Westin {6 years old}

 Westin Wayne, 6 years old

 Our biggest boy turned six this year! He continues to be a delight to our family and such a large part of what makes us "us!"

 He started Kindergarten this fall and is doing FABULOUS.  I couldn't have asked for better!  He's a bright, capable student, a willing helper, and a friend to all.  He enjoys reading and creating, and understanding how things work.  His latest obsession is dinosaurs.  He knows far more about them than I do and we have made our way through many a messy dinosaur-dig-kits.   

 He continues to enjoy being active and played basketball, soccer, and baseball this year as well as took several months of swimming lessons.

I recently asked him which sport was his favorite-- which one he would choose if he could only play one.  His eyes teared up and he said, "only one?" HAHA-- guess we're not there, yet! This was a huge year for him in soccer-- he played two ourdoor seasons, did 2 soccer camps, and one indoor season, just in 2015.  It was amazing to me to watch him go from really just being out there to socialize, to using real skills and moves and becoming an active participant in the game.  This most recent season he had a 3-week scoring streak and was THRILLED with this accomplishment!  Baseball was a fun adventure this summer-- this was our first venture outside of t-ball and he did great! I can't get over the fun of watching the pride and joy on his face when he accomplishes something new.    

He's a little fish in the water-- we spent hours and hours at the pool this summer and it was a delight to watch him!  He loved the ocean this summer as well and frequently talks about going back.

 Wes also started taking piano lessons from a sweet friend of ours this year and has loved it so far!  He's always seemed to be drawn to music and its fun to watch him practice because he can't help but sing along while he plays.  Coming from a *former* pianist, this amazes me because I always found it impossible to do both at once!

 His favorite color still is, and will probably always be blue.  He gravitates towards blue everything and we all associate it with Wes in the Kell house.

His favorite food is bison hot dogs.  He's also a wonderful veggie eater and prefers to snack on celery, carrots, and broccoli throughout the day.

His favorite game is "Wits & Wagers" which we keep up at the cabin in Estes.  He's quite good at it and we all enjoy playing with him.

His favorite movies are the Star Wars & Jurassic Park collections, all of which his Daddy has enjoyed introducing him to this year!

His favorite TV show is, get this, The Magic Schoolbus.  It's on Netflix these days!  Like I said, he loves learning how things work. 

 Westin is the most extroverted, social person I have ever met.  I'm a giant introvert so this has stretched me pretty much his entire life-- one of the parts of being a mom that I'm really so grateful for.  He gets along with people of all ages and is constantly asking for play dates.  He says all the time how great it is he has brothers because "it's like having built-in friends." This introverted mama is thankful for those built-in friends!

It's been an absolute joy to me to watch his faith grow this year.  His precious prayers have extended beyond the "thank you God for [insert literally everything here, which is also a great phase]" to being full of depth about the needs of others that he sees and asking for character traits for himself like being a good leader and a good friend and a hard worker.  He's quick to share his faith with others and ask them about their own.  I know God's word is being hidden in his little heart as he has been able to apply verses and stories to his day-to-day this year and nothing in the world could make me more proud! Thank you, God, for our Westin Wayne!  He is a joy and our lives are forever better because you sent him to us to love.