Dear Jaden (Age 6)

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Dear Jaden,

This past week you turned 6 years old.  I keep calling you "baby".... sorry about that.  You will, though, always be my baby.

You flew through Kindergarten this year, making a ton of friends along the way.  We are so thankful that you had an easy and fun year, and I cannot believe it's almost over.

You are still the cuddler in the family - you love to sit on laps, be hugged, be held, and climb into our bed - every. single. night.  But when you wrap your arms around my neck and lay between us, we smile and let you stay, because we know you are growing fast and you won't be there forever.

One of your favorite things to do is make people laugh (although it does get you in trouble sometimes). Whether you are sticking your booty out and dancing, singing "Hey, suxy lady" (that is how you say it), or singing funny songs - you are a silly boy.

You are also very sensitive and have a very soft heart. Words affect you deeply, as does a loud voice, and we have found that the best approach with you is to be gentle and patient.  When your feelings are hurt, it can affect you all day, and it takes a lot of hugs and reassurances to help you smile again.  That shows us that you are deep, and your love for others is just as deep, too.

We are proud of the boy you are becoming, and the life and joy you bring to our family.  Your innocence is inspiring, your wonder at the world makes us stop and breathe it all in.  When you find a roly-poly and yell, "Mom, I found another Jaden-poly!" or when you see a bird outside and say, "I named him Blackie!" or when you see a friend crying and go to comfort him, we see your heart.

When you are 16 or 36 and want to remember who you were at age 6, here are a few of your favorite things:

Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite sport: Basketball
Favorite thing to do at school:  Play
Favorite color: Green
Favorite toy: Beyblades
Favorite fruit: Strawberry
Favorite TV show/ cartoon: Lego Chima
Favorite thing to eat for lunch: sandwiches (peanut butter & jelly)
Favorite clothing item: My taco shirt
Favorite thing to fall asleep with:  My dolphin pillow pet
Favorite book: Chima
Favorite game: Lego.com
Favorite animal: cheetah
Favorite song:  Gangnam Style (seriously??)
Favorite snack: Apples
Best friend: Austin
Favorite cereal:  Lucky Charms
Favorite thing to do outside: Play basketball
Favorite drink: Orange Juice
Favorite holiday: Christmas
Favorite place to visit: Legoland
Favorite Bible story: Moses & the Ten Commandments
What do you want to be when you grow up? Police man
What do you love about our family? They are nice to me
Favorite thing to do with mommy: Play basketball
Favorite thing to do with daddy: Going to 7-11 with him to get Slurpees
Favorite thing to do with Micah: Play Legos

We love you!

Read last year's post:  A letter to my 5 year old

10 Activities to do With Your Boys

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Sometimes I go to my friend's houses who have little girls, and I am in awe. The pink, the princess castles, the dress-up clothes, the crafts.... things I will likely never have in my house.  As a boy mom, my days are instead spent cleaning up Legos, race car tracks, Legos, action figures, Legos, spit, Legos and Legos.

In talking with these friends about the differences between having little boys and little girls, a few things always come up:  the abounding energy that little boys have, and their need to be outside.

It can be hard for moms to play with boys, unless you grew up as a tomboy or really into sports.  I, on the other hand, grew up wearing dresses and pretending I was Laura Ingalls Wilder or Anne of Green Gables (who both were a little tom-boyish, but I definitely wasn't), so having two boys has definitely been a learning experience.

Regardless of a mom's experience or lack-of, little boys love when their moms get on their level and play.  Here are 10 ways you can play with, and connect with, your little boy:

1) Put on superhero capes for a few hours.  In everything you do, "fly" there.  Have fun pretending that you have superpowers.  Maybe you've seen this picture floating around online - so cute!  But moms can be superheroes too!

2) Get dirty.  Go out and play in the mud with him.  Boys love to dig holes and fill them with water. It's really not all that complicated, just messy.  Let him bring a few toys outside, like small cars, and build racetracks.

3) Make racetracks inside, too.  You don't have to use cars; you can use marbles too.  Pinterest gave me the idea to cut a pool noodle in half and use it as a race-track. We had fun seeing whose marble could race the fastest.

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4) Cook with your kids.  Boys like to cook, too.  Read my tips on mess-free sugar cookie baking here.

5) Have a scavenger hunt.  It can be as simple as drawing or writing 10 items on a piece of paper, and sending them into your backyard with a bag.

6) Get active. It doesn't really matter what you do, as long as it's active.  Boys have lots of energy to spare, and I feel like my boys need to get outside for at least a few hours a day.  They love when I'm out there with them playing basketball, throwing baseballs to them, or running through the sprinklers. Sure, it's easier to watch, but they seem so much happier when I'm playing with them.

7) Find nature. Living in the city, it can be difficult to find nature.  Make an effort to find nature around you - parks, gardens, etc... When my husband and I lived in a city with little greenery (in L.A.), we decided to visit every park in the city throughout the year to find the ones we liked best.  Richard Louv has written a book called Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, which so aptly shares the reasons our kids need to be in nature.

8) Build. Build forts, build Legos, build castles out of cardboard boxes, build tents out of sheets, build whatever you can.  Boys love building anything.

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9) Go camping.  I know, many mom's worst nightmare. But so worth it to see their face light up at all of the camping experiences.  Even if it's for one night, your boy will always remember it.  We took our boys to Yosemite a few years ago and they still talk about it regularly, asking when we can go back.  It definitely made a lasting impression on them!

10) Read. Read with your boy - action books, Bible stories, silly books, joke books, etc...  Reading with your child is such a comforting experience for them, and helps you to be actively involved in their learning.  Reading also opens the door for so many great conversations.

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What other activities do you love to do with your son?