And just like that, he is SIX years old! What an absolute blast these last six years have been. Ben is such a remarkable kiddo and it has been so fun celebrating him. {NOTE: oops! I scheduled this incorrectly and it looks like it never published! Ben’s birthday was just over a month ago.}
Ben’s stats:
- Weight: 43 pounds {33rd percentile}
- Height: about 45.5 inches {50th percentile}
- Clothing size: kids small (6/7)
- Shoe size: kids 12
- Number of teeth lost: 0
- Favorite foods: crackers, pasta, cheese sticks, artichokes, ramen, tomato soup
- Favorite activities: playing outside, picking wildflowers, climbing, running, riding his bike and scooter, doing art projects, skiing, spending time with friends/family, jumping on the trampoline
This has been such a big year for Ben! He started kindergarten and officially moved to a new town and had to make all new friends. It was no sweat off his back – he is so loving and warm and makes friends everywhere he goes.
As with every year, Ben has really grown up tremendously. He’s starting to take on new responsibilities and be legitimately helpful, he’s learning to read, and he has become so independent.
Kindergarten has been such a mixed bag this year. He loves school and has made some wonderful friendships.
Ben’s love of wildflowers is still running strong. He just loves nature. We love to watch and feed the birds, go for hikes and bike rides and simply be outside. He’s been so involved in the creation of our garden.
Recently Ben got a new 20″ mountain bike. He was very intimidated by its large size and hated that it was gray (instead of pink, his favorite color). It took him a while to get over both elements, but now he’s crushing it. This summer, Ben is signed up for a few weeks of mountain bike camp and we plan on doing quite a lot of family rides.
Ben is still the super active kiddo he has always been. He’s turned into quite the swimmer, loves to bounce on the trampoline and practice front flips or do the monkey bars over and over again.
Biking and skiing, though, are at the top of his list. It was such a joy to watch his growth in skiing this year. He tried cross country skiing for the first time and ended up joining the local team. Downhill skiing became a true passion for him. He loves sneaking off the main run and ducking into the trees. Skiing is extra fun for him when he is doing it with friends.
He has the whole summer to look forward to and ride his bike. This year the Stevens Pass Bike Park is opening, so he’ll get to check that out for the first time. I think this is going to be a big year for athletics for him.
There are so many things I could picture Ben doing as an adult. He is so passionate about so much. One of his current passions is art – he loves to utilize the creative side of his brain. He’s so athletic and adventurous I could see him doing something with that, too.
The way Ben processes information and the connections he makes in life continue to blow my mind. He is a very deep thinker. The questions he asks are so thoughtful. Just recently he asked “why does the sky change colors for the sunrise and sunset, but not in the middle of the day?”
Ben is an exceptionally kind and thoughtful child. He’s very affectionate and is such a hugger. His relationships with friends and family members are extremely important to him. He loves to make cards for people and always wants his friends and family to feel special.
This last year has been a favorite for me. Five has been such a fun age for Ben. I have loved watching him grow up and become a bigger kid. I am so excited to see all the things he learns and figures out and becomes able to do this year as a six year old.
