Freddie at 7

Loving... You continue to be a lover of almost everything.  You want to try everything, do everything, meet everyone.  You're game for trying every sport or activity and more often than not you give rave reviews about everything you try.  You still love going to school, and you are excited to get to swim, gym, the playground as soon as school lets out.  As for school, you love all of your subjects.  I'm not sure you'd pick a single favorite.  You love to be around people and part of the action.

Hating... Well, I can't think of a person or a thing that you hate.  You're still not too fond of vegetables.  But really, can't think of much else you hate.  Oh, maybe getting your fingernails trimmed?

Eating... You can be a big eater at times.  You are very physically active, so your appetite has picked up.  You like meat.  A lot.  Even eating more meat and fewer carbs at many meals.  You'l eat most fruit, but still shy away from most vegetables.  You never pass up a cheeseburger.

Reading....You are reading at about a 4th grade level these days.  Pretty impressive.  Many of the nuances of fiction on that reading level go over your head, but you can devour nonfiction at that level.  Books abut animals are your favorite, but you'll sit for hours reading and flipping through books.  I love watching you at the library wander through the shelves, pulling several books, and then finding a spot on the floor to spend some time with your stack.  You'll also do this at night after I've kissed you goodnight.  I always smile hearing the light on your bed click on as I shut your bedroom door.

Writing...  Your writing is great.  Your spelling is not!  You enjoy writing and really get into it, adding lots of details.  I'm not quite sure what to say about your spelling.  Careless maybe?  I suppose we had better work on your proofreading skills.

Drawing... Quite often I find you at the little table in the living room with your art box and a stack of papers creating.  You love to draw and often make pictures for dad and me, usually pictures of our family.  You still want to take art classes, something I feel badly for not having done for you yet.  I can't stomach the $50-60 per class price tag in NYC.  I hope your interest continues and you always feel the desire to create.

Doing....You are a busy kid!  Right now you are doing a whole lot of swimming.  Since joining the swim team your hours at the pool have increased to 1.5 hours 3 days a week and then an additional hour on the weekend.  And even then you ask to just go to the pool to play!  You're also still in gymnastics and little league and spring soccer are about to begin.  You're also very interested in spending time with your friends, wanting to plan playdates at every opportunity.

Talking about.... Sometimes I have to look at you and make sure I am talking to a seven year old not a 13 year old!  You like to tell me how "awesome" things were or how "so funny" everything is.  You have these long stories about things that happen with your friends, complete with hand gestures and facial expressions that include head shaking and eye rolling.

Singing... You're not so much of a singer as you are a dancer.  I catch you shimmying around the living room whenever we have music on.  You love to listen to the street musicians, and the head starts  bopping any time we hear a tune.

Wearing....You're  a size 6-7, moved into the"big boy" sizing.  You're not particular abut what you wear, but you do like athletic clothing.  You also like to dress up and be told ho handsome you look.

Watching....Wild Kratts is still a favorite, but lately you're turning on Odd Squad, Ready Jet Go, and Nature Cat.  You are pretty independent with he television and remote these days, navigating through Netflix and the PBS app to on the apple TV to find just what you (or Hans!) want.  You still aren't too keen on movies, much preferring 30 minute shows.  I think the drama involved in the longer story lines of movies is a bit much for your very developed sensitive side!

Sleeping....You get in bed each night about 8.30 and it is very difficult to wake you at 7.15 for school. Some nights you stay up for 30 or so minutes reading and some nights you fall right to sleep.  You can sleep past 9 on the weekends!  Not sure what the teenage years will bring.  And he's still sleeping with Tigey.  Even takes him out to the couch to cuddle many mornings.

 Feeling.... So sensitive!  But quite confident, thankfully.  You are also pushing for more and more independence. You take care of your friends and your bother (for the most part).  You are very empathetic.

Learning....  The usual 1st grade stuff, but in swimming you're learning to do turns underwater.  In gymnastics you're learning routines with each apparatus and floor exercises.  That floor routine is challenging.

Wanting....a phone and an iPad.  And I can hardly believe Dad and I are seriously discussing your getting both of these this year.  You'll be out and about on your own heading to and from the pool in the fall so a phone makes sense.  And the iPad?  Well, you really want an eReader, but an iPad may be a better all around option.  You know you need to demonstrate responsibility and maturity to get a phone or an iPad and its obvious that you've been trying extra hard to keep organized and keep track of all of your gear and supplies.  You're a mature 7 year old!

I love you, Freddie.  I love reflecting on all these things and how your growing and changing each year.  I'm proud of you.

Another Tooth Gone!

This makes two!  He wiggled this one free after getting into bed.

Tooth Fairy wasn't prepared yet again.  I suppose she needs to have a stash when teeth get wiggly because no telling when they'll fall out.

Love that new smile.  Not sure where the new tooth will go since the first tooth coming in fills the spot of both of the missing baby teeth!

Freddie's SIX

What a year it has been for you, Freddie!  Looking back so much has happened, so many milestones. You graduated from preschool, tired summer camp, and started school!  You're a swimmer and a skier and a READER!  You are still my tender little lump of love, even with your increased independent streak.  I am so thankful for the past six years, and cannot wait to see what this next year holds for you.

Loving...  Freddie you LOVE just about anything and everything.  You are so enthusiastic about life. I'd say school is probably on your top ten list of loves, right up there with gymnastics.  You love drawing and writing and say your favorite thing to do in school is reading.

preschool graduation

Hating...  Some days you really hate your brother.  Or your mother.  Or your father.  You're pretty emotional and sensitive and have been known to throw out an "I hate you" in the heat of an argument.  I know you really don't hate us though.  

Eating...  You actually are a pretty good eater now.  I can hardly believe it.  You still love things like burgers and pizza, but you eat just about any meat I put on your plate.  As far as vegetables you have steamed broccoli just about every night.  You have either sliced apples or grapes in your lunch each day, along with a pbj, and some pretzels.  You typically don't finish your lunch at school, but as soon as you get home you usually eat what's left in your lunchbox.

Reading...  you are officially a reader, and a rather good one.  I'd estimate you to be a "level H" in guided reading, which is typically a middle of first grade reading level.  You read to me each night as part of your homework, which you'll sometimes complain about because you'd much rather I read to you, but I find you reading to Hans all the time.  You love, love, love books.  You could spend an hour or more sitting with a stack of books flipping through page by page taking it all in.  You love fiction and nonfiction equally and have become interested in biographies.

Writing...  When Dr. G asked you about what your chores and responsibilities were at home you responded "Thank you notes."  While we've talked about how lucky you are to have so many thank you notes to write and the importance of showing gratitude, you still like to complain about writing those notes.  I do think it is just for the sake of complaining because you take time and care to decorate and personalize each note.  You take time to label your pictures, write little captions, and even write little books and stories.  Your spelling is improving and I love to see the writing you bring home from school.  We're going to work on speaking more clearly in our house because it has occurred to me that you think we say "at" instead of "that" in certain instances and you sound out "something" and "sumpthing."  I guess that's the southern yat in us, boo.

Drawing...  You are prolific.  You draw something every single day.  We go through a lot of paper around here.  You keep telling me you want to take art classes outside of school or go to art camp.  I'm working on finding something for you!  Most of your work involves pictures of our family in various activities and locations.  Lately I've seen an increase in the level of detail in your drawing and you prefer just to do pencil drawings.

Oh, that trophy!  A prized possession.

Doing...  You're a busy boy.  Right now you have gymnastics on Wednesdays and swimming on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.  Soccer is starting back up on Sunday mornings.  Maybe you'll want to cut back on swimming, but I doubt it.  You're proud of your progress in swimming, hanging with the much bigger kids and holding your own.  At home you like to tinker around with your toys, but most of the time you can be found sitting at the little table drawing or writing or creating something.  I really need to find that art camp or classes you asked for.

Talking about... You like to talk, although it takes some quiet time before you start really telling me about your day at school.  I hear stories about your buddies at school and your teacher.  You LOVE your teacher, that's for sure.  You like to tell me all of the stories she's told the class.  You also pass on random facts you'v learned from reading and your TV shows.

Waling home from camp with Sam

Singing...  You have been singing "All About that Bass" and "Gangham style" which are a couple of pop songs.  Not sure where you even heard them but it so funny to hear you bust out sining them.  Yu still like some Bob Marley, but anything with a catchy beat gets you bopping.  We have the music on a lot at home and I love seeing you run over to the iPod to see what song it is when you hear something you really like.

First day of Kindergarten!

Wearing...  Although you don't show a whole lot of preference about clothes just yet, you do like to look cute and will check yourself out in the mirror to see how your outfit looks all together.  This is the year I got "colorful sneakers" that you asked for after seeing kids all around town in bright shoes. You are also starting to want more "athletic" style clothing, jerseys and track pants.

First day of kindergarten

Watching...  The big show in our house is "Wild Kratts" on PBS.  We've seen al of the available episodes but you don't mind watching them over and over and over.  You're not much into movies, I think because most of them have "scary" parts and you're a bit too sensitive for anything on the verge of dark and scary.  You watch a show or two a day, and seem to be content with that.

Sleeping...  You're in bed about 8.00 or 8.30 each night and up at 7.00 on school days.  You'll sleep in on weekends at least until 8.00 and sometimes until 9.00.  You still have your Tigey with you, and I just when I think you have begun to separate from Tigey you seek him out and bring him back into bed with you.  I will be sad when you no longer need Tigey!

Feeling...  You are one sensitive guy.  Already you get very emotional when you're upset with me telling me I give Hans everything and you never get to do anything.  The drama is high!

The winter concert

 Learning...  Let's see, in school you're working on subtraction and trying to master all of those pesky "teen" numbers.  You've figured out all the others but the teens throw you for a loop.  You're working on improving your reading, and writing paragraphs with introduction and conclusion sentences that include proper capitalization and punctuation.  In swimming you've been working hard on the breast stroke and I think you've finally got the kick down!  We've been working on money at home, giving you some change to spend at the Sweet Shop each Friday to practice making combinations of $1 with the various little candies.  I love watching you figure out new things.

Wanting...  Oh jeez, you want everything.  But really what you (and your brother) ask for the most is a pet and a house....a house with a pool, and a treehouse, and a trampoline.  Some days you say you want your own room but I honestly think you'd miss sharing space with your brother.

So proud that his artwork was chosen for the main hall bulletin board.  (the one with the crescent moon)

I love you so very much, Freddie.  I am immensely proud of you.  I love you unconditionally, now and always.  Thank you for sharing this life with us.