My son always has the best, to-the-point one liners. Earlier this week, I asked him why he wanted to turn 6. Without skipping a beat, he yelled, “Because it is better than 5!”

Well, okay, Beau. But 5 wasn’t that bad.

Beau turns 6 today (photo courtesy of Nicole Lynn Photography).

After all, it was the birth year when you dressed like an old man. The age when you sailed on a cruise and visited Disney World. The 365-day window where you established yourself as an athlete as you played on organized teams for t-ball, soccer, and basketball. The 12-month period when you attended Catholic Summer Camp for the first time, hosted your first sleepover, and lost your first tooth. It was the year you started kindergarten. Don’t forget it was also the age you dressed up as Stitch for Halloween. The span of 52 weeks when you hopped in a SWAT vehicle, improved your swimming, and read more than 200 books. The year you traded in your Spider-Man costume for a Ronaldo uniform. The age when you learned to tumble, do the monkey bars, and seek thrills. The time in your life where you continued to grow and love.

My little dude is pretty dang handsome. Now that Beau is 6, I don’t expect his looks to diminish.

And let me tell you, the growth and love aspects I just mentioned are for real. I can’t toss Beau around or pick him up from the couch (or under the covers of our bed) as easily as I once could. Throughout this year, If we went just a month without seeing someone, they would usually exclaim, “Beau sure has grown taller!” But while he was outgrowing clothes, he didn’t outgrow a signature trait of our son—his love. Over the past couple years I have lamented Beau’s capacity to love and it continued to blossom during his time as a 5-year-old. Never one to hold back kisses or say “I love you,” Beau’s affection and tenderness continued to touch our hearts.

Beau hanging out at the beach we visited in the Bahamas. He saw some cool places while he was 5.

With that said, his knack for irritating his sister tested our patience, his affinity for the most annoying YouTube shows wreaked havoc on our brain cells, and his inability to sit steal foiled our plans  for select family activities. But as my dad always says, “It’s in his job description.”

As a 5-year-old, Beau dressed up as Stitch for Halloween.

Well, let it be known, Beau followed the job description to a “T” and crushed his gig as a 5-year-old. Now comes his promotion to the age where he will need two hands to express it. I hope this year brings an increase in intellectual capacity, continued exploration with sports, and an expanded attention span. At the same time, I hope some things don’t change. I hope his sensitive personality stays intact, his curiosity (including the most random questions) remains intense, and his loyalty to his daddy never wavers. I also wouldn’t mind if he doesn’t grow too much these next 12 months 😉.

I am so lucky to be the dad of this sweet little boy.

Happy Birthday, Beau Bear! Thanks be to God for the incredible gift of fatherhood bestowed upon me when it comes to my little dude. I can already feel it, 6 is going to be awesome. Don’t Blink.