liam at six

I'm not sure how we got here so quickly, but we're celebrating Liam's sixth birthday today. Because of Mike's work schedule, Liam got to have a cupcake (with candle, of course) first thing this morning. Then he opened presents and went to swimming lessons, and now he's at his summer program, where he'll take a field trip to the library and go to a flea market just for kids. All in all, a very exciting day.

Liam amazes us every day. He reads everything he can get his hands on, and has so many questions about every subject he encounters. He just soaks everything in, and he reasons through things and makes connections that I doubt I would have made at his age. He's changing so much, growing by leaps, and we're starting to catch glimpses of the preteen, teenager, man he will become.

In a lot of ways, he's a bundle of contradictions. He complains that he never gets enough sleep, but he's up at the crack of dawn every morning because he doesn't want to miss out on anything. He says he doesn't want to go to school, then comes home beaming and tells us how much fun he had and what he learned that day.

Our Liam is easily frustrated and prone to shouty outbursts, but for every one of those, there's a corresponding outburst of affection. Hugs, kisses, random declarations of love, and sometimes just pure sweetness. This morning, we went to the grocery store to order his birthday cake, just the two of us. Liam was talking with the baker and picking out his cake, and then he turned to me and said, "This is just wonderful, Mom!" and gave me a hug. And I shared a look with the baker that said, enjoy this now while it lasts. And I know it won't be long until he crosses over into mom-is-boring/embarrassing territory, so I do. I just wish that part could last!