Happy 5th Birthday Seth!

Dear Seth,

Today, you turn 5. I can hardly believe how quickly time is flying by, and how much you are changing, growing, and learning--on a daily basis it seems! In your fifth year of life, you traveled a bit (to Florida and North Carolina, including an airplane ride), played at the beach, spent lots of time with family, started Pre-K, grew 3 inches, learned to swim (almost), discovered Legos, climbed trees, spent lots of time riding your bike and scooter, and gave more hugs and kisses than I could count in a lifetime.

You are writing your name now, along with lots of other letters. You are learning to read and still love books--maybe even more than ever before. Every night after I tuck you into bed, you put on your headlamp and grab a pile of books and sit on your bed and read. This year you have loved Junie B. Jones (reading them and listening to them in the car), Berenstain Bears, Little Critter, Harry Potter (you like HP even more than William does! It doesn't scare you like it does him.), Ladybug Girl, Spiderman, IronMan, High Five Magazine--pretty much anything that anyone is willing to read to you.

You also still love to help around the house and in the yard. It's pretty impressive how good your are at sweeping now! And folding. You are not afraid to work hard and you love seeing the fruits of your efforts. This year, you have noticed that your dear old mom is not the most organized person in the world and have taken it upon yourself to help me out. You love to make lists and you are awesome at reminding me of things that I shouldn't forget. What would I do without you?

Best of all, Seth, you are passionate and direct and loving and thoughtful and earnest and sincere and willful and happy. You are such an awesome part of our family and such a great kid to be around. You know what you want and you never hesitate to stand up for yourself, but you are also willing to works things out and always show concern for others. You want everything to make sense and to have a purpose and you live life with such conviction. You are a people person and love nothing more than interacting with others, whether it's playing a game or having a "little chat" or going on an adventure or just watching TV.

You are growing up so quickly, and I wish time would slow down. But at the same time, I am loving all the things we can do together now and am looking forward to all the things we will do in the future. I hope that you have a special day today and feel loved, treasured, valued, and safe, today and always. Daddy and I love you so much and are so proud of the 5 year old you have become. We will keep doing our best to guide you, to be patient and kind, to appreciate all of the wonderful things that make you you, and to help you see every day how capable and interesting and amazing you truly are. Happy happy birthday Seth!