Saturday, June 1, 2024

You're Nine Years Old!

Dear Sawyer,

Airplanes can fly because the engines use propellers or jets to propel the planes forward. The first dinosaur was a plant-eater the size of a kangaroo. The largest diamond ever found weighed 1.37 pounds and measured more than four inches long.

These are just a few of your favorite facts from your National Geographic book Why? Over 1,111 Answers to Everything. We have had that book for years and I see you poring over it all of the time because you have such a curious mind and love learning about all of the why's--why do people have fingernails, why do leaves change color in the fall, why is the Golden Gate Bridge orange? I love that you have such a thirst for facts and I love that you are constantly starting our conversations with "Mama, did you know . . ." You absorb all of the information you learn at school and from the books you read and you love sharing it--I learn something new from you every day. Happy 9th birthday to my walking encyclopedia!

You are 9 years old! One minute, you were a tiny 3-year-old who loved dinosaurs and playing with cars and the next minute--well, you still love dinosaurs and playing with cars, but now you are a bit taller! And you have many more interests and hobbies. You like reading about engineering feats and interesting weather-related phenomenon; you like watching nature documentaries with Daddy, you like building elaborate structures with Legos and Keva planks; you like playing chess and basketball; you like hiking and exploring new trails with me; you like going on bike rides; one of your favorite activities is looking for rocks and throwing them into the ocean; you enjoy watching water flow, whether it's a waterfall, stream or even just the kitchen faucet while I'm doing dishes. You also still like to draw and make the most amazingly detailed pictures. When you grow up, you want to be an architect.

Your favorite foods are still pizza and my sausage barley soup (but without the vegetables, haha). You like to put everything seasoning on, well, everything. You love fruit, especially "waterlemon" (yes, our family members all still call it that because of you!), blackberries and Asian pears. You like our dance parties. Your favorite song is "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa and your favorite line from it is "how can we not talk about family when family's all that we got." When you recite that line, sometimes your voice wavers and you get emotional. I really like that you feel things, whether you are talking about your friends or a thought that you had about the planet. You are a very sensitive kid and you embrace your emotions, which is one of your biggest strengths.

Another one of your strengths is your continued love of reading. Yes, you love reading nonfiction books but you also devour stories inspired by Greek mythology and historical events. You are still a fan of Dog Man, Wimpy Kid and Wings of Fire, and you also like the Boxcar Children and Gregor the Overlander series. Also, it is STILL difficult to get you to get ready for school, come downstairs for dinner, do your nighttime routine, etc. because you constantly get distracted and lose yourself in a book but as I've said before, that's not the worst problem for a parent to have!

You are such an inquisitive, joyful, funny, kind and sweet kid and I love watching you be you. I am proud of you, Baby Bear, and I hope you had a terrific time celebrating your birthday today. I love you so much!

Love,
Mom

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