Andrew, Age 6

Andrew celebrated his sixth birthday in October and instead of a party, we honored a long requested desire to go to Chuck E. Cheese. As much as people grimace about the chaos that can exist there, we found Sunday afternoon lunch to be a convenient and not so chaotic time to go. Andrew and Nathan both enjoyed playing the games and walked out with a small clutch of goodies. The pizza wasn't terrible either. Most importantly, Andrew was satisfied with the outing as a birthday celebration.

So, let me tell you about Andrew, age six: 

This kid is bursting with personality and energy. Andrew always has a smile on his face, never missing a beat to cheese for a camera. He seems to hardly sit still, tumbling on the couch, climbing on the counter, or running the length of the house. He has a huge heart and sees the best in everyone, assuming all share his interests (most endeavors include a "come on Mom!"). With mom and dad he loves smashing hugs and running hugs and bear hugs. As when he was a baby, Andrew still loves snuggles at night, finding his way into our bed in the wee hours following bad dreams. When in timeouts for poor choices or behavior, Andrew wants company, hating the alone time more than anything. Even when he's angry and yelling at me, he'll find his way into my lap. 

Andrew will talk with anyone at anytime, easily finding new friends at the playground or elsewhere. He likes verbal confirmation from adults, often finishing his comments with, "Right, Mom?" or "Right, Dad?". Even as I write this, he's chatting nearly non-stop with Jeff about everything from the football game on television, to the commercials, to the pepperoni sticks they snack on. Andrew takes after me in his willingness to sing along in the car, learning the words to the songs in his own way. For example, the popular song "Shut Up and Dance With Me" became "Jump Up and Dance With Me" as Andrew explained that it's not polite to tell someone to shut up. With the arrival of the holiday season, he's learning the words to the Christmas songs we enjoy. 

Andrew with Auntie Ellen and Uncle Thomas in Vienna.

Ever the goofball we love.

Never slowing down, Andrew managed to break his pinky finger on the couch near the end of summer. 

Andrew started Kindergarten this year and is thriving. With an October birthday, he turned five in his last year of pre-school and asked immediately if he could start Kindergarten. I felt badly explaining that he would have to wait until the following fall. Again in early 2019, when we registered for Kindergarten, Andrew asked if he could start the next day. By late May, when he needed to attend a Kindergarten assessment, I could see a little hope in his eyes when he asked if that meant he could finally start. 

Now that he is finally attending school as a Kindergartner, Andrew set about enthusiastically making friends, chatting up his new classmates. He is learning to read and write, and loves showing off his work and progress each afternoon. We are so proud of how much he's already learned, reading books to us, and practicing his numbers frequently. Andrew loves learning new things and you can see his confidence growing as he develops these skills. At home, when we read at night, he's developed more patience for the chapter books that are read over multiple days, becoming engrossed in the characters and events.  

As might be typical for a boy his age, he reports his favorite part of the day is lunch. Honestly, while he most certainly loves to eat, I think part of what he loves is the independence that buying school lunch offers him, getting to choose his side dishes as well as chocolate milk -- which is very different from dinner time when he complains that "Mom always gets to choose". 

An autumn visit from Auntie Ellen, bearing a Schultute filled with goodies in honor of Andrew's first year of school.

Miles Morales, aka Spider-Man

Student of the Month October 2019

Our school district uses a number of "Future Ready Skills" to define the qualities desired in graduates and students are introduced to these skills from the moment they enter the district. Each month, the elementary schools focus on one skill to learn and practice -- October was "Community Contributor" -- and these skills are also used for the Student of the Month program. Andrew's teacher kindly bestowed this honor on Andrew, which is genuinely a strength for him. From the time he could walk, I feel like he has been helping in various ways: any kitchen task like cooking or dishes, outside with yard work, and reminds us to pick up garbage along the trail or sidewalk when present.

One of many Kinder projects showing off his writing. This one is like a daily affirmation for me and warms my heart. 

I think the one thing I can confidently say Andrew does not like is waiting. Waiting in line, waiting for results, waiting for anything is difficult for our busy guy, and patience is a frequent request from us to him. Perhaps he'll grow out of it, but in the mean time, I try to use it as a reminder that life has so much to offer and Andrew is ready to tackle it all. 

Just for fun, I asked Andrew a few questions:

1. If you were to have 1 million dollars, what would you do with it? I would take it to Disneyland and DisneyWorld.  
2. What does daddy do best? Cleans up.
3. What is your mom good at? Cleans up too. And cooks.
4. Who do you want to be when you grow up? That's a hard choice. I don't really know.
5. What do you think your brother will be when he grows up? That's hard because he likes to be a lot of things.
6. Where will you live when you grow up? Close to Grandma and Grandpa
7. What are you afraid of? I'm afraid of the dark.
8. What are you proud of? School
9. Tell me more about best day in your life? When I was born. 
10. What is the healthiest thing you can eat? Vegetables
11. Favorite part of your birthday: having cake

Cheers to Andrew, age six! He brings an energy, enthusiasm, and passion to our household that makes all feel loved.