The Bean is Seven and a Half!

The Bean is seven and a half!

I can't believe how grown up this kid is getting. He went from being a little five an a half pound baby, to a silly chatterbox toddler, to this boy who listens to songs on his headphones and goes into his room to read for  hours (okay, maybe just *hour*) on end. 

I know I'm biased, but he's a pretty great kid. He's one of those people that things just seem to come easy to. He's social. He's smart. He's athletic. Overall, he's pretty thoughtful and respectful. Like any kid, he'll sometimes pushes the boundaries, but he usually knows when to quit. 

He did incredibly well this school year. I think he was a bit of a teacher's pet. In fact, I was a bit concerned about whether he was becoming over-confident or getting a bit of an ego, so I am glad that he was placed in a grade 2/3 split class for the fall, where he will be in the younger cohort. I think it will be good for him to see that there are other kids who are ahead of him academically, and it should also give him a bit of a challenge, which he probably could have used more of this year. 

Unlike Sprout, who has her one best friend in the universe, The Bean has a few good friends that he  might prefer over others, but overall seems to get along with almost everyone from the kindergarten kids, to sixth graders (who gave him a nickname and let him play soccer and basketball with them), to the counselors at camp. He's extremely extroverted. 

He continued with basketball and soccer lessons through the spring session, both which he loved and continued to picked up new skills in. I honestly think he would play any sport that we gave him an opportunity to join, but I think we'll stick with these two (plus swimming) in the fall. After a bit of a hiatus, he also has been more interested in getting back on his skateboard. Biking and scootering are fun, but informal activities. We did parkour for my birthday and, not surprisingly, the kid is a natural.

We half-joke that the only times he is still are when he is sleeping and when he is reading. This child devours books. He saved up and bought himself a Kindle Fire on Prime Day. It has probably already paid for itself. Jen helped him put on the public library app, so he is able to check out e-books. I wouldn't be surprised if he was going through one a day. I can't even keep up anymore. He reads well above grade-level, which can be challenging, as the content of books at his level is often a bit more mature than I would prefer. Treasure Hunters and Spy School are favourite series, he's also read pretty much all the Roahl Dahl, Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary books. He likes books that are funny and mysteries. We've been listening to The 39 Clues on audio books and are all hooked! 

Food is still meh. He eats well, but is not an adventurous eater. If given a choice, I honestly believe he would eat nothing but bread, cereal, and crackers. He's a total carbaholic. I've been frustrated lately because he has been rejecting fruits that he previous ate without issue, saying he doesn't like them anymore. I tell him it's not his choice, but when he repeatedly refuses to eat something (like bananas) it kind of is his choice. Ugh. 

Sleep is pretty good. He doesn't like being alone in the dark, but thankfully the kids share a room. While he's mostly given up being read to, he still asks for a cuddle before bed, which is pretty sweet. He has a bajillion stuffies, but still needs "white blanket" for bedtime.

Even though he's growing up, he's still really open with us, which I hope continues. He tells us who his crushes are (!!!), when something is weighing on his conscience, or when he has a really amazing idea. He still gives giant goodbye hugs and accepts goodbye kisses.

I love this kid so much and am proud of the person he is growing up to be.