Second Son's Birthday Post: Five Years Old!

Just four days after Second Daughter's birthday, we had another birthday!

Second Son turned five years old and requested chicken enchiladas for his birthday dinner. (Did I mention there were chicken enchiladas for both birthday dinners and both baptismal anniversary dinners?)

Cake on his actual birthday was angel food cake. I was surprised because usually he only eats frosting, leaving the cake or cookie smeared and slimy. Angel food cake has no frosting (not the way I make it), but that's what he wanted.

We gave him Lord Business' Evil Lair. Kansas Dad found one on clearance in a local store months before his birthday and I stashed it in the closet. A few days before his birthday, he found it! He asked me, "Are there any birthday presents in your closet?" I said, "Oh, that's not for you." And he believed me! He was completely and totally surprised when he opened it on his birthday. Being five is awesome.

We had Baymax cupcakes at the Big Hero Six birthday party. He loves the soundtrack to this movie, requesting it on the few occasions when he may choose the background music. There's only one song with words, so it's a bit odd, I think. He can match the music to the scene.

Favorite foods: chicken enchiladas, sausage, Daddy's chocolate peanut butter cake, sherbert, vanilla yogurt, spaghetti without sauce, popcorn. He claims his favorite candy is suckers, but I think he's confused because he doesn't actually eat suckers that often. He really likes a variety of candy, I think.

Fudgesicle face

He learned more water skills last summer during his swimming lessons. If you ask him, he can swim underwater two or more body lengths (his body lengths). He doesn't know how to swim if he unexpectedly falls in, though, which we learned while visiting a pond in May. Good to remember.

Second Son loves weapons. Last Christmas, he received a toy sword, toy nunchucks, a Nerf gun (with extra bullets), and probably some other weapons, too. These came from an aunt and uncle, grandparents, and parents, so apparently the weapon-craze is well-established. Light sabers and swords are probably the most popular.

Favorite games: King of Tokyo (such a fun game, though with a steep learning curve; we have to read the cards to him), Twister, Monopoly Jr (there's a newer version now), Dixit.

He loves to play games with Second Daughter. If she's too busy, he'll play with Mr. Nobody. Mr. Nobody always loses.

Second Son does not believe in baths. He's convinced he can get clean enough with a handful (or a package) of baby wipes. He doesn't like shoes too much, either. So you can imagine what his feet look like in their natural state.

First day of school - prekindergarten

Second Son is in prekindergarten this year. I read at least one picture book to him every day (his selection from a basket-full). We also play math games (Counting & Number Bonds: Math Games for Early Learners),  focus on scissor skills (Let's Cut Paper!), counting (with a dot-to-dot book which he claims is his favorite lesson), and letter skills (so far just reading alphabet books and learning all the letter sounds courtesy of Doodling Dragons). Of course, he's also around for most of the other lessons, though he tends to wander off during read-alouds. He did enjoy The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh and James Herriot's Treasury for Children.

Because of his missing front teeth, Second Son says "sirsty" instead of "thirsty." Maybe this will be the year they finally come in again. (He's been without these teeth since just before his second birthday when he fell and knocked them to bits. They had to be removed.)

He has recently started teaching himself to write letters. He copies them from books. It's adorable!

Favorite books: Richard Scarry's Best Storybook Ever! (We have Kansas Dad's childhood copy of this book. Second Son loves to read about Schtoompah. He wanted to dress up like him, but we couldn't figure out how to put a tuba on Second Son's head.), Mouse Paint, LEGO NINJAGO: Character Encyclopedia, A Day in the Life of Murphy.

Mushroom Rock

Second Son was the only one to catch anything the last time we fished at his grandparent's pond - and he caught two!

Favorite things to do: color in a Minion coloring book, snuggle in bed with a book, play with Second Daughter (especially Ninjago), talk with his best friend, wrestle with Daddy.

Each night, as he's going to bed, Second Son's three special animals have to whisper their dreams in Kansas Dad's ear so he can tell them to Second Son. (Only on rare occasions am I allowed this privilege.) Mousy Mouse (a kangaroo rat purchased at Great Sand Dunes), Fluffy (a puppy that was First Son's years ago), and Teddy (a teddy bear that was a gift after Second Daughter's birth) have very strange dreams, according to Daddy.

May God bless you, Second Son!

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