Austin at Five!!!

I can't believe we are here. As cliche as that sounds... that whole "where did the time go?" sentiment... but really. WHERE DID THE TIME GO??? 

I feel like we are entering a whole new realm now with Austin. No longer are our parenting issues the things you get used to dealing with when you have babies and toddlers... he sleeps, he is potty trained, he "gets" things, he knows what manners are, all that stuff is set. 

Now we are starting to teach him concepts. Ways of thinking about the world. Ways to solve problems, grow friendships, be a good person, contribute to our family and his little world, how to deal with hurt feelings, stress, frustration, pride... how to process all those emotions and learn from each experience. 

It's a trip, man. He's a true individual and person.

So here are little bits all about our cool Bambino (shoot, can I still call him that??)

-is just shy of 4 feet tall. Seriously. It's crazy

-wears boys size 8 clothes. SIZE 8. Kid is huge.

-wears size 12 shoe. The next size up is 13, which is the last of the "childrens" sizes. Then we'll be on to "real" sizes. Also crazy.

-is very logical. He was telling his teacher this morning about his birthday and she said "that sounds like a dream!" and he responded with "it wasn't a dream, it was real." Sarcasm and figurative language will be lost on this kid.

-is such a total boy. Everything becomes a weapon, a sword, a "shooter-gun", or something of that sort. He is all about heroes and saving people and being strong. 

-is really into Legos now and wants to play by himself quite a bit. This is very hard for Owen to understand, but I'm glad to see Austin is embracing solitude and entertaining himself.

-is REALLY into Star Wars. 

-loves the following foods: salmon (seriously), apples, applesauce, Babybel cheeses (which he calls "natural cheese"), carrots, hummus, hamburgers, tacos, hot dogs, mac n cheese, strawberries, grapes, chicken, sausage, tilapia, corn, chocolate, celery, chicken noodle soup.

-dislikes the following foods: blueberries, raspberries, bananas, smoothies, pasta, rice, potatoes, cream cheese, melted cheese of any kind, squash, tomatoes, spinach.

-he loves to play I Spy in the car, or guessing games (like describe an animal and guess what it is), or tell knock-knock jokes.

-relays info very matter-of-fact, like "Mom, you can't walk on lava because it's hot! And you'll burn up! And that's not good. So you can't step on lava." and he loves to be reassured his statements are correct or true. 

-is a total rule follower, and likes to set rules in our house. When we get ready in the morning he wants to point to our big clock and show me what number will be "time to get on socks and shoes" and what time will be "get in the car" and then he likes to watch the minute hand and announce when it's time to do the next thing.

-he's bossy and we have to remind him a lot that disciplining Owen is the job of Mommy and Daddy, NOT him. He tries to intervene and tell Owen what to do, or what he's doing wrong. He means well, but it makes situations harder for us.

-he's easily pleased and gets super excited about the simplest things and gifts... which makes it really fun to surprise him and treat him. Sometimes I'll have a Dum-Dum sucker for him for the commute home, and he'll be SO excited and do a happy dance and thank me and give me a hug and tell me he loves me. I love his sweet enthusiasm over all the little things that make him happy. 

-he is fearless. Nothing seems to scare him or phase him... I chalk that up to his logical thinking. I was worried this past Halloween he would start to get spooked by decorations and such, but he just laughed at it all and said "that's just pretend!". New people don't intimidate him, or new situations, or physical challenges. I am shocked we haven't been to the ER with him yet. 

-he loves to dance and show us "his moves".... which are half cartwheels with funny poses as he lands. His favorite songs are My House, Can't Stop the Feeling and We Will Rock You

-he sleeps with about a million stuffed animals in his bed and calls them his babies.

-he loves to dress up and play pretend. On weekends he always in his Ninja Turtle costume, or his Darth Vadar one, or wearing a superhero cape. We got him a soldier costume and he proudly wore it out to ice cream on his birthday. 

He is so confident in who he is, and what he likes. He never feels embarrassed. He always tries to stand out and be different and I LOVE that about him. I hope he never changes. 

Happy Birthday Austin James! What a fun year FIVE will be!