Your favorite things: This past year you have really started to enjoy sports an awful lot. In particular, soccer. In fact, your sixth birthday party is all about soccer… at your insistence. You love to run, you love to race, you love handball and football. You are very athletic and coordinated. Other favorites: Spongebob continues to be your favorite show, mac and cheese is your favorite food… along with french toast, hot chocolate, and grilled cheese sandwiches. This year you've started to enjoy video games like the Wii a little more… but still prefer to play outdoors (thankfully). You continue to enjoy playing hot wheels the most of any toy, but you've also started to enjoy legos! You asked for Lego City for your birthday this year. All this being said…I think your favorite activity of all time must be playing with Anna. You are thrilled when school is out and you have the chance to cuddle and play with little sis. You are the PERFECT big brother to both Grant and Anna and both adore you beyond measure. Now, as far as being a little brother…. well, you and Evelyn have your moments, that's for sure! Each of you know how to press one another's buttons and it's kind of a hobby, I must say:) But you are also a very loving little brother in so many ways. You are a loving little man in general and constantly amaze your father and I with constant acts of kindness throughout each and every day. Your favorite subject in school is by far science and math. You have surprised your teachers by your vast knowledge of math facts and ability to process story problems! You also enjoy arts and crafts in kindergarten and of course, best part of the day is recess. Closest friends this year are Aidan Miller and Carter Bradley. Favorite color is green.. with blue a close second. Favorite cereal is cookie crisp and favorite candy bar is hersheys chocolate bar.
Ways you have grown: Dane, you have amazed us all with your speech development this year. Your vocabulary is on grade level. Your language development both expressively and receptively as well. You continue to struggle with a few articulation issues and you work with Ms. Saralyn, the speech therapist to help you in these areas. But overall, you've made leaps and bounds of progress. As well, your social skills have grown immensely as you've entered a general education Kindergarten classroom. You were nervous, very nervous for a few months about school and all of the requirements. In particular the reading and writing. But you truly are a hard working little boy and you've practiced your site words and letter formation/sounds so that these subjects are no longer cause for fear. You have made many friends and you have been able to speak up in class. You follow directions perfectly and get outstanding marks by your teacher, Mrs. Phaneuf. You do not necessarily enjoy school, but you never complain and you make the best of it. You see it as a means to an end… RECESS! You love to get out there and play soccer and handball with friends. Along with your social development, I have also watched your testimony grow. Though you hate to dress up for church, and I mean to say, you HATE dressing up for church… and yet, you always come home with plenty to tell us about Jesus Christ and His gospel. You are always very keen on choosing the right, keeping the rules, kindness, love and service. Your spirit has always been so good and you genuinely care for others above your self, which is rare in a child. But this is true of you. You are organized and clean and tidy. You are a hard worker, you love to do your jobs, you love to accomplish tasks, you love to play. You enjoy most everything about life and are a happy and kind little individual.
Memories/stories: Dane, you've had a very eventful year in the way of hospital visits, I must say! You started the year with a scheduled surgery to help your testicles drop. Not a fun procedure, but you were amazingly brave and got through it just fine. Shortly thereafter, while scootering- even with a helmet on-- you crashed into a half cement wall and broke your darling little nose! It was such an ordeal! I was heartbroken because your poor little face was all black and bruised for weeks! But again, you were brave and recovered quickly. Luckily, no permanent damage!!! Must record this darling little tale. As kindergarten began, you realized that life would be a little more rough this year, than in years passed. You thought school was long, hard and a bit boring. But never once did you cry or complain. In fact, that very first week of school you asked me if you and I might pray that you would LIKE school and that it would FEEL short to you. You asked that you might be able to do your writing station without fear and that you would make friends. So, we did say our prayers… and we've been saying them every single night since. You never fail to remind me to ask Heavenly Father for those above mentioned items. It's so sweet and such a reminder to me of the power of prayer as recently I asked you if you were enjoying school…. you said, "mom, of course! I've prayed to like it, and I do like it!" No doubt in your little mind that God has been listening and answering you. I've no doubt myself that this has been the case as you are one faithful and deserving little boy. Another short story-- I wanted to show you and EVelyn an LDS movie about Elder Groberg and his mission to Tonga (Other Side of HEaven)…. thinking you'd adore the movie for all of the adventure, thinking it might get you both excited for the future and the missions you might serve. BOy, was I ever wrong. Having not seen the movie in years, myself… I'd forgotten that there were some pretty scary scenes, i.e., storms, rats, starvation, etc. But, you were mesmerized and couldn't move your eyes away from the screen… that is until the credits rolled. You stood up and exclaimed, "I'm NEVER GOING ON A MISSION!" then you ran as fast as you could and got in bed. That was the end of that! You have your share of fears, that's for sure. But you've also been so brave this year in many ways. Your swimming skills are excellent and you advanced to swim team last summer. You tried inter tubing and wake boarding at the lake on vacation as well-- a kind of scary venture, but you executed with much courage and Dad and I were proud of you. I think I'm most proud this year of the independence and hard work that you consistently show us every day. YOu are just a hugely determined young man. You work on your reading, your writing. YOu practice your soccer skills, you ALWAYS help around the house and never fail to amaze me with your ability to do tasks way above your level when it comes to cleaning/organizing. You are my favorite little companion… your kind and sweet gentle nature makes my life happy in every way and I'm so grateful for you, Dane.
