Happy 6th Birthday, Alex!

Alex wore a pedometer about a month ago and I was shocked at the end of the day to see he had taken 22,000 steps. He is only awake for 12 hours! At the end of a long day, Alex (the only child around here who does not take naps) is still bouncing around gleefully. His brain is just as busy as his body. He can read so well and understands the things he reads. He even gets in fights with me about words – why is "signal" not pronounced "sine-uhl" anyway?! Alex loves music. He remembers lyrics, dances to the beat, and can carry a tune without needing a bucket! One day, he heard a song that he really liked. He asked me to keep replaying it for him. Later that day he said, "I feel like I have a DVD of 'Fireflies' playing over and over in my head." I explained that people describe that as having a song stuck in their head. I love how he came up with a way to describe it. Sometimes I worry that Alex is a little bit of a people-pleaser. But then he likes to act like a total punk just to mess with me. I think he is turning out alright.





As for things this kid has said recently that make me think he is even cooler, I have a long list...

Alex: What helps with a runny nose?
Emily: Lots of water and lots of sleep.
Alex: I don't want either of those things!

I was telling Alex that his friend stays at school even longer than he does, and that she eats lunch there and then doesn't come home until the afternoon. Alex said, "Wow! I'm so excited to do so much learning! But I am going to miss you."

I told Alex that they forgot to put the toy in his kids meal and I did not noticed until we got home. He said, "It's okay. I have something better than a toy." And then he ran over to me and gave me a hug.

Alex met playground graffiti for the first time. "Why did I read a word that says, 'F*** off?'"

I helped Alex get his cleats on for the first day of baseball then asked him if they hurt his toes. He said, "No. But it hurts here [pointing somewhere other than his toes] and pretty much all over the rest of my foot."

Alex told me he peed on the kitchen table. But he didn't want to make me mad so he licked it up. I asked when this happened and he said, "A few weeks ago." Vomit.

"When you have another kid – if you have another kid – and it's a boy, I think you should name him M-A-K-A-Y [he was pronouncing it McKay]. And then the next one you can name L-E-O."

"I really want to fly sometime. That's one of my plans for summer. I'm serious! All I need are four fans and then I will be able to fly!"