I Now Have a 5 Year Old!

Geez, time sure flew by! How can Avery be 5 already?!

Yesterday was Avery's birthday. When he woke up, he came to me and whispered, "Mommy, am I 5 now?!" It was so cute. As soon as I told him that he was, his whole face lit up with the hugest smile. Such a cute boy!


AJ is in California this week for some conference or something, so we are having his birthday party next weekend. Avery was a little confused by that, but we made yesterday extra special to make up for it.

Every year for his birthday we go to the zoo. Lindsay and her crew came along, and we enjoyed several hours there. It was the PERFECT day for it. It was about 70 degrees, the sun was bright and shiny. It was great.






After the zoo, we went to eat dinner at Red Robin. Avery got a free birthday meal. They sang to him, gave him his own sundae, and a balloon. He loved it.

We then went to a couple stores to get some supplements for their spring wardrobe. I let Avery get a shirt that I hate (I can't stand character shirts)so he was very happy. It was a long day, but fun. He loved it, he told me.

His party will be next Saturday at a new inflatable place here in Smyrna. Should be fun. He is excited for that. He is not, however, excited for the shots he has to get this year for Kindergarten. He did tell me last night that he didn't feel any bigger. I told him that even though his body wasn't bigger yet, his brain was. Now he is going around telling me all these "smart" things. :)

Avery is such a cute boy. He is totally his own little person. He is wild and wacky, which we love. He makes all of us laugh constantly. He makes up the funniest things and even entertains himself. He prefers playing by himself and making up things with his imagination. I have had several people ask me what he wants for his birthday and I have a hard time even telling them anything, because he doesn't play with much, he just makes things up. He is super smart. He is trying sooo hard to teach himself to read, and he doesn't want help. He is doing a pretty good job, too. He can't wait for Kindergarten. Sam is his very best friend and they play well most of the time. He wants a puppy so bad, and talks about it frequently. Too bad Sam is so allergic, and too bad Mommy definitely doesn't want a dog anyway. He loves Ben 10, if he plays with anything, it is usually those action figures. He also is fascinated with Smurfs all of a sudden. :) He is big on doing everything himself and learning new things all the time. He does whatever he can to figure something out. He has been watchcing the Leapfrog videos frequently, just so he can read. He sounds out all the letters and is able to spell or almost spell most easy things. He still has a really hard time reading something and sounding it out. He can't quite figure out how to make all the sounds go together. He loves the computer and can pretty much do anything on it.

He learned to ride a regular bike this year (with training wheels). He started trying to swim on his own (he will take swim lessons soon to help with that). He learned how to take a shower and wash his own hair. He stopped being afraid of the dark and sleeps with his door closed now. He wants to play baseball really bad. I just need to find a program that doesn't require 5 year olds to be there 3 or more days a week! He loves to sing, and knows words to songs better than me or Sam. He loves pouring his own drinks and opening his own packages. He is finally doing better about eating and at least trying things. I hope he keeps that up.

He is very compassionate and worries about things. He loves using his manners (after a fun Family Home Evening Lesson). He hates to get in trouble, it makes him so sad. He has started to get a little temper, but its not too bad. Mostly just funny. He is pretty good at listening to what you tell him and following directions, and usually does it the first time. He hates making mistakes and always wants to try again.

He is the bright, happy spot in our lives. No one can resist his laugh, and everyone loves how he talks and loves his little voice. People I don't even know, come up and tell me they know Avery and love him. He pretends to be shy, but really isn't. He hates hugs and kisses and does what he can to get away from them. I told him that hurt my feelings so he is better about taking it, but he makes sure to immediately wipe off any kisses. :) He is our silly, monkey boy.

Happy Birthday, Big Boy! We Love you Lots!!!