Happy 6th Birthday, Grayson!

Today we celebrate Grayson's 6th Birthday. While I occasionally worry about the size of my tiny man who packs a lot of energy in his 37 pound body, I absolutely LOVE that he is small for his age. I just bought a pair of 4T pants (which are slightly big) for my six year old, but I am perfectly okay with that. All it means is that I get to pretend he isn't growing up so fast :)

His enthusiastic smile from the picture above really says it all. Grayson has more energy than most people I know combined, but his enthusiasm for life is truly contagious. He gets excited about the littlest things, and he often makes me reflect upon what truly matters in life. It doesn't take much to make him smile, and pretty soon we all have smiles on our faces.

If I am honest, I worried about Grayson starting school this year.  A LOT. He doesn't do well with sitting still, and I worried school would be a disaster. Thankfully it has been the complete opposite. According to his teacher, he is a joy to work with and is uber respectful. We even found out that he has started working with an intervention specialist because he is ahead of where he needs to be academically. I am thankful they have already identified this in him because I believe this will decrease his chances of becoming bored with school. I am pretty sure he might get away with a few things because he has most of the women in his building charmed by his smile, but hey, he is liking school and learning. I'm not sure I can ask for much else.

Tennis continues to be his sport of choice, and he told me last week that he doesn't want to play soccer again this summer. I imagine he might change his mind when he watches his brother play, but I refuse to sign him up for something he doesn't want to do. Last month he ran his first bigger (and longer) race at the U of M, and he loved it. Griffin has always loved to run with me, but Grayson is hit or miss. However, it appears he might have been bitten by the running bug, so I foresee more running in his future. For now, he is more than content playing outside and taking tennis lessons at the PIT. He is also very much looking forward to PlayNet this summer.

                                                           

Another new hobby for Grayson is playing board or card games. I love being able to play a full game with both of my boys! I think Connect Four might be his favorite, but a close second is HANG MAN! Now that he can read and spell, he wants to play this always. His words started out pretty simple when we began playing in January, and it has been pretty awesome watching his choices become more and more challenging as he learns bigger words. 

                              

Speaking of summer, Grayson does NOT LIKE WINTER. I have always known that winter wasn't his favorite, but just the other day he said, "Mom, I would be SO happy if winter was only for one day." Me too, little man. Me too

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Despite being rather small for his age, we have been super pleased with his eating this year. Legally, school has to provide Grayson a Gluten Free lunch option because of his diagnosis. I was pretty nervous about this because Grayson is definitely picky. Well, he has tried many new things this year, and he LIKES them :) He actually eats breakfast and lunch at school, and he prefers school meals to the ones we send. (This is not shocking considering my lack of cooking skills!) But let's be honest; I don't mind. It's less work for Brandon and me in the mornings.

Happy Happy Birthday little man! I can't imagine life without you and your compassionate heart. I am so excited for what God has in store for you this year!