Owen is five!

Our big boy is FIVE, a whole hand!!  He is adorable, brave, persistent, energetic, reserved, stubborn, comical, dramatic and curious.  He stands just over 3 feet tall and weighs right at 41 pounds, both in the 50th percentile.  He wears size 4/5 clothes and size 12 shoes.  Dr Knight said he looked great at his annual check up.  Dr K is always entertained by Owen and all of his antics!

He has enjoyed a full week of celebration including an overnight getaway to Houston and a class party.  Our shy boy announced his birthday to people at the Rainforest Cafe, the lego store and Chick fil A resulting in a sparkler cupcake, a free toy set and an extra cherry on top of his ice cream cone! 

He also enjoyed a ride on the mall train and an opportunity to climb the rock wall!  

Some of his favorite things include playing football, trying to repair things, being outdoors, regularly visiting the donut shop, doing crafts, playing Barbies with his sister, riding his bike to the park and catching frogs on the porch.  He is slowly but surely learning to ride his bike without training wheels!  Some things he is not very fond of include cleaning his room, not getting his way and napping.

His mind is constantly thinking and he asks lots of questions {Exactly how did God make us out of dust? Why did Jesus not have a girlfriend? How is that made? How does that work? Why is your tummy fat?  Why did God let that happen?  Doesn't Emma need a spanking for that?, etc...}

He is still our very picky eater!  Dr K suggested we start giving him Flintstone vitamins with iron and making him fruit smoothies with protein powder, just to ensure he is receiving the proper nutrients.  He enjoys green apples, white rice, ramen noodles, fruit snacks, goldfish, biscuits/gravy, yogurt and pumpkin seeds.  Over the summer he did branch out and voluntarily tried a mozzarella stick and ribeye steak.   He will eat boiled eggs as long as there is no trace of the yolk and weenies as long as there are no burn marks.  I'm still hoping one day his taste buds will come around :)  His new favorite Sonic happy hour treat is a grape slush.

There is not an independent bone this kid's body.  He would much rather be with others at all times.  He claims that he "doesn't know how to" sleep, play, find a snack or watch TV alone   I'm not sure if this is caused by personality or birth order!

His big sister usually assumes control of the TV remote but when he gets to choose his favorite shows include Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, Curious George and Bubble Guppies.  He still sleeps in Emma's bed but often ends up with us.  It's nights like these that I'm extra thankful for our new king size bed :)

His speech continues to improve.  He is still lacking in the 'th' and 'r' sounds {ex: togela = together, gahl=girl, wela = weather, wain = rain, dats kew=that's cool, dar=there, booday=birthday}  His newest phrase is "Aha!  I know....."  The biggest words he says are "incredible" and "amazing".  He is still such a cuddler and occasionally says sweet things to me like "I love you sweetheart".

Pre K is going very well.  He often busts out in a song or rhyme that they sing, depending on the situation - cleaning up, sharing, etc.  On Thursdays SHSU students lead music.  He especially loves the instruments they bring - his favorite is the drum!  His favorite buddies are Keaton, JK and Willa.  My hope is that the longer "school days" this year will better prepare him for full time school next year.  Although he doesn't like nap time, he does manage to fall asleep about half of the time.  He enjoys taking a beloved stuffed animal to snuggle with each day.  We had his Fall parent/teacher conference last week.  Mrs. Anitra says that he is doing great!  She said that he can identify all of his capital letters and most of his lower case letters and sounds {although he is not expected to yet}.  He plays well with others and loves to make them laugh.  He enjoys racing and collecting acorns on the playground.  She also notices that he enjoys numbers and simple math.  Even without being told to do so he adds and subtracts objects.  She thinks that he will be ready for Kindergarten if we choose to enroll him next fall.  Time will tell.  Here is a self portrait he drew the first week back to school:

She shared a funny story with us.  At lunch the kids lift up their lunchboxes so that she can place a napkin underneath.  One day Owen managed to strap his lunchbox to his forehead then let go.  One of the little girls shouted "Wow Owen, how did you do that?"  Without skipping a beat he replied "I'm a professional".

We love this little boy to pieces!!  We are so proud of him and look forward to watching him grow and develop into a Godly man.  He tests my patience and melts my heart....both on a daily basis!  I am still learning to be a "boy mom" and am loving every minute.