Dear Drew,

You are now a five-year-old.

Yesterday was your birthday and it was full of fun. You requested waffles for you special breakfast. (I didn't tell you that waffles could be, quite possibly, the easiest breakfast ever.) You opened your presents and you were most excited about the Batcave. You played with it every spare minute you had all day. Your birthday was the day that your basketball team had two games. You were excited for the first one, but a little disappointed to have to leave your Batcave for the second one. You did make two baskets though!! :)

After your games you invited your friend Brayden to lunch with us. We went to Ken's Pizza and you guys did a very good job of using your manners. We went home after lunch and you played and had a great time with Brayden, changed into your new Green Bay Packers football uniform and we had some dirt for you cake this year. You just kept eating and saying "I love dirt!" After cake I took you and Brayden to the Cosmosphere to look around and see a movie. You guys seemed to have a lot of fun. I know I did. You seemed to have a pretty fun birthday day.  

This year you did a lot of growing up. Some of it was good, some more difficult. You are helpful and definitely want to please your mom and dad, which is nice. However, you also derive pleasure from making your sisters scream in anger...especially Lily. You love to silently torture her until she explodes and then you sit and watch the fireworks. It is frustrating, to say the least. It's sometimes hard to pinpoint what exactly you're doing to make them mad, so I have a hard time disciplining the behavior.

You are in preschool this year and doing well. You give your teacher Miss Shanna lots of laughs on the way to school every morning. You have started to show signs of reading...but other time not at all and would rather have me read to you for hours. You have also started showing your talent for math and numbers. You seem to be able to do addition in your head. When I asked how you knew the answer you said, "I don't know, I just see the answer in my head." I see that as a very good sign for your academic future. 

I can't begin to tell you how much fun I have with you daily. There are days that you wake up on the wrong side of the bed...but your mood can usually be improved with a short nap. Yeah, naps. You still take them at least once or twice a week. It's lovely...but has me wondering what you're going to do next year when you have to go to school all day every day. I'm wondering if your weekends are going to be spent catch up on your sleep.

Drew, I love you and think you are fantastic. I am so proud of you every day. I love that you are a person that knows who you are and you aren't afraid to be yourself. I love that you tell me everything about your day, about your feelings and about who you are. I hope that continues for a long time because you are a beautiful person, inside and out. In my opinion, anyone would lucky to know you and call you a friend. I hope that you remain true to yourself as you begin school and continue to grow up.

Much love,

Mom

posing with Buzz Lightyear

a little freaked out while meeting uncle Austin's chickens

having a great time with the bubble gun

being goofy with shaving cream

looking dapper

first day of preschool, silly face

posing with a big catch

tosing a toy airplane around the yard

taking the ball down the court

posing during a break in the basketball action

you and dad were playing with your new Batcave and you were also in uniform