My Boy is Five

Despite my pleas that he stop growing up, Noah turned five on August 1st.  We had an argument with the sun on his birthday eve: I commanded the sun not to set (so he could never grow up) and he commanded it to hurry up and go down.

That darn sun listened to Noah.  As he said to me recently, "Mom, you can't stop life."  Aint that the truth!

And speaking of the sun, at five years old, Noah is still my little ball of fire--meaning he can be the light of our family's universe one moment and a meteor crashing down to destroy us all the next.  Ha!  This boy has spunk, that is for darn sure.

I love him.  I love everything about him.  I am overcome when I think about the miraculous way that he joined our family.  It will never get old.  The other night he climbed into our bed and snuggled up to me, and he was all groggy when he said, "Mom, I'm your boy.  I made you a mom."  My heart burst right there on the spot.

As has been our tradition these past few years, Katie joined us for Noah's big day.  We love having her with us on the day that we celebrate Noah's birth!  Yes, Noah made me a mom, and so did Katie.  I love these two with all my heart.

We could hardly believe that he is FIVE years old!

Snapchattin' with his favorite girl

Like his birthparents, Noah is so smart, so funny, so spunky.  Here are some of his classic quotes from the past few months:

When he grabbed a toy from a friend and they were having a scuffle over it, I heard him say, "Takers keepers, Alex!"  I'm not quite sure that's how the old adage goes.

When I thanked him and Ryan for making me cinnamon rolls on Mother's Day, he said, "It was our great pleasure, Mom!"

He was so cute on Mother's Day, taking extra good care of me and telling me sweet things like, "I don't just love you one day of the year, Mom--I love you every day!"  And then the next day he informed me that it was "Son's Day," which meant that he got to do whatever he wanted and eat candy all day.  

One day when I forgot to bring underwear for him to change into after swimming lessons, I told him to just slip his shorts on and we'd grab some undies when we got home.  Offended by such a suggestion, he responded, "Mother,  I can't go commando!  That wouldn't be proper!"

When we were walking on the trail by the canyon rim, he said, "Mom!  Don't walk so close to the edge!  It's treacherous over there, and you might fall into the abyss!"

His vocabulary is huge.  It is hysterical.  This morning he asked for breakfast, and I said I was working on making pancakes.  He said, "Well, in the meantime can I have an applesauce?"  In the meantime?? Are you five or fifteen, kid?  He's like a sponge and soaks in any word that he ever hears me say.  Yes, that means that he says words like "meantime" and "abyss," but it also means that he says words like "crap."  Oops.  We are working on that!

In our family, we often use the phrase, "I love you more than my luggage" which is a quote from one of our favorite movies, Steel Magnolias.  This phrase makes no sense, but Noah has latched on to it as well, and even came up with his own variation.  The other day he told me, "Mom, I'd rather lose my luggage than lose you!" Ha!

He continues to love to build, and he astonishes me with his creativity.  He's had the same train sets and cars for years, but he always comes up with new arrangements for them and imaginative ways to engineer roads, tracks, and tunnels. 

Maybe he will be an engineer...or maybe a dentist like his dad.  When I recently asked him if he'd gone potty before bed because "it's the most important part of the bedtime routine" (which it is! because otherwise he has nighttime potty accidents!), he responded firmly, "No, Mom, brushing my teeth is!" And then he added in a sing-songy voice, "Or else I might get cav-it-ies!" Spoken like a true dentist's son!

As funny and likeable as he is, he is feisty and can be very difficult to parent.  He goes through phases where every time I ask him to do something, he says in a defiant voice, "Or what?" He wants to know what the punishment will be if he doesn't obey.  It's exhausting!  He's definitely my strong-willed firstborn.

I could write quite a list of the challenges of parenting him, but the bottom line is, I adore him and he adores me.  He is a definite mama's boy.  When Ryan was recently out of town, I slept with Noah every night, and he would cuddle up and talk to me about his worries or deep thoughts.  He asked me about Heaven and my mom.  Sometimes he would be half awake and say heart-melting things like, "I love you all the way to Jesus, then Jupiter, then around the world, and back!"

He has a tender heart underneath all his sass.  I was impressed when he said in a bedtime prayer, "Heavenly Father, please bless everyone in this whole world--even the bad guys."

One thing that I love and admire about Noah is that he can play with anyone, of any age.  Little kids flock to him and follow him around because he's so fun and wild, and he also has no problem playing with kids as old as 10.  Like, they actually enjoy playing with Noah because he's so spunky!  I've seen him play Nerf guns with kids twice his age for hours, and they never get sick of him.  He is truly a people person.

He started kindergarten this week, and he is loving it.  I decided to send him to an alternative kindergarten at the local college because he just barely turned five and their curriculum is much more hands-on, outdoor, and play-oriented than traditional school.  So far he's come home covered in mud one day, paint the next.  He's told me about weighing things on scales and building houses out of blocks.  He is having a blast.  The teacher in me is wondering if he is going to learn to read, write, and sit still this year...but it's only been one week, so I don't want to get concerned yet.  At least I know he is learning to love school!

Here he is, with bedhead and groggy eyes, so excited for his first day!

Can you believe kindergarten starts at 8:00 a.m.??  I mean, the sun is barely rising here!  But I'm happy to report that somehow we made it on-time every day last week.  I'm giving myself a fist bump.

People keep asking me if I am sad about him going to kindergarten.  Truthfully, not even a little bit.  It's only three hours a day, four days a week--so it's basically glorified preschool.  He loves it, and I love it.  It's a win-win.

After kindergarten on his first day, I took him on a special lunch date to KFC (his request, obviously) and we conducted a five-year-old interview over macaroni and cheese.  I will never forget how cute he was, excitedly chatting after his first day of kindergarten.

I love when we get to have one-on-one time.  He liked talking about himself so much that he kept insisting I ask him more questions. ;)  So here is our lengthy but fun interview:

Who is your favorite person in the whole world? Everybody!

What is your favorite color? Orangish-reddish

What is your favorite show? Ninjago, that you never let me watch (said with a scowl)

What is your favorite outfit? My pirate shirt and some black soft shorts

What sport do you like best?  Mountain biking

What song do you love?  "Everything is Awesome!" but not "Doh Doh" because Sal has asked to listen to it too many times!

What's your favorite cereal?  Life

Who is your best friend? Callum and Alex

What do you want to be when you grow up?  I can't decide that one yet--maybe a policeman.

What is your favorite book? My Earth book.  I call that one the Bapa book because it's so big!  Too bad it's so long that I never get to read it all.

What are you really good at?  Playing with Legos

What is your best memory?  Going to Disneyland with Mom and Dad, when I got to be the boss for the day.

What would you buy if you had $1000?  289 fragile Polar Express trains


If you could have a wish, what would it be?  That we could go to Lego Land every single day!

Who is your biggest hero?  There are no heroes in this city!

I'm not talking about superheroes.  A hero is someone you love, admire, and want to be like when you grow up.  Oh, that's easy.  Callum!! (cue heart melting)

What do you like to do best with your friends?  Play with them, mostly.

What makes you feel sad?  When I go on a mission because then I won't get to see my family for a very long time.

What makes you feel happy?  When I can someday build a humongous train layout in the living room of our house--or maybe I should build it at Grandma's house!

What makes you feel scared?  When Dad showed me that stupid dog from the Sandlot movie.  And now I can't sleep and I'm cranky!

What makes you feel angry?  When I want something and no one gives it to me.

What makes you feel "in the middle"?  (Noah came up with this question)  When I have to leave home and it's my first day of school.  I'm excited, but I'm also not super sure about it.

What are your thoughts about your first day of kindergarten?  Ms. Bridges is really nice!  There are lots and lots of toys and blocks.  And in science, we got to weight peanuts!

Why do you love Mom?  Because she's so pretty all the time!

Why do you love Dad? Because he wrestles me a lot!

Why do you love Sister?  Because she's so cuuuutee!  Too bad she bites me all the time.

If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be?  Fun!

I agree, Noah--you are super fun!!  I am beyond grateful to be your mama, and I am looking forward to another year of living and learning with you.

In the words of a very smart and spunky little boy I know, "I love you all the way to Jesus, then to Jupiter, then around the world, and back!"