to my one and only little boy, Russell (AKA Leroy, Muscle Russell, Russie, Russ, Killer, Buckskin, Sally, Studly). He turns 6 today...I don't know where the time has gone :(
Some things I want to remember about Russ...
-He likes to fix his own hair. He starts by patting his head down with water and then uses a couple of squirts of spray gel. Next, he rubs some gel in his hands and onto his head. He then gets the comb, spikes it up and finishes with a quick spray of hair spray. I love these pics of him, because he just finished fixing his hair, and there are water spots on his shirt.
-Ever since spending the night at grandma and grandpa Russell's house, he has taken a liking to grandpa's spray cologne. Grandma and Grandpa gave him his own bottle for his birthday, and even though he has trouble pushing the button down, he always has me apply it for him both in the morning before school and at night after he takes a bath.
-He gets sidetracked very easily. It doesn't matter what I ask him to do, he always forgets what he was supposed to be doing.
-He LOVES our pet Geese. Every time he comes home from school, he puts on his rubber boots and goes out to the chicken coop to get them out to play.
-He loves to ride his bike. He rides it round and round in circles on our driveway. One side of the driveway is built up, and there is a ledge. If he isn't paying close attention, it gets the better of him and drives right off and crashes. He never cries though.
-He likes to pick dandelions for Grace and I. I think it's sweet that he thinks of his sister (even though they have their fair share of fights).
-He loves sweatshirts. Especially hooded ones, and of course, his rubber boots.
-He is learning to read, and he loves it. He has been trying to read all sorts of books lately. He is also a good artist.
-He is extremely good at entertaining himself.
-He is a total grandpa's boy. He loves his grandpa Russell, and wants to be just like him. He especially loves all of the outdoor activities that grandpa shares with him.
-He is a super dooper lovey-dovey boy. He is one of those kids that hugs and doesn't let go. He loves to blow me kisses, and he has even taught me how to blow hugs. He has such a big heart.
-He isn't very clean...he likes to leave everything on the floor. But mom makes him clean his room and bathroom anyways.
-He likes to help. He empties the dishwasher and takes out the trash every day. His favorite chore is to scrub the glass cooktop on our stove with a scrub sponge and cleanser.
-He has grand ideas about growing up. We recently took him to Chuck E Cheese's for the first time, and he said to me "Mom, when I grow up and get a job, I am going to eat lunch at Chuck E Cheese'e every day". Today when we went to Sam's Club, he saw one of those giant blow up water slides and he said to me "Mom, when you're a grown up, can you buy whatever you want?" I asked him why...he said "Because I want to buy one of those". He says that when he grows up, he wants to be a hunter and a farmer. Cute.
-He has a special love for each of his grandparents. He loves grandma Sheri because she is always so fun and takes him to the corner store to get Cow Tales...he loves grandpa Richard because he always takes him hunting and fishing and shopping to cool stores like Sportsman's and Cabela's. He loves grandma Elaine because she babies him and he likes to love on her. He feels so special when he goes to her house (and he loves her treat cupboard). He loves grandpa Barry because he admires his farming (he want to be just like him) and he loves that grandpa and grandma always have such fun family get togethers at their house. He always thinks about (and asks about) his great grandparents.
-He is super close to his cousins. He is so happy when he is with Carson and Wyatt. He thinks and talks about them all the time. He also really enjoys his aunt Shelby and Tawsha. He has a soft spot in his heart for Tawsha's little girls. He held baby McKarlee longer than any of his sisters. He loves all of his aunts and uncles and looks up to them.
-He loves to ride in the tractor with his daddy...but he has to take lots of snacks. He usually ends up taking a nap.
-He is a junk food junkie. If allowed, he would eat a whole box of Gushers in 10 minutes. Sometimes I think he does eat a whole box when he goes to Grandma Elaine's :) We had to put a lock on the storage room door in the basement, because he would sneak in and help himself at night.
-Even though he is known to fight with them, he gets along with his sisters surprisingly well (especially since he is so outnumbered).
-He is extremely photogenic...and always willing to cooperate with his mommy. It makes me so happy, because I think he really has the worlds sweetest smile.
-He has made a lot of friends at school this year. Both boys and girls. He always talks kindly of everyone, and he is so thankful for his friends. He especially likes the older kids on the bus...he gets along with kids of all ages.
-He told me this morning that he only has two girlfriends...Ashley and Nicole (they are both in college, and they are both his cousins). But I do know that he has a slight crush on Natasha & Cassie at school ;)
He is such a special boy who brings so much happiness to our lives. I hope he has a wonderful 6th Birthday!
