The Big Five: Lucie

To our lovable Lucie B, can you really be turning five? You told me you'd be four and a half forever. We are constantly amazed by your recent growths and changes -- here's a quick look at incredible you on your fifth birthday.

This has been the summer of swimming for you! You are an amazing swimmer. You jump right into the water and begin swimming face down while kicking and doing your arm strokes.

You aren't afraid to jump into water that is over your head, even surprising me by doing a dive into the pool on a recent trip. Your risk taking in the water is commendable -- you're constantly pushing yourself to try new things, without putting yourself in dangerous situations. It's lots of fun to watch.

You love to be read to. Several times a day, you snuggle up next to me for a book or two, from Magic School Bus to Berenstain Bears, or any book having to do with dancing or ballet. You love to listen to books, both for enjoyment and for relaxation.

You also enjoy reading your most special books to your loved ones. One of my favorite images from this summer is walking into a room to find you sitting on a stool reading a story aloud, surrounded by all your stuffed animals. I've watched the same scene acted out with carefully placed paper dolls or all your Littlest Pet Shop animals. You love to take on the role of teacher.

Along with your growth in the water comes your determination to try new things on the playground. You got a jump rope recently and have been set on learning to use it. It's still quite difficult for you to do on your own, but you keep trying, and with a little growth, will surely get it soon.

A new fascination at the park is with the monkey bars. One recent day you spent so much time trying to get across the bars, you came home with calluses on your hands. The set of bars at your new preschool is at the perfect height for you, sure to be a favorite destination at morning drop-off.

Your imagination soars. It's not uncommon to find you on the couch, surrounded by all your worldly possessions, pretending you're on a car/ship/airplane journey to the moon/playground/ballet class. You make steering wheels out of paper plates, and gear shifts out of spatulas and wooden spoons. That old green couch goes on some pretty great adventures with you.

The year ahead is sure to be full of adventures and independence, with a new preschool and kindergarten next fall. We look forward to sharing it all with you, and watching you continue to grow and change. We love you Lucie B.!

The Big Five: Ryan

To our Ryan, despite my numerous pleas to stay age four forever, you've gone ahead and done it -- turned five! How did the time go so fast? In case you plan to keep changing and growing older, here's a peek at you on your fifth birthday.

You used to adore all things firetruck, but that's old news. Now, it's baseball. Playing baseball, talking baseball, reading about baseball -- you love it all. Cousin Scotty passed down his major league baseball bed sheets to you, and they've now replaced your once-loved orange bedding as your favorite set.

You started with the National League sheets on your bed, and spent time poring over every team name and emblem until you had memorized them all. You love it when we point to a baseball team and quiz you on their name and city. Now that you've got the National League down, you're on to the American League, with a head start on familiarity with the Angels and Orioles after recently attending a game with your Dad (which from all reports I've heard was likely one of the best days of your life).

You love projects around the house and yard, especially if they involve a trip to our local Ace Hardware Store. The staff at Ace knows you well, and always makes sure you get your bag of free popcorn and can operate the train that navigates the ceiling. I can genuinely say that your assistance with projects is very helpful, as you know the names and locations of most every tool in the garage and are happy to fetch them (and even help me operate them in some cases). You seem to have a better understanding of our never-ending house projects than I do, happily filling me in on each one's status and estimated time to completion.

You've always loved to help me cook, especially on nights when your Dad has to work late and we enjoy a well-loved tradition of "breakfast for dinner". Banana pancakes are your specialty. Along with cooking, you continue to love to eat. Every time I turn around it seems you're declaring, "Mom, I'm STARVING!" Fruit is still your preferred snack, from fresh to dried. I felt bad the other day for telling you you couldn't have one more apple, only because you'd just polished off three.

Though your language is constantly changing and growing, you still say some cute things that remind us that you're not all grown up yet. Sunscreen has turned into "skunskreen" and instead of saying "my" you say "mine", like "mine arms" or "mine shoes".

The year ahead is sure to be full of adventures and independence, with a new preschool and kindergarten next fall. We look forward to sharing it all with you, and watching you continue to grow and change. We love you little man!

First Day

Always a favorite tradition in my family, the first day of school photo lives on in our house with Ryan and Lucie.

Yesterday's first day at a new preschool was met with much excitement and anticipation. The kids were up, dressed and ready for breakfast by 7:05 am, long before I had even put the muffins in the oven for breakfast.

Though super tired when I picked them up, Lucie and Ryan both seemed to enjoy their first day. Lucie was especially vocal about the day, chatting all the way home about the different craft stations she visited, her successful trips across the monkey bars, and the kid-sized bathroom (not an automatic flushing toilet, to her great relief).

Ryan was a little more quiet, but happily perked up at dinner when he told us all about his assigned job in the classroom as "Electrician". It seems for the month of September he is in charge of turning on and off the lights for rest period, outdoor play time, etc. Since we know he loves buttons and all things having to do with electricity, this is the perfect job for him, and one in which he takes great pride.