5 Years, 364 Days Old

Dear Alex,
Tomorrow is your sixth birthday. So much has happened between your turning five and your turning six, that I am especially pleased to be able to capture some of your finest achievements here in typed word.

Let's try to remember...

When you were five you were still (albeit a tiny bit) round, now that you are six, you are long and lean and I wonder how you manage to stand upright with all the growing that you have been doing.

When you were five you were timid to ride a bike even with training wheels on and we wondered if you would ever do so. Now that you are six, you ride you bike without training wheels and you are a speed demon. In fact you learned how to ride your bike without training wheels just a few weeks ago. It was a warm and sunny weekend, a respite from all the cold snowy weather that we had this winter. Being the laissez faire parents that we sometimes are, you had no bike helmet so your dad was trying to teach you how to ride on the sidewalks in front of our house, lest we be judged by our peers had we taken you to the park. And you did pretty well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UrLhBn1g-g

But once we were responsible enough to buy you a helmet and take you to the park, well look out world! You started out weaving on the wide path, nearly took down a couple of dogs and small children :) and then got your bearings and took off. You can even start without your dad giving you a push and are learning to break to slow down and stop (instead of just falling over). Your daddy and I were just so surprised and pleased and proud. We decided to go out to dinner to celebrate and chose the Kosher Nosh. You were so excited that you told our waitress that we were celebrating your learning how to ride a bike without training wheels. Her response? Mazel Tov! (only at the Kosher Nosh!)

When you were five you were kind to your sister, but more or less ignored her. Now that you are six, you actively engage her and teach her all sorts of words and actions and behaviors, most of them good.

When you were five you were the oldest class at the Glen Rock Jewish Center. Now that you are six, you are in Kindergarten at Coleman School. You go happily each day and as I have mentioned in other recent posts you seem to be forming some nice friendships. However, even with these friendships, you seem remarkably kind and do not exclude children.

Your favorite kindergarten activities are Learning Center (a.k.a. library) with Mrs Kaufmann and art with Ms Roche.

You used to battle me when I asked you to pick up a pencil and write your letters or pick up a book and sound out words, but now you attack these tasks with a bit of trepidation and a whole load of pride.

When you were five you always wanted to be with us in the same room playing or reading or watching movies together. Now that you are six, while you still enjoy our company and have not shunned us all together (ahhhh, looking forward to those teenage years!), you thoroughly enjoy spending time building intricate lego structures (both from your imagination and from instructions), playing Wii in the basement, listening music in your room all on your own.

When you were five you did not even try to please us when it came to team sports. For a variety of reasons, you would find excuses or quit mid-play from soccer and tennis and tossing a ball around, etc. Now that you are six, you are not yet a sports superstar, but you love to talk (what a surprise!?!?) about the game and how your team was successful. We look forward to seeing your interest in succeeding as a team continue to grow right along with the number of goals that you will score.

When you were five you were a wonderful, imaginative, sweet, creative boy who could speak and orate like a person twice your age. Now that you are six? Nothing has changed! :)

Happy Birthday to you, Alex. I am so very lucky to be your mom.

Love,

Mommy