Who had more fun?!

The Saturday of Memorial Day weekend was warm and beautiful. Preston asked me if he could play in the sprinklers for a little bit. I was happy to oblige my little man. 
And even though he had a great time, I am still not sure who had more fun playing...
Preston or Toby?!

You be the judge:

Party Animal (5 Year-Old Style)

Preston started talking about turning five and his 5th birthday party just days after he turned four!  Not that he wasn't grateful for his 4th birthday party, he was just already excited for the next one (kind of like he starts talking about the following year's Halloween costume on November 1st!).  Anyway, he never wavered as to where he wanted his party to be.  When we discussed theme, however, he was all over the place - - until we walked into the party store in April.  He took one look at the Army stuff, turned to me and said, "I want to have an Army guy party because I miss Papa."  (Sweet, sweet boy.) Alrighty, then... Army it was!

The Invitation...

The favors were each tied up in an official Army bandana (I wore one in my hair), Preston wore an official Army PT shirt and his cake was covered in camo frosting with Army Rangers and diecast Army trucks. He loved everything and had a fantastic time!

A huge thanks to our good friend, Lance, who grabbed my camera from me and started clicking away.  There wouldn't have been any pics if not for him!  How he managed to keep up with the kids is beyond me!  They NEVER stopped moving!

Gracie had a blast, too!  And, when Gavin was awake, he enjoyed taking in the whole scene.

The kids all seemed to enjoy the trampoline time!

Scenes from the day

For his actual birthday, we were up north on a somewhat "kid-torturous" road trip (lots of time in the car).  When we woke up in our hotel room, we told Preston that we were going to spend the evening with his "cousin friends" (he calls them cousins, but they aren't his actual cousins), Camden and Cole and, of course, their entire family. (John and their dad, Mike, have been friends since elementary school and all four of us adults have been friends for 15 years.) Preston's eyes welled-up with tears and he excitedly hugged both of us, thanking us profusely for such a great birthday surprise. He was SO excited to see them and hang out with the big boys.  We had a great time visiting with them... we hadn't seen them since I was 8 weeks pregnant with Gavin.

Our big five year-old enjoying his wish-making and candle-blowing.

We stopped to pick up the cake on our way and John was inside the grocery store FOREVER.  Turns out, there wasn't anyone in the bakery to help write on the cake.  Finally a guy came over and he insisted that writing on the sides of the cake wouldn't work.  John, who had worked for that same store chain for roughly 15 years (and knows his way around the kitchen), went behind the counter and wrote on the cake himself, all the while the guy was telling him it wouldn't work.  If you want something done... do it yourself!  I am guessing that's the first time a customer jumped behind the bakery counter to quickly decorate a cake!

The boys had a blast having water gun fights in the backyard (it was in the 90s), playing basketball, riding scooters, etc.
Preston had so much fun... and we were so grateful to have some time with good friends. 

Gavin (Month 3)

Dear Gav-man,

You are now three months old. A quarter of a year. It's gone so fast. Too fast. I am afraid I haven't soaked you up enough or videoed enough to remember your teeny newborn sounds. They are fading now and as much as I love the stage you're moving into, I am sad to see my newborn is no longer "new."

As a 3 month-old, you are:
 
- almost 14 pounds per our scale. You don't go to the doctor again until your four month check-up. Regardless of the accuracy of our scale, you are clearly growing well.

- wearing a size 2 diaper and 3-6 months or 6 months in clothes.

- sleeping 8-10 hours a night in your crib. Yep. You've been a good night sleeper since day one. You were, at 8 weeks, sleeping soundly through the night, but in the last two weeks, your stretches have increased even more. It's wonderful and I don't dare mess with it. But, it does mean you eat VERY frequently during the day. (Hopefully announcing your sleep patterns doesn't jinx it... I think I jinxed my "laid back baby" a bit last month!)

- not quite as laid back as you were. I think it's a phase. You are not loving to sleep during the day, but for your mid-morning nap. It's a battle to get you down for another stretch of zzzz's in the afternoon or evening, so, you get a bit fussy. Ok... sometimes more than a bit! And, I get very little done. But, there is a trick - - you have a mute button of sorts - - I just walk outside with you and, suddenly, peace and quiet. I walk back in the front door... wailing. Out the door... silence. It's amazing. Unfortunately, I can't leave you out there and there are two other kiddos to take care of! Hopefully, this passes as quickly as it came on! I still stand by the fact that you are, in general, easy going.

You have:

- started giggling.  For real giggling.  It happened for the first time a couple of weeks ago, not just a chuckle, but a full-fledged giggle.  It was an amazing sound and site and made me deliriously happy!

- already rolled over from your back to your tummy. It was a fluke of sorts, I think. It happened a few weeks ago and you've done it twice since. That's it. Oh... and you detest tummy time. Not good. We must work on this.

- become a chatterbox! You love to engage in "conversations" with us. So cute. I MUST get them on video... it's hard, though, because you clam up when you see the camera. You make the cutest sounds when you're cooing and "talking."

- "participated" in your first game of catch with your daddy and brother.

It was super windy that day, but your hair didn't budge.
For inquiring minds, NO we don't put anything in Gavin's hair to create the faux hawk! 
He was just born cool!  LOL!

See how straight that hair stands?!
And to think I wondered if your eyes were going to stay blue... um... yeah.

- started sitting in the BUMBO chair and love it (well, for short spurts, anyway). You will also grasp toys and put them in your mouth... along with your fists!

- discovered the wonder that is television. You actually discovered it as a newborn in the middle of the night when nana or I would change your diapers in the family room by the light of the tv. You now are thoroughly interested in Baby Signing Time and Signing Time.  Any other time the TV is on, I try to turn you a different direction or distract you with toys and chatter. You are a Swann man, after all, and I am not going to lose you to the TV just yet!

- wore your first "costume" courtesy of Preston and daddy who were playing pirates and sword fighting one morning.

- started drooling up a storm. I am SO not ready for you to start teething. I hope this is just a long stretch of drool-fest that leads to teeth many months from now!

- taken your first road trip and were a trooper, as were your sister and brother. You do not love the car much since our return... go figure.

- met your girlfriend... my future daughter-in-law... Chloe Brielle. I can't wait until you two get together again!

Two die-hard Giants fans... a match made in heaven!

- started playing little games with me. We have a little sing-songy cheer that I sing to you (Preston has started doing it, too!) and when I ask (and sign) if you want to do it again, you kick and kick your legs.
Same thing when I hold your hands and count slowly to three and pull you up to sit - - when I say "two," you anticipate "three" and lift your head with a big smile on your face! See... not so "new" anymore. Sigh.

Our lives have never been more chaotic or busier since you joined our family and that's just perfect because they've also never been fuller or more joyful.

I love being your mommy, Squeak.

Preston is FIVE!

You're nine days and one haircut short of turning five in this picture

Dear Preston,

Today you are five.  FIVE.  I look at you and am slayed by how grown up you are - - what a young man you are becoming.  Daddy and I regularly shake our heads at something you say or do... smiling as we marvel at how fast five got here. 

You recently went to the doctor for your five year well child check and kindergarten physical.  You answered the doctor's questions with such confidence, informing her of your peanut allergy, your love of sports and when she asked if you can write your name you said, "Since I was three."  I cracked up.  She looked at me and asked if that was true which, of course, it was.  She deemed you ready for kindergarten in the fall.  I was thinking that there should be a form that they fill out to determine whether mommy is ready for you to be in kindergarten!

At five you are:

- 43.5 inches tall and 43.5 pounds.  Pretty cute stats, mister.

- You wear a size 1 shoe in most brands.  But, I recently bought you a velcro pair at Payless for you to destroy in the backyard when you dig in the dirt and play with Toby and they are a size 12.5.  Weird.  All I know is your feet are growing like crazy and all of your pants are floods.  You still blow through the knees of jeans within a month.  That's something that hasn't changed!

- Like your daddy, you carry chapstick in your pocket all the time and this makes you seem very big to me.
For some reason, your lips are always chapped. (See that first picture!) Thankfully, you recognize this fact and know that carrying chapstick and using it is important.

- You rock your site words and are reading really well.  I take your education seriously, but also am doing my best to not breathe down your neck at this stage... you are five and I refuse to join in the competitive mothers' playground conversations about how their soon-to-be kindergartners are doing second grade math and reading at a third grade level.  I can already tell you will put plenty of pressure on yourself.

- You are a perfectionist... and that's good and bad.  We are trying to teach you about balance... you don't have to be great at something to enjoy it.  Learning takes time and practice - - whether it's academics or sports.

You and daddy at the Long Beach Grand Prix
You had so much fun!

- You are still totally into all things athletic.  You are busy... not hyper-active, just really, really busy.  You have been to your first car races and have spent a considerable amount of time at the driving range with Daddy. You still want to take ice skating lessons, so to help with that, Daddy picked out roller blades for you to learn better balance for ice skates.  Our other gifts to you were portable soccer goals and a practice return-net that bounces balls you throw or kick back to you. Daddy let you have the practice net early so that you could work on stuff while he was at work.  You're out there all the time!

Your first day at the driving range... look at your form!
CRAZY!

- You LOVE your baby brother.  LOVE him.  I was never really too worried about how you'd adjust to being a big brother.  You are a loving younger (but bigger) brother to Gracie, so I figured it would be old hat to you.  But, I wasn't prepared for exactly how much you'd adore Gavin.  Not once have you been jealous (and that I was a bit concerned about).  He's your baby.  You love to talk to him, keep him company, soothe him if he fusses, make him giggle, you kiss him all the time and chat with him about your day.   You also have, quite hilariously, asked, "Mommy, can you please turn Gavin down?" as though he has a mute button and I can lower his voice when he is fussing. 

I love this picture so much. 

In the early morning, I often bring Gavin into our room and he goes to sleep for another hour or so after he nurses.  On this particular morning, daddy was at work.  You crawled into my bed with Gavin around 6:30 and the two of you melted my heart.  But, what melted it even more was when you both woke up and I listened to you playing with him.   My mommy heart swelled beyond belief and I will never forget that morning.

- You are incredibly kind-hearted.  That's so important.

- You always make your rounds through the house and say good-bye to everyone... Gracie, Gavin, Toby... telling them where you are going and when you'll be back.  I love that you think of everyone else (most of the time!). You LOVE and ADORE your sister and brother. How you treat them, how you speak to them, how you take care of them - - truly warms my heart.

Happy kids who love each other... what more could parents ask for?

- You love playing with the bigger kids in the neighborhood - - even if they have siblings your age.  Sometimes I think it's because you can almost keep up with them, so it's more fun and challenging. 
Just the other day, our friend, Nick, a fifth grader, was walking by and said, "What up, Preston?!" And you said, in a very confident, deep voice, "What up, Nick?!"  The adult neighbors who heard this exchange cracked up.

- You love taking Toby to the dog beach with daddy.  I don't know who has more fun or who is more worn out when you guys get back in the car!

- You have a great sense of humor and say the funniest things... even when you aren't necessarily trying to be funny.

After a rough Friday morning trying to get ready for school when Gavin was just a few weeks old, you whispered to him in the backseat of the car, "Gavin, sometimes mommy is mean." You weren't whining or crying, just very matter-of-fact and letting him know how things are.
I sat in the front seat trying so hard not to laugh out loud.

Back in August, I typed the following into a draft document because it was so hilarious to me...

Preston's name is in big wood letters on his wall above his closet. The P fell down and I hadn't yet put it back up. He and I were playing hide 'n seek. All of the sudden, I hear a thud and crying. I go into his room, looking toward his bed and shelves figuring he climbed something he wasn't supposed to. I hear him to my right, look over and he is in his hamper, tipped over against his chair. I can't help it... and start laughing. I did ask if he was okay as I pulled him out, still chuckling. He was laughing and crying at the same time.

I checked his head for a bump, asked if he would be alright and he said, "no." Then I went through my standard silly questions with him when he bonks his head... one of which is, "What is your name?" He looked at me and said, "Reston... see..." and pointed up to his wall, where it did, in fact read, "Reston." HILARIOUS. And definitely, no permanent damage done to his noggin or his sense of humor.

You also keep daddy out of trouble.
Once we moved to this house, you were very afraid of your room (huge room with huge windows) and it took an act of congress to get you to sleep in there alone. After Gracie's summer in the hospital when you were three, you became very codependent at bedtime. Because of daddy's schedule and my need to also care for Gracie at night, it was hard to lay down the law. Nana helped us with some tough love with you and got you to go to sleep on your own. Now, when daddy reads to you at night, if he starts to fall asleep, you nudge him and say, "Daddy, you know the rules. You're not supposed to sleep in here. You have to go now so I can go to sleep by myself." It's so funny. In fact, sometimes daddy pretends to doze off now just so he can hear you say it!

You are so many wonderful things, Bubby.  Like I tell you all the time... and now you say it to me...

"Do you know what, Bubby?"    "What, mama?"
"I love you."
"Do you know what else?"    "What, mama?"
"You're special."

Happy fifth birthday, little man.
With all my heart,
Mommy