Happy Halloween!

Spooooooky......

Happy 5th Birthday, Andrew!

Dear Andrew,

Happy Birthday! Today you are 5 years old! And I swear it seems like you turned into a 5-year-old overnight except, it wasn’t last night. It was the day Jay turned 3. It was a Sunday morning, and you walked your brother up to the front of our church for the children’s message. This was something you never wanted to do on your own. But, now that Jay was 3 and was going to start going to the Sunday school portion of Sunday service, you assumed the role of big brother and decided to show Jay what to do. It’s as if Jay turning 3, was a huge milestone for you.

October 2010

January 2011

The next day you started pre-school. And you are doing awesome! All of a sudden you have this life outside of the one you and I have shared for the past 5 years. Sure it’s just three mornings a week but it’s a big step toward your independence. Jay and I love to hear all about your morning when we pick you up. Jay always asks you what you had for snack. You seem to revel in this attention from Jay and me. Add in your toothless grin and well, you truly look the part of a 5-year-old!

September 2011

Yes, you lost two teeth, one in August and one in September. You love to show off your toothless grin. And you were very excited for your first visit from the tooth fairy. As with most things, you were full of questions about what would happen. The funniest was asking if the tooth fairy would be able to open the little bag that your tooth was in. You were really concerned that it would be too big for her little fairy hands and that she wouldn't be able to manage it. Turns out she got it open and was able to leave some shiny quarters for you. Oh, how excited you were about this!

September 2011

This past year also saw a huge spurt in your appetite and growth, mostly over the summer months. You started to seem like a teenage boy sitting at the lunch table unable to be sated. You outgrew just about every item of clothing and all of your shoes!

August 2011

This summer also saw you improving your water skills. By mid-summer you gained free reign over the 3-4 foot area. Learning how to doggy-paddle and even swim under water to make progress when it got deeper. You would also jump off the wall and plunge under all by yourself. I think your favorite accomplishment was learning how to dive down to the bottom to pick something up in the 3 foot area. And I might add that you taught yourself all of this. You had a little help from me but, most of it you learned by practicing or watching older kids at the pool. It was really neat to watch you improve and to see how proud you were of yourself.

Your hand-eye coordination is really improving as well. You’ve become quite good at baseball in the front yard. And I couldn’t have been happier when you asked me if we could play basketball at the pool. Well, actually, I was happier still when you sank 8 out of 10 shots! To see you strut was a new experience for me. And I loved that first chance to teach you basketball. Oh, how I would love to teach you more.

May 2011

Not only has your physical development seen a big jump this year but, your mental development as well. Just recently, I’ve noticed that you: can add small numbers without counting on your fingers, pick out words on signs and in books, have great story comprehension, draw awesome pictures and are getting really close to writing your name. As great as all of these new skills are, Daddy and I have a favorite. It’s listening to you read to Jay. We like when you read to us too but, it’s so cute to watch Jay intently follow along as you weave an exciting story for him.

August 2011

August 2011

This is an exciting time for our family. We just bought a house and will be moving in just a few days. I have been very proud of how well you have been handling this transition. You have been very helpful getting your things packed. I had been so concerned you would take some time to adjust to pre-school and then have to handle moving to a new home. Instead, you have totally amazed me by not only taking it all in stride but, truly flourishing.

I am going to enjoy this last year together before you start kindergarten next September. I am so excited for all that is in store for us as we venture into those school-age years but for now, I want to soak up every bit of these remaining pre-school days.

I love you, AP. Happy Birthday!

Love,
Mommy