Our 6 year old!

February 17, 2006

This sweet boy joined our family. Right on his due date! I think that may have been the only predictable thing he has ever done in his life, arriving right on time. He was as stubborn as a mule during his delivery (not much has changed since then). I think he just didn’t want to leave my comfort and was putting up a fight… which is another trait of his we are very familiar with.

He was a big chunker, 9lb 5 oz. His head was insanely coned. And the first thing I noticed was his smashed nose. But I instantly loved him. I remember holding him and knowing immediately that this would be my last baby. I was perfectly content. (Obviously that was a fleeting moment). But perhaps it was the spirit hinting to me that the road with this child would be a challenge better met without other distractions. Or maybe it was a comforting reminder that no matter what other distractions (or challenges) there were, all I had to do was hold this child to be ‘perfectly content’. That has played true throughout the years.

Grant brings me more joy that I could possibly imagine having.

Here are some pictures of him through the years.

And here he is today, at age 6.  Wowzers, he’s getting so old!

A few things I want to remember about Grant at age 6 are:

He eats, drinks, and sleeps Chess! He has beat Shawn, me, and almost every other adult he’s played. I have got to find a chess club for him

He loves watching The Best of Bob Ross on PBS. He wants to be a painter now. It’s a mild obsession

He knows how to read. His favorite book…. The Book of Mormon

He can do early 2^nd grade math

His comfort comes from a stuffed animal Armadillo

When he grows up he wants to be a Paleontologist

He has a wicked-hilarious sense of humor and makes me laugh daily

He loves anything Winnie the Pooh

He loves going to school. It’s true torture to wait until 12:30pm every day

He has a girlfriend at school

He is ultra sensitive. I think 40% of his day is spent in tears. But luckily his stuffed Armadillo and Winnie the Pooh help with the trauma

 

He was all smiles the day of his birthday. We asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday and he said he wanted to go to … yes, you guessed it…. Chuck-ee-Cheese. I had to roll my eyes, to be honest, I’m getting sort of sick of the place. But that’s what the heart of the birthday boy desired, so we went.

We played a lot of air hockey.

The kids piled onto their favorite roller-coaster ride again. Who knew it could be so thrilling…

And Grant discovered his new favorite, Alley Ball. He got 75 tokens and I think half were spent playing this. He had a quirky way of throwing the ball, and I was sure he would break something. But that quirky throw was a lucky one, because he got a high score of 32,000. Shawn and I could only get up to 29,000.

You’re awesome, Grant!

We went out for pizza afterwards at Round Table. Then rushed home for cake and presents.

This year I decided to make him a chess quilt. I think it took 2 weeks off my life. There are several things I would do differently next time…. such as ‘not’ do it. But, he LOVES it, so it was worth it. 

Jefferson made a handmade gift also. He made these miniature bow and arrows, aren’t they adorable? We found the idea HERE. These suckers shoot really far, trust me!!

Along with that he got a Winnie the Pooh blanket made by my mom, a lego set, and a Bob Ross paint by numbers. All of his birthday wishes fulfilled, check.

Grant wanted a simple chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, my kind of boy!

Here’s a picture I captured of Grant’s “no smile smile”. That’s what Shawn and I call it when he’s trying his hardest to not smile, but some smile sneaks out. It’s my favorite!

Happy Birthday to my little sweetheart. I hope you felt spoiled on your big day. You are growing up so fast, non of us can keep up with you.