Volleyball

Staley enjoys playing various seasons of sports when they are offered through our local youth sports organization.  Although all sports seasons have been altered this year, Staley still took advantage of signing up for a short season of volleyball.  Her season consisted of 5 hybrid practice/scrimmage sessions at a local church and 1 game played at the grade school with limited spectators.

Staley was most excited about having some of her closer friends on her team this year, including one of her best friends, Lilian.  She also liked that Lilian's mom was her coach and I was her assistant coach.

Although not the top athlete on her team, Staley continued to improve from her last season.  She was pretty consistent with getting her serves over the net and was better about moving to the ball and volleying it back over the net on several occasions during each scrimmage/game.

Staley always enjoys each sports season that she takes part in.  Although acting comes more naturally to her than athletics, I love watching her try new things, enjoy being a part of a team, and improve her skills.

It was a short and different season than most, but Staley had a good time spending time with friends outside of school and participating in another season of a sport she enjoys.  Volleyball season in the year of COVID?  Success!

Briggs' Birthday

Briggs had a week-end full of birthday fun to celebrate turning 6.  The weather was lovely so I told him that he could have a few friends over after school on his birthday to play.  He decided to forego the few friends and just invited Dava over for an outdoor playdate.

They had a blast eating snacks, playing Play-Doh, and doing Legos on the porch.  After the playdate, we went to Grammie's house for a birthday dinner filled with Briggs' favorites:  Grammie meatballs, Grammie carrots, and finger jello!  He was also excited about opening his birthday gifts like roller skates, a watch, and an ant farm.

The next day we had Zach's family over for brunch and playtime to keep the celebration going.

Briggs got fun new gifts like a new bike helmet, Legos, a soft blanket, and a diary.  But play time with cousins, especially Cade, might have been the best gift of all!

Celebrating with family always makes birthdays extra special!!

We rounded out the birthday week-end with outdoor family church and a combined party for Adelie and Briggs with my family.

More play time with cousins, more gifts (like Wubble balls and spin hoppers, bug vacuums and mermaid swimsuits, and books) made both our March birthday kiddos very happy!  It's good to be 6!!

Another First

What better way to celebrate turning 6 than by losing your first tooth.  Briggs has had a loose tooth for at least several weeks now.  He has had numerous occasions where he has asked me to pull it, only to clamp his mouth shut and cover his mouth with his hands before I can reach in to do it....or to scream and pull away if I actually touch his loose tooth.  Needless to say, it was a losing battle.  Briggs had put it off and put it off until the morning of his dentist appointment.  I told him that if we didn't pull it, the dentist might or it might just come out while they were cleaning his teeth.  He determined that he would indeed let me pull his tooth after breakfast.  In the midst of eating, Briggs suddenly said, "I think my tooth is sideways."  He reached in his mouth to feel it and it fell out in his hand.  (In Briggs' version of the story, he pulled  it out.)  Regardless of how it happened, the tooth is out, the money was found under the pillow, and Briggs has his first gap in his smile.

Another first for my big boy!

He Says...

Briggs is getting to be a much more proficient reader.  He does a nice job reading simple books and sounding out words he doesn't know.  Occasionally as he is sounding out words, he will insert a letter sound that is not actually in the word.  The other night he was reading me a book that had the word "busy" several times.  Each time he read that word, he would insert a 't' sound.  So instead of the person in the book being too busy, they were too busty.  I guess both of those could be considered a problem.

Briggs continues to struggle with some anger and behavior issues at home.  His new phrase of choice to end any argument is "so...yeah!"  As in, "I'm not going to school today so...yeah!"  Or "I am NOT going to clean up my toys in the playroom right now so...yeah!"  Or "I don't like that joke so...yeah!"  Unfortunately for Briggs, that argument doesn't really hold much water around here and he generally ends up doing what he insists that he won't.  It's not always pretty, but we can usually find our way to the appropriate solution.  So...yeah!

Briggs got a new diary for his birthday.  He has only made one entry so far which he showed me the other night.  His first diary entry reads:  "a speshol theinge is my mom!"  And this special thing thinks those are the best 6 words ever written.

I sure do love this boy!

So...yeah!!

Question(s) of the Day

At what point did my kids transition from just doing what I ask to using my requests as a starting off point for negotiations?  And how do I get it to stop?

Interview with a 6 Year Old

Favorite color:  Blue and green

Favorite food:  Peas

Least favorite food:  Pizza bagels at school

Favorite restaurant:  Culvers

Favorite dessert:  Ice cream

Favorite toy:  Trains

Favorite stuffed animal:  Bear Bear and Rock (his new squishmallow)

Favorite animal:  Baby chicks

Favorite game:  Shut the Box

Favorite movie:  Blaze and the Monster Machines (It's actually a TV show, but since we don't really watch TV, any show we watch is a movie to Briggs.)

Favorite sport:  Soccer

Favorite thing to do at home:  Play

Favorite thing about school:  Science

Favorite place to go locally:  Swimming pool

Favorite place to go on vacation:  Disney World

Favorite thing to do with Adelie:  Play kid

Favorite thing to do with Staley:  Play tag and other things

Favorite thing to do with Mommy:  Snuggle

Favorite thing to do with Daddy:  Legos

Favorite book:  Howl for Halloween (a Paw Patrol Halloween book we just got from the library)

Favorite princess:  Tiana

Favorite superhero:  Superman

Favorite outfit:  Train shirt

Favorite pajamas:  Footie pajamas

Favorite play you've been in:  Aladdin because that's the only one I did

Favorite play you've seen:  Maybe Ariel?

What are you excited about doing when you are 6?  Rock climbing

What are you scared of?  Heights

What are you good at?  Jumping, running, skipping, hugging

Who is your best friend?  Dava

What do you want to be when you grow up?  A nurse

My big 6 year old

Happy Birthday, Briggs!

You are our last baby.  You are the forever little brother.  You are the smallest.  The youngest.  The last in line.  You are the one whose firsts will be my lasts.  Your birthdays are the ones that will mark the end of an era.  Watching you grow up will be that constant reminder that my baby is no longer a baby.  

My baby

My baby is 6 months old.

My baby is 1 year old.

My baby is 2 years old.

My baby is 3 years old.

My baby is 4 years old.

My baby is 5 years old.

And now my baby is 6 years old!

Watching your birthdays fly by is a constant reminder that my baby is not a baby any longer.  I love watching the little boy that you are growing up to be.

Happy Birthday to my forever baby!