Five Years Old

Parker-
Today you are turning FIVE!!!  That means you get to hold up every finger on one hand when someone asks you how old you are!  I'm not sure why this birthday seems so much bigger and more grown up to me...maybe because you will be starting kindergarten soon...but I feel like you are reaching a huge milestone today.  I remember after you were born thinking that five years seemed so far away, yet here we are, lighting five candles on your cake, and it feels like only a few days have passed since you were entering our lives.  What a joy you are!  You are always putting a smile on our faces and we never know what you will come up with next!  Here are some of the things that I always want to remember about you as you turn five:
-You continue to be one of the tallest kids in your class.  I can't wait to see how much you've grown at your checkup next week.

-You are still strong willed but I feel like we have gotten a pretty good handle on it.  We went through a rough few weeks at the beginning of this year where you regressed back to throwing lots of fits, but you finally realized that mommy and daddy were not going to allow them and, for the most part, they have stopped. 

-You are ALL BOY!  You love cars, sports (especially baseball), Nerf guns, fighting big guys, building with blocks (and knocking them down), riding your four wheeler, and throwing rocks.  The only two boyish things that you have never shown much interest in are trains and bugs/frogs.

-You are so ready for kindergarten next year.  You love school and love to learn.  You have started reading some very easy, predictable books.  Watching you learn to read is probably one of the most exciting milestones I've experienced with you yet. 

-You love your sisters. You are (usually) very sweet to them and play so well with them (as long as you are the boss and they are doing what you tell them to do!).

-You are obsessed with poop and toots and I am constantly having to tell you to stop the potty talk!  Because I grew up in a house full of girls, this is completely foreign to me.  I am pretty sure it is a normal boy thing but I am hoping it ends soon.

-You taught yourself to whistle last week which I thought was quite impressive. 

-You love to color and draw and your favorite thing to draw is a treasure map.

-Your favorite color is still yellow, your favorite food is still spaghetti, and your favorite book is still your Bible stories book.

-You still love to play video games but we recently had to take them away completely because you kept throwing fits when we told you to turn them off.  We still haven't decided if or when we will let you earn them back.

-One thing that I love about you is the passion that you have for everything.  At times this is a good thing and at times it is not so good, but I know that this is going to be one of your greatest assets in your life.

I am so thankful for you, Parker, and can't imagine life without you.  You bring so much fun, laughter, joy, and drama into our family.  I am so proud to call you my son. I hope that you will never doubt how much you are loved both by Mommy/Daddy and, most importantly, God.  I pray that you have a lot of success as you start this next phase in your life and look forward to all of the changes that lie ahead. 
I love you to the moon and back, Mommy