Dear Harrison,
You too recently had a birthday and it is freaking both Dad and I out how big you are getting! Would you just stop growing? đ Just this last week when we went to get you some new school shoes it came to our attention that you and Bransons feet are only 1/2 an inch apart! Whaaaat? When did that happen? You have gone from a little toddler to a little man so fast. You have been wearing size 6 clothes for months now too since you are so tall – but your skinny as a rail too and your pants are always falling off you. You sometimes walk bull legged just to keep your pants around your waist! It is a crack up!
Right now your favorite things to do are to play games on the Wii and xbox, play with your friends outside (especially Branson, Eden, and Jacey) and to ride your scooter up and down our sidewalk. You also love doing puzzles, writing and drawing, and playing with your baby sister. She is your favorite as you tell us often!
You are an adventurer and usually are the first to catch a grasshopper, to hold a snake, to dig for a pill bug. You like catching critters and always want to make them pets. You also cry when the critters die and get really sad (Remember your pet fish Spidee man? and your caterpillar Breakfast cake?).
You have a contagious laugh that both Dad and I love. You laugh easily and we usually can get you to turn a frown upside down by just giving you a little tickle. You can’t help yourself. Funny faces work pretty well too.
You aren’t a big snuggler for the most part but then will surprise me sometimes by being so tender wanting to hold my hand or have me put my arms around you. It just has to be on your time frame from what I can tell. You also love me to scratch your back and will ask me to do that to you often.
You are a popcycle earner and almost everyday will come to me to ask what you can do to earn a popcycle. You also will earn them for your friends and brothers and are usually my best helper. You often will complain at first but then you’ll turn around your attitude and go and do it.
When in trouble usually the first things out of your mouth are “Well I forgot.” You seem to forget things often like asking for snacks, or asking if its okay if you eat some gum you found, or asking me if its okay to jump in a big pile of dirt in your church clothes. You crack us up with your comments. Some of our favorite things you say are “Well…” with a pause for contemplation and “probably” – followed by a well thought out explanation.
As for favorite foods you are kind of a picky eater right now so its hard to say. You complain about MOST of the food we make (although we are trying to eat more healthy now so that may be why too). One thing I can always get you to eat though is my cucumber and tomato salad with Italian dressing I always make. You DEVOUR that and could eat the whole thing all by yourself for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
You really love fruit too of any kind. Canteloupe is one of your favorites. Peaches, bananas, grapes, watermelon, pears, apples, you name it. You like it. You also will often go and just pull a carrot out of the refrigerator and just eat that. Its one of our “anytime” snacks that you can have whenever you are hungry but you are pretty much the only one that actually eats them. Dawson will as well if he sees you do it – but you have to do it first.
Spiderman seems to be your favorite hero in the world right now and you and Branson love dressing up in your Ironman and Spiderman Halloween costumes and pretending you are super heros – keeping us safe from bad guys. You have some awesome kung fu moves and Daddy and I wonder constantly if we should put you in karate. You seem to really like doing that kind of stuff.
Right now you are pretty emotional and often struggle with your emotions when you don’t get your way. We usually have green smoothies for breakfast in the morning and every morning there are TEARS over this and you will moan and grown and complain until you are counted with a possibility of a timeout. You also fall apart like a rag doll when you don’t get your way or are upset you can’t do something right away. It is something we are working on with you. You just seem to be a little more tender hearted than the other kids.
You love to wear your hair spiky right now and you LOVE belts. You also really love shoes and have been begging me to buy you some super fast shoes for months now. You can’t wait to wear your new pair for school next week.
You are a sleeper! Holy cow can you sleep in! During the summers we let you kids stay up until 9:00 every night and almost every morning it would take you until 9:30 to wake up. I was amazed. You definitely tend to need more sleep than your brothers that is for sure. It will be interesting to see how well you do getting up for school early next week.
You are also a lallygagger. A cute one at that. But a lallygagger none the less. Every Sunday you are almost without fail the LAST to eat breakfast. The LAST out of the bath. The LAST to get dressed. You are just super easily distracted and that sometimes gets you in trouble. We have to get after you often at dinner for leaving the table to go and play with something or to look at something. Your mind just seems to be running a million miles a minute.
You are also SUPER SMART. And I don’t say that lightly. You are already spelling words, can count to 100, and are reading small words as well. In Preschool your teacher said you were her top student and when Mrs. Evans tested you in the Spring she said you were smart enough to skip right to 1st grade! It will be fun to see how you progress this year in Kindergarten.
Your favorite toys right now are your little blue and purple bears that you like to sleep with, your dog pillow pet, and your Thomas Trains. You still love making tracks and driving your trains around them. You are also our instigator of forts. Whether they be with all the couch cushions in my family room, or all my nice pillows in my living room, or with your MATTRESSES in your bedrooms, you are always making something with pillows, blankets, and anything else you can get your hands on. You are a builder that is for sure!
We sure do love having you in our family little man! You are one in a million! Big Hugs and Kisses,
Mom and Dad
