Happy Birthday, big boy!

I think we have our birthday traditions down over here.  At least for Z.  The little boys (3 bdays on one day, for the love, we have not figured that out entirely yet...give me another week and I'll have a better grip on it though). 
Anyway, Z. 
He woke up this morning to one special balloon and 5 extra balloons (since he turned 6) floating in his room.  Each one had a dollar tied to it.  His special balloon this year was Angry Birds. 

He got his presents from us today.  He got a new bike and was out riding it before 8 this morning!  After dinner he got a Lego Ninjago set that he has been wanting. 

His breakfast cereal of choice was CocoaRoos (Cocoa Puffs knock off). 

He ran around in his Cardinals shirt (which he is slowly growing into, eek!).

 
He chose to go to Rocketship Park this morning (he didn't have his gifted class today, and we played hooky from Bible study...it was a gorgeous morning!).  The boys all had a great time playing there, and (sidenote) I was amazed to just sit and watch them play.  Rocketship Park has always been a "scary" park with more places to fall off and kill yourself than you can count.  But the boys are finally old enough that they can do most of it and I trust them.  Where did the time go?!

He went to school and got a crown and passed out Scooby Doo fruit snacks (we looked but couldn't find Angry Birds fruit snacks). 

He got phone calls from every imaginable family member to sing to him or just say hi. 

He chose sausage stew (his fave) for dinner tonight. 

He got his own individual cake decorated how he wanted it (half Angry Birds...that is a pig, guys; half Ninjago...Ninjago fans, that is SenseiWu on the back half...the things I do for this kid!).  We all got our own individual cupcakes.  And we got the candles that go out...then relight.  Everyone (including Nate) was confused a second, but Z got the hang of it.  It was fun :)
 

And he got to stay up a little late to work on the Legos and keep reading with me.

This boy is an incredible blessing to us!  He is kind and compassionate and sensitive and loving and sweet.  LOVE this big boy.  :)

Letters

Today the chain said we were going to make Christmas cards.  I fully expected the boys to make cards or draw pictures for Grandma and Papa, or maybe some friends.  Instead, Z wanted to write a letter to Santa. 

We don't do Santa.  We have had numerous conversations this year about the fact that Santa isn't real.  We have told Z that some other kids think that Santa is real, so if anyone starts talking about Santa, to just kind of say "ok" if something comes up, or to try to get out of the conversation (no need for him to ruin it!).  We saw a Santa at Target, getting our tree, on TV...clearly, the man is all over.  But Z knows he is pretend. 

And yet, he wanted to write a letter to Santa.  I didn't push it, and he just put it under the tree.  Pretty cute. 

Here it is: 

Pretty impressive, I think.  That was written with NO HELP at all.  (Although he started the letter on plain construction paper and wrote totally uphill.  I tried to help him by drawing lines and showing him how to write straight and got "NO MOM!!! You're messing up everything!!!"  A few minutes later, though, Nate went in and suggested it..."Ok Dad.  Great idea!"  Ugh...)

But we didn't help at all with content, spelling, or handwriting.  I did ask him to date it, though.  Proud of my big boy. 

School

Overall, we were super excited about Z going to school, but one of the reasons I was sad about Z going to school was that he would lose his innocence.  Here, he is protected.  I know what he hears.  I know what he sees.  I can do damage control if something happens that I don't like.  I have chosen his friends and their parents based on how I parent, and the examples I want him to see.  Nate and I realize we would be doing him a disservice if we kept him totally sheltered and didn't let him see the world around him.  People are bad, people are ugly, people are hurtful...we live in a fallen world.  The best thing we can do for Z is teach him how to handle all of that yuck.  But still, it hurts. 

There is one kid in particular that we keep hearing about.  Z asked the other day, "Is D a bad word?  What about S?  Is F?"  Turns out he heard "the F word is a bad word" on the bus.  When referencing the length of a necklace (to his belly button), he said, "Hey, it goes to my weenie!!!" (a word we have NEVER used).  This same kid made fun of Z when he tooted in class (he FARTED!!! and tattled on him).  This resulted in me "teaching" Z how to hold it in (which yes, is hilarious!) or go to a bathroom.  He made fun of Z when his underwear was showing (which, honestly, happens more often than not).  He came home concerned about his pants, and wanted to pick a pair to wear the next day that wouldn't show his underwear. 

However, Z is still kind of intrigued by this kid.  He knows he is a "bad" kid, and he has been sent to the principal's office, and has had to be moved away from other kids because he was bothering them (so I am confident...I hope? that this he is being dealt with).  I am anxious to go back and help in his class this week so I can get a better grasp of him. 

It just makes me sad to have him see this stuff...to have him come home with this stuff.  In the grand scheme of things, is "weenie" a big deal?  NO.  I realize that.  But I feel like it is just the beginning of a lifetime of stuff he will be exposed to, and that just breaks my heart.  It has caused me to step up my prayers for him...for good and wise decision making, for us to give him good council, for good friends for him....

TOOTH!!!

Z lost his first tooth!! :)  So fun!  It was his bottom left tooth (I'm pretty sure that was his first tooth he got).  It has been loose for awhile, but today it finally came out.  It was just about out today, and I suggested he ask Nate to pull it out.  He said no and continued to wiggle it more and more.  Finally he came in and asked Nate to pull it, but Nate was gone at that point.  When Nate got back Z wasn't ready again.  Sigh.  Z continued to wiggle it, then came bounding back in again, ready for Nate to pull it.  Nate couldn't get a hold of it, so jokingly asked for some needlenose pliers (!) but I gave him some kleenex and he popped that baby right out.  Z was pretty excited about it. 
On the tooth fairy...since we don't even do any of those things (santa, Easter bunny, etc) he knew that it wasn't real.  I asked him where the other kids got the money from if it wasn't the tooth fairy, and he suggested the bank :)  Later on, though, as I tucked him in, and asked him again, he said, well....you?  I just kind of smiled at him. 
He will get $1 (that is a steep increase from when I was a kid, but I'm not giving him $5 like I've heard other kids get!). 

This morning I woke up to him crying...."Mom!!!! Mommmmm!!!!!!  I want my tooth back, not just the money!"  Since he knows who the tooth fairy is, he was content to know that I have it in a special place and he can see it whenever he wants...but he forgot about it by the time he got out of bed. ;) (He also was bummed he "just" got $1, but I informed him that he could just give it back if it wasn't enough...he kept it.)

Gymnastics

Z decided he wanted to take gymnastics.  He liked Tball (and I think he will do coach pitch again in the spring), but soccer was "too hard".  I tend to agree...there is a lot of running in soccer.  We have a little girl across the street who he is pals with, and they "play" gymnastics, which is where I think he got the idea.  At any rate, we signed him up. 

He is kind of a puppy dog.  He is so big for his age, and has kind of had a hard time growing into his body.  He is just now really getting the hang of his body...hitting and catching a ball, jumping/skipping, etc.  We thought that gymnastics would give him a good overall workout for his body and some general kinesthetic awareness.  We also figured it would be good to get him into the routine of practicing something, with an actual teacher working with him physically.   

The other week was "parent education" week, so I got to go into the gym and watch him a little more closely.  He is a good head taller than all the other boys in his class (it is a kindergarten boys class) and probably outweighs them by 20 pounds.  He listens and obeys and does what the teacher asks him to do, but it is hard for him (really all the boys, though).  I think it is because he is still learning the skills the same way the other boys are, but he has a lot more weight to move around!  

The past few weeks he has complained and whined the night before gymnastics about not wanting to go because it was hard.  But we already paid for him, and we think it is pretty important for him to follow through on it, anyway.  He needs to learn perseverance...so he goes :)  The day of gymnastics, on the way to and from, and during, he doesn't complain...just the night before (when he is tired and in bed). 

At any rate, he is enjoying it (for the most part) and is starting to show some improvement.  He still has a long way to go, but that's what practice is for! 

Bike Riding

Z LOVES to ride his bike.  He will often just ask to go out and ride it now, and I happily oblige. 

We made capes at Chik-Fil-A a few weeks ago, and he loves to wear that cape.  The BEST is when he wears it riding his bike.  Oh, I love this big boy of mine!

The first 2 weeks

Z has been in school for 2 weeks now.  He is really liking it...I think :)  At the end of the first full week he had a bit of a meltdown, I think from being tired.  One night I was tucking him in bed and told him that he would go to art the next day.  His face crumples up, and he sobs, "ART?  I don't wanna go to ART!" "Buddy, why?  You love art!" "But she'll make me PAINT.  And I don't like her paints.  I like ouuuuuuuur paaaaaaints!!!!" Um, yeah.  My crafty, art loving kid doesn't want to go? 

Tired.  And of course neglected by me, since I was in the middle of potty training.  I didn't really take into total account how tired he would be...he hasn't napped in years, but always has had a quiet time of about 45 minutes.  Now that time is full of 15 other boys and learning.  He has been sleeping fine, even sleeping in a few days (another benefit to pm kindergarten), but it is a lot all at once. 

He has sort of told us what is going on in class, as much as a 5 year old boy can.  That is the hardest part for me.  In preschool I had face time with the teacher and the kids, and could prompt him "I saw Evan had a skeleton shirt on too!".  Now, I've got nothing.  "So you sit by a boy?  Do you know his name?  Does anyone else like Legos?"  Boys (specifically my boy) give so much less info than girls do (so I've heard, anyway). 

His teacher has been great too.  One day he came home and we heard conflicting stories: He stayed inside at recess while the other kids went outside; no one went outside.  He was so adamant on both that I emailed her...I didn't want him to be allowed to be inside, that is ridiculous.  Turns out no one had recess, which I figured, but wanted to be sure.

She called us yesterday as a 2 week check-in (so nice!).  He is doing great academically (knows all the big letters, most of the little, a few words, and can write his name).  Behaviorally, he is great (sits well and listens and obeys).  Socially he is fine too (he is pretty quiet, but is coming out of his shell at recess).  Sounds about right on target for everything....pretty sure I could told her what she was going to tell me. 

It has been pretty nice having him gone in the afternoons...it sure is quiet...and fabulous.  In the near vicinity of time I'm going to need to reclaim that time and be useful, but I have been recouping from potty training and just getting my feet back on the ground the past week and a half. 
 

Kindergarten

I'm not really sure how my baby is old enough to go to school.  Honestly...wow, did those 5 years fly.

He got new shoes (my 5 year old wears size 3 shoes...ridiculous), some new clothes (Indiana Jones Lego shirt), and some new pants (size 7).  He got supplies (pencils and glue sticks were the only "school" ones, the others were kleenex, etc).  He got an earful of encouragement and excitement from everyone he ran across (kindergarten!  how fun!  you'll love it!).  And he was pumped. 

He has PM class, so he catches the bus a bit after noon and rides with only the other kids in his class (which, for the record, has 16 boys and 3 girls!). 

He climbed on (with a gentle push from me) and didn't look back.  He also went past all the kids and towards the back of the bus...but stopped about halfway.  I was a bit teary eyed, but not a ton.  Since it isn't in the morning, it feels kind of like he's just going to play somewhere...doesn't feel "school" like.  I am just more sad about him going "out into the world"...less protected, going to hear about and see stuff from other kids that I might not love, going to meet kids that I don't love...just kind of sad to send him out of his bubble. 
 

I followed the bus to see him get off (dork?), and all the 5th graders were there to cheer for them and welcome them. 

He climbed off minus his backpack. As I'm taking pictures, I say "Z! Get your backpack!"

He retrieved it and was back on track :)

When we picked him up from school I made him take a pic out front.  He was not thrilled.  One of us will always pick him up, at least this year...I'm not quite ready for him to ride with all the big kids. 

We decided on a first day of school tradition:  ice cream for dinner.  We all went out and got ice cream and talked about the first day. 

Z really did give me a lot of information about his class...it wasn't just one word answers (although there were a lot of those too). 

On Friday (the 3rd day) he got in and told us about his day.  He was talking about some of the other kids always asking to go outside and how he didn't like that and/or do that.  Then he said, "Mrs. G says I always make wonderful choices!"  We figure that she must have asked them to do something, kids said they wanted to go outside, Z obeyed, and she made that comment.  Regardless of the circumstances, we could NOT be prouder of him!

When I first found out he had PM kindergarten I was kind of bummed...I am used to having 2 mornings with just the little boys.  I still think it will be quite a transition to have him every morning, but the payoff is looking awesome:  we get Z on the bus, we go inside and read books, the littles take naps for 2 hours, then we get up, play for a few minutes, then go get Z and/or Daddy is home.  That means 2-2.5 hours of TOTAL me time.  Of course I have stuff to do, but I don't have someone talking to me and distracting me...oh, the quiet is fabulous! 

So off we go to a new world...

Ice cream

Spelling

Z calls me in to his room, shows me this, and says, Mom, is this how you spell bad?  (Ugh, I can't get it to turn....)

WOW!

I love that he used paper to spell it.  I told him it was right, and asked him how he knew to spell it.  He says, "Bad.  Buh.  Aaaa.  Duh.  B-A-D."  We have been working on this sporadically over the past several months, but he normally gets annoyed.  Like if he asks how to spell 'Car' I will ask him to sound it out, or I will say "Kuh.  Aaah.  Rrrrr." and he normally says, ok mom, I don't want to do that.  So for him to start this on his own is huge. 

Later on today he called me in again, and showed me HPE, and wanted to know if it spelled happy.  I told him very close, and said "Aaaa" and he goes, "Oh! I need an A here."  Pretty darn close. 

Followed by MAD.  He sounded it out again, and told me how to spell it. 

I realize this is all normal developmentally, but it is soooo fun to see it happening!  So proud of my big boy! 
  

Separation anxiety

Ok, so that home body post I wrote?  Yeah....apparently we have full blown separation anxiety.  And that is weird, because he has never had problems before.  I could count on one hand the number of times he cried as a baby/toddler when I left him.  He did cry sometimes when I used to work at Eddie Bauer and I wouldn't be home to tuck him in, but that is kind of different.  And he has been left consistently 3 times a week for the past 2 years at school and Bible study, so it's not like he isn't used to being dropped off.

So Tuesday when I dropped him off at school, I left without even thinking he would have a problem.  But his teacher came out and said he needed one more hug and that he was kind of teary.  So I hauled the little boys back to his room to give him one more hug.  He was kind of sad a few times at school, but then a friend of his picked him up to go to his house after school, and he had no problems there. 

Wednesday he was kind of panicky about going to Bible study, but he often times doesn't want to go, so I still didn't think about it.  I dropped him off, then we had a special morning of coffee.  A girlfriend with her son in Z's class came to find me, since Z was crying.  Luckily the little boys were already in class.  So I go talk to him, and he, poor thing, is trying so hard to hold it together in front of his classmates.  He gets out that he just doesn't want me to go, because he'll miss me.  He just keeps crying, so I get him a donut hole (coffee hour!), then count to 10 and tell him to go move his chair for the story, and that I will be back. 

And the worst was Thursday, when he started crying 30 minutes before we even LEFT for school.  He cried and bawled and whined...sounded like this:  "I don't wannnnnnna go to school!  I'll miss you mooooommmmm!  Moooooommmmmm, don't make me goooooooo!  I hate school (to which I reply, let's not say hate, Z).  Mooooommmmmm, I'll missssssss youuuuuuuu!!!!"  Let me tell you how fun that was.  All the while I'm trying to get him to get dressed, get the little boys dressed, and keep them from killing each other.  I actually went to make a pot of coffee, and went to get my cup when all the boys were loaded into the car, and when I looked at the brewed coffee, it was clear.  I actually lifted the top of the coffee thing to look inside, SURE that somehow the water had missed the coffee...nope, Katie, you just forgot to put coffee in.  One of those mornings.  I finally let him put a few of his best Legos in his pocket, and he said "well, that will make me less sad, I guess".  So we drive to school, and he is pretty much in control, but he is very curious...why do I have to go (it is what we do, kids go to school).  But I don't really like school (yes you do, you have your friends and your teachers and all the toys).  But why can't I stay with you (because you go to school, and mom and the little boys have other things to do).  He got into school fine, and I made sure to say goodbye and give him a hug (and warn his teacher that this might be an issue).  I got all the boys out and re-loaded into the car, and Z and his teacher come running out with one more hug and teary eyes.  Killer. 

He has not been dropped off since Thursday.  He has asked me every night "So, do we have to go anywhere tomorrow?"  I had a baby shower to go to on Saturday, and he apparently was weepy with Nate.  I taught his Sunday School class this morning, so we didn't have to deal with it then.  I have run a few errands over the weekend, and when he typically would be happy to stay home, he has jumped at the chance to go with me since I was leaving.  Nate and I have a meeting to go to this week, and since I broke it to him, he has asked me a gazillion times about why we have to go and why he can't go and who will watch them and am I sure he can't go? 

I did some research on it, and it seems he isn't totally out of the norm.  One of the sites I saw said that sometimes it occurs when there is a change in the family (like illness, death, divorce, finances, move, baby....no, no, no, no, no, and no).  I saw suggestions on books to read, pictures to give him of me/family, special reminders of me to go in his pocket, notes in his backpack.  What is also frustrating is that I have no clue what triggered this. 

As I have been trying to figure it out this week, we have had numerous conversations.  On the way home from Bible study as I tried to figure out what the problem was, all I could get from him was that he will miss me if I'm gone, and that he gets scared when he can't see me.  I have gotten those answers several times since then, too, so I guess that is mostly it.  I reassure him over and over that "mom always comes back." I also remind him that just last month of what he told the little boys when they were crying when I left them, "Little boys, you just have to learn what I already know, that Mom always comes back!".


We had a conversation the other day about Grandma Lora.  We talk about her often, and how much she loves us, and how I don't know, but I like to think she sees what we are doing, and how she is in Heaven with Jesus.  So the other day our conversation goes like this:  Z: Do you miss Grandma Lora?  K: Yes, of course I do.  Z: So why can't God just give her back?  K: Well, baby, that is not how God does it.  I guess He just wants her to stay with Him.  And we know she is better in Heaven now.  Z:  So whenever someone dies, they stay gone?  K:  Yup, baby, that is how it goes.
  
Another conversation, after this, as I am reassuring him that I will always come back for him:  Z:  But what if you die and go to Heaven?  K:  Oh, honey, are you worried that I am going to die if you aren't with me?  Z: Yeah.  K:  Baby, I am not going to die until I am old...

It is totally heartbreaking.  It is so hard to hear a five year old, who knows full well that he shouldn't be acting this way (in front of his friends), but knows I will be gone, and that he will miss me, and he is just scared...and he can put it all (mostly) into words.  It is so much harder that with a 20 month old who just cries. 

So if you're the praying sort, you can pray for this...if you have any other suggestions, please comment and let me know....

Home body

Dorothy and Mike had been wanting Z to come down to visit them.  He always has a great time there, with one on one time, crafts, McDonalds, the works.  Several weeks ago we planned for him to go down this weekend while I had a girls weekend (I'll post about that next), so Nate would just have the little boys. 
In these past few weeks, then, we have had a lot of build up.  He watched and read the Berenstain Bears "Week at Grandma's" every day, sometimes multiple times.  He asked how long it was until he was going, we talked about it, got excited about it.  But he did talk about being homesick, and he suggested on numerous occasions that if he wanted to go home, he could, that he would just have to tell Grandma or call us and we would go get him.   
Until Tuesday night.  He called me into his bedroom about half an hour after I had tucked him into bed.  He was bawling his eyes out, and could barely make out "I don't want to go to Grandma and Papa's!  I want to stay here!  I don't want to leave you and Dad and the little boys!  I don't want to go!!!!"  This was so out of the blue, but I figured it was late at night so he was just tired, and by the morning it would be no biggie.  So I told him we could decide later, but to go to sleep.  Wednesday morning he got all ready and did his chores, then says, "Oh, yeah Mom, I forgot to tell you I really do want to go to Grandma and Papa's house!".  So we all agreed, but I decided to have him only stay 2 nights, not 3. 
Thursday Dorothy came up so she could spend a day with all of us before she and Z left to go down on Friday.  Z was excited to go, and was wanting to pack up his stuff to get ready to go. 
Friday about 1 he started throwing a fit and getting mad at me about how he was only staying 2 nights, not 3. 
About 3 he and Dorothy took off.
About 320 he started ringing the doorbell, crying.  Apparently he decided that he did not want to go...that he would miss Mom and Dad and the little boys.  We decided to let him choose whether or not to go in the morning (he opted out, and it wasn't brought up again).  Dorothy stayed until Saturday evening then went home.
And THEN, on Friday night as I was leaving for my girls weekend, he told Nate he just had to tell me one more thing, and he came crying out to me as I was getting ready to drive away.  He didn't want me to go, he would miss me, he wanted me to stay with him.  (I still left, but it was hard!)  
I am very glad that Dorothy brought him home.  I have no clue what on earth is going on with him.  He has been there before by himself.  He has made the drive there by himself.  I'm not sure if it is a phase, or if he just created anxiety by reading and talking about it?  He wants us all to go down there, so "he won't miss us".  I am completely fine with the fact that he wants to be with us.  Doesn't bother me at all.  And he was fine at home with Nate and Dorothy.  He was a big help, he was kind to his brothers, he didn't miss me too much.  I felt kind of bad for Mike and Dorothy, who were planning on him being there, but I guess you can't always predict what a 5 year old is going to do.
That's my big boy...

Legos

Z loves Legos.  He has been getting much better about making stuff, and using his imagination to create things.  He loves the little minifigures that come with the Legos, and he happily will play with them as he builds space stuff and bad guy things and aliens.  I don't even know what all he does.  Most of the time, if he wants help, Nate plays with him. 
And the little boys are getting really good with them too.  They love the minifigures, but are getting good at putting the blocks together as well.  They love to get into Z's stuff, which throws him over the edge, but we are making it. 
All this to say, Nate had kind of been keeping an eye out on Craigs List to see if there were any cheap Legos.  He found 2 shopping bags full of Legos for $100 (which is actually really cheap), so we now own a TON of Legos, and over 60 "guys".  And let's just say that everyone loves them.  I am embarrassed to admit the amount of time Nate and I have spent sorting the Legos.  The kid who sold them didn't have any instructions, but there are apparently Lego geeks out there who sort them and have all the pieces and instructions online...we love those sites now.  Nate has found at least 12 sets, one of which sold on Ebay used and without the instructions or box for $130.  I think we will sell that one and recoup our costs.  Point is, we have spent a ton of time sorting and organizing.  Nate has always loved them, and he is sure I love them because they fulfill the OCD in me...we can start the job, sort them, and have a finished product.  Not much in my life is that way currently! :)
Z has loved all the fun and unique pieces...chains, dinosaurs, treasure...his imagination is on overload.  We also let him help us sort, which he was happy to do for a short while.  And since there are so many guys, Z doesn't even mind sharing with the little boys.

You can think that if you want...

Today we drove down to Children's Hospital to get some bike helmets for the little boys (only $8, and they get fitted!).  So I point out the Arch on the way, and Z remembers that we saw it when we went to a Cardinals game a several years ago.  This prompts us to this conversation: 

-Yeah, I remember going there.  The little boys were there too. 
-No they weren't, bud, they weren't born. 
-Yeah, they were there.  They have been there. 
-No, they haven't.  They were in my tummy the last time we were there...
-Actually, Mom, they HAVE been there. 
-No, Z, they have not.  I'm not quite sure what you're thinking of. 
-Well, Mom, I think you're wrong. 
-Ok, I'm not wrong though. 
-Well, Mom, you can think that if you want.

Might not be as funny to anyone else, but these are VERY common phrases that Nate and I use to end conversations when we know Z is wrong (ok, Z, you can think that if you want).  We have also had to teach him not to say, Mom, you're wrong, but instead to say, Well, I think you are wrong.  Cracked me up.  Glad to know he is listening to us, but funny to hear it thrown back at me.  :)

5 year stats

I took Z to the doctor today for his 5 year checkup.  He is huge, but proportionate, so the doctor is not concerned at all (especially considering how big Nate is).
 
47 inches (99th %ile)
57 pounds (99th %ile)

He also got 3 shots and took them like a champ.  I had warned him about them last night and he cried and was miserable, but Daddy promised him a shake afterwards, and he calmed down.  He was fabulous today with the shots...no whining, complaining, crying, screaming, squirming.  What a big boy he is.  We didn't get a shake, but did one better...we got Maggiemoo's.  YUM.  He chose Red Velvet Cake ice cream (so random) with snowcaps candy in it (SO random!).  But he ate it all up and was happy, so there you have it.

And this was the prize he picked from the doctors office.  Star glasses.  Not heart ones, because they're for girls.  Cracked me up.  (Yes that is, even 4 hours later, smudges of ice cream above his eye and on his chin.)

My biggest boy

Today is Z's fifth birthday (ok, was when I started this...oops).  I canNOT believe he is five years old.  I'm really not sure that that much time has gone by since he was born.  Here is a bit about where he is at right now, and where he has been this year. 

Z is an incredibly creative boy.  He does NOT get this from me.  He loves to create crafts, he is good with Legos, he has an amazing imagination.  Just last night we were looking at a Lego spaceship he made, and we were both kind of amazed that he had built it, on his own, with no pictures or guides to help him.  Here is one he created that he wanted me to take a picture of and send in to the Lego magazine. 

His interests this year have ranged from bugs, to scary stuff, to Hot Wheels (his current favorite).

He loves to read and look at catalogs.  He has a box full of Christmas and Halloween catalogs, National Geographic and Ranger Rick and Lego magazines, and he just pores over them.  He will listen to books when I read, but he is also content to just look himself.

He has started to pick up a few sight words.  Not many, but a few...eek, boo, mom, dad, z, car.  I think that is it.  But he LOVES to make lists and write stuff down.  He has made several lists of the things that he wanted for Christmas and/or his birthday.  He loves to write down all of the names of his cars.  (That's fun.  Z:  This one is called piranha terror.  How do you spell that mom?  Me:  P  Z: ok, next?  Me:  I.  Etc.  This next car is called Croc Rod.  How do you spell that?  Repeat for his 10 favorite cars.  I want to lose my mind sometimes, but I know it is good for him.)  He also loves to draw pictures, and they are getting more realistic.  Nate has shown him how when he was a kid he liked to look at pictures in books and try to copy them, so Z has started that.  He is much better than me, already. 

He is generous.  He often will offer to share something or get something for someone else.  "Hey, mom, would you like a piece of my candy?"  Or if he has a friend over he will go get each of them a drink of water with no prompting from me.  He thinks of others, and knows and recognizes that different people like different things.  If he sees a monster truck, he immediately thinks of his friend T.  When he draws pictures for people, he thinks about what they would like and draws that, instead of what he might draw for himself (he draws pictures for his friend A, a girl, that are pink and have rainbows!). 

He can be very sensitive.  He has a hard time being critiqued, especially by Daddy, and gets very embarrassed.  He also has learned how to deal with it, though, so gone (mostly) are the days of the temper tantrums.  If he gets upset or embarrassed, he will often just run to his room and cool down for a bit, then come out again happy.  He sometimes needs a bit of time to process stuff, but then is fine.   

He listens to our conversations, and to stuff going on around him.  This is not always the best, but it shows that he knows what is going on.  When Nate's aunt Julie died, I was on the phone with Jenny telling her the entire back story.  Later on, Z just starts busting out questions like:  Will I get diabetes?  Why do people with diabetes get blind?  Etc, etc.   

He asks great questions like "What does clever mean?  How is candy made?"  When reading books, he always wants to know what the big words mean.

He loves to brainstorm.  "I've got a good idea!  Let's just go make crafts and cut out paper!"  We don't always love his brainstorms. 

He is good with the little boys.  He has really gotten better about playing with them and loving on them.  They are getting old enough now that he can actually wrestle around with them and mess with them in a good way, and he knows (pretty much) the limits of that. 

He sometimes is too helpful and too bossy, but not often.  If a boy is doing something he shouldn't or snatches, Z will try to correct them.  He often gets into the middle of the boys squabbles, which actually just makes it worse, but I know he is trying to be helpful.

I know that I could add more and more about him, but it is not coming to my mind right now, and I figure I should probably just get this online, since it is already 9 days late.  Oh well. 

Love that sweet boy!

More words

A few more words from Z. 

Mote control (for some reason he dropped the "re"). 
Upside up (instead of right side up). 
Pat-er-en (instead of pattern). 
Crackernut (nutcracker). 
The overs (the credits of a movie).

And today I hollered at him to come back into the dining room after lunch.  I had asked him to clear his place, and he took his plate only, but left the full cup of water.  N had pulled it over.  I showed it to him and told him when I asked him to clear his place, I meant all of his stuff.  He looks dead at me and says, "I'm not cleaning that up."  Ummmm....yeah.  In fact, I was planning on just correcting him and cleaning it up myself, UNTIL that comment.  So he cleaned it up.  He wasn't happy.  :)  But maybe he learned a lesson. 

Acting like a 5 year old

Z turned 3 eleven days before the little boys were born.  After I came home from the hospital, it was like I had an entirely different child.  At first I thought it was because of the babies (and the lack of attention to him, etc), but after a few weeks, I realized, no, he just "turned" 3.  It wasn't pretty.  ;) 
And he has just "turned" 5.  It is pretty!  I feel like there has been a definitive change in some of the things he does.  We have been praising his behavior:  Z, wow!  You are acting like such a five year old, and we are so proud of you! 
For example: 
He sat with the boys the other day and showed them all (very patiently, much more patiently than me!) how to put stickers onto their pictures.  He also has been more willing to play with them.  He is in tune with the different things that each likes, and will get toys for them appropriately (C wants the cars, L loves puzzles, etc). 
His imagination and self playtime has really taken off.  He loves to build with the Legos and he will sit with them literally for over an hour and just create stuff.  He is mumbling to himself too (Ahh!!! You have fire...I will get you...The bad guys got the astronaut...ahhh, venom!!!), and if I stop to listen to him for too long he shuts up and gets all embarrassed.  I always wondered about the kid in Toy Story who played with his toys like that (talking and stuff) and wondered when that sort of imagination actually began.  The answer is apparently age five. 
He has become more helpful (not always, of course), and more able to follow directions.  When I told him to clean up all the Legos because we were going to leave, I walked in a few minutes later and they were all picked up and put away.  He had even picked them up off of the floor.  I have recently been letting him get dressed in his room, by himself, with the stipulation that he had better be done by the time I come get him, or he will be out in the family room with the rest of the boys again.  He has yet to not be dressed. 
That's all I can think of offhand, I know there are more.  But so far, I like age five! 
 

Happy Birthday Z!

Today was Z's fifth birthday.  (How is he FIVE?!!!)  We had an ice storm last night and all day today, so there was no school for Nate or Z.  I was kind of sad that he didn't get to take his treats on his actual birthday, but he will take them later this week.  And it was fun to have Nate home all day to celebrate with us. 
Z has been looking forward to his birthday since Christmas, and making lists of things that he wanted, and has talked about how many days there were left, and has talked about the things he was going to do on his birthday, etc.
Nate and I have been working on how we want birthdays in our house to run.  I am always surprised by how much planning has to go into special days if I want to have traditions of any sort.  I don't remember thinking that Mom had planned holidays, but there must have been some sort of planning involved.  Anyway, this is the first year that we have really given it thought.  And having 3 kids with the same birthday...that will make it a bit more difficult for them to each have their own "special" day, but we will see.   
We let Z pick out all the meals for the day.  He picked cereal for breakfast, peanut butter and honey for lunch, and tacos for dinner.  We will eat out later in the week with some birthday freebies, as soon as they overlap with the little boys birthday.  (More on that later). 

We got him a balloon, as we have several years in the past. We tied it in his room so he saw it first thing in the morning.  This year it was a Hot Wheels balloon.  He loved it and pulled it around all day! 
We got Z a man's XL Cardinals shirt for his first birthday, and he has worn it (at least tried it on for pictures) every birthday since.  I love this tradition!  (We got ones for the little boys too).  This year he chose to wear it all day, and we let him since it wasn't dragging on the ground.  It was a bit like a dress, but he was fine in it. 

Since Nate was home, we let Z open his presents from us right after chores were done (although we let him skip his today) and we were all dressed.  He got a Hot Wheels race track and a Tom and Jerry movie.  We are having a family birthday later on for all the boys. 

Z played with the race track for a good portion of the morning, then moved on to Legos.  All the boys love Legos, and the little boys are getting much better at manipulating them.  We finally gave Z the big box with most of the pieces, and got a few handfuls of just the squares and rectangles (not the little bitty pieces) out for the little boys.  We were pretty impressed by what all 4 of them built.  We took a break and watched some of the new movie, then ate lunch. 

After lunch we had cake!  I bought a 6" cake pan for the birthday boy, and then the rest of us will have cupcakes.  That way each child can have his own special cake on his day.  Z picked chocolate cake with chocolate icing (that's my boy!), with Hot Wheels on top.  (He is totally into Hot Wheels right now, which is so random to me, and just doesn't fit with the things he has loved in the past, but whatever).  He told me his wish:  For more Hot Wheels and more race track.  Classic five-year-old.  He blew out 3 of the candles on the first blow, then the rest.  (Later he asked if I turned off the smoke detectors so that they wouldn't go off with the smoke!).  After we all ate the cake, I was reminded of why we have cake only a few times a year...the mess 4 boys make with cake is obnoxious.  And, as the pictures can attest, cake decorating is NOT my forte, but Z thought that it was great. 

He enjoyed the rest of the day, too, but there was nothing too exciting.  He got calls from everyone in our family, and he loved it.  I figured this was the first year he would really know, and he enjoyed everyone calling (thanks, family!). 
Since Z got the big cake, he got to have leftovers all day, while we didn't.  He loved that too.
When I asked him his favorite part of the day, he smiled and said softly, "Blowing out the candles."  That is what makes the day special, buddy.  Love that big boy of mine.  Love, love, love him.