My sweet, first born, Nathan, I cannot believe you are seven years old! I think seven is a real transition out of preschool/little boy stage and entering into the big boy stage (but still years off from teenage boy, thankfully). It's so fun to watch you grow and I love every stage I get to experience with you. You've grown up so much this year. Gosh, it's fun and heartbreaking at the same time. You told me the other day that you're almost as tall as me- not quite, but that day will be here before I want it to be.
At seven you are smart, organized, curious, playful, helpful and sweet and delightful with some snarky attitude thrown in every now and then to keep your dad and I humble in this whole parenting thing.
You've learned so much in first grade this year. You're reading at a third grade reading level. You read chapter books pretty much exclusively now, and it's fun because you can pretty much read everything. I still get surprised sometimes hearing you read the rules for a game, or instructions or other random things.You're favorite book series right now if Magic Treehouse. You always have a couple checked out from the library and you like to listen to the audiobooks in bed at night.
You're excelling in math too. You told me you knew multiplication the other day, so I quizzed you and you do. I was a little shocked at how much you know. You're such a curious kid and want to find out new things all the time. Right now, you are SO interested in the Titanic. You're reading any information you can find about it and watching any show you can find about it too. I checked out some "how it works" books from the library and you love those too. You've been fascinated about roller coasters, space, oceans so much, and it's fun that when you want to know more about something we can just find a book for you to read. Seven is a fun age!
I think part of the transition from little boy to big boy is that you're outgrowing a lot of toys. You still like Legos, but your fascination has waned a lot this year. You like to build new lego sets, but you don't really play with any of your other sets. You used to set up scenes with your legos or take them apart and rebuild them, but you're not interested in that now. You do still like to put on shows and dress up, and you love to play outside. You play with Star Wars toys some, but I really can't think of many other toys that interest you. For fun you like to play games, do puzzles (sometimes) play outside, play Minecraft or Wii sports, and read or listen to books. Those just sound like big kid things, don't they. You are still sweet to play with your brother and sister and will play school or other make believe things with them.
You played basketball this year and LOVED it. It's been your favorite activity you've tried so far and you're looking forward to playing next year again. You love to sing and perform and had fun at our church's KJAM kids choir this year too.
At this age you're actually really helpful which has been nice. Most of the time you have a good attitude about chores and helping, but you have your moments too and you especially get frustrated when you're working and your brother and sister aren't. You can unload the dishwasher, wipe down the bathrooms, strip and make your bed, help me cook dinner, and clean/straighten up almost any room in the house. You work quickly and efficiently too trying to make the most of your time.
You've had a great year in school this year. You always said that first grade was so much harder than Kindergarten, but you always had a good attitude about going to school everyday (even though you were always super excited to have a day off- especially during the teacher walkout). Your teacher always described you as sweet. You came home telling me all the fun things you learned about at school. Your favorite special at school is art. You made a lot of friends this year. Your best friend at school is Kamryn. You two are the SWEETEST. I love how much you love each other. I'm glad she lives so close to us for summer playdates. Your other school friends are Joey, Levi and Devon. And your best friends outside of school are Emma, Wyatt, and Levi.
You have a great memory. I especially noticed it when you were learning verses for AWANA. You finished your book early so for the last few weeks you just did review verses and you resaid your entire Sparks book in three weeks. You didn't even practice much at home, you just seemed to remember the verses. I'm impressed with your memory but more importantly, I'm praying you hide those verses in your heart.
You've lost four teeth in the last year. I love your current toothless grin.
You love your baby sister, and I love watching the two of you interact with each other. You play with her and read to her. You are tender and gentle with her and other Little Ones.
Your favorite colors are orange and red. When you get to pick what we have for dinner, you always request pizza. You are such a good eater. You'll eat whatever is on your plate usually with no complaining (unlike some other people in our family). Your other favorite foods are fajitas, mac and cheese, hamburger helper, pancakes, spaghetti and meatballs, tacos and quesadillas. Your favorite fruits are grapes and strawberries and your favorite veggies are carrots and bell pepper. You always ask for dessert after meals. I think that's why you're a good eater- you just want dessert, ha!
You like to watch Tic Tac Toy Family on YouTube and you went through a phase where you liked Share the Love on YouTube too. You don't really watch TV shows regularly. On Netflix you'll usually find movies to watch. You did watch A Series of Unfortunate Events on Netflix and now you, your Daddy and I are reading the books together where the shows ended on Netflix. Your favorite movie right now is The Greatest Showman and you are always a fan of Star Wars movies. You also really liked Cars 3
You still call me Mommy and give me big hugs and kisses in the mornings. Occasionally, I'll still even get a hug when you're getting out of the car at school. You're just a delight to our whole family. God gave us a gift in you, and I'm looking forward to seeing how much you'll learn and grow in the next year.
