My little man turns 5!

His first picture as a 5 year old.

My youngest baby just got a little less young. No longer can he state to anyone who asks how old he is, "I'm 4 and a half!" He was so proud of the "half", and he's even prouder to slap a big 'ole high-five and and declare, "I'm five now!"  For his birthday dinner, he chose, "Old MacDonald". Dad's wallet was grateful for this boy's culinary tastes.

Anna and Layne joined us for dinner

My brand new five year old has grown in many ways this year.  After having speech therapy and worrying that he wasn't talking enough, we now sometimes have to tell him to stop talking. He chats all the time. I noticed the other day, a statement I heard him say repeatedly was, "Did you hear me, Abbey?", "I'm talking to you, Abbey Do you hear me?", or "Don't ignore me, Abbey!" I thought it was sad that he was constantly asking her to listen, so the next time I heard him say it, I told her it was rude to ignore someone. Her reply to me was, "Well, he's always talking and sometimes I get tired of listening!" While I let her know that it wasn't kind and she needed to stop ignoring him, I can agree...one thing's for sure, that boy can talk!!

Elijah's best friend is his sister, Abbey. He absolutely adores her! They play so well together. Occasionally they do bicker and are jealous of our attention, but a vast majority of the time, they are best buds! (She loves him just as intently) He loves all of his siblings and especially wants to be like Daniel. He talks about being like Daniel a lot and loves it when Daniel comes home.  Although, when Daniel was home for spring break, he told Elijah not to do something. I had to laugh when Elijah emphatically told Daniel, "You don't live here. You live at college!"  When riled, not unlike his big brother when he was little, Elijah has a horrific temper. He can be heard from time out in his room, letting everyone have his arsenal of potty words. If he loses it, he can be a force to be reckoned with. At that point, he gets put in time out, until he calms down. It may take a little while, but he does eventually simmer down. The tantrums are getting less, and I hope that trend continues.

For his birthday, we had a basketball theme. He got a his-size basketball and a small hoop. He does enjoy dribbling and playing with Daddy on the big, outside goal.

 

 

Anna got him a memory game, with...you guessed it, Cars on the cards.

Abbey gave him one of the mosaics she had completed

Basking in his "Happy Birthday" song

He still struggles with eating, as his size attests. Sometimes I'll show him how much he has to eat and other times, I'll just put it away in the fridge. If he says he's hungry, he can eat his dinner. Most of the time, I end up throwing it away at the night's end, as he never asks for it. His favorite food, besides Old MacDonald's chicken nuggets, is macaroni and cheese. Of course, he will eat, and eat pretty quickly, most desserts. I've noticed that he often holds food in his mouth, and the result isn't good for his teeth. He went to his first dentist appointment and they said he possibly had the beginning of cavities on his back teeth. They recommended I severely limit his sticky sweets, ie. fruit gummies, which he adores, but I've noticed he does leave them to dissolve in his mouth.

I've been warning him that when he turned five, we would begin to put yucky stuff on his thumb, to help him stop sucking it. He's so cautious and avoids anything of the slight discomfort, this is an easy task. When I put it on his thumb, he quit right away! Since he had adequate warning, and big sister Anna testified about the horrors of anti-sucking, braces' apparatuses, he didn't shed a tear and after a day wasn't trying to suck his thumb.

He is still obsessed with cars. Every time my mom gives them money to spend at the Dollar Tree, (a favorite pastime for them), Elijah buys a car. I bet he has over 100 cars and knows each and every one. He's also very astute regarding makes and models. He'll point out a Mini-cooper, or a Cube. He can also point out when he sees cars that other people own. For instance, he'll say, "That car is like Nana and Grandaddy's, but a different color." During a little icy weather we had a few weeks ago, I was watching the news. They were showing many of the inevitable fender benders that had happened that afternoon. The next thing I know, Elijah is at the TV, stating, in a most somber voice, over and over again, "Oh, no, that is bad! That's really bad. That's sooo bad." The boy adores cars!

 I love to see my sixth child grow and watch how his brain works. He's very observant and detail oriented. He lays with his cars and watches each of them roll over a hump in the carpet, or he lines them up in a perfect line.  We call him, Mr. Analytical. He can count to at least 30, and we are starting to work on his ABC's. He knows some by sight and can tell the sounds of a select few. Kindergarten is going to be put off a year, just to give him time to grow and develop some more.

Oh, how I love this little boy! His morning snuggles are a bright spot of my day. Elijah's so loving and caring, most of the time. He has a very tender heart and has been known to cry at the sad part in movies. He's beginning to process salvation and can verbalize what Christ did on the cross. I know that God has great plans for this little one. His Daddy, siblings and I love him so much. I'm so very grateful to be his Mommy!

Two handsome young men!

Love, love, love this boy!
The necklace I was wearing was made by him at MOPS and given to me for my birthday!