ET, Why we love you...

We love you because...

• We love your dimple.  You couldn't get more cute if you tried.
• We love how sweet and compassionate you are.  It is an absolute joy watching you be so kind to Nate.  You are such a nice big brother and play so well with him.  We can tell Nate looks up to you a lot already.
• We love how you value traditions in our family!  You have created your own traditions around your birthday.  I believe traditions will give you roots to stay grounded and appreciate the little things in life.
• We love that you believe in God!  Your faith is strong and has a child-like innocence.  I love listening to you pray and speak freely with God.
• We love how absolutely fearless you are!  It will give me gray hairs, but you seek adventure and have a love for life.  I see you challenging your body a lot as you age.
• We love that you love one-on-one time.   Whether playing Lego's, reading books, catching the ball; you thrive for attention.
• We love seeing how bright you are.  You have a knack for memorizing things easily.  You always amaze us with things we never knew you knew anything about.
• We love how big and healthy of an eater you are.  We appreciate the fact that you know the importance of a healthy diet.  You will definitely rank up our grocery bills in the future though.
•  We love your desire to be outside!  You are happiest playing in the yard, enjoying a campfire, riding your bike, playing baseball, etc.  You have not asked for a video gaming system yet!
• We love that you enjoy the simple things in life.  You did not ask for one thing for your birthday!  You were just excited to be turning six and to celebrate with treats and friends.
• We love your love for music!  You are getting so good at the piano and we enjoy watching you play.  Your dance moves are a thing to be seen!  You often are singing and dancing to your CD's in your bedroom.  You have such a great ear for rhythm, which makes Daddy so proud!
• We love how social you are!  You will make new friends with kids of any age, and at any place.  You will talk with grown-ups as well.  You are NEVER shy.  Pair this with motivation and you will definitely succeed at whatever you choose to do.
• We adore your your boyish nature.  You are so tough!  You rarely cry when you get hurt, you L-O-V-E bugs, and you are definitely into the superheros: Hulk and Thor.
• I love how proud you get with yourself when we give you a "big boy" task.  This year you starting showering independently on your own and tying your own shoes.  You are also helping Dad a lot with caring for the garden this year, and helping Mom by filling up all the daycare kids water bottles.
• We love watching you read! You have really improved this year! You ended Kindergarten reading at a level D.

 Some of the things you love are...

•  Your duckie!
• Chicken dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's.
• Playing with your brother.  (When you guys act like best friends, my heart melts!)
• Sleeping over at Papa Bob's and Grandma Darlyn's house, and going to the cabin to visit Papa Jim and Grandma Terri.  You also love time spent with cousins and Great Grandma Mavis.
• You love getting together with friends.  You go nuts when you get to play outside with Harrison or go to Autumn's house. Your friends are: Harrison, Autumn, Logan, Jack, Tyler, Jacob, Parker, Addison, Gavin, Dylan, Lucy, Owen, Drew...
• Playing outside!  (You love every sport you can get your hands on.)
• Dancing and singing.
• Having campfires with Dad.
• Reading!  Your favorite books Mom reads to you are: Magic Tree House, Scooby Doo, and Star Wars.
• Mom's homemade baked goodies!
• Playing with water guns, being shot with the hose, or going down your shark slide.
• Going to church early with Dad and listening to the band practice.
• Playing with balloons (You learned how to blow up balloons on your own this year).
• Occasionally a creative spark will hit you, and then you will sit and color and/or write for hours.
• Movies: Rise of the Guardians, Avengers, Scooby Doo, Horton Hears a Who...
• Restaurants: Rainforest Cafe, Las Margaritas, Car Bar, and Cowboy Jacks.
• Your favorite Saturday night inside activity is to order pizza, watch movies and pop popcorn!  Your favorite Saturday night outside activity is to explore the yard with flashlights/lanterns, grill hot dogs, have a campfire and play until it is dark outside!  This year Dad got fireworks for the first time, and this instantly became your favorite!

I hope you know how much we love you!!!!  You bring so much joy, laughter, and happiness to our lives!  You are such an important and special part of this family!

We love you with all our heart!
Mommy and Daddy