It’s here! It’s finally here! Mim, you are six. You have waited with baited breath for this day since your sister’s birthday in April. Your day is finally here. I’m pretty sure that everyone in our town and at least half the people in the surrounding towns know that today, you turn six. It is the only thing you have talked about for weeks.

If I could bottle your energy and sell it, I’d fulfill the world’s energy needs with enough leftover to fuel extended space exploration. From the moment you wake up, you are happy and in motion. Some part of you is always moving. Even if you body is still, your mouth is moving. There are so many questions to be asked, so many stories to tell. So much information to share.

Just yesterday, you told the woman drawing my blood at the blood drive all about your birthday, our summer travel plans and that your friend E is going to a wedding at the end of June. Your nickname of The Mayor is well earned. You know everyone, and if you don’t, you introduce yourself to them. Shy, you are not.

You are almost finished Kindergarten and as expected, you’ve done well academically. Ms. J. was a perfect teacher for you. She challenged you academically and helped you grow socially.

You have learned to read and this new skill thrills you to no end. This year, you took swim lessons at the Y and you gained a world of confidence in the water. You have a huge heart and a very distinct sense of how things should be. It was challenging for you at first to acclimate yourself to a new group of peers, but you rose to the occasion and although you sometimes still need the a small reminder, you have endeared yourself to your peers.

Lightening McQueen rules your world. Your favorite TV show is Fetch with Ruff Ruffman. You have an active imagination and if your sister isn’t available, you and your “friend” Jason often re-enact Fetch episodes. Sometimes Jason says and does things you know are wrong, and you go to great lengths to educate him to the whys and how of the world.

You love you Daddy, and make a point of indentifying yourself with him whenever you can (Dad and I will fix the driveway while the girls go to the Girl Scout meeting). This sometimes annoys your sister to no end, but she learning not to take it personally. You think your sister is pretty cool and together, you go on many adventures as rock stars or life guards, wizards or scientists.

Your inability to focus on a particular task for an extended period of time can stand on my last nerve, and bust me out laughing all inside of 30 seconds. SQUIRREL! But, you exuberance for life and boundless curiosity make me want to be a more patient person and a better parent.

Happy sixth birthday Mim. I can’t wait to see where the next year takes you.