Happy 6th birthday Camden Godfrey
Another year has gone by and I barely recognize the person you’ve become. Here are some of my favorite memories from the past year.
Camping:
Shortly after your 5th birthday we went on the Dad’s Baywood camping trip. It was cold (and wet), but you were too stubborn to put on warm clothes. So you spent pretty much the entire weekend sitting by the fire — in shorts and a long-sleeve t-shirt. Although I did thankfully get a hat on your head eventually.
This past weekend we did it again, and it was like night and day. The weather was great, and you’d run off to find Phoenix or Alex or whoever else was around and wanted to play. Sometimes you’d be back quickly (usually looking for food), but more often you’d be off scheming with your friends about catching frogs or sitting around drinking chocolate milk or fighting over who had more pieces of Pirate’s Booty. And you loved the water best of all — borrowing super soakers and battling anyone who was willing. Really makes me look forward to all our future camping trips and adventures.
Basketball:
You played Next Level basketball for the first time. I wouldn’t say you loved it. You didn’t quite have the strength yet to get the ball into the hoop, which I guess makes sense since you were barely 5 years old. So you focused on defense — swarming your man and otherwise chasing the ball and players up and down the court. I think your favorite part of the game was sitting with the parent coach watching your teammates.
When registration came around and I asked if wanted to play next year, you gave a polite “No thanks”. I can respect that. One fall sport is probably enough anyway.
Soccer:
I think this might be your sport. You hustled after the ball, played suffocating defense, and unlike other sports where you were content to sub out, you seemed to really love being on the field. You scored lots of goals, and were the only player on the team to get “player of the week” twice.
It was my second (and last) time coaching you in soccer, and like with Colt I think your ability already exceeds the level where I can teach you much. That’s of course a testament both to your soccer skill and my lack of soccer knowledge. I’m excited to see you develop this year under the guidance of a coach who actually knows what (s)he’s doing. I’ll be cheering loudly from the sidelines.
Grandma:
One of your favorite times of year (besides your birthday, obviously) is when we visit Grandma in Seattle for a week or two in the summer.
Originally the trip was conceived as being a chance to do fun things we never have time for back home. The zoo, the aquarium, the park, etc. Somehow, it’s evolved into playing games on Fire tablets and alternating meals between Little Caesars and Dairy Queen. But Grandma does make you play in the yard a bit, which gives you the chance to bust some sweet kung-fu moves:
Regardless, you have a great time and so does Grandma, even if all of you are completely exhausted by the end.
Flag Football:
As the coach, I think I was more excited for football than you were. But you made your impact felt right away. In the first game you only had one carry, but it was for 40 yards and a touchdown.
I guess you inherited my (lack of) defensive prowess, as you still haven’t figured out flag pulling. But you became a go-to when we needed points on offense (which, sadly, was always). In the 6th game you had 3 carries for 35, 38, and 40 yards (plus you were 1-for-1 on point after conversions). I doubt we’ll let you play tackle football when you’re older, so enjoy flag while it lasts.
Fashion:
You are incredibly particular about what you wear. Collared shirts are a non-starter, and pants are rarely tolerated. You uniform is a long-sleeve tech shirt (Old Navy) and tech shorts (also Old Navy). And the shirt is tucked in at all times. Always. Without fail. Pretty sure you’re going to look back at these photos and grimace, but you’re your own man and I have to admire that.
In related preferences, you demand to have your hair pushed down flat. And you insist on wearing socks at all times. We force you to take your socks off for bed, and you wait until the final possible moment to remove them before climbing under the covers. All the more strange because you love to run all over the house, and regularly slip and fall. You know, bare feet would probably prevent those falls. Which reminds me…
The Big Hurt:
Your most epic fall was, for better or worse, caught on camera. It split your chin wide open, and you still have the scar to prove it.
In case you’re feeling nostalgic, you can catch the full version — with audio — including your post-fall screams, Mom’s panicked hysterics, and Clara’s amazing imitation of Mom here: https://youtu.be/SLvbvJwt4n8
Side note to anyone reading this: the video is absolutely worth 42 seconds of your time. And by that I mean 42 seconds multiplied by however many times you watch it, because you won’t be able to watch just once. It’s pretty great. Here’s that link again. Trust me: https://youtu.be/SLvbvJwt4n8
Piano:
You’re a natural (says the totally unbiased dad with no actual musical ability himself). But I wouldn’t say you’re highly motivated. Except, for some reason, to play “Indian Parade.” But everything else is a fight. Not sure if you really dislike piano, or you’re just following your brother’s lead by complaining about it. But honestly, of all the things you do (sports, art, reading, goofing off, etc.), watching you play piano is still my favorite.
It’s amazing to see a five year old (oops, now six!) sit down and create real, actual music. To an old fogey like me whose only claim to musical ability is being a not-too-shabby whistler, your piano playing is literally music to my ears.
Ipad and other Screen Time:
You’re no longer content to just watch whatever Colton wants — you have opinions too! Your top preference last summer was Peppa Pig. You’d watch over and over for as long as anyone would let you. Which got Clara hooked too, and now our house is littered with Peppa Pig toys and stickers and clothes. So thanks a lot for that.
Now it’s all about Teen Titans Go. You ask Alexa to play the movie theme song over and over, which I guess is an improvement from playing Espisito over and over. And so of course when Mom somehow decided it would be a good idea to host the Baywood Kindergarten movie night (charity event — it’s for the kids!), the movie of choice was never in doubt.
Games:
You are always up for a game. We play Exploding Kittens, Uno, and various other one-off games I’ve never heard of before and will probably soon forget. But your favorite (and mine, if I’m being honest) is Monopoly Deal. It’s like Monopoly, but way shorter (10–15 minutes) and considerably more complicated. It’s pretty stunning to me that not only can a five year old understand the rules, but you frequently win. Watching you try to explain the nuances of the game to puzzled babysitters who are still struggling with the basic rules is a sight to behold.
Reading:
Your growth as a reader has been astounding. Last fall we were playing regular Monopoly and you drew a community chest card and read it aloud. You didn’t recite it from memory (you didn’t know what it meant) you read it. I was floored! Somehow you learned to read without me knowing it. The wonders of being the second child!
It’s so great to see you pick up a book and work through it on your own, even if all too often it’s Dogman (basically a comic, but not as clever or interesting). But even better is watching you read to Clara.
And of course, reading has led to writing as well. You still obviously need help spelling, although I think you get most of that from Colton and Amazon Alexa. It’s just so great seeing you be able to express yourself more in words on paper vs. just yelling at Clara and Colt all the time.
Pokemon:
In the last few months you’ve become pretty obsessed with Pokemon. You have hundreds of cards, although I’m honestly not sure where they all came from (I’ve never bought you any). You constantly ask me to guess which are your favorites, and explain to me the strengths and powers of each. I’m completely lost. I have no idea what any of it means, how the game is played, or why anyone would want to play in the first place. But it’s great to see you so excited about something. Now if I could just get you to share your Pokemon stuffed animals with Clara without the screaming and shrieking and fighting and yelling and holy cow why are kids so infatuated with these Pokemon things!!!
Buddies:
For the first five years of your life, you mostly hung out with some combination of Colt, Clara, and a few select girls at your preschool. And Colt’s friends. You still spend a lot of time with first graders (Cody, Conner, and especially Carter Weyer since his mom throws the best after school playdates), but you’ve started making lots of kindergarten friends as well. On Wednesdays when we wait for Colt’s school to end, you chase Lazlo and Malcolm all over the Baywood play area. You’re busy on the birthday party circuit, and even had your first sleep over at Alex’s house.
But your best buddy, your partner in crime, is Carter Wells. You’re in the same classroom, same basketball team, and same baseball team. And most critically, Carter’s dad Jon is a great guy who’s happy to have you over after school to eat burgers, play video games and hit the batting cages. Seemingly every other day you’re asking “can I have a play date with Carter?” or “can Carter sleep over?” or “can I live with Carter?” Ok, maybe I made up that last one. But keep nagging me and I might see if I can make it happen anyway…
Baseball:
You technically should have been in t-ball this year, but I technically might have blown my brains out if we had to go through that again. So we waivered you up to single-A coach-pitch (for 7–8 year olds) instead. This involves a try-out and a draft, and thankfully Jon Wells wanted Carter’s friends on his team. So with your roster spot secured, the learning began.
As a one-tool player (speed), it was really only your throwing, catching, hitting, and hitting for power that needed work. Your bat came around first as you got your first hit in game 2 or 3, and scored your first run maybe by game 4 or 5. Your throwing has also improved, and when in the outfield you can be reliably counted on to get the ball back to the infield quickly (this is critical in single-A as it’s the only way to stop the runners). You even got to spend a couple innings at pitcher, which is where at least 30% of the balls in play end up.
The glove is still very much a work in progress, but the improvement this year has been massive. And when I asked you last week what you favorite sport is (to play), you cheerfully replied “baseball!” (followed by football and soccer, in case you’re wondering). I’m so excited to watch you next season with a whole extra year of experience and growth under your belt.
San Diego:
We took a trip to San Diego over spring break, including a stop at Lego Land and a baseball game. All I wanted to do at Lego Land was check out the amazing lego creations, but all you wanted to do was ride the Dragoncoaster and Ninjago rides. And maybe eat some junk food. And at the baseball game, the junk food was genuinely your only interest.
But we saved the best for last. The trip to Sea World.
You’ve been on an orca kick for as long as I can remember , so the chance to see them up close was too much to pass up. We went all out, getting premium seats for the shows and even splurging on the “dining with killer whales” lunch. You were in heaven (especially because, again, the junk food). You even decided to sit in the “splash zone” for the big orca show, although wisely sprinted out of there at the first sight of an actual splash. All the experience with none of the wetness.
Whew! What a crazy, fantastic, action-packed year it’s been! I have no idea how we manage to cram in so much stuff, and yet you still find time to complain about how bored you are.
You’re smart, hilarious, rambunctious, and unique in all the best ways. You’re sandwiched in-between an older brother and younger sister (just like me), but there’s no putting you in a box. You’re full of surprises, and despite my probably far too frequent screaming, you fill me with joy. I love you son. Happy sixth birthday.
