Following in his sisters’ footsteps, here is Morrison’s journal page. It won’t really be his own personal musings, obviously. We just thought that would be a catchy title. Follow along to see what life as a boy is like in this household – something new and different for sure!
(FYI, because I write so much about these kids, their pages are all broken into yearly chunks so as not to crash my site. I’ll keep the current year on the main page for ease of use. Enjoy!)
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January 1, 2021
Happy New Year, lovebug! You big kids all made it to midnight again last night, and you were so excited that Mr. Hand and Miss Clara were over celebrating with us this year. You did such a great job with all the new things we had to do last year, especially going to school in the dining room, and I know you’ll keep it up with however everything goes this year, too. I love you so much, and I’m excited to begin a new year with you!
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January 4, 2021
You are so funny, my love. Today we were playing one of the games from your teacher for math centers, Treasure Hunt. We were laying out cards in rows of 10, and you counted to 10 like this – 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 1, 2, 3. I said why do you count like that? You answered that you like to group things together. Ok, fair enough, you always get the right answer. Then tonight, I was in the bathroom as you were brushing your teeth, and you were going to count to 60 as you brushed. You said you were going to count to 10 twice, 15 twice, then 5 twice. Your brain for numbers is pretty incredible. I said I would’ve just counted to 60, but that’s what I love about you! 😀
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January 22, 2021
Your class filled your warm fuzzies jar today, so you get to have lunch with Ms. Ruetz! You’re so happy, because you’ve been voting for this option for your good behavior celebrations all year. And since it was kind of late notice this morning, you guys get to do it today and Tuesday next week!
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February 3, 2021
Morrison, I am so proud of you. You cooked dinner for the whole family tonight for the first time!! I promise you, I never did anything like that when I was 5 – I don’t even cook dinner for the whole family now! 😀 You had been so excited for this night, because Daddy said he was going to help you make one of your favorites, egg noodles with eggs and ketchup, a couple weeks ago, and we picked the night and everything. You did such a great job! Daddy filled the big pot with water and got the stove on; then you watched when it boiled and poured in the noodles; got them stirred up; cracked all the eggs while Daddy held the bowl then stirred those up; then after Daddy drained the noodles you poured in the eggs, let them sit on the hot noodles for 5 minutes to cook, then stirred everything up and got it ready for serving. Excellent job! Everyone gobbled it right up. What I especially loved was how happy it made you. I took you and the twins with me to pick up school supplies and groceries when Daddy got home yesterday, and on our way home from the store you said, “This is the best day of my life.” I love you so much, my sweet boy.
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February 23, 2021
Today was your 100th day of K5, and you had so many fun activities! You wore your 100th day shirt from last year, you filled in your 100 book (100 things you wish you had, 100 things you wouldn’t eat, etc.), you got a new 100 math game, and you made your 100th day hat. I just love that you guys still get to do so much fun stuff while we’re doing school at home. Your beautiful little spirit shines through in every school meeting, always signing off with, “Bye, love everybody, good day, good school, Ms. Ruetz is the best teacher ever! Bye! Love everybody!” Never, ever lose that my adorable, sweet boy. I love you so much. Just like you love your school and friends.
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March 13, 2021
I’m not going to call it official, but you rode your bike on 2 wheels today! Lana was helping you get going down the sidewalk on your bike with no training wheels, and you got 3 good little stretches in. You were so excited! You have a habit of trying to jump off when you dump your bike, though, and the last time you did that you kind of clunked your bike into your leg. So that was that. But you did a great job and proved to yourself that you can do it. I was so proud of you, my little lovebug! You’ll get that down this spring for sure.
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April 8, 2021
It’s back to school day, my love! You and your sisters all headed back to in-person school this morning at Cumberland, and you were all so excited, even with your huge, heavy backpacks 😉 . You get to stay with Ms. Ruetz, and we could not have been happier to get that news!! She’s teaching you guys who are in her classroom again plus the friends who are staying virtual, so that will be perfect. She sent us a picture today from your indoor recess and said you are doing GREAT! I am so, so happy you guys not only get to be back in the classrooms for this last quarter but that we get to keep your teacher. We both love her!! And today is the first time you get to eat lunch at school! You’ve obviously been full day all year, but you haven’t been in your classroom until now. Have so much fun, my little love bug. You are such an amazing student, and watching your heart swell with your teacher and friends and your brain get smarter by the second makes me so incredibly proud and happy beyond words. I love you so much!
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April 11, 2021
You learned how to tie your shoes today, my love! I made you start practicing this morning, which was the very last thing you wanted to do. But now that you’re back at school, you need to be able to tie your P.E. shoes and pants drawstrings. We were supposed to be working on it over spring break, but we never got around to it. So you pouted and whined and cried your way through “trying and failing,” as you kept putting it, but I wouldn’t let you quit. Finally Lana and I heard a faint “Yes!” come from your room, and we both said, “He got it!” And sure enough, you had. I made you show me over and over so I knew it was for real, and, after a few more ties, it was for real. So we’ll keep working on it nightly just to keep it fresh for when you do need to tie something at school. Lana made you a Pete the Cat congratulations certificate and everything. Great job! I told you to remember that feeling, because it was being proud of yourself and it’s an important feeling to know when you work hard.
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May 8, 2021
You are just about the sweetest kid I’ve ever known. On our walk to school this morning, you jumped up and grabbed a tiny bunch of flowers off a low-hanging tree branch. You carried them for a little while, then I heard you say, “Della, where’d my flowers go??” I assumed you or she had just dropped them behind us on the sidewalk when you got sick of carrying them. Then when we got to school, you started searching for them and finally found them in one of the cup holders of the stroller. I thought oh good, there they are, simply because you were happy. Little did I know you had big plans for those little flowers. I gave you your hug and kiss and you got in line, then as soon as your teacher came out the door to greet all of you, you handed her the tiny bouquet you’d so carefully brought all the way from that tree. You were already heading into school so you didn’t see my humongous smile under my mask, but I was so very proud of you, my loving little boy.
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May 31, 2021
Happy 6th birthday, my love!! I will have a whole post to write about this, but I couldn’t not say it on your own page. We had a fantastic time celebrating you and Roan this weekend down at Grandma and Grandpa’s house, then we came home this afternoon to Daddy playing the Disney happy birthday song out the front window for you. You got a bajillion Lego Super Mario sets, which was all you wanted. You are such an amazing, smart, kind, generous kid, and I am so incredibly proud that you are my first little boy. We love you to the end of the stars and back, my sweet Morrison John!
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June 11, 2021
Happy last day of K5, my sweet boy! I can’t believe your first year of full-day school is already over. Granted, we did spend 3/4 of it doing virtual school at home, but still. You had an absolutely amazing time with Ms. Ruetz this year, and you learned SO much! You learned fully how to read, and your math skills get more incredible by the day. I can’t wait to see how much you love 1st grade!
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July 27, 2021
I took you and Nat into the doctor today to get something prescribed for your awful eczema patches that have now been on your calves for a full year and on the backs of his thighs for a month. They said you were due for your 6-year checkup so they turned it into that, too, which was great! All looked good, you’re healthy, and the eczema is finally going away. Here are your official 6-year stats:
- Height: 49.25″ (96%)
- Weight: 53.9 lbs. (84%)
- BMI: 15.6 kg/m2 (56%)
- Blood pressure: 103/57
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August 28, 2021
You pulled out tooth #3 today! Great job!! You have now pulled out 2, and Della has pulled out 1. Good thing you guys like wiggly teeth, because I sure don’t. 😀
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September 3, 2021
Happy Roaring Start day, kiddo! You get to go to school for about an hour and a half, see Ms. Madsen in your classroom, and do some STAR testing. Then your first full day is next Wednesday. I’m so glad you guys get to start school at school again this year! I think it’s going to be a great one.
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September 6, 2021
You wiggled tooth #4 out today! And you’ve got a couple more wiggly ones in there, so I have a feeling the Tooth Fairy will be back soon!
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September 12, 2021
Yep, I was right. Tooth #5 came out today! Here comes the Tooth Fairy again. 🙂
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October 5, 2021
You’ve had a big week, my love! On Sept. 27, you learned to ride your bike on 2 wheels all by yourself! We’ve been working on it for a long time, and I know what’s been holding you back is the fact that you never really even rode a bike with training wheels. So you had to learn to both balance and pedal. The past couple weeks I’ve really been having you try, because I knew you could get it, being so athletic. Then finally, that night, I was cleaning up the kitchen getting ready to come out and help you, and I heard, “I did it!” I ran out to see, you took off down the sidewalk, and off you went! I almost started crying I was so happy for you and proud. And you were beaming. A group of middle-school girls walked by with one of our neighbors as you took a little tumble, they asked if you were ok and you said yes, you hopped back on to try again, and you rode all the way back down the sidewalk the other way. They cheered you on the whole time, and I was ecstatic! Every day last week after school you kept going, and you now love riding your bike. You’re going to show Grandma tomorrow, because she’s up for a little visit so I can go do Fun Lunch at school tomorrow.
Then this past weekend, we had your first Cub Scouts meeting. You’ve been asking about Boy Scouts ever since you started school, and last year they didn’t have it because of COVID. So this meeting was just to learn what it’s all about. You guys made water rockets and we launched them, which was actually pretty cool. Then they had a candy canon, which you loved even more.
And, unfortunately, you are the first kid in this family to have to quarantine this year. We got the call as we were walking home from school yesterday. You had a close contact at school on October 1, so we have to wait 2 more days until we can get you tested, then hopefully you can go back to school the very next day after a negative result. I picked up your packet of supplies today when I got Lana from school, and I’d say at least half of your class is home quarantining. Your poor class! You’re sad because you have to miss your very first Fun Lunch at school, but thankfully I get to bring it home for you tomorrow when I’m done serving. Fingers crossed that that test does come back negative and we all stay healthy!
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October 27, 2021
BIG NEWS! You big 3 finally moved upstairs today!!! Daddy finished enough flooring so that you can sleep up there, so I spent all day today moving everybody around. You guys moved up, the twins moved into your old room, and all the remaining toys in the living room moved into their bedroom. I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to have a non-toy living room, the twins in their own bedroom that also doubles as a playroom, and you guys upstairs in your huge new room! You all love it, too, which is even better.
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November 28, 2021
Tooth #6 came out today, and it’s one you’ve been working on for a very long time – little gray! That wiggly thing finally came out today when we got home from our Thanksgiving trip to Peoria. You’d been wiggling it the whole trip, because I noticed that the grown-up tooth above it was already starting to poke through and needed room. Daddy gave it one good yank when we got home, and out it came! Hooray! Now you really can sing “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!”
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December 9, 2021
You big 3 just got your second dose of the COVID vaccine this afternoon, so you will soon be fully protected! Unfortunately, you also just had COVID, but I think your first dose did actually help because it really wasn’t too bad for you guys. Hooray science!
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December 25, 2021
Merry Christmas, my love! You guys had such a fun day, and it was so wonderful for me watching your pure joy and excitement as everyone opened their bags to see what Santa left. I know I will certainly never outgrow the magic of Christmas!
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December 26, 2021
You were so cute tonight as I tucked you into bed. You said, “I wish I could hug you and Daddy until you die.” Not in a creepy way, but in your signature sweetest-boy-ever, loving way. That would make me so happy – I wish I could hug you forever, too!