Five Years

Yesterday this crazy kid turned 5 years old:

I haven't had time to do Grant's "5 year pictures"  yet, so
I'm re-using one of my favorites from his party day. 

So what is this little man up to at 5:

• KINDERGARTNER! Crazy, right? So far, so good, though. He seems to be enjoying school and loves to tell us about his day so we're trying to enjoy that while it lasts.
• At least 45" tall. I know this because my sister & took Grant to a water park last week and he was tall enough to go on some of the crazier water slides. He has his check up next week.
• SO excited to be 5! I'm not sure why this year more than last year but he just couldn't wait to be 5.
• Current obsessions: dinosaurs - the boy is crazy over dinosaurs; volcanoes - probably because he associates them with dinosaurs; solar system - not sure what started this but we've been reading some interesting stuff (also if you ask Grant what he knows about the solar system, you may hear "Jupiter has gas!"); cars, trucks, trains, planes, helicopters, and anything else that has an engine; Minions - they fart, 'nuff said.
• What's on TV: Transformers, Jurassic Park, The Land Before Time, DinoTrux, Ninja Turtles, Paw Patrol, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Sofia the First, Night at the Museum, Lion King, Cars (and Cars 2).
• Books! I love that this kid is a book lover. 9 time out of 10, if Grant is quiet, he's in his room thumbing through a book. For Easter he got a big book about dinosaurs so he looks through that often and most recently he's been requesting his book about sharks when we read at bed time (although the new book about the solar system he got from us yesterday may be taking the #1 spot for a while).
• Music: Grant is alarmingly into country music. It started out kind of funny because he just loved to listen to Boxcar Willie in the truck with Husband. But then he really got into Eric Church and now Luke Brian is his favorite thing ever. Sometimes in my car I have to impose a "No Country Music Rule" where he has to listen to the Disney pandora station or sometimes he'll ask to listen to Trans Siberian Orchestra (he does actually like TSO). 
• Very animated. Loves to act things out when telling stories.
• Loves to build! Legos are everywhere in our house. Grant is always building something (and then crashing it and building it again).
• Still loves board games and puzzles and recently got him into some card games (Go Fish and Crazy 8's). We have so much fun playing games together...and I don't even have to let him win.
• Grant loves to be outside. In the sandbox, hitting baseballs, knocking around his kickball, doesn't matter. Most recently we've started going on long walks at the park. I love that he's at an age where we can take bigger walks together and explore places we couldn't go back when he needed a stroller. 

After having Grant's birthday party on Saturday, we had a small celebration yesterday just the three of us. Husband & I had lunch at school with Grant. He had requested Olive Garden for dinner so we did that and then went home to open a couple presents. I think he had a really good day and even told us at dinner "This has been the best birthday EVER!" 

I love that Grant is always looking forward. But as his Mama I can't help but look back at how he's grown into the awesome little man that I'm so proud of.

I'm aiming for this weekend to do some 5 year pictures. I promised a choice of ice cream or a snow cone for cooperation (I remember when it just used to be a lollipop). But I think Grant is looking a little forward to it too...I told him he could wear his "cowboy outfit" for a couple pictures.