the spauldings conquer the world (or at least try)

Reed turned six today, momentous enough for me to write for the first time in nine months. I can only offer belated apologies to my dear cherub Scarlett, whose 3rd birthday I neglected to muse about several months ago. She is no less loved. I will someday go back and post things to those days to make it look as though I was keeping up all along...

For now: Our boy is six! It is far too old. He is growing much too fast.

Wasn't he a toddler a little while ago? Doesn't he still suck his thumb sometimes in bed at night? Older as he may get, he is still as sweet and kind as ever, still loves his parents and sister, still has the voice and stature of a little kid, still wears emotions on his sleeve with hair that curls and a scowl when he's crossed. Reed is a rare gem. He just finished a mighty swim season with the York Manor Makos 6-and-unders, a team I honestly didn't believe he'd make (due to the requirement to swim a lap). He sure fooled me. He routinely swam eight laps in practice, added backstroke to his repertoire mid-season, and even won a heat in a meet. Reed then learned how to start riding a bike without training wheels last week, picking it up in a day or two and gaining confidence with each outing. A big-kid new bike was waiting for him as a surprise gift behind the guest room door this morning. A midsummer trip to Gram and Pop's country club pool proved the diving board was no match for him, and a 100-degree night in the tent at "Camp Singer" (Carrie and Steve's backyard) didn't quell his new fighting spirit either. He was once a reticent, stubborn, quick-to-wave-the-white-flag guy, and sometimes he still is. But part of his growth seems to be leaps and bounds in confidence and perseverance. This makes me proud.

While temperamental, Reed is a good boy through and through. He has a big heart and aims to please. He looks out for his family, friends, and cousins, wanting to ensure that they're OK and taking time out once in a while to spread a little friendliness around with a compliment for Ashley or a pat on the head for little Alex. He asks lots of questions. He loves books (we are reading "Treasure Island" together after having completed a 1950ish chapter book on animals of North America), and maybe movies even more ("How to Train Your Dragon" and "Toy Story 3" among a couple good ones we saw in the theaters recently, along with a video repository full of old animated Disney favorites led by "Peter Pan" and "Robin Hood").

He's still heavy into drawing and other arts and crafts, newly schooled in lacrosse, soon to be headed onto the soccer field. And unbelievably: a month away from being a kindergartener at the brand new West Towson Elementary. His birthday party (a Peter Pan pool party replete with water balloon fights, diving for treasure, and a pirate pinata) guests included best school buddies Ben and Vincent, plus all the cousins, Owen Becker, and the Barnett boys.

I have months more to catch up on, pictures to organize, stories to tell. The countless little vignettes each day -- the moments that make us laugh, or the sweet slices of life that remind us how truly fantastic Reed and Scarlett both are -- most of those are lost now. Time flies when you have a son.

To my favorite 6-year-old soon-to-be-kindergartener chum: don't ever stop being the nice boy that you are, don't ever give up, keep smiling and creating, acting silly and compassionate and sensitive and maybe even once in a while...bold. Your imaginative mind is something special; your drive to direct the action and produce volumes of sketches, costume ideas, SuperGarage projects with Pop, Lego masterpieces, dolphin shows and puppet theater and more is spectacular. You make us proud EVERY DAY. Relax, take it easy on your sister, listen to Mom when she asks you to do something, clean that pigsty of a room once in a while. We love you and will always hold you tight, even when you no longer want us to.