5 years

How did Levi go from this?
to this?
Levi is 5 years old today. There's something about the age of 5. It sounds old. He doesn't sound like a toddler or a preschooler anymore. He's FIVE.

On one hand I'm so happy and excited for Levi. What a fun time it is for him! And I'm proud of him because of who he is. But on the other hand I'm sad. Sad because these last 5 years have flown by, and it makes me realize that the next 5 will go just as quickly and soon he'll be 10.

I just adore this kid. His smile that makes me smile too. His compassion and tender heart that cares about everyone. His kisses, hugs and expressive spirit that never leave us wondering what he's thinking. His love for people and ability to remember everyone's name. Actually, his ability to remember just about everything! His joyful spirit and ability to make anything fun. His passion that keeps him loving what he loves and hating what he hates. His strong will that doesn't break for just anyone or anything. I could go on and on.

Some day Levi will grow up, and I won't be his "mommy" anymore so I'm treasuring each and every day that I get to kiss his injuries, cuddle with him to read books, bake cookies with him, jump on the trampoline with him, play baseball and soccer in the backyard, and have car races.

Our day's celebrations were simple but fun. Levi had a friend over in the morning and we picked up Chick-fil-a for lunch as a special treat. He helped me make his birthday cake this afternoon and we spent some time reading together. Grandma then arrived and after Daddy got home from work we opened presents. It was so much fun to watch him open presents. Ben might not agree with that, but soon he'll have his own birthday. Graham had some fun, too.
We let Levi choose whatever he wanted for dinner tonight, and he chose "the mac and cheese place" (otherwise known as Noodles & Company). And then it was back home where we blew out the candles on the cake.
In a couple of weeks we'll celebrate Levi and Ben's birthdays together with all of their friends but for now I'm just enjoying this time as a family to celebrate our Levi. With his last preschool program and graduation tomorrow night, all of this might be more than I can handle!

Happy Birthday, Levi! I love you to pieces.