NO way, J is SIX!

Happiest of Birthdays, J!

SIX years old today?! And somehow you already mature beyond even that.

We love how you when it's time to give someone a hug...even last night on our date with some of the other dads & girls in your class, a friend had fallen on the concrete and the dad had done everything to cure the minor knee scratch and yet, there were still tears until, you, J, opened your arms and said, "hugs-ies?" Hugs, giggles, and the night: Saved.

We love how you're such a dog person. There is a mood drastic difference between days you have a wake up dog (canine cuddles, kisses and pets) vs. days without (parental cuddles and kisses). You always reflect on how much you miss Bailey and what a good boy he was. And there's really nothing cuter than how Penny lightly takes you hand in here mouth and leads you to her bed, like your two little human BFF's running to play in a bedroom.

We love how loving you are, especially with E. It's so cool that even after all these years, you are still best friends. How you mix your interests, like how E loves Harry Potter and you love playing school, so you guys created a favorite game of: Magic School...where you line up all your stuffed animals and teach them spells together.

We love how even in your low points, you've grown up so much. When you were having a hard night missing mommy while she was on a business trip, through the tears you said, "it's okay. I'll be fine. I'm just emotional."

We love how you take so much in stride. The other day, Opa realized that you'd had both legs in one hole of your uniform skort (for the uniformed: these are shorts that look like a skirt), you mentioned that it was too tight to sit crossed legged at school and so you had to ask for a chair. P.S. yes, it was daddy who helped with the dressing that day.

We love your work ethic. You actually LIKE doing homework. There are so many kids out there (possibly even one under the same roof) who it takes 40 minutes of convincing to do 20 minutes of homework. Not you. You happily do it and then do the optional pages too. And it's amazing to see you reading already. We're having so much fun doing all the projects, cooking and art with you too.

We love how you have a thrill seeker streak. Contemplating getting your ears pierced, mommy mentioned that it might hurt and you replied, "I'll get through it." And you seriously just need to grow some inches so that you can ride more of the roller coasters you love so much. If you thought Everest was good enough to ride 8x in a day, wait until you get on something like Gold Strike.

And we love so many other things about you too. You're so sweet and smart and sassy. You're such a jewel in our life. You're already such an awesome person, it's going to be a blast to see where you go from in your next year!