To say that Harvey loves Super Mario is like saying the sun is a little bright. Our youngest lives and breathes the Nintendo world, owning no less than three larger than life Mario-themed toys (Mario, Luigi and Cat Mario) who each clamour for real estate on his bed. Yes, this has been going on for more than a year now.

When April arrived, Harvey began announcing to all who would listen that it was his ‘birthday month’ (a concept that my sister employs enthusiastically, yet is not an actual thing in our family!). Nevertheless, somehow we were nudged into booking drive-in tickets to the second opening night of the new Super Mario Bros movie and loading up on the snacks, blankets and pillows.

By the time his birthday actually rolled around, it felt like we had been celebrating for weeks.

The day dawned brightly and conveniently during the holidays so we could all enjoy a leisurely present-opening session. Harvey had recently been the beneficiary of a neglected electronic drum set that had been taking up precious real estate in Eli’s room (after agreeing to pay the unrivalled price of $18 to take it off his hands) and we were all treated to multiple (loud) drum solos.

There was, one might say, a theme to Harvey’s gifts (other than Mario) and that was the Switch. Recently Harvey has discovered that the games hold their value quite well. Some, in fact, increase with time. With an unrivalled collection of games, Harvey combed his way through, weeding out a few neglected titles and convinced Dave to put them up on Facebook Marketplace. Within two weeks he made $130 (just from selling two games). As for birthday hauls, Harvey scored no less than four different Switch games – including an Augmented Reality version that allows you to set up a Mario circuit directly in your own living room.

Breakfast was French Toast (after a slight nudging in that direction from Eli) with blueberries and maple syrup. Harvey and Dave went to Subway to pick up his desired lunch option, and for dinner, we enjoyed a barbecue with three of Harvey’s closest Kinder friends and their families.

The night was clear and perfect for a BBQ. Harvey wasted no time in introducing his friends to his new games, and we enjoyed catching up with faces we’d dearly missed over the term. While homeschooling has been a great addition to our lives, those incidental every day interactions that occur while you drop off and pick up your kids do end up building deep friendships. There were plenty of laughs and stories over plates filled with salads, sourdough focaccia and sausages.

For dessert I made an assortment of gluten-free friendly options (macarons, meringues with cream and fruit, vegan florentines and an almond flour chocolate and vanilla birthday cake). Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream were a last minute welcome addition. We gathered in the kitchen and sang Happy Birthday before settling back with tea and cake.

This year for Harvey has been quite formative. His Kinder experience was filled with great moments and deep friendships. We hadn’t been sure how he would adjust to the preschool life after never having done three-year-old Kinder, but he strode in that first day like he’d been there forever and never looked back. The tumultuous nature of last year (Dave being pushed out of his employment and weathering the ridiculous mandates) meant that we had to significantly rethink our plans for this year, and homeschooling became the path forward. Given how well Harvey had adjusted to life with his new friends, however, we were reluctant to pull him out before the end of the year, so he got the benefit of a complete Kinder experience.

This year, Harvey has taken seamlessly to homeschooling (having already tagged along to a few gatherings with us in his days off) and is (more often than not) the first to get his work done, as he just focuses and powers through. It seems that the ‘ten minutes bonus Switch time if you get your work done’ is a powerful incentive. He had already taught himself to read fluently last year, so the big focus for us became writing. After a rocky start (holding his pencil in an odd grip and being less than enthusiastic about the need to change), we used some inventive pencil grips to retrain his fingers and now he doesn’t even blink when picking up the pencil.

It has been lovely to watch Harvey develop some good friendships at homeschooling outings too – as he is (mostly) quite happy to walk up to other boys his age and instantly bond with them. We’ve enjoyed the freedom from being bookended by school drop off/pick up trips (and the wasted time in the carpark that usually brings). Apart from the chaotic start (trying to convince Eli to give this new version of schooling a try, then giving up in defeat when it inevitably went downhill no matter what strategy we employed), the homeschooling experience has been a positive one.

Harvey has now lost three teeth along with the baby face and (thanks to all that swimming over summer) is a bundle of muscle and bones. Our six year old is a fully fledged boy now and it’s a little bittersweet to watch the baby stage fade away. He would quite happily get by in undies (in the warmer months) and a onesie (in the cooler ones), although one of his (unfortunate) trademarks seems to be an ever-present plumber’s crack. We simply cannot seem to find pants that sit well on him!

His favourite things are fluffy onesies (he would wear these all day if he could), soda water (we’ve recently had to stop the habit of taking a bottle to bed every night after we realised how quickly we were going through our supply), books (anything by Anh Do, Jigsaw Jones, Magic Tree House, Dogman, Zac Powers, Geronimo Stilton), soccer (I take him to the local oval while the others are in basketball training so he can teach me some skills), Switch (Super Mario-related) and playing imaginative games with his siblings.

Another year of Harvey is just the best. I’m so grateful I get to spend time with him during the days and have a front-row seat to his learning and development. I can’t wait to see how this incredible boy will develop over the next year!

…

Dear Harvey,

You fill our house with zest and laughter. From your contagious giggle to those impromptu dancing routines, and the way you love to strip off to your undies and race around without a hint of shame (even when guests are over). Joy is the word that bubbles up when I think of you – unbridled, infectious, cheeky hilarity.

I love your snuggly cuddles in the morning and admire that fierce sense of focus when you attack your work each morning. You are light and shade, soft and steel – ever-insightful and reflective about the complex world that surrounds us.

You get along well with each of your siblings, managing to understand their particular quirks and characters with a deft ease. When things fall apart, you are (mostly) quick to say sorry and make it right.

Ride the tempest with grace, my son. When fury rises and frustration blooms, learn to make way for the new path. Obstacles will ever loom large on the course, but it is in how we respond to these setbacks that our character is formed.

You are a delight. I love our conversations and listening to your thoughts. You make me laugh and shake my head in wonder. Even when you lose it and give yourself over to your emotions sometimes, we can always have an intelligent discussion afterwards about what was going on inside your head. I know your outbursts will fade as you continue to mature.

I wonder at what God has in store for you, dear one. You have so many gifts already and I know He has big plans to bring them all together one day soon. I cannot wait to cheer you on, to encourage you and pray for you as you find your way.

Let your light ever reflect the glory of the One who breathed life into you. May you be anchored deeply into His calm waters. And may your feet tread carefully in His footsteps, through valleys and mountaintops alike.

Love you forever,

Mum