Happy 6th Birthday, Parker!

Oh, that pesky 6th birthday - when they turn from little kids into big kids. And with Parker, I swear, it happened almost overnight. Look at this big kid. Isn't he getting handsome? This picture seriously brings tears to my eyes.

As a big-boy 6-year-old, Parker has retained all the qualities that have made me cherish him so much over the years, ones I feared he might lose as he grew older. He is mellow. He is creative. He is kind. He is a great brother.

But now he is so much more, and I love getting to know more of his personality as he gets older. He loves math. He loves designing and building, and wants to be an archi-neer (architect/engineer) when he grows up. He is obsessed with hockey, ice skating, and playing in the snow. He is a great reader. He loves school, particularly music, Social Studies, and Science. He has loved reading the Book of Mormon with our family this year, and is always the first to remind us if we forget.

 He is such a cool kid, and I am proud to be his mom. As hard as this transition into big-kid-hood sometimes is for me, I can't wait to see who he grows into. Because who he is so far is pretty dang awesome.