Months

Dear Ian,

Time seems to be running so much faster as of late.  Just a minute ago, I blinked and you were turning six.  Blink again, and now it's New Year's Eve.  A lot has happened since October, and I'm proud to say that we've been so busy filling the days with fun and memories that I haven't had much time to write.  But here we are now, and I finally have a second to breathe (or I am forgetting at least 400 things I should be doing), so I am going to take that time to write to you.

Bear's First Report Card

The end of October also brought the end of your first nine weeks of school, and that means report cards! You are loving your school, and the academic changes in you are incredible.  You are now reading practically everything you can get your hands on, and your math skills are blowing me out of the water. Your first report card was a really good one, and I am so proud of you.  Your teachers are a great fit for you, and I am so very happy with your progress.  They are bringing out the best in you!  One funny note about school is your Spanish Special Area class.  It is an immersion class, so your teacher only speaks to you in Spanish.  You have admitted to me that it's your least favorite Special Area, because you "don't understand one word of what is going on."  Haha!  It's neat to see how much you're learning, even if you think you don't enjoy it; you have actually spoken to me in Spanish a couple of times.  PE is your favorite special area, and you've have become really good friends with Kyle.  He has introduced you to the world of Pokemon, which is one thing this Mama knows nothing about.  But as usual, you've decided to teach me, so now I am listening to long conversations about weaknesses, hit points and how some are legendary.  I have no idea...

teaching a parent about smells

The end of the nine weeks also brought the end of a themed unit, namely The Five Senses, so you also got to present your first showcase.  These are really neat, and I remember doing them with my class when I was teaching at SAS.  The students create presentations that teach the theme, and the whole school and parents and families are invited to come to the classroom and learn about the theme from you.  Your part of the Five Senses theme was the sense of smell.  Your group created a painting with scented paints, and you explained the different fragrances to the parents and other children that came to view the showcase.  You also had a "smell test" where cotton balls had different fragrances, and people that took the test had to write down the smell on a worksheet you created.  It was a lot of fun to watch you teach and explain the theme and process.

You with your "smell painting"

Fall also brought around your first elementary school portraits, too, and yours is great!  We tried so hard to get your hair to cooperate for picture day, but alas...  You bounced into the car after school that day and
announced that your allotted portrait time came after recess and P.E.  So I just knew we were in for a doozy, and boy was it worth the wait.  They are still super cute, but your hair...  It has a mind of its own.  Maybe one of these days we will bend it to our will.  We ordered portraits for all the grands, and of course we have one in our house.  I can't get over how grown up you look, especially with those missing teeth.  Where in the world did my baby go?

And speaking of looking for my missing baby, we cant mention October and fall without holidays and birthdays!

On your actual birthday - and I will hopefully post about your party in a bit - I picked you up from school, and you and I made our annual pilgrimage to the pumpkin patch.  Grandma and Papa Davis also brought you special pumpkins from Cohocton, but there's something about taking you to pick one out.  I guess it reminds me of all the past years we've done this, and in my minds eye, I can picture little almost one-year-old you toddling around all those pumpkins.  It really shows me how much you've grown.  And here I go getting all sappy again.  Anyway... here you are!  My big six year old and the pumpkin patch:

I am thrilled to say that you even participated in the carving of this year's pumpkins.  You aren't wild about the scooping of the guts, but with the help of those snazzy little carving kits, you really got into it this year, figuratively and literally. 

Here you are creating your design.

Judging by your face, you still aren't wild about the scooping part.  But you did it!

Our finished product!

 

For Halloween this year, you opted to dress up as Charlie Brown, and after years of costumes like tractors and the solar system, I sure breathed a sigh of relief when you finally made your costuming choice.  This year's costume was a breeze!  We found you a yellow polo shirt and some black shorts, and combined with some yellow socks, brown man-shoes and some felt, we turned you into a pretty adorable Charlie Brown.  We also were lucky in that we had friends trick or treat with us.  Your daddy was in Europe again, so it was nice to have company with which to roam the neighborhood.  Amanda Saltsman, a friend and fellow twirling coach of Mommy's and her family came, and so did the Liedys.  It was a lot of fun, but as usual, you were pretty much done with it after a bit.  We introduced our pals to our Halloween tradition of Chinese food take out before trick or treating, and it was a really fun night.  

 It's my great pumpkin!  

Fall and the beginning of winter also brought us a new interest and activity for you.  You still enjoy bowling, and you're still pretty dang good at it, but you decided that you wanted to give soccer a try.   I have to heave a sigh here, because I thought I had done my soccer-field-penance; with both Uncle Gary and Uncle Brian being soccer players, I spent a good share of my time at The Meadows for practice.  Or schools for games.  Or just standing in the front yard as goalie - which I might add, I was not so good at playing.  But because you are my boy, and I would do absolutely anything for you, this is now my Saturday morning:

You are now a member of the Gunners soccer team, and funny enough, your coach is a father of a child I taught last year.  I have their daughter this year as well.  But yeah.  Soccer.  I have re-entered a world of smelly cleats and socks, a car-full of grass and dirt, and I am actually secretly thrilled.  It makes you happy.  And you get to spend time talking soccer with Uncle Gary and Uncle Brian. Uncle Gary even came to one of your practices recently and hacked around with you afterward.  That was kinda neat to watch.  You practice on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and your Grandma Davis - being the professional soccer player taxi that she is - takes you to practice on Tuesdays since I have lessons.  Your first game is coming up soon, and I am SO excited for you.  Need to hop on Amazon and get you some shorts, now that I'm thinking on it, but that can hang on a sec. 

I think that about wraps up the year, except for Christmas, which again, needs its own letter.  And it's going to be a good one.  2015 has been an interesting year, and I can only imagine what this next year will bring.  I'm one lucky mommy that I get to share it all with you.

Love you bunches, Little Bear.
Mommy