a five-year-old...for one more day

Isn't he a nut?


No, today is not really this silly boy's birthday...it's tomorrow, but today we are celebrating at school.
I cannot believe my baby will be SIX tomorrow!
I'm honestly having a really hard time with this.
Maybe I'm just super emotional with too many responsibilities, sick kids, Steve out of town through most of the insanity, running everyone everywhere, meetings out the wazoo, and mom.
Nonetheless...I am an emotional mess these days.

I stare at this beautiful boy's face and wonder how I got so lucky.
To me, he is beyond any words that I could string together.
His sisters dote on him.
For his daddy, the sun rises and sets in this kid's underpants.

He's kinda loved around here.

So today I will snuggle my five-year-old as many times as I'm allowed. I will love on those still-chubby little cheeks and arms and hands and fingers. I will listen to his barely there-kidspeak and relish every mispronounced word and slurred consonant sound. I will laugh off his tornadic abilities. I will be amazed at his ingenuity and creativity. I will also be bemused at his dry wit and candor which is too many times at his mama's expense. I will lovingly wrap all the fun growing up-boy games and toys in Transformer wrapping paper. I will surprise him at lunch with his favorite treats...probably Chick-Fil-A or Burger King and listen while he and his buddies tell me all about their lives. I will watch my beautiful daughters spend time with their little brother in many ways...teasing, giggling, annoying, loving. I will S.A.V.O.R. every single nanosecond my five-year-old holds my hand or gives me a tackling hug or says "I love you, Mama" or sneaks chocolate-covered pretzels out of the pantry.

Yeah, he's kinda loved around here.

(And so are you, K and B. So don't get all "hey, what about me??" Let me wallow in my baby-growing-up syndrome for today...cause just yesterday I did the same about each of you. *sniff*)

Oh great, now I'm emotional times three.