Happy 6th Birthday Vincent!

Dear Vincent,

It was 6 years ago at this very moment that you came into this world. We are so lucky to be your mum and dad.

You are such a responsible, caring, thoughtful boy and you make us proud every single day. You like things to be in balance and feel conflict deeply. You take your responsibilities to your family and friends seriously and you can always be counted on to do the right thing. You value fairness, kindness and generosity and are always looking for ways to help others.

You love routines. Your favourite TV show is Arthur and you time your breakfast and afternoon snack by it. You love having a ‘punk rock dance party’ to get the house clean. “Vincent music” continues to be anything loud and fast. You also love "waltzing Matilda" and request the song during car trips. You and Myra can be counted on to pretend to play steel drums and she always finds a way to make you laugh. You still have the best and most infectious laugh ever. You and Myra are such good friends. You hold her hand when walking to school or the beach or millpond and you take care of her when everyone is playing in front of the house.

You still love the movie Toy Story and now you play the video games. Your favourite foods are still fruit – strawberries, apples, bananas. You like simple foods -- peanut butter and jam, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes and veggie dogs. For a treat, you like cinnamon buns, butter tarts, pie or chocolate cupcakes.

This year saw you begin grade 1. You love going to school and playing Mario and SkyRiders with your friends at recess. When you come home, you like to write math problems on the chalkboard.

At home, you love nothing more than building things with your Dad. Whether it’s train tracks or Ikea furniture (you love those instructions!) you really enjoy the process.

You have a deep knowledge of your abilities and you have taught us to trust you to know yourself best. When we tried to get you to take swimming lessons you refused to go, explaining that you would prefer to teach yourself. And so you did – just a few months later you were swimming underwater unassisted.

This year saw your first rope jump into the millpond and your first trip to Disney. You learned to ride a two-wheeler bike without any assistance or practice. You just told us one day that you were ready and off you went without a fall or a catch. When you write your name you carefully make the serifs on the n afterwards in the way most people cross t's and dot i's. When you draw pictures, you always add a blue sky and green grass and make people's faces with expressive eyebrows. You kept a summer journal of activities you wanted to do and ticked them off as they happened.

We are so happy you chose us to be your parents.

Happy 6th Birthday!

Love, Mum and Dad and Myra. xoxoxo