Oren's birthday was the 19th (a Wednesday) and it just so happened to be the same day as his big class field trip to the zoo. I took the day off work to chaperone and spend the whole day with my special little guy.
The animals were CRAZY active that day and these bears had a full on wrestling match right up against the glass! Oren became best friends with an otter who chased him all around the side of the enclosure and was happy to stop and pose for photos with him.
Even though we were at the zoo with his class I was only responsible for Oren so we were able to go at our own pace and spend lots of time together one on one. That night we let Oren pick dinner and dessert so he chose pizza and froyo with our family. I think he had a really, really good day.
Then the NEXT day Oren got a very special birthday grift from Abby and Jeff. He has been asking Jeff for a "green triangle" guitar for months and boy did he deliver. A real guitar, an amp, a cool new strap and lessons were all included. He has been playing the guitar every day since and loves playing Ever a "goodnight song" every night before bed.
And Abby made him his annual individual birthday pie of course - chocolate pudding no whip cream - just to his specifications.
A few more notes on Oren at age six:
He is incredibly sensitive and his feelings get hurt very easily. He is still 100% a mama's boy and I hope it never changes. We snuggle before bed every night and he loves being tickled and having his back rubbed. We give each other butterfly kisses and he is so sweet and affectionate with me. He can read now and is excellent at math. He can do problems in his head which blows my mind. I have no idea where he got the math gene because it certainly wasn't from me. His favorite color right now is "dark aqua" and he loves fishing and swimming, pokemon cards and video games. He can also spend hours building legos and playing out imaginary games with them all by himself. He looks up to Wes so much and always wants his approval and affection. Luckily for all of us Wes is usually happy to give it ;) They are brothers but also best friends. I always tell my kids their birth stories each year around their birthdays but Oren asks to hear his all year round. He likes the part where he pooped inside my belly the best. He always says he wishes his hair was dark like mine so we would look more alike but IS happy his hair has a "special power" which is turning lighter ("golden") in the summertime. He is thrilled we both have the same color brown eyes. I just love him so, so much. He is still
my dream come true. The one, the only. My Oren Henry.
