Happy Birthday to Rudy!

Holy cow, we have a six year old in the house! This calls for an orange dinosaur birthday cake!

We've been a little overrun of late, what with Paul teaching two summer courses (they end today--can you hear Paul singing hallelujahs on his way to campus?) and a great visit from my mom two weeks ago (pictures to come), so this post is late in coming, but here we are!

I'm not sure how articulate I can be about this. Frankly I'm a little in shock about the fact that this large, fabulous, complicated, gorgeous child came out of me six years ago.

cake for breakfast!

I'm more than a little in awe of his sponge-like brain, ("Mom, you know I remember EVERYTHING!"), and his capacity to be goofy in one moment and serious and deliberate the next. I like that he can surprise me and that he does, nearly every day.

I love that he has fully embraced the project of Grossing Out Mom (see bag full of eyeballs above), but that he also still (oh, for how much longer?) launches himself directly onto my lap first thing every morning for a pre-breakfast snuggle.

Rudy has worked so hard this last year, preparing himself for this big transition to kindergarten (in 2 weeks!), working on social skills and emotional self-regulation. The difference between last year this time and now is huge and we feel sure that we made the right choice in keeping him in pre-K an extra year. He's ready now.

out to lunch at Say Sushi, just like last year--my creature of habit!

We're planning a kid party in a few weeks at the park. Just Popsicles and cake (how much longer can we get away with such low-key celebration?), and just hearing him talk about inviting his "friends" makes me sure this last year did what we hoped it would.

hypnotizing mama with the miso soup spoon

Rudy looks so much like my dad sometimes it startles me. He's so gorgeous. Those eyes! Ow, my heart. And speaking of goofy and gorgeous:

Here's his best friend making what I assure you are not gang signs. They are quite the team of cooperative destruction, with a good measure of affection thrown in. As I write, they are working together to create a Wii character for Josephine so they can play together. Rudy has just informed Jose that "girls don't have mustaches," and Jose has decided to name her girl "PBS Kids." Sigh. My dreams of living a technology-free life died long ago.

Oh well.

Rudy, you are super-smart, funny, sensitive, of enormous stature and heart. You are great company and a great big brother, even though we know she drives you bananas. Your teachers think you are awesome and so do your parents. It's going to be a great year!

We love you, Roodle Toodle Schnoodle Noodle! (how much longer can we get away with these silly nicknames?)