60 months, Happy Birthday

At 7:21 am you turn FIVE YEARS OLD.

Five freakin' years old.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined having a five year old.  Seriously, it's blowing my mind.  Long gone are the days where you need help with things.  You get dressed by yourself, play computer games by yourself, get your own snacks, read some of your own books, and philosophize the day away like a 12 year old.

You my boy are something special.

I love that when you are tired - first thing in the morning and last thing in the day, you will sit on my lap and let me rub your head.  You give me great hugs.  You are an excellent dancer.  For the most part, you are genuinely nice to your brother.  You know how unfair it is to have to share all your stuff but you do it anyway.

You have a genuine loving heart.  You want to be friends with everyone and you try to take care of people.  You are crazy and emotional and loud and bold - traits that will at some point in your life serve you well.  You have a photographic memory and regularly start sentences with, "Mom, remember that time when I was three...." and tell me exactly about something that happened and be dead on.

In the last year you have had so many wonderful things happen and become so much more grown up. You've played soccer, you've got years of preschool under your belt, you've given talks in primary in church, you have created art and learned the lyrics to countless songs.  You still however say "heliclopter" instead of helicopter and insist that it is correct.

Lucky for me, your crazy grumpy fat mama, you still let me lay down with you at bedtime every night. Before you quickly fall asleep, you tell me the three best things of your day and one of the not so best things of your day and then I sing you songs and you drift to sleep.  The funny thing is, the best things of your day always involve other people.  You are a pretty selfless little boy - as much as a 5 year old can be, and I am regularly impressed by your kindness and generosity.

You love animals, the more obscure the better.  You love dinosaurs.  I don't know many little boys who will choose a nature show or a documentary about pterosaurs over a cartoon but you will.  It is funny to see what will make you laugh, what will make you cry, what will make you angry or silly or what will make you jump into my arms and give me a giant squeeze.

You eat like a horse all day long.  You are healthy and energetic and unlike your brother who chooses the cookies and goldfish crackers, you'd rather eat a banana or a whole bowl of watermelon for a snack.

Oh yes my boy, I could go on and on forever and ever.  I love you more today than the day you were born and am so excited that you are so excited to be five years old.

Oh, the places you'll go and the adventures that await.

Happy Birthday Elliott Smelliot!