Taekwondo...but not the REAL Taekwondo

Connor is in Jack's class at preschool. An unlikely pair, Connor stands a head and shoulder over Jack. Perhaps he's a gentle giant, for he and Jack have taken to each other like playdough in your fingernail. Jack loves playing with Connor, and his 4 yr old brother Aidan. Connor's mom, Michelle, has been an awesome friend. She has taken Jack to school and picked him up countless times as I treaded the waters of mommyhood with a newborn again. Last week the boys had an outdoor playdate at Connor's, and Michelle even came by to pick up Jack's new bike! They are an awesome family and, sadly, they are moving to Texas. God works in funny ways, huh?

So, yesterday Michelle picked up Jack from school and brought him to their house to play. Jack informed me that they played Knex. Sounds like fun. Then Connor got into his taekwondo outfit and the 3 boys, Connor, Aidan and Jack were off to Taekwondo. The plan was to have Aidan and Jack watch, but as soon as the class started, or so I'm told, Jack ran into the group shouting, "I want to do it too!" Graciously, the teacher allowed Jack to join in with the students. He participated in the class and was really excited about it when he got home. Michelle said he did good, considering it was his first time and that his motor planning is really slow. Overall, it was a perfectly fantastic outing, and such a normal 6 year old experience. I was just glowing.

Michelle said that the class instructor mentioned a summer two week "camp" that might be a good opportunity for Jack to receive more individualized instruction. I asked for more info, but don't know yet if I have a budding taekwondo master on my hands or not. In fact, he was telling me about it this morning, saying "When I was doing taekwondo with Conor and Connor (both from his school class) and my other friends, we were playing tag during the break. It was so much fun." I asked him if he'd like to go again sometime and he said, "Ok, but not the REAL taekwondo, okay?" I have no idea what that means, but maybe taekwondo will turn out to be a group sport that suits Jack perfectly!

Since I have no pictures from the Taekwondo field trip/play date, I thought I'd include a couple from Jack's recent photo shoot. I think he needs a few lessons and it doesn't help that our new camera is so heavy!

Happy 6th Birthday, Jack!

Our sweet little man is officially, as he calls it, a "big kid". Timely, as there is a new baby in the house. And, most importantly these days, he is a "big brother" and loving it! Turning 6, however, didn't win him over with the same ease as becoming a big brother. See, Jack has a fear of kindergarten. No, I did not tell him that monsters teach kindergarten, or that he'd have mountains of homework, or that he'd have to walk to school both ways uphill barefooted in the snow, but somehow, somewhere, he got an image in his cute little head that KINDERGARTEN IS BAD! In fact, he recently has offered to kindly "skip kindergarten and go straight to first grade". Uh, ok but NO and bad idea, dude!

As his birthday was approaching, he shared with us that any incoming birthday gifts could be held over until Christmas. He was not going to turn 6 and he was NOT GOING TO KINDERGARTEN. (Stay tuned through August to see how this plays out) We downplayed the entire concept of his birthday and somehow convinced him to choose a party location, which was the always fun for the family Chuck E. Cheese's with his preschool classmates.

Then, magically, one night after I had tucked him in he hollars out to me as I am leaving the room "Mommy? How many more days until my birthday?" as my sweet boy just can't resist a good countdown. I do a quick finger count and say "13". "13???" he replies, "Cool! Goodnite, Mommy!" Birthday is back on.

So, he's turned 6. He had a fantastic birthday week, which is my favorite way to celebrate a birthday. He ate his weight in cake (GFCF, of course), and celebrated with family on the 8th after dinner, the 9th with his class at Chuck E.'s and again on the 12th in a combined party with his Grandpa, who is quite simply his favorite person on the planet. Although, I must admit that little bro Tyler is giving Grandpa a good run for his money! His cake of choice, this year, was a Return To Neverland Cake, aka Peter Pan II, and was less than up to my usual extremely self pressuring standards, given my post partum state. Funny how a new baby and lack of sleep can cause you to lower your personal standards!

His favorite gifts? His IPOD shuffle and his new bike. He enjoyed the festivities and was thrilled that all but 2 of his friends were able to share in his big bash.

My favorite moment? A quiet, average moment, I suppose you might call it. We took Jack's annual birthday photo in Daddy's shirt. We've done it every year since he turned 1. And, each of the years 2, 3, 4 and 5, it was awful. A nightmare. He screamed, cried, flailed...and the pictures prove it. Sensory nightmare to be trapped under a huge, overstarched, white mountain of shirt. But this year, as I explained that we do this every year on his birthday, and how one day he will fill this shirt, he smiled and giggled a bit. He put it on, waved his giant shirt arms around and said, "Look at me! I'm a witch!" No screaming, crying, bribing, disappointment...just a great picture of a darling little boy who will one day fill that shirt as he becomes, what I am sure will be a wonderful man. So, this proud mom would like to share this picture with you. Doesn't look like much to some, but to me it speaks volumes. Progress is being made with our little guy...and it is measured in the most typical of moments. Enjoy.