My Awesome Kid

It's been a while since I posted an update on Evan. Lately the blog seems filled with progress and photos of Connor. Of course, a LOT changes in the first year for a baby and I did post a ridiculous amount of pictures and updates on Evan his first year (and beyond) so I'm hoping it balances out in the end.

Age 5 is ... man, it's something. I could try to describe it, but the words and emotions whirl around in my head nearly as fast as Evan whirls around the room. He is amazing, wonderful, loving, smart, wild, confident, LOUD, creative, and yes, even shy sometimes. As soon as I think I have him figured out where I'm certain I can predict what's next, he surprises me yet again.

Case in point. Evan has had to endure many changes the past year. New preschool, new summer camp program, starting Kindergarten, new baby brother (and sharing parental focus), changing rooms, interim teacher, new teacher, substitute teacher while his other teacher is on maternity leave, and listing our house for sale, to name just the 'bigger' things. Adjusting to full day Kindergarten was hard. Academically, there are no issues. Strictly based on what his teacher has told us and taking off the rose-colored parenting glasses, Evan is smart. He reads. He writes. He loves math. But Evan wants to do most of these things on *his* terms. I think in his head he knows what he's supposed to do. But being able to control his actions is difficult. So he sings, or talks, or flails. We recently stumbled upon a great book that describes being five to a T -- It's Hard to Be Five by Jamie Lee Curtis. Written for kids, but it's one of those books that the parent really gets as much out of (if not more) than the kid.

"It's hard to be five. Just yelled at my brother.
My mind says do one thing. My mouth says another."



"At five, I hear NO and DON'T - I can't win! -
when balls bowl inside at my ten juice box pins."

"It's hard to be five. All I want is to play.
I'm starting at school and I don't get a say.
School seems so scary, school seems so strange.
I'm only 5, my whole world's gonna' change."

Evan's never yelled at his brother, although I'm sure that will come as Connor gets older.



Otherwise pretty much all of this applies. Good days. Not-so-good days. Bad days. Then a couple of weeks ago, I got an email from Evan's current teacher telling me he'd been named Student of the Month. STUDENT OF THE MONTH! I was in the middle of Target (my second home) and made it to the car before I teared up. I know he's smart and amazing and loving and all those things I listed above, but for a long time I've felt like so much of the good has been lying in the shadow of the not-so-good. And finally someone (else) recognized the good. She saw that he is/was trying so very hard.

We weren't quite sure what to do. Isn't that funny? We had game plans for other reports from school, but not this one. I forwarded the email to Dan and had picked up Evan when he called me back. I was trying to play it cool so Evan wouldn't know what we were talking about. But he heard me tell Dan that I nearly cried when I read the note. After hanging up the phone, Evan tells me "mom, it's ok if you cry. I won't judge."

Evan was awarded for exemplifying the character word for March: Honesty.

That's my boy.