Ethan at Six

My sweet Ethan.  You are just a bundle of love.  Every year I imagine that you couldn’t get any more affectionate, any more loving, but every year you do.  There is nothing you love more than your people – me, your dad, your teacher, your friends, and even your dog.  You get so much joy from being with those you love, and you do all you can to make sure they know they are loved.  Smiles, winks, hugs, kisses, cuddles, sweet words – you do it all. 

Just tonight you said to Daddy, “Thank you for letting a kid like me be coming to life."  Then you said to me: “Thank you for growing me.”  You make us feel so special, so appreciated, and so lucky to have a little boy like you.  I know your teacher feels the same way.  You remembered the one time she named her favorite food in class, and wanted to give it to her for Teacher Appreciation Day.  So tortellini for Ms. Cortellini it was!  She was so touched, and said it was her favorite gift from a student ever.  I believe her.

At six years old, you are doing amazing things.  You are by far the best reader in your class, and you don’t even like reading.  You recently accomplished going across the monkey bars and have made many an out in your T-ball games.  You are an orange belt in karate and have begun performing with the studio’s demo team.  You have great rhythm and are a fantastic dancer.  You like science and trying to do things you’ve never seen others do – even if you are not quite sure it should be done.

You deny ever being tired, as being tired would require you to rest.  Resting is something you do NOT like to do.  You are easily bored, but when you find something you are interested in, you have amazing concentration and commitment and bring a lot of joy into your work.  You seem to have an affinity for driving your brother crazy, especially when you can’t find anything to engage you.  Your heart can get broken just from knowing that someone is upset with you. 

Your favorite things at six: seafood, sushi, Caesar salad; the color yellow; hot chocolate on rainy days, winter nights by the fire; family dance parties, being read to; the shows Fetch with Ruff Ruffman, Ninja Warrior and Wipeout; games on our iphones, playing defender in a backyard football game; hip hop and music with dark tones; mixing all sorts of liquids in a bowl and then seeing what happens to your “experiment” in the freezer; traveling and playdates with friends.

You adore your brother.  You recently said, “I am the luckiest kid because I get to have a playdate with Lucas every day of my life.” 

Ethan, we adore you and are so grateful for the laughter and love you bring into our lives.  Know that you are a very special boy and that we like and love you more and more as you grow.