My "Almost Five"-Year-Old

For a couple of months, Ethan has been saying he's four and a half. Then a few weeks ago, he announced he's no longer 4. He is "almost 5." He actually already seems 5 to me. He's seemed so "grown up" lately. It makes me a little sad, on the one hand, and a little relieved at how much more independent (and therefore less work) he is. Colin stepped right up to take on the role of time-consuming child, though.

He is such a great, patient, kind older brother. He is so much more patient with Colin than I am. I took Colin's food away once because he just kept repeatedly throwing it on the floor. After a few minutes of watching Colin cry, Ethan quietly said, "He can have some of mine, Mom." Colin's life (and my life) are much easier because Ethan is so easy going.

Both boys woke up really tired one morning and camped out next to each other to watch TV. They are actually becoming friends now that Colin is getting old enough to play, and most of the time, get along great. It's fun to watch and so nice for me as their mom to have them entertain each other.

He LOVES to build, and has moved out of the "train" stage into the "lego" stage. His assistant preschool teacher said he is the "class engineer." He saved his money and bought a scooter he's wanted, which I ordered for him online. Unfortunately, it arrived early in the morning while Jason was at work, so I was responsible for the "some assembly" required. It wasn't complicated, but this is not my "thing." Ethan had to show me which end of the wrench to use to tighten one of the bolts. That's pretty sad. This is also the one area where his little brother tries his patience. Ethan would prefer to build (monorail tracks, lego creations, block creations) all day long, but can't do it with a certain adorable but destructive little "helper" on the loose, and he isn't willing to shut himself in his room alone. So we're always trying to walk that fine line.

He's a perfectionist, which can cause challenges and frustrations for him when he can't make things go the way he thinks they should. He's also shown signs of being really good at math, which gives him something in common with my dad (and is one area where I cannot relate at all). 

We were playing a game the other day and he was describing someone (himself) and I had to guess who it was. Here's what he said: "He has blue eyes. He really likes Batman. He likes school. He likes to build things. And he loves his mom." He's a sweetheart, and it's one of the things I really adore about him. 

A few cute (to his parents, at least) Ethanisms from the last month or so:

After church one Sunday:

Ethan: Dad, who is Sin?

Jason: Who?

Ethan: You know, Sin. Is he a bad guy?

Jason: Where did you hear about it?

Ethan: You know, like in the song, [singing] 'Scripture power...keeps us safe from sin.'

After I reprimanded him for something he did (I can't even remember what it was):

Ethan (in all seriousness): I didn't do it, Mom. My finger did.

He likes doing high-energy things but has a certain innate caution that sometimes holds him back. He's been slowly overcoming this, though, and I recently had the first experience with him where I had to look away because he was making me nervous. It involved sliding down a very slick rock in Central Park (below, zoomed in and "actual size"). His dad was right there encouraging him, of course.

The other day he asked me why strawberries have seeds on the outside, so I launched into a long conversation about how everything that grows has seeds, and we talked about all the fruits he likes and where their seeds are. After a few minutes of pondering this, he asked, "Mom, where are our seeds?"

Oh, boy.

I answered that mommies have them in their tummies, and that's how I'm able to grow a baby right now. I've made a mental note to give him a more scientifically accurate answer at a (much) later date.

He's LOVED preschool this year and is so excited to go to kindergarten in the fall (at " graduation" below). His teachers and classmates were so great. His teacher said he's the kid every other kid likes and that every teacher wants in her class. We're so proud of him.