Caleb turns six

Dear Caleb,

Six years old.  Six!  I can't believe it, really.  Six seems like such a big kid age.  You will be starting 1st grade next month!* 

Just for fun, this is what you looked at on your first day of kindergarten:

 And this is what you looked like on your last day of kindergarten:

You lost your first tooth this year.

And your second.

You love to read.  You picked up reading impressively fast.  We did very little to make that happen...at least it didn't feel like we did much.  We had always read books to you, but didn't do much in the way of teaching you to read them yourself.  You started reading small words in preschool and by the middle of kindergarten you were able to read books with little assistance.  Toward the end of the year, you did the "One School, One Book" thing, which introduced you to your first chapter book (The Mouse and the Motorcycle).  You loved it!  I got some Magic Treehouse books from the library and before long you were reading those all by yourself.  I have been repeatedly astonished by your reading skills.  It seems you a going to be quite the little bookworm.  Here you are reading to your sister:

 Speaking of sisters, you've been enjoying playing with Lilah more and more now that she's old enough to interact with you a little better and to enjoy some of the things that you enjoy.  You have always appreciated the company (and attention) of others, often asking Mama or Dada or anyone else who happens to be in the house to play with you.  So you seem to appreciate having more of a playmate in your sister these days.

She has also recently become your roommate, which you seem to appreciate as well.  I would say that you are an introvert, but you also don't really like being alone.  You went through a phase recently during which you were waking up at night, scared because of a bad dream or the dark or some other unknown thing.  But your sister's presence seems to be a comfort to you, and you haven't been doing that since she moved in.  We repainted your room to make it a little more neutral, got you a loft bed to make better use of the space, and passed your twin mattress on to Lilah.  I'm realizing now that we didn't do a good job of documenting the before or after of your room, but here's a little taste.  I will have to get better after pics at least!

Before:

 After (behind the cute baby you can see the changes in paint color):

You just started playing baseball on your first organized sports team.  It's very low-key.  You've done a fair amount of hitting and throwing balls at home, but not as much catching.  And you haven't really learned how playing an actual game really works.  So it's kinda nice that they don't keep keep track of the score or even of strikes.  It's a good format for you to learn the basics of the game.  So far, you are enjoying it!  Here are a few pics from your first game:

For your sixth birthday party, which happened to be on the same day as your first ever baseball game, you had a baseball-themed party.  Really diving in to the whole baseball thing.  Here you are sporting your new baseball cap, a cake pop, and a rain coat due to the torrential downpours that we enjoyed at your outdoor birthday party...

It is so fun to watch you be the big boy you have become.  A real live kid who goes to school, reads books, and plays organized sports!  You are smart, active, affectionate, silly, and determined.  I look forward to watching you as you continue to grow and do all the amazing things that I know you will do.  Here are a few more pics of you from this past year...

 

I love you so much, my little man.   

 

Love always,
Mama

*The truth is I'm actually writing this post very, very late.  But I'm going to do my best to remember what was going on in your world as you turned six.