Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Happy 6th Birthday!

Dear Oliver,

Lately I've been thinking about how you're growing up so quickly. You will be six tomorrow, which is so hard to believe. It seems like you were just three. That was such a difficult year for both of us...such a huge learning curve in parenting for me, both of us learning what it meant for me to be home with you instead of at work during the day, me falling into my parenting style (not so gracefully), you testing boundaries at every turn, both of us butting heads a lot. And now, you're such a big boy! You're in full-day Kindergarten, you can read(!), you leave me little notes all the time (they melt my heart), you are such a great big brother to Eleanor, you are (usually) a good example to Josh, you make your dad and I laugh and smile and beam with pride a lot. You are getting notes from girls (this just started last week and you received three - each from a different girl), you are learning so much (it was fun to go to your student-led parent-teacher conference last week), and I can see how your friends are becoming a big part of your life.

Today I picked you up early from school because you had a fever. You were ready to go to bed at about 6:00 pm and wanted me to carry you up to bed. Not so easy to do these days...you are more than half my height and weigh 42 pounds. As I (somewhat awkwardly) carried you up the stairs to your room, I thought back to when I would carry you as a baby. It seems like such a long time ago in some aspects but was really not that long ago at all. And as I look ahead, I realize in two short years you will be baptized, and then 10 years after that you will be old enough to serve a mission. I can't really think that far ahead in too much detail right now...I just have to focus on the here an now. But I did get choked up while watching a tv show the other night with your dad. We're on season 6 of this series and in this episode, the son is leaving for college and the mom is standing in the doorway of his room, reflecting on the past several years with her son. She gets a little emotional. I started crying, which made your dad get teary as well. I'm glad we still have many years with you here in our home before you are off on your own adventures.

I hope you always know how much I love you and how amazing you are. Even if you ever make choices that might not be the best, I will always be right here. Happy birthday, buddy. We are blessed to have you in our family.

Love, Mom

Today I read Dr. Suess books to you in bed (in honor of his birthday, which falls on the same day as yours). I know you're sick when I mention presents and you don't show any interest. :(

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