Cinco

Lando,

Yesterday you turned 5. Whoa. Just whoa. You are so awesome. You really are. For the few times you make me want to run from the house screaming, you redeem it with your loving spirit and comedic timing. You love Legos and hate to lose. You despise lemon on things and ask for plain Kale. Some days I REALLY just wanna spend doing cool things with you. I am learning to soak it up more.

For your birthday, I took off work and we went and got donuts. We built Legos. You went shoe shopping with Grandmommy. We went to the movies and saw How to Train Your Dragon 2 in the theatre where we could eat lunch. We came home and built more Legos, played Trouble and went swimming together. You wanted Chick Fila for dinner so Chick Fila we had. We all curled up and watched an over-allotment amount of screen time before bed because you and Ollie snuggled together and I am a sucker.

This Friday is your last day of daycare. I will cry. There is no denying that. You have had an amazing journey there since you were about 8 weeks old. Not gonna front, you were loved super hard by all your teachers. Brackett, Julie, Kim, Jackie, Melissa, Krista, Ashley, Brynn, Susan, Jacki, Sara, and Nicole. They still seek you out for snuggles and about 80% of the time I pick you up being tickled and hugged by one of them. It’s gonna be hard to leave them…probably way more than it will hurt you. They are my safety net and I have never EVER worried about you at school. They even called you on your birthday to sing you happy birthday. <3

But at the end of the month, you will go off to the unknown of kindergarten. Not only that but Spanish kindergarten but I have faith in you. We’ve met 2 girls that will be in your class and you are already comfortable just introducing yourself and playing right off the bat. You don’t shy away from meeting new people and I hope that bodes you well. I won’t get the same updates to know when you have bad days and when you need a little more patience from us. I’m prepared for the transition mind melt. But you seem excited and ready. We have your backpack, lunchbox and supplies. Once again I think it is just the fear of the unknown for us all and I think you will have it down pat before we do.

You love drawing and pretend. Your favorite centers are construction and art space. You can actually draw really well I think and I am forever saying “whoa you made that?” You are perfecting your humor. How to phrase things. How to catch on to what we laugh at and use it again. You question EVERYTHING. If we are talking at dinner and not to you, you always ask what we are talking about. If we laugh, you want to know why. You are trying to figure out the world and it’s so enchanting.

Your love for your brother never subsides. You want to make him happy. If he cries, you try to make him feel better. You try and bargain with us on his behalf when you think our parenting sucks. You help him. Even on your birthday and he wasn’t around, you wanted to make sure you saved things for him. Part of your breakfast donut, a toy from Target because you got one and even making sure his pool toys were ready when he got home. Your teachers say you even say you are taking things home to him and draw him pictures. You guys are so close yet so far apart at these ages but you are making him such a good person. Ollie is more considerate lately and I think a lot of that is you. You show kindness and sharing and he can only reciprocate.

So you are so grown up now. We feel the tug to hang onto the little kidness as well as force you to be out on your own. You still say you don’t know how to put on socks but you can figure out video games better than me. We love you Lando…so freakin much. We think 5 is gonna be awesome.

Love, Mom