The "best" is HERE!!: October 2019

Oh sweet boy, you really need to stop growing up so quickly. I just re-read your 5 year old birthday post and it has me all teary eyed. You've grown up SO much in this past year and I just know 6 is going to go by just as quickly as 5 did.

Look at how much you've grown just from the beginning of summer until now!?!

And yes, here you are with the sweet bonus poppy that bloomed JUST in time for your birthday!

You, sweet boy, are still such a delight. You are silly, funny, compassionate, charming, adorable, loving and cute.

Last year I had a hunch this baseball thing was going to be big with you and holy moly, it sure is. You are OBSESSED with all things baseball. From the moment you wake up until the time you go to bed, its all things baseball.

Your current favorite past times are "pitching" the ball against the front door and then announcing the play by play as the ball bounces back to you and you throw the ball around the living room to get all the runners "out".

You could literally do it for HOURS. Daddy tells me he used to do the same thing when he was little - you really are turning into a miniature version of him. Lol.

This summer, you played Little League for the first time and did great. Daddy helped coach you once again and is SO excited that you share his passion for the sport.

It's amazing how good you've gotten over the past year - you have quite the cannon on you and you are no longer afraid to catch the ball. God's going to use those skills in BIG ways, buddy. I just know it. Not only do you have great skills, but you're an awesome teammate. You get equally excited for the amazing plays your teammates make on the field as when you make a big play. The last game of fall ball this year, your first baseman made a great snag to get the force out at first and you were so excited for him you jumped up and down and ran over and gave him a big high five as he ran off the field. The baseball field is definitely your happy place. Every time you came up to bat this season, you would put on your helmet, grab your bat and skip excitedly to home plate. I hope and pray that you always find this much joy in the sport and that you'd never feel the pressure to do anything more than try your best and have fun.

Your highlight of the summer was our trip to the Louisville Slugger bat factory. As we walked up, you told me you could actually feel your heart racing in your chest. You had a blast on the museum tour and learning all about how bats are made. You were SUPER excited to learn they had a batting cage there only to find out they wouldn't let you use the "big people" one because you weren't 6 yet. After throwing an EPIC fit in the tball cage, you composed yourself and learned a few very important lessons: 1) It's ok to ask big people what you want as long as you are calm and polite and 2) Your looks and charm will pay dividends.

After an initial rejection, the second lady working was determined to make your day a special one. Not only did she let you bat, but she let you bat for free. You, sweet boy, were in heaven. Crisis averted;)

I always thought someone might pay big money some day for that stellar swing of yours. Unfortunately, that someone turned out to be me as you soon learned that the Louisville slugger souvenir bats can be a "little" slippery. Combination of that + your stellar swing did end up getting daddy a nice upgrade on his TV this summer..... Oops. Another lesson learned.

This year you started FULL day 5k and boy, were you ready. In January this year, you knew enough sight words to qualify for an advanced reading specialist in 4k and she had you reading in just a few weeks. You had been telling me your goal for 4k was to learn to read and wow, did you ever. By the end of 4k you were reading just about anything you could get your hands on. Reading opened up a whole new world to you. This summer you were sitting downstairs reading when daddy came down to head out to work. When he asked what you were reading, he saw you had the Brewers media guide in your hand and you responded - "oh, just how the Brewers acquired Manny Pina". Ha! Daddy was so proud.

You are super interested in writing, but we get glimpses every now and then. Last Easter, you wrote this all on your own while I was in the shower:

I got goose bumps when I read what you wrote. So true, buddy. So true.

I can't wait for you to start bringing home more of your writing from school this year. I just love to hear what you have to say I can't even imagine how much fun it is going to be reading what you write.

You watched a LOT of Makenna's softball games this year and had a blast doing it. You always made the parents around you smile with your commentary and your enthusiasm for every play. Your whole body would get into every pitch, hit and play in the field. You were such a great encourager to your sister at each game.

You also spent a TON of time in the driveway this summer shooting hoops. You're getting pretty good and I LOVE playing with you.

We made it to quite a few Brewer games this year, and you LOVED them.

You preferred staying in your seat to playing in the play area and you would have stayed up WAY past your bedtime to stay for the end of each game if we'd have let you. I think you watched at least a part of just about all the games on TV this year, too. You always know what time the games are at, what channel and even what time zone the game is in.

You also developed a love for the Bucks this past year and had a blast following them in the playoffs. We talk often about the game I let you stay up for the end of - even when it went into double OT. Daddy's looking forward to watching LOTS of Bucks games with you again as the season gets started in the next few weeks.

Daddy is getting you into all out Badger Football mode as well. You went to your first game a few weeks ago and despite the rain, you had a great time.

And you may have gotten just a few head turns and smiles from the college girls as you waltzed around campus in this getup.

You've discovered a good Saturday is spent on the couch with a remote in hand and your finger on the "last" button so you can watch all the games. I'm afraid he's created a monster.

This summer we got some caterpillars and we had such a fun time watching them all grow into butterflies. You were my little helper and did a great job helping me feed Bob, Junior, Lilly, Maria, Makenna, Alex and Anna-Jesus. I can't wait to do it with you again next year!

You, sweet boy, are a HOME BODY. You LOVE to be at home and when given the option, will almost always pick staying home over going just about anywhere that doesn't involve baseball. You HATE running errands and you prefer to stay home and read, play baseball or play a pretend baseball game. And if there is any sort of sports on, your favorite place to be is snuggling daddy on the couch.

You are still an early riser. You're up at 6:30 sharp every morning and ready for your "mama" time.

I got you a new devotional at Momcon this year and you are absolutely loving reading that with me every morning. Your reading is so good that you can read most of it to me. And you are getting really good at looking up all the bible verses that go along with it, too! I hope and pray that you'll always be this excited to dig into God's Word to start your day. It's been such a good tool to be able to talk about the stuff we learn throughout the day, too. You have such a big heart, buddy and I can't wait to see how God is going to use you.

Your current favorite foods are: peanut butter and jelly, salad (this is new - we'll see if it sticks!), orange chicken, burgers, brats and hibachi chicken.

You have a love/hate relationship with your sister. Most times, you love her like crazy. But when she makes you mad, watch out!

I'm sure it's normal, but I could do without the hate part most days. This is the one and only year you guys go to the same school and I'm loving that part.

You get on the bus together in the morning and after school for the first time ever, you take the bus home after school and don't have to go to Ycare. It took us a few weeks to get used to the new routine, but I'm loving having you both home after school and you're loving being able to pick up that baseball and start pitching as soon as you come in the door.

This year you were lucky enough to get Mr. Dargatz for Kindergarten which means you get to spend a LOT of time on the Woodside Trail learning about and loving on nature. It's been great for you and so fun to watch you learn and grow.