned that you should not play under your desk. I asked if maybe you already knew that rule and you said, “Yes, but I forgot to remember. I’ll try to remember it tomorrow.” Yoda said, (Yes, I am quoting Yoda, I KNOW!) “Do, or do not. There is no try.” You are a sweet, smart kid and you can do anything you set your mind to. Today at lunch you told me that 3 times 4 equals 12. This was not something you had memorized, I watched you figure it out somehow with your fingers. You can also multiply single digit numbers by 9, 10 and 11…in kindergarten! You want to know when I learned multiplication? Third grade! You blow me away, kid!
Kyle, you are such a sweet, sensitive, caring person. Everyday I see more and more to that side of you. The other day in the car, out of the blue you told me you didn’t want to go to college because going to college would mean you’d have to move away from me. You were crying and then I was too. It was really sweet…it took all of my inner strength not to pull the car over, hop out, hug you and tell you that you can live with me forever (I didn’t and you can’t)...but it was a really sweet moment. At night, when I tuck you in bed, I wrap my arms around you and squeeze and say, “I know you just want to go to sleep, but I want to lay here and hug you ALL NIGHT.” Every time I say that I expect you to push me away, but you say, “Okay, me too!” You love fishing with your Daddy and treasure one on one time with him. You often talk about the things you'd like to do when you have a son. It's amazing that you already dream of being a father. It just goes to show how big your heart is!
Right now, you REALLY love Star Wars and want to become a Jedi. You are already reading your Star Wars books and know ALL the characters. You even know stuff that your Daddy doesn't know and that is saying something! You like to dress in costumes and run around the house pretending with your brother. When you dress yourself you make eccentric choices to say the least… from mixing stripes and plaid to just wearing a belt and nothing else! I have to say it's hard keeping clothes on you, you like to go "au natural" as Papa likes to say.
As I mentioned, you are already reading and you are doing it at a higher level than your peers. The other night you cruised through "There is No Place Like Space" by Dr. Seuss while Daddy stared in amazement. After we put you to bed you like to sit in under the covers and read your books. I love it that you enjoy reading as it will expand your horizons as far as you can dream! You teach Annabelle new words everyday and thanks to you she knows how to count backwards from 5. You are great at math too and can put together Lego sets made for ten year olds with the greatest of ease. Kyle, it is clear that you are intelligent and I want nothing more than for you to take advantage of your God given talents.
At age 5 you developed your first crush, Avery Nowak, who shares your birthday and was born just a few hours after you! You call each other goofy names and tell us that you are going to marry her one day. So cute, but I have to tell you it's a scary proposition as your personalities are virtually identical. With your smarts, charm, and good looks, Mommy and Daddy know the girls are going to flock to you…someday in the very distant future.
I have never met another kid with such a strong sense of self. You know what you like and don’t like, you know who you are and you don’t pretend to be anything you are not. That is being authentic. It takes a strong person to be authentic and this is something that will carry you far in life. You are the kind of kid who blazes his own trail. You just started playing soccer, it's the first time you've played a sport and not been on your brother's team. It's clear you want to be your own person, and though you love and look up to your brother, you don't sit in his shadow. If you work hard, play hard and dream big, you will do great things!
We feel so lucky to be your parents and we love you more than words can express…
Love,
Mommy and Daddy
Right now you are into:
Star Wars
Legos
Xbox
Soccer
barbeque sauce
fishing
reading
space and planets
puzzles
chocolate
Kyle first thing in the morning on his sixth birthday.
Kyle first thing in the morning on his second birthday.
Kyle's Birthday Missions:
1. Mail someone a piece of toast
2. Everytime you need to say the word no, say "No-bi-won-kenobi" instead
3. Let someone pour a big cup of ice down your shirt
