Wilson, My Five Year Old

Wilson, WONDERFUL. INSIGHTFUL. LOVING. SPIRITED. OPINIONATED. NOVEL.

Even though you turned 5 in February, it is still hard for me to believe that you are actually five years old. (I think I will say this every year for the rest of your life.) You are such a sweet child. Tender and kind. Compassionate and full of energy. Imaginitve and curious. Confident, yet shy.

What a fantastic stage of development you are in...

I find so much pleasure helping you understand more about the world around you. From studying the chemistry of a rippening banana and your bouancy in water, to learning how to jump off your bike while it is still moving. You love experiements, investigating, and success.

My two five year olds.

With this stage's joys also comes moments of struggle. You are fragile and "tuff" and I am learning that somedays your moods can be completely unpredicable (in reality they are alot more predicable than I give them credit). This is mostly because you are overwhelmed, worried, frightened, or tired and you have difficulty maintaining/reclaiming your coping skills when you are neurologically stressed. There have been days when I think I am doing something wrong, but  in reality I am doing my best and love you with all I am (I think parent guilt just comes with parenting :/ ). Your PK teacher put it best when she said, "Honey, I've been doing this a LONG time and let me tell you EVERY preschooler is a walking time bomb! Wilson is great and will be just fine." I will never forget that statement and promise to share it with you when you are parenting your own children...50 years from now. ;)

                                       I really think I should thank you on most days.

At your five year well check your stats were: 4'1" and 54 pounds. (You weighed 56.6 on our scales today.) You wear a shoe size 2 and clothing size 7.

You are a strong swimmer but are starting to tire from lessons twice a week. You would much rather swim underwater and dive for rings than practice your side breaths and breast stroke. Your strongest stroke is the breast stroke.

You love to ride your bike and have been indepent from training wheels since this past November, but it hasn't been until last month (April) that you have become ADDICTED to riding. As soon as we are home you get on your bike. After dinner... you hop on your bike. Before school (if there is time) you hop. on. your. bike.

I recently told you about a youth triatholon in Bellinghman and you became very excitied about it and asked if you could participate in it. You want to compete in the "Ironman" as you called it and were disappointed (and I think are still in denial) when you found out the entry age is 6, not five.

You love watching American Idol with me and like Phillip Phillips (so do I). We bought a couple of his performance songs on iTunes and you "rock out" to them often. You love to dance and listen to music. I mean LOVE it! You get on the PC/iPad/iPhone and play music any chance you get.

You sleep through the night without underjams now.

You are beginning to read. You still love books and being read too. You pay attention to the details (color of the cars, landscape, etc) in photographs in books and link together the information when we read series stories.

Your drawing skills are improving.  I will have to post the pictures of your assignment for school soon. You made me so pround!

You are excited about kindergarten and moving (you hope we move to FL, but we don't think it is a possibility). I am nervous about both and pray that the tranistion goes smoothly, as you are not, typically, a quick tranisitioner.

Your favorite "kid shows" are: The Wild Kratts (you ask me almost daily if it is 4 yet, which is the time it comes on), Sid the Science Kid, and Word World. We watch The Cat in the Hat too and Dinosaur Train but the others are your favorites. Your total screen time is, on average, 1 hour a day. I try to have 2 days a week with no screen time and there are days that we definitely watch more (read: it is raining...AGAIN, or long car rides). The funny thing is, that most times I put the TV on so that I can get some chores/blogging done but I end up sitting down and watching the shows with you...

You love going to PBSkids.org and abcmouse.com and can do it without help (not TOO excited about this one). Needless to say, your new found internet skills have resulted in some new rules and strategies in the house regarding technology. In fact, you are grounded from the computer this week because you went on AFTER you asked permission and I told you NO.

You like to tell jokes: riddles (Why is the bad basketball team always hot...), knock knocks (who's there? Orange you glad... is your go-to line).

You are quick to be thankful. Almost everyday you tell me you are thankful for your family and since my surgery, in April ,you tell me you are thankful I am feeling better.

 (we fixed the spelling before we gave it to him) 

You ask me, often, for a brother and when I asked you why you want a brother you responded with, "because I already have a sister!" We tell you we hope to, someday, but plan to adopt him. (I have been researching adoption and praying for several years now and I feel very called to do this. I see my family complete with a child from Africa.) You are very comfortable and open to the idea because you have four friends who are adopted. Your closest, Caleb, from Thailand. When we talked about eating Thai with his family (and explaining that is were Caleb was born) you thoughtfully and geninunely asked if we could find an Ethopian restaunt to eat at...

Speaking of Caleb, when it was his birthday and we were buying him gifts you made it a point to choose gifts specific to him. You picked out dinosaur legos (it was a dino party) and made sure his gift bag was orange, which is his favorite color. (Your favorite is still green.) I love how much you care for your friends and how much you pay attetnion to their interests and personalities.

I love you... so very much! I thank the Lord daily for you and your sister. For all you teach me, for all you will do, and for all you have done.

everyday. always. and forever. xoxoxox  Mom
p.s. I am posting this before I proof read so please forgive me... If I don't hit publish today I might not do it...