Hunter's Golden Birthday

Dear Hunter hoo, Hunter boo : ) 

We call you pet names less and less now, but you are still my Hunter boo! I love you so. Wow, this year is your golden birthday, where the age you turn is the day of the month you were born. October 5 though is always a golden birthday, seriously. It is such a beautiful, golden time of year- especially thinking of where you spent your first year of your life in Virginia. But this  is a birthday that will serve you well no matter where you live in the world. The time of year is amazing. You being the oldest in your grade has put you in a really incredible position of being the smartest and the biggest, even though you might have been the smartest and the biggest as the youngest in your class. The whole world this time of year is a glow from the joy of summer, the promise of fall and the weather changing. This is the season for my Hunter and I just love it. 

There are so many reasons you are excited to have a birthday- presents! Treats! Friends! You just love excitement and you always have. You are so adventurous and contributing to our family I can’t help but want to make it all happen for you. Every day of your life we try to treat you special, but this time of year was extra special. We walked downtown with Allisonie so you could pick out a toy and balloon and get gelato. We went putt putt golfing with your grandparents and then you got so many amazing gifts “a scooter with a break!” The Trex breakout Lego set, a remote control car, dinosaur stencils, popper guns, Philies slippers, a map puzzle, a plane you could build and a dinosaur slide torch that came all the way from the natural history museum in London. Philip and I made you a dinosaur dig cake with white chocolate bones - you and Pippa really liked the bones!  And dinosaur mochi muffins for your class and cupcakes to have with your friend Clayton. It really was a Hunter show for more than a week. I got to bake for you and celebrate you and it really was a treasured time.

When I step back though, I realize how amazing your 5 years of life have been. You have seen and done so so so so much because your dad and I have wanted to give you everything we know to be good about the world. You have been all over the world already, you have camped, you ride your two weeled bike keeping up with Pippa and me, you play in the waves at even a cold beach, you build Lego sets with no adult help, you are finessed on your scooter, throw and hit a ball like a 9-year old, are a golden older brother, everyone’s favorite friend and keen to include everyone in the fun you are having. You read a little, you write well. You know north south east and west. You help around the house and you eat what you’re asked to. You seriously are amazing. You’re Golden! But it didn’t take a Golden Birthday for us to realize that. 

This year let’s see what you did this year. You got on a snowboard and finished your first year of preschool (where your teachers said you were an empathetic, well adjusted leader from day one. Wait were they talking about a 4 year old?). You went to Lake Tahoe and fished for crawdads like a boss, even swimming in chilly Lake Tahoe! You drew your own dinosaur book- drawing with the help of Philip sometimes- cutting, coloring, glueing and writing the names of the probably 20 dinosaurs. And you read through and memorized almost every non-fiction dinosaur book the library had. Volcanoes and Paw Patrol which you were huge on when you were three had their moment with you this year but you seemed to move on. 

You have made such a big leap in writing and drawing. You snorkeled this year! Amazing. Your love for Paw Patrol peaked I think and it has been fun to see you branch out your imagination to dinosaur experiments like the ones you saw in the show Dino Dana. You have become even more in love with being a brother and have said Pippa is "the best part" of your life. You put you in little league this year and you held your own even being 2 years younger than the kids on the team, not having to use the T once and gracefully accepting when you were "out". We knew you were ready for little league but were not aware there were "outs" at that level. Philip was glad you could start learning those sports lessons but I have to say I was on edge most games. You excel at everything that you do, and you live with a breadth of grace and enthusiasm that I so wish I had. With some hesitation I sent you to transitional kindergarten this fall. It’s basically a preschool program for 4 turning 5s at a public school and what’s more it makes for a long day ending at 225p. You started 2 weeks late and I even dropped you off late, but you took your seat and dove right in like a champ.  The teacher was floored. 4 and 5 years olds are supposed to be very self focused, she said. But Hunter is very concerned about how his classmates feel, how he can participate and be part of everything and share experiences. Ms. Makewitz said everyone wants to be your friend and you bring such a light to the classroom. You have totally crushed school so far. You're smart and excited and skilled and you are just thriving in your school day. You are a one of a kind kind and person. I couldn’t be prouder! I hope you can continue the same enthusiasm for school Hunter!

We took you to grandad’s funeral in Southern Utah right before your birthday. It was a long trip! It was a big trip. You made it such a joy for your family and I got to read to you on the drive our third chapter book together- Charlie and the chocolate factory. It was a great follow up to reading BFG and James and the Giant peach. You are so wonderful at making everything more fun. Even a really long hard trip, you were a champ. You were concerned about Dixie grandma's dog missing grandad and you were a great big cousin and brother at the funeral. You were the only little kid at Monument Valley and I can see why. It was FAR from everything! It is a place we wanted to take you but weren't sure when we would make that kind of a trip. but you camped and hiked and drove and soaked in the red dirt with us in a way we could have only dreamed. You are the best part of us Hunter and I can’t wait to see what we’re going to see and read and do this coming year. 

You have been telling us a lot lately that you love us. I know it’s partly because you see less of us being at school. Pippa, Philip and I feel that love all the time and we wouldn’t be who we are without you hunter. YOU ARE GOLD. You are an example to me in how to live my life and I can’t wait to learn from you this year. I just hope I can keep up with your awesomeness. Oh and your growth. You are TALL medically speaking, as tall as your 3rd grade reading buddy. Where is it all going to go from here? Can’t wait to see. I am a little saddened by how turning 5 has seemed to push you into solid little boy hood. But I know you are going to stay super close to us with your heart and body. It occurred to me the other day when I was thinking about "Hunter over the years" that you haven't changed, not really. I think about all of the amazing qualities you possessed at 1 year old of being kind, obedient, compliant, excited, open, driven, tender, sweet, fun, patient, happy, communicative. It think of who you were when we took you to Hong Kong. That wasn't just baby Hunter we took to Hong Kong, that was Hunter. Who you are now and will be forever. You have just built on that little person you were then and I am so excited to think that the Hunter you are is the Hunter you are going to be. , and I get the chance to be part of that growth each and every day. I have put you to bed thousands of times by now and it seems every time you wake up you look a little bigger. Put I put the same wonderful person to bed every night and wake up to his chipper smiling face (looking at mine) every morning. One day I'll wake up and you'll be really big and grown up. The thing that helps me bear that kind of sad thought is that your heart will be the same and you have let us your parents into it so closely. We love you dear Hunter and no matter how big you get, you'll always be our baby. 
You deserve the happiest birthday and the happiest year, my love! We're going to help make it that for you!