Calder is 6 years old today! And what a great 6 year-old he is–helpful, affectionate, playful, silly, intelligent, and sensitive. Calder is really enjoying kindergarten and his teacher tells me that he is always attentive in class and doing great work. Here are some pictures that I think really capture his big and funny personality. Thank you, Cortney, for taking these of my sweet boy!

Hi, Calder!

Q: What’s your favorite color?

A: Blue.

Q: What’s your favorite treat?

A: Cake.

This kid is so funny.

Q: What’s your favorite food?

A: Ham and cheese sandwich from Kneader’s.

Q: What’s your favorite movie?

A: Star Wars. Every of them.

Isn’t he so handsome?

Q: If you could go anywhere tomorrow, where would you go?

A: To where Santa lives.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?

A: You know! A dancer!

Seriously one of the sweetest boys around, always ready for a hug or a snuggle.

Q: What’s your favorite song?

A: “Let it go.”

Q: What’s your favorite animal?

A: Cheetah. And gorilla.

Classic Calder.

Q: What do you hope happens to you this year?

A: I have fun.

I’m sure you will, Sweetheart. You are the king of fun and we love you!

Okay, okay. So I didn’t make it by my 30th birthday. But it will still be pretty close! I’ve been busy the past three days attending my doula training workshop (amazing!), so I forgot about posting these. Today’s prompt:

What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about parenthood?

I’m going to start with my least favorite thing. Hmmm…I guess my least favorite thing is listening to kids bicker and argue. I try to teach them to use calm voices and chill out, but it still happens and it drives me bonkers. I also really dislike the whole potty training thing.

My favorite thing about parenthood is giving and receiving in this amazing relationship of love. These little ones have a permanent hold on my heart and I am connected to them forever. And being so needed and loved is transformative. I know that some day I won’t feel as needed, at least not in the very physical sense that I am now, but I think we will always have this bond.

Remember this little guy and his favorite blankie that went everywhere with him?

Calder, 2010

Looks like it might run in the family.

Liam, 2014.

Thank you, Aunt Bobbe, for being the blankie supplier for the Haymond boys!

Okay, guys, we’re almost there! And then you won’t have to read about me all the time!

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

I know it’s cliché, but Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday. I love pretty much everything about it: the Carpenters songs, the decorations, the treats, the gifts I get to pick out for loved ones, the family time, the cheer that permeates the season. It’s just magical. It’s a time that connects people and brings them together. What more is there to say?

Amelie as Mary, 2008.

In Seattle, 2009.

Bearded Bryce, 2010.

2011

Decorating fun, 2012.

What Christmas looks like when you move on December 28th, 2013.

Today’s prompt:

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?

5 Years: In 5 years, my baby will be 6 years old and Amelie will be 13. That will be a whole new phase of parenting. I see myself going on a weekly date with Bryce, for one thing! We know it’s important to have that time for just the two of us, but it’s really hard to find (and pay!) for a sitter for 4 children every week, so it doesn’t happen as much as we’d like. When Amelie is 13, she can babysit! Things will be quite different in 5 years. No little monkey toddling around, asking for hugs and kisses all day. I will miss that dearly. On the other hand, it will be easier for me to run errands and attend to my doula work. I see myself working with my doula clients, helping my kids with school work, and doing fun things as a family like camping and fishing.

10 Years: Let’s see, 10 years from now, I will be turning 40. Amelie will be 18 and already graduated from high school. Liam will almost be a deacon. Wow. I’m hoping that this phase of my life includes lots of traveling with Bryce. That is something we would both love to do. I’ll still be very involved in kids’ school work and other activities and somehow I’ll have to come to grips with the fact that my Amelie might not be living at home anymore. It’ll be interesting to see where my birth work has taken me at this point. More doula work? Or maybe I’ll be teaching childbirth classes, too?

15 Years: It’s actually hard to think this far ahead. Amelie will be 23 and Liam will be 16. I hope that at this point in my life, I am enjoying my beautiful children and the adults that they are becoming. I hope that we have fun together as a family and support each other in all our different activities. I see myself happy at 45, watching my children blossom and working on my own gifts and talents.