Liam, you are beyond excited to be a Big Kid. You chat endlessly about animals and Lego and police-catching-criminals tactics, and rovers landing on Mars and how to craft anything and everything from recycled objects. You say "I have a good idea" several times every day...this usually involves an elaborate science experiment or building project. You amaze me every single day with how much knowledge you have soaked up in five years. Your vocabulary is incredible, your memory for facts and events is better than my own, and your imagination is inspiring.
Counting isn't your thing. You've mastered up to 12 but we have spent weeks trying to lengthen the sequence to 20 and you just don't care. You know what the numbers are, but aren't very particular about the order. We have gone so far as to number the stairs in our home (there are 25) and recite them every time we walk up....you ignore it. And yet you built your first Lego almost entirely by yourself this week...a 199-piece ambulance. It took hours, but you were focused and you got it done. Amazing. This does not mean you're not off the hook on the counting. ;)
You love to run. And run and run and run and run. And you are fast. I ran a marathon two weeks ago, yet racing home from the park with you this week (just a couple blocks!) left me completely winded. But you run for the pure joy of it, and it makes you giddy. A couple of days ago we spent an hour at the park....Sarah blew bubbles and went on the swing, and you strapped on your Spiderman swim goggles, fashioned your raincoat into a cape, and ran the length of the field over and over. Once you nearly tripped head over heels, but only because you spotted a buttercup in the field and had to bring it back for me. Love.
Oh sure, you have your moments. You can be moody and tempermental, and you scream and stomp when you're really mad. You are loud and make lots of laser sounds and jump around like 5 year old boys do. But mostly you are a gentle soul. If the house is quiet when you wake up, you silently tiptoe downstairs and help yourself to some yogurt from the fridge. You might colour a picture. You play Lego. And last week I came downstairs to find you next to a cracked open window, your puppy under one arm, "just listening to the morning birds." In cooler months, you seek out the heat registers and sit right on top of them, flipping through a Lego pamphlet, enjoying the peace and quiet of the morning. You appreciate the details. I like that about you.
You tell me your secrets. Like how you found a box of Tic Tacs and hid it under your bed, sneaking one or two whenever you go to your room for "a bit of space from Sarah." And how you use a light-up snow globe to read in bed when it's lights out time. When your secrets stop being so darn cute, I'll stop sharing them here. Promise. :)
You love babies. With every fiber of your being. Your excitement around them is so intense that you shake a little, and use every bit of your willpower not to squeeze their cheeks, as we have reminded you at least 1000 times. You do not always succeed at this. Sometimes you have the same enthusiasm for Sarah....she is so over it. You two certainly know how to push each other's buttons, but your relationship is changing for the better. Spats and squabbles are a daily occurence, but you are starting to really play together. You hardly ever fight with each other outdoors, which makes me especially happy for summer!
You just graduated from preschool last week. You loved it, but are very nervous about Kindergarten this fall. So am I. We'll get through it, bud. Because you are ready to be a Big Kid. These are exciting times!
And with that, Liam, you are five. Happy Birthday, my sweet little boy. Love you to Infinity and Beyond. Always.
Mom
