Sam at 6

Its been a big year for Sam: He learned to read, ride and bike and work with money.  I think my work here is done!

No?  He's not quite ready to leave the house?  Well then I guess we'll just take our annual inventory of how close he is to being ready!

Sam is still an active guy, but I'll say that "active" looks different at 6 than it did in the toddler years.  He loves to play tag and can organize games with groups of kids, usually with himself playing some type of lead role.  He loves to wrestle with his buddies, yet has learned that not all boys like to wrestle and is becoming wise about who he engages with for that activity.  When he and Wyatt get close to each other, its a matter of seconds before they're at it.  Much of his playground time is spent trying to figure out what he can hang upside down off of.  Only a few times have I had near heart attacks because he's dropped on his head.  He loves to bike ride, shoot baskets and hit baseballs with dad.  He loves to swim.  It is hard for him to sit still after school for things like reading and homework.  He's still a wiggly dude.

But he also appreciates being still.  Often after swim team he just wants to sit on the couch, cuddling with his favorite stuffed animal du jour (currently: creeper from Minecraft).  He is on the verge of appreciating his need for down time to balance out all of his business.  Insider tip: If he starts to complain about being cold, he is tired.  Dead give away, every time.

Recently we were discussing the fact that he is sometimes tired, yet still jumps out of bed the second he starts to wake up on Saturday morning, often in the 6:00 hour.  "Why don't you just hang in bed and let your body rest a little bit?  You might fall back to sleep if your body still needs more rest."  His response was something along the lines of being bored in bed or not wanting to miss out...he just wants to be a part of things all the time.  He needs to be in the mix, needs to be near people.

One of his struggles continues to be quitting an action/behavior that he is enjoying because it is hurtful, disrespectful or annoying to someone else.  It IS really hard to stop doing something super fun just because your little sister thinks its too loud!  So he and I are starting to have regular discussions about putting other people's feelings first, and I try to walk through what those feelings might be with him.

Speaking of feelings, he's got those and he's really not afraid of any of them.  The trouble is, they aren't all socially acceptable to express as desired in public.  He is learning that moving straight to tears when you don't get your way isn't a mature response and is really getting better at taking a deep breath and collecting himself.  Sometimes he even runs off to his room when he is upset, which is actually great.  He removes himself from the upsetting situation and spends a few minutes there pulling himself together and then returns and re-presents his plea with calmer words.

Underneath it all he still has a sweet and loving heart.  He never hesitates to give a big hug when he's excited to see you, which I am thankful for!  Apparently some kindergarteners are already too shy or cool to hug their moms at school - not mine!  He is quick to bring Annabelle her blankie or a stuffed animal when she is upset, and will even offer up one of his if he can't find hers.  He likes his friends but he loves his family, both immediate and extended.

He is rough on clothes.  He put holes in the knees of 4 or 5 pairs of jeans this winter.  The kid loves to slide.  He forgets about his napkin and wipes his hands right on his shirt.  But he also expects his clothes for school and birthday parties to be "Awesome."  Under Armor, superheros, Minecraft, Star Wars.  Gone are my days of sending him to school in his preppy little Polo shirts.  Thankfully, he doesn't fight me on his church clothes.

Last year on Sam's birthday post I wrote about his pull between the preschool and kid worlds and how that played out in all aspects of his personality.  A year later I can tell you that I don't see any preschooler left in him.  Of course he can still relate to them and play with them (probably better than with 5th graders), but he is a KID now.  But still my little kid.  And I get him for 12 more years!

Happy Birthday SamMan.  Its so amazing to watch you grow up!