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.

First Day of Kindergarten

I don't care how cliche it sounds, this day came way too fast! But look at that boy's face. So excited! 

On Friday - Grant's last day of preschool/day care - I would have told you I was expecting his first day of kindergarten to be bumpy. Because on Friday when Grant came home from his last day, he seemed fine...until I asked him to brush his teeth. He started crying, saying he couldn't do it. I knew something bigger was going on. So I asked if he was upset about leaving preschool. Oh man! He cried harder, begging to stay at his "old school". We got him calmed down and then had to head to the elementary school to meet Grant's new teacher. Quite a few kids from his preschool would be going to his elementary school...and we found out that not one was in his class. But he seemed to handle that well, knowing that he would still see them.

So yesterday morning, there was not an ounce of nervousness in this child. He was SO excited to go to kindergarten. He couldn't wait to wear his new backpack and carry his lunch bag. And he even sat still for some pictures :)

We decided to take Grant to school at the time school starts so we could walk him to his class (instead of using the before school program on his first day). He was so proud of himself walking into school.

We got to walk Grant to his class, get him settled and see his new classroom which we'd not had the opportunity to do yet. 

Putting his backpack & lunch away

Please forgive the blurriness of this picture...I was
barely holding on at this point

Already settled in and coloring!

I only cried a little! And I managed to not let Grant see me, I was worried that he would get nervous if he saw me upset. But I got myself together to say bye to him and he barely even noticed when we left. 

Last year & this year

Grant had a great first day, he was so excited telling us about it. We had read Pete the Cat: Rocking in my School Shoes the night before. He said he drew Pete the Cat in art class and when Husband asked him what else he did at school he said he was "rocking in my school shoes!" And when I kissed him good night and told him I was so glad he had a good first day, he said "And I'm going to do it again tomorrow!" which is at the end of the book. 

So far, so good!

High Five for Friday

Hi there! I'm linking up with Jennie today to share some fun stuff from the past week.

1) Saturday was the third swimming lesson so we're half way through. I sort of don't feel like he's getting as much out of it as I'd hoped but I'm trying to stay positive about it.

2) After swimming lessons we decided to run some errands for school stuff and had a really great evening. After some clothes shopping, we had dinner at a re-vamped shopping center which was near their new play ground so Grant got to play a bit after dinner. We wandered around for a little bit after play time, found a cupcake shop and got some yummy dessert to go. It was a pretty great Saturday!

Dinner at Red Hot & Blue

Followed by the playground

Then some heavily frosted - and delicious - cupcakes
from Gigi's for dessert.

3) I've been neglecting exercise lately. The only time I really have available to go is in the mornings and that is soooo hard to do. But Sunday morning I decided to get up and go and it was such an awesome morning! (Too bad I haven't been able to motivate myself any other morning this week.)

4) There's been some backyard baseball this week in the evenings at our house and we're having so much fun with it! Somehow, I've become the pitcher and I'm pretty terrible at it but Grant has no idea...for now.

5) Monday was Grant's kindergarten assessment. I had to drop him off at his new school for a couple hours and then this afternoon we find out who his teacher will be ON MONDAY. Seriously? Kindergarten on Monday. I'm going to get through this, right?

I had promised snow cones after the assessment, Grant
went with the dinosaur flavor.

6) Today is Grant's last day at preschool. I think I'm more emotional about that than I am about his first day at kindergarten. He's been at this daycare/preschool for 4 1/2 of his 5 years and they've done so much for all of us in so many ways. To say thanks one last time, I baked some brownie bars for the teachers/staff and Grant wrote them a little note. I know he's really going to miss it there and we will too!

On the left is a picture of him "playing outside" and a flower on the right

Twix Truffle Brownies!

Happy Friday everyone!

Have a great weekend!