Hawken is 6!

Although I am VERY far behind on my blog, I can't miss Hawk's special day! Today he turned 6… MORE than a whole hand… He was THRILLED! He got to open his gifts from family yesterday afternoon since Paul is working nights this month. He's asked me every single day (for more than a month) "How many more days until my birthday?" Even when we had already made a calendar to count down with. His party is on Saturday, and he surprisingly picked a Power Rangers theme… I didn't know he liked them, but apparently he does, so Power Rangers it is. Hawken is such a sweet boy, very compassionate, very empathetic, very smart, very strong, very sensitive, and he's becoming more cautions. He used to be the boy I had to keep eyes on all the time, but he is a rule lover and very obedient.  I am loving watching him grow and seeing all the things he gets interested in. Here are some fun facts about Hawk right now:

• He loves his friends and will defend them when necessary.
• He loves school and learning and growing.
• He loves his teacher, and questions what I say now when it's something he hasn't heard first from Mrs. Oncken.
• He buys her flowers because he knows that she'll love them.

• His favorite color is still yellow.
• When he groans up he wants to be a vet, and also Bumblebee.
• He makes us laugh, and he's very quick witted. 
• He draws sweet notes and letters to us.

• Everywhere he goes, he is running and talking. He never stops until he's finally asleep.
• He loves to brush his teeth.
• He loves his siblings, and has very unique relationships with each of them. He is Solace's helper and protector. He is Lullaby's challenger. He is Matix's sidekick. 

• His dad is his favorite person in the world. He cries every night Paul is gone.
• He still naps on the weekends when we tell him to, but can go without okay too.
• He is emotionally connected to his teacher and gets sad when his classmates don't listen to her.
• He loves to be visited at lunch time and for special school occasions.

• He prays each night for "angels to surround me, and Grandpa Kast to be with me".
• He tells everyone his middle name is Kast because he had a cast when he was a baby.
• His best friends at school are Stella and Erik. 
• His best friends elsewhere are Logan and Matix.
• He likes wearing his school uniform and looking neat and clean. Even when he could wear "play clothes" for picture day, he opted out.

• He loves vegetables, fruits, and grains, but could care less about meat of any kind. He'll eat whatever I give him though, unless I call it soup.
• He does his week of homework in 1 night and begs for more.
• He is reading more proficiently now, but isn't very confident in it.
• He hates it when he isn't immediately great at something. If anything poses a little challenge he doesn't want to try it.
• He loves to be outside and run and jump and skate and ride.
• He loves a good snuggle when he wakes up.
• He gets bad dreams sometimes and sneaks into our bed. We only notice he's there when he starts kicking us.

• He doesn't love the cold weather, but he LOVES that his birthday and Christmas share the same month.
• He loves being the center of attention.
• He always says nice things to me like "How was YOUR day Mom?", which I love.
• He loves playing with Legos, Paw Patrol, and anything creative or crafty.
• He ran for kindergarten president, but chickened out when he found out there was going to be a speech…

• He asks great questions and really listens to the answers. "How far away can you hear someone whispering?" "What is the smallest bug?" "How do you clean dirty air?"
• He is thoughtful and holds the doors for us and anyone he sees.

We love our Hawky! Happy birthday baby! You're special to us and we're happy you're part of our family!