A Whole Handful

My eldest son turned five years old yesterday.

It's hard to believe it's been five whole years. Caleb has added so much to our family. Five of my favorite things about him are:

1. He is a peacemaker. When his sister started to cry because he wasn't playing with the toy she gave him for his birthday, he willingly went over and started to play with it. Once when he and I were playing Monopoly and I started running out of money (secretly rejoicing inside because that meant the game was almost over), he offered to give me some of his money.

2. Caleb loves to have fun. If there is fun to be had, he can find it. When he sees other kids playing at the park, he easily asks if he can join in. He's always asking "What are we going to do today that's fun?"

3. He is silly and easily laughs at himself. He doesn't mind making a fool of himself to get a laugh.

4. He mispronounces words and I don't correct him because it's so adorable. He'll say "be-structions" instead of "instructions"--how cute is that?

5. If Caleb had to choose two food groups to subsist on for the rest of his life, he would choose chips and treats. The boy loves his Cheetos, and can often be heard asking for a treat before 8:00 in the morning. If I didn't feel a parental responsibility to say no, I would totally pull out the brownies and gorge on them along with him.

For his birthday, we had a small family party. He chose funfetti cake with orange-colored frosting and gummy bears on top. He arranged the gummy bears himself.

Make a wish!

He also got some good loot. We've especially been having fun with the marble run the past couple of days. He seemed concerned when I told him I was going to play with his toys when he's at kindergarten in the fall because he got such fun toys. "Just play with them a little bit, Mom, and don't break anything, OK?"

His greatest wish for his birthday was to go to Chuck E. Cheese. So, I braved it with the three kids during the crowded, sweaty afternoon.

Erik offered to meet us there after work, but I figured it was less painful to just take them so I wouldn't have to listen to him ask every five minutes when were we going to go. And after seeing this face, I'd say it was worth it.

Poor Ben was so tired. He was missing naptime.

Luckily we were in and out pretty quick. I love that they can be so happy with one crappy little toy and a mini tootsie pop apiece. Ah, to be young and have low expectations!

We've had fun discovering all the new and improved things Caleb can do now that he's five. "I think you can jump higher now that you're five." "Can I run faster now that I'm five?" "Mommy, I think I can pump higher on the swing now that I'm five!" Yes, buddy, it's true. I think you really can.

Happy Birthday, kid. We sure love ya.