Now We Are Six

When I was One,
I had just begun.
When I was Two,
I was nearly new.
When I was Three
I was hardly me.
When I was Four,
I was not much more.
When I was Five,
I was just alive.
But now I am Six,
I'm as clever as clever,
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever. 

                         - A.A. Milne 

I love that poem, it was always one of my favorites when I was a child.  As I sat down to write this birthday message to you, Will and Owen, it popped into my head and of course I had to include it, its totally you!  You ARE as clever as clever, aren't you?  At least you seem to think so these days!  

Six.  Hoooooo-boy!  That sounds pretty old to me.  We're entering big kid territory here, aren't we?  Its pretty amazing to see what you've accomplished this past year and just how very big you've become.  

You've lost teeth,

 

dabbled in new sports,

become more and more curious about the world around you, loving nothing more than to get right into everything to understand how it works.  Especially if it involves getting dirty and if you can convince your friends, like Cooper, to join in!

You're starting to master a new language in French Immersion, and although I know there are days when this whole full day and then homework thing totally sucks for you, I'm proud of the way you stick to it (once the temper tantrums subside and I get some snack into you).  Its hard work, but you're both doing such a good job.  I hope you're equally proud of yourselves and will appreciate your efforts once you're older.  For now, bravo et continuent, mes petits!

 I LOVE how much you're beginning to love books.  Of course your dad and I are total bookworms, so we really hope you'll fall in love with reading as much as we have, and I think you might be on your way.  If you're curious about something, you often ask if we can stop by the library to get as many books out on that subject as possible.  So far we've read about dinosaurs, space, knights and castles and, uh, Captain Underpants.  But seeing you lying on your tummies on the sofa, slowly turning the pages of a book...it warms my heart, kiddos! 

You guys spend a lot of time together.  Although you're in different classes at school, you share a bedroom and are involved in all the same after school activities.  I don't know what it feels like to be a twin, but I do love watching the happy moments you spend together.  Listening to you both concocting plans to build a rocket ship from old boxes, save your sister from alien zombies, attack your sister because she's the alien zombie... its really special and fun.  You love each others' imagination and can be so supportive of each other!  At night I hear you chatting away in the dark, talking over what's happened at school, who you should play with tomorrow, what to do about your alien zombie sister.  Sometimes I go upstairs only to find you both asleep in the same bed, your blond heads touching like they used to when you were babies.  Melts a mummy's heart!

Of course, it doesn't always go quite so smoothly.  You are very, very physical with each other this year, and we've had a lot of tears when one or both of you gets a little too rough.  But I'm trying to let you two sort it out yourselves, figure out how to play nicely, to share, to give each other room to breathe a bit.  Thank goodness we have a house with multiple floors so I can tell Will to go upstairs, Owen to go down to the basement and Elly can run up and down between the two of you to keep you both company!  

But ultimately, it seems that you're relationship with each other is just getting stronger and stronger.  When you're in the right frame of mind, you form quite the team.  You'll be unstoppable together, guys!

We've had our ups and downs this year, for sure.  Going into Grade One has been a difficult journey, but I can see that we're now sailing into smoother waters, and I think we're beginning to find a way to communicate with each other that doesn't solely involve yelling.  I know you're trying, and that means a lot to me.

Your little sister, in case you couldn't tell, adores you both and misses you when you're at school without her.  She reminds me constantly that we need to go pick up "Oh-en an' Wi-yem".  I know she drives you crazy when she messes up your stuff, or when she punches you (now where did she learn that?!), that you often get fed up with her yelling at you instead of just using her indoor voice, but really, I know you love her too.  I see you include her in games, agree to be her baby so she can boss you around and proudly introduce her to your friends in the school yard.  Thanks for looking out for her, guys.  That means a lot to me too. 

Gosh, six, eh? Yes, its definitely scary to see how quickly you're growing up, but man, am I ever impressed with the way you're doing it.  Love you, my lambies, and I hope you know it. 

Happy Birthday, handsome boys.