To My Big 5 Year Old on Your Birthday~

To my son who seems to be just growing up way to fast:
Today you are 5 years old. 5...that just seems so...I don't know...old. Even though you haven't been a baby for a long time, you are completely not a toddler any more-you are a boy. That makes my mommy heart just a little sad. But at the same time, I love this stage of your life. You have mastered riding your bike with no training wheels, and love playing "tag football" (flag football) with Daddy. You had your first taste of organized sports this summer playing t-ball and absolutely loved it. I have to admit, when I go to football games, I get excited for the day when I am cheering for YOU and watching you do what you love.
This morning you were so excited when you woke up that you couldn't even eat the chocolate donuts that you picked out for breakfast. You pretended to be annoyed when I put a candle in it and sang Happy Birthday really loud but I knew you weren't. :) Daddy is coming home early from work and you can hardly stand to wait and ask me about 8 thousand times when he is coming home.
Tonight is the big "Magic" birthday party. You wanted Chicken Pot Pie for dinner, but that seems a little crazy in my little kitchen to serve that to 30 people. Guess it's just pizza and chips-both of which make you very happy. You are pretty go with the flow-just like you have been for most of your life. You definitely were an easy baby!
You are definitely not perfect. I put on your preschool form that you are scared of losing at ANYTHING and anything that closely resembles chores. We sometimes call you Captain LazyPants, but guess that is an area of "future strength" that we need to work on. :)
You are such a great brother. You are EXTREMELY protective of your siblings-something that makes my mommy heart really happy! :) You told Ellie this summer that when you walked home from school with her, you would protect her from the boys that were teasing her. I know that you would do just that-and do it with everything in your little skinny being. When people pretend that they are going to steal Kai, you can play along for a little while, but if it goes on a little too long, all of a sudden you get this look in your eyes and a very fierce protectiveness takes over. You try so hard not to cry, but it's all you can do to hold it in while you are doing what you can to protect him. I hope that never changes. I hope that you ALWAYS fight for your siblings and do whatever you can to protect them.
I need to get everything going to get ready for the big party tonight, but watching you this morning my heart just feels so full-full of sadness that you really and truly are no longer a baby, full of joy at the little boy that you are and full of hope for the man that you will become. Keep watching your Daddy, Buddy and keep wanting to be like him and do what he does. He's a wonderful example.
This morning you told me that since you are 5 today, you can ride your scooter really good, pump yourself on the swing and that your racecar jammies are too small. Yesterday they were fine, but today they are too small since you are 5. You make me smile. :)

Happy Birthday to my "dude"-so glad that even though you are a tough, football lovin', scooter ridin', car crashin', all things remotely girly avoider and completely all boy, you still love to give your mommy your "super duper huggies". Don't grow up too fast~