Nash: Well, I wasn't. Yesterday I had a party and opened presents.
About six weeks ago, Nash started counting the days until his birthday. He decided to make a paper chain to count down the days until the BIG day, and he was pretty disappointed to have such a long chain with so many days to wait. Everyday he would tell me that five comes after four, and sometimes he'd even tell me that six comes after five. HOLD ON THERE, BUDDY. Let's not rush into anything! Jeez! It's hard enough on your mama that you're turning five. Let me let that soak in for a while, please!
That's right-my baby is FIVE.
Let me say that again. My baby is five...
At this point, I think it's safe to say that farm life agrees with Nash.
From chickens...
To ducks...
To kittens...
To early morning pig visits...
To horses...
To corn...
To climbing trees...
To home demo...
To finding treasures...
To camping...
To balancing...
To target practice...
To the edge of the pond...
To reading...
To s'mores (minus the chocolate) at the bonfire...
To exploring the property...
To playing in the leaves...
To dirt bikes...
To dandelions...
This boy is busy. And when we take a break from the farm, the adventures don't stop.
There's the park.
And the cabin,
And the pool,
And sledding,
And Florida,
And parades,
And blueberry picking,
And driving heavy machinery,
And taking rides on Dad's shoulders,
And the local beach,
And the doctor and dentist,
And school.
I am happy to report that this boy loves school. In just three short months, Nash has gone from knowing only one letter to knowing twenty letters and fifteen numbers and can officially write his name. This is the big league, folks!
And as a student in our Early 5's program here, he got to walk in the homecoming parade. He only made it about a quarter of a mile before he decided it would be more fun to watch the parade and collect candy than to actually be in the parade, but still, we had fun.
I think his favorite part of school is saying goodbye to all of his friends after school when I pick him up. He is happy and giggly and says goodbye to everyone he knows. One day, as I hoisted him up into my arms, he yelled out, "Hey, JACKSON!" And Jackson said, "Hey, WHAT?" Nash said, "What do you call a sleeping bull?" "What?", said Jackson. And Nash yelled, "A BULL DOZER!" and then completely cracked up. I think all of the parents were laughing just as much as those two boys.
Of course, with all of those adventures, he was bound to get a few scrapes and bruises. When his head met the pavement, he got some groovy head rash, and his chin managed to catch the edge of a bench one night, which sent us to urgent care for a little professional TLC.
Are you tired just from reading about Nash's adventures?! Me, too. That's a lot of action for a little four year old boy. But don't you worry. Nash might play hard, but he sleeps even harder.
And when he's not on the move or sleeping, Nash also finds time for Legos-endless Legos-and Nerf wars. Finding darts everywhere is one of my very favorite things. (Where is the sarcasm button?!)
Being the youngest of five children, Nash sometimes can't do some of the things the older kids can do. He's been known to sit and wait for someone to play with him, or to come home from school, or just sit and ponder life as a bigger kid.
Nash is a very thoughtful boy and I've said before that he's like an old man in a child's body. Maybe he has a little bit of a sixth sense about him. Every once in a while he says strange things. Once he said, "Remember that time you fell down the stairs with baby Greyson and he was screaming?" And another time he said,"Alayna sure was a cute baby with that bald head." And every time we pass the cemetery where Grandma Lois is buried, he perks up and points and says, "There's Grandma Lois!" This is especially strange as he slept through the funeral which was over two years ago now. There is definitely something special about my Nash.
As the baby of our family, Nash's attachment to me is extra strong. See this belly with him inside?
Sometimes I think he'd still like to be inside there, so he could never be apart from me.
Nash has officially left his toddler years behind him. He's growing and learning every day. He is opinionated and strong-willed, and thoughtful and sweet. I truly believes he just wants to make everyone happy. He is always ready with a joke or a smile or a funny face.
Someday, after five will come six and after six will come seven and I will look back and wonder how the years flew by like minutes. Maybe yesterday Nash did have a party and open presents, but I'm pretty sure the day before that he was a tiny baby. Five years have gone by in a blink, and time is showing no signs of slowing. I am thankful for his adventures and giggles and snuggles and I am thankful that this boy is mine.
Happy Birthday, Nash. Mommy loves you!
