Dear Mason II,
Happy Seventy-Two Month Birthday! You are six years old!
Statistics: Weight: 55 lbs. Length: 48 inches. Clothes: 6. I’ll have more accurate numbers on Wednesday after your doctor’s appointment.
Well, the word that best describes the past six months is READING! You are an amazing reader and your dad and I are thrilled that this new world has opened for you. You still like for us to read to you, but you often can be found with your own book. Your dad has read the Chronicles of Narnia to you. I found a funny little series of Stink books that we read, and you continue to love Bible and Star Wars stories! We are even attending a Boys Summer Book Club on Fridays this summer.
It is amazing to me that in just a few weeks you will be starting kindergarten at Countryside Elementary. You seem pretty excited for school, and I hope that you have an easier time going to kindergarten then you had with the past year at preschool. Even on the very last day of preschool you had a fit and threw yourself on the ground and refused to go to school. Let’s hope this next year is better!
Your favorite toys are still Legos and anything Star Wars. In fact, for your birthday that is about all you received. Dad and I purchased Slave I for you, and you received your first Star Wars action figures. The top of your birthday cake was decorated with Captain Rex, Anakin and a battle droid.
In April, I took a day off work and we headed up to Baltimore. The two of us had a special Mom and Mason Day of Fun! We went to the Port Discovery Kids museum and had a great day walking on the rope bridge, climbing the tower, going through the mystery house and playing in the water room. We had ice cream before we headed for home, and you took a short nap in the car so I figure that is a sure sign you had a great day! I wish we could have more days like this.
In May we went camping at Camp Hebron with our friends the Peppers: Matthew, Becca, Betsy and Abigail. It had been pouring rain before we left so the campground was a muddy mess. You and Betsy had a great time getting dirty and seeing the animals at Lake Tobias. While we were packing to leave on Sunday morning, you and Betsy found an outdoor shower and absolutely drenched yourselves. It was hilarious and the highlight of the weekend.
The end of May brought a sad time at our house as your dad’s best childhood friend, James Welborn, passed away. James had a son just one year older than you and our hearts break for his son and family. To remember James, we headed to Las Vegas for a memorial in June and while we were there we took a side trip to Southern California.
You had a fabulous time in Las Vegas playing with your cousins Mary Lynne, Howard IV and Harry. What a cute bunch you all made! Our trip to Southern CA included a surprise visit to Legoland and Disneyland! (Three tickets for Disneyland cost $250.) Visiting two theme parks in two days was a bit much for you. You really are kind of a homebody so you were pretty tired by the second day. In fact, we had to convince you to stay at Disneyland because at 10am you started asking if we would take you back to the hotel.
You are sitting next to me as I write this so I asked you what your favorite ride was at Disneyland. You said Star Tours and Winnie the Pooh. Funny thing is when we went on Star Tours at Disneyland you said it was boring and you wanted to go home. I do not understand you sometimes you funny little boy! After the Star Tours ride you made your own light saber at the Star Trader gift shop. It cost $24. Other rides we went on: Finding Nemo Submarine Ride, Autotopia, Pirates of the Caribbean, Pirates Lair Island, and the monorail. We also watched the Jedi Training Academy program while we ate lunch at Tomorrowland Terrace.
Legoland was also fun, but you weren’t much interested in going on rides. You only went on two rides the entire day. You did enjoy looking around at all the exhibits. Your favorite thing about Legoland was the Star Wars exhibit. No surprise there! We were lucky that the weather was beautiful while we were there and your brother seemed to get along well with all the traveling. Oh, you did puke twice in the car on the way home to Las Vegas. We figured it was because of the excitement and weird food.
Since preschool got out in May, you have been very busy with camps. You went to Wetland Detective Camp where you learned about wetlands and made frog puppets. You went to VBS at Galilee Methodist Church where you learned about Super Heroes of the Bible. This past week you also went to Little Pirate Fencing Camp at Claude Moore Park. Coming up you will attend VBS at Saint Matt’s, Nature Detective Camp at Claude Moore and finally Camp Smashup where you will go fishing in the mornings at play Legos in the afternoons. Should be fun!
Nana was just here for your birthday this past week and you had lots of fun playing and snuggling with her. The two of you can always be found up early rooting around in the kitchen. Nana even brought you Star Wars sheets for your bed as an early birthday present.
Your birthday party was lots of fun. Again we filled the backyard with sunshades, a pool, slip and slide, food and lots of friends! We had Padawan Pizza and Boba Fett’s Favorites Fruits and Darth Vader Veggies for lunch. Oh, and we enjoyed Yoda Soda and Tatooine Iced Tea to drink. Your dad made a Death Star piñata for you and we filled it with Darth Vader pencils, lollipops, Star Wars stickers and Tootsie Rolls. We also had water balloons! Good times!
Over the past few weeks we have tried having movie nights on Friday or Saturday night. We set up dinner in the family room and watch a movie. So far, we have had to turn several movies off because they are too scary. (Brother Bear and Up went off right away. Luckily we have Veggies Tales as stand bys. For your birthday, you watched the Clone Wars movie.
Okay, both you and your brother seemed to be starved for attention at the moment so I need to run. We are about to read a Star Wars story.
Love you, you sometimes little aggravating one.
Mama
