Kemper turns 6 years old!

I say it every year, but where has the time gone?  How is my sweet firstborn 6 years old?  

Sweet Kemper at 1 day old...see the yellowish tint to his skin?

It seems like just yesterday he was this tiny, sweet, squishy tiny (yellow) newborn who was my little sidekick while we waited for Daddy to get back from deployment.  He was stubborn from the get-go and came into the world at 11:33pm via C-section and was a whopping 8lbs 15.75oz.  He promptly turned yellow (even though MeMe and Grandma Rita were kind enough to nicely say he looked just fine when I asked if they thought he looked yellow) and spent a miserable 24 hours under the bili lights with his tiny little shades on.  After we got that straightened out, it was relatively smooth sailing.  God knew what he was doing when he gave this sweet, laid back, easy going boy to us clueless first time parents.  (We now know he was warming us up for Hudson)

Kemper at 6 days old when we left the hospital...they were calling him Grandpa by the time we got out of there!

At 6, Kemper is still a sweet, laid back, relatively easy going little guy who loves his little brother, his mom and dad, and the Ninja Turtles.  He is still really in to drawing and painting and is quite the little artist.  Legos are a favorite toy along with Transformers Rescue Bots, Ninja Turtles, his LeapPad Ultra and his Planes figures. 

Kemper's 1st Birthday party in Germany

This year, Kemper started Kindergarten and has totally rocked it!  He adapted so well and really loves going to school and his teacher, Ms. Davis.  We started the school year off with me taking him and picking him up.  He was begging to ride the bus so we decided to let him try riding the bus home in the afternoons.  He LOVED it!  Hudson and I would walk down to the bus stop to meet him and we were always greeted with a smile and him talking a mile a minute about his day on the way home.  One day, as we walked down the meet him, he starts waving his arms and yelling "Mom, go back, turn around!  Go back home!".  Little stinker.  He explained that he was a big boy and could handle walking from the bus stop home by himself.  He was the only kid who's mom met him at the bus.  The next day, Hudson was still asleep when it was time for the bus so I stood at the end of our driveway and watched him walk home by himself.  From that day on, that has been our routine and he feels like such a big guy as he struts his way home by himself.

He came home the second week of school talking about his girlfriend, Caiden.  Caiden has stuck around all year and he'll still blush when you ask him about her.  Added to the mix has been his little friend we met through James's unit, Alivia.  They hit it off right away and he loves to play with her any chance he gets.  They were inseparable at the unit Easter Egg Hunt and he's constantly asking me when he will get to see her again.

Kemper on his 2nd birthday (in Tennessee)

He's adapted really well to the pace of Kindergarten and seems to have handled the work load very well.  His teacher is always so complimentary of his behavior and every time I see her at school she makes sure to tell me how well behaved and polite he is.  His gym teacher is usually the one to get him out of the car in the morning and after about 2 weeks of school, she just gushed about him one morning and told me what a great kid he was.  I am so thankful that he is well mannered and well behaved when we're not around.  It makes me feel like we are doing something right....then Hudson quickly brings me back down a few notches. ;)

Kemper came home from school just the other day and told me that his gym teacher told Ms. Davis that she wishes they had 10 Kempers in class.  He thought that was hilarious but didn't understand what it meant.  

Kemper's 3rd birthday (in Tennessee)

This year, we bit the bullet and signed Kemper up for private swim lessons.  He was terrified of having water in his face and it was getting to the point that he NEEDED to learn to swim.  On the advice of friends, we found a great instructor at the local YMCA and within the first 30 minute lesson, she had him swimming and going under water with no complaints.  We started in October and he has been going once a week since then and has turned into quite the little fish.  He loves to float on his back and his backstroke is amazing!  She recently introduced freestyle to him and it took him awhile to pick up on the breathing but now that he's got it down, he's getting more and more confident.  I just made our final payment for our final 4 lessons before we move and I almost cried when I told his instructor.  I will miss Mrs. Kioni and will forever be grateful for what she was able to do with him.  I think we may have quite the little swimmer on our hands as he continues to progress!

He has also played soccer this year and is currently in his second season.  He's a bit timid and doesn't like to get himself into the mix but he's starting to come out of his shell.  He's got the same coach this season that he did last and she is wonderful.  She really pushes them in practice to learn the skills but she is considerate of each child's individual personality.  She knows he's timid so she encourages but never fusses at him when he doesn't throw himself in there.  He always says he has fun and he does seem to really enjoy his time on the field.  If anything, it keeps him active!  They've started to do a bit more running (laps and sprints) this season and he always seems a bit irritated but never complains.  Bless his heart, he got his mom and dad's speed.  :(

Kemper's 4th birthday (in Tennessee)

Kemper continues to be an amazing brother.  The bond that he and Hudson share is one that I could have never imagined.  They have their moments and Hudson plays the part of pesky little brother pretty well but at the end of the day, they love each other and Kemper always looks out for Hudson to make sure he's ok.  There has been a bit of jealousy on Kemper's part this year because he doesn't think it's fair that he has to go to school and Hudson gets to stay home with me.  I tried explaining to him that for the first 4 years of his life, he had me all to himself and we had lots of time together but that's not always acceptable.  He also doesn't like to share his MeMe & Pops or Grandma & Grandpa with Hudson.  He thoroughly enjoys when we visit Virginia and he gets to go to Grandma's house without Hudson.  

Kemper's 5th birthday (in Tennessee)  

At Kemper's 6 year check up, he was thrilled to find out that he is done with shots until he is 11.  He was one happy little boy when Ms. Lissa told him that!  They checked his vision (20/20 in one eye and 20/10 in the other which she says isn't a concern) and his hearing (I left the room with Hudson because there was no way the test would be accurate if he was still in the room) and asked him to pee in a cup.  He thought that was a hilarious request...Mom didn't think it was quite so hilarious as I wrestled Hudson and held the cup.  

At 6 years old, Kemper weighs 47.5 lbs (61st percentile) and is 47.5 inches tall (85th percentile).  

At 5 years old, he was 42.5 lbs (63rd percentile) and 45 inches tall (88th percentile).  

At 4 years old, he was 38 lbs (68th percentile) and 42 inches tall (85th percentile).

At 3 years old he was 33 lbs (65th percentile) and 39 inches tall (84th percentile).

At 2 years old he was 28lbs (50th percentile) and 35 inches tall (75th percentile).

Kemper's 6th birthday (in Tennessee)

For this years birthday party, we had to do a bit of convincing but we ended up doing a Chuck E Cheese party.  He had a blast!  We invited our friends the Schmidts (Gavin and Trenton), the Sharkeys (Devon, Ava and Alivia) and his buddy from the bus, Briley.  Everyone had a great time and it was by far the easiest, most stress free party we've had!

Kemper at 6 years old.  (Photo by Lynse Michael Photography)

I am so excited to see what this year brings for him.  He is sweet, funny, considerate, loving, handsome and just an all around great little boy.  I am so proud to be his mom and know that he is going to do great things in life.  He's excited for our move this summer and while I think it's going to be hard on him (it will be the first move he remembers and the first time he is the new kid in town), I know that he is able to adapt to change and will make us proud.