Dear Gibson,

Today you said the sweetest thing to me, and I have to write it down before I forget.  We were talking about how I go to school, and you asked me what I was going to school for.  I told you I'm getting a degree in Family Life.  "What does that do?" you asked.  I said, "Well, it teaches me all sorts of ways to be a better mommy."  Then you said, "Well, you should stop going then, because you're already a great mom."

Sigh.  That's what makes it ALL worth it.  Thanks for making my day.

Love,
Mom

Dear Gibson,

Today was your last day of Kindergarten.  You are now officially a 1st grader!  Woohoo!!!  I want to take some time to write down some of your accomplishments from this school year, because there are many.  

First of all, you are now a reader.  A pretty good reader, if I do say so myself.  You have brought home your take-home book and read it every night without fail, and with no lost or damaged books!  You have brought home library books each week, all about dinosaurs.  You comprehend well, you read with inflection in your voice, and you are pretty good at reading to your sister.  I love to read, and am so happy that this is finally something that we enjoy to do together.

You are a math whiz.  Kindergarten math is mostly estimates, patterns, comparisons, and simple arithmetic.  But you are good at all of it.  You say your favorite subject is math, which is amazing to me because I NEVER liked math.  I still don't!  I really hope you're good at math, it will be so valuable to you!

You have learned to make friends.  You are a nice guy.  Kids like to be around you, and that is awesome.

Your handwriting is getting much better!

You always smiled and waved to me when I was working at the school (I love that).

You always showed me everything in your backpack.  SO important!!!

You learned to sleep in on Saturdays and value the precious weekend.  Thank you.

You learned to wake up with an alarm clock so I could sleep longer.  Thank you, again.

You have grown up a lot this year, and I know how excited you are for first grade.  It's going to be an exciting summer, and pretty soon you're going to be in school all day!  I am so proud of you and everything that you are becoming.  You make me very proud. 

Love,

Mom

You on your first day of Kindergarten.  Such a big boy!

You and your teacher, Mrs. Walker at Shelley Elementary.

Holding your Kindergarten diploma!  You did it!

Dear Gibson,

Sometimes you talk in your sleep.  Sometimes you walk around in your sleep.  Sometimes you do both.  Last night around midnight, I heard you talking upstairs.  I got up to the kitchen, and you were standing there with no pants or underwear on - just a T-shirt, and saying, "tell them I don't want to take off my tie."

"Your tie?"  I asked.
"Yeah - I don't want to take it off."
"Which tie?"
"The red one.  Tell them, mom!"
(To the people who were taunting you) "Gibson doesn't want to take off his tie."
"Thanks, mom."

After that, we walked to your room, you put on some new underwear, and went right back to sleep.  Of course, you have no recollection of this event, but it was really funny.

Love,
Your tired mom

Dear Gibson,

Today was your end-of-school-year Dance Festival.  It's been totally funny to watch you practice your dance to "It's a Small World."  I love you, but you are one of the funniest dancers I've ever seen.  And I mean that in a good way!  Let's just say that your dancing skills are a little less Mexican and a little more Gringo.  That being said, you did a great job in the dance.  You do have great rhythm, which is why you'll make a great drummer someday.  You can't see yourself very well in the video, but it's proof that I was there and sometimes that is the only parenting points you get in a day.  Showing up points.  The crazy thing is, that in one week you'll be done with Kindergarten and on to First Grade!  I remember that time of my life very well, and it's hard to believe that now its my own son moving into grade school.  Ahhh, well.  I'll try not to get too emotional about it.

You're the one in the red shirt and Hawaiian lei, by the way.

Love,
Mom

Garbage.  I can't upload the video.  It's too long.  I'm so good at taking video!  Sorry about that, bud.  Just know that it was very, very cute and that you did a great job.  Love you!

Dear Gibson,

Today you lost your first tooth!!  It was only loose for a day, but you really wanted it out.  We tried before church, and I learned that Daddy has a very weird way of pulling teeth.  He doesn't pull; he flicks.  Needless to say, it kind of hurt you.  Part of the problem is that your adult tooth has already grown in behind the baby tooth.  You look like a shark!  So there wasn't really any traction on the baby tooth.  Anyway, you fiddled with it all through church, and when we got home it was ready.  You told Daddy he had one more try and then you were going to have Grandpa pull it.  Daddy flicked it one last time, and sure enough it popped right out!  You were excited, but a little freaked out at the same time.  You cried.  It was so adorable!  So here we go into the next phase of your childhood.  I'm not ready!  Now your smile has a little hole in it.  We had pictures after that, and you made sure to put your lip down just a little so your tooth hole showed. 

Good job, buddy.  Now you can wait for the tooth fairy to come!

Love,
Mom

Dear Gibson,

I think you might be a baseball player!  You've been playing catch with your dad lately, and you have quite the arm!  Today I asked if you are going to be a pitcher, and you said no - you're going to be a baseball thrower and hitter.  Ok, then!  Sounds good to me!  But you still have to learn to play the piano.  And play percussion in the band.  Deal?

Love,
Mom

Dear Gibson,

My goodness, it's been a long time since I've made the time to write you.  I'm ashamed!  You can see now why New Year's Resolutions are difficult to keep.  There's just not enough time in the day sometimes!  OK, there is, but lately your dad and I have been hooked on a show called "Bones" and that has taken a bit of a priority.  We're so obsessed that we've made you kids sit and watch episodes with us.  Probably not the best material for kids your age, but hey - I've never claimed to be mother of the year.  We're justifying it by saying that maybe it will inspire you to someday be a forensic anthropologist.  Anyway, a lot has been going on that someday we'll be able to talk about but in the meantime, there are a lot of things that I can't wait to write down for you.

Lately, you've been really beasty.  Almost as beasty as Georgia, which is really saying something for my mild-mannered little boy.  What's the deal?!  Let's just hope it's a phase and it passes quickly.  No matter what goes on during the day, though, you are always my sweet boy and I love you more than words can express.  More than air.  As you grow and change, I hope you always remember who you are and the powerful example that you are to our family.  You have the ability to soften hearts, and that is the most amazing gift I can think of.  You soften me every day.

I love you very much.

Love,
Mommy