Our Big 5 year old

*This is not necessarily meant to entertain blogging audiences... more for the family history book!
But have at it if you're in need of a good nap...;)

Dear Parker,

I can't believe that you are 5! This last 5 years have been some of the BEST and the craziest all because of you! You are such a fun, kind and thoughtful little ball of energy and we sure feel blessed that you are our little boy!
You are so quick to serve your family. Emmie and your newest sister on the way are so blessed to have you as their big brother. When Emmie is upset, you often set out to find and bring her her blanky because you know it will make her feel better. I hope that you will always watch out for your little sisters and continue to make them feel your love for them throughout your life!

You are such an honest little boy. Even though you have access to all the treats, and you have a strong love for them, you always ask permission before having them and never sneak them. Even at such a young age I always feel like I can trust you and I feel that a strong sense of honesty is a quality that you have been blessed with.

You love to have fun and be rambunctious at times but you also have a very soft and gentle side. You are very affectionate and I love that about you!

You have an incessant curiousity about life and your little brain is always cranking with new questions. I am amazed at your depth of understanding new concepts and your ability to retain information after just learning something once or twice. This is such a gift that you did not inherit from me! I hope that you will take advantage of your love for learning and utilize it to it's fullest capacity and use it to make wise education and career choices as you enter adulthood. Don't waste the gift of knowledge that you have been given!

You are such a charismatic and fun little person to be around. You are outgoing and ADORE your friends. They are of utmost importance to you and you are accepting of all kids you come in contact with.

You love to be outside to play with those friends, to swing, play in the sandbox, ride your bike and ride your scooter. And you LOOOVE popsicles! This summer you developed a love for swimming with your first swimming lessons. You were very patient with your teachers and even when you were dunked numerous times, you never broke down crying. You were always happy to be in the water.

You were on your first soccor team this year! You had fun playing and always looked forward to your practices and games.

You love church! Well, at least part of it anyways. It's still hard for you to sit still in sacrament meeting but you LOVE primary and are always happy to go. Your teachers say that you are well-behaved and reverent in class.

You are a great eater! You love pretty much any vegetable I put in front of you including squash, zucchini, carrots, grape tomatoes, pickles, broccoli, corn and corn on the cob... the list goes on. You haven't tried lettuce yet but maybe now that you are 5! You also love any fruit...strawberries have been your #1 favorite food since you could eat them! You will eat a whole pack of strawberries (you usually say "strawbreeze") in one sitting if I will let you. You also LOVE sliced up "orange" cheese as you call it, but you don't care for string cheese.

You phased out of your nap this last year, and in it's place you have "quiet time" in the afternoons. You used to have this in your room, but now have it in the basement as long as you pick up your toys afterwards. You play with toys during this time, color, work on workbooks (which you LOVE!), play your Leapster, and sometimes you get to play the Wii or watch a Netflix show.

I asked you a few questions and here were your answers:

Favorite sport:  Soccor

Favorite toy: Dragons

Favorite animals: Elephants and zebras

Favorite foods: Strawberries, and Beans and rice with cheese

Favorite summertime activities: Play with friends and eat popsicles

Favorite Shows: Little Einsteins and Jake and the Neverland Pirates

Favorite movies: Lion King and Toy Story

What you are afraid of: Bees, spiders and mice

Favorite character: Buzz

Favorite Treat: Chocolate

What you want to be when you grow up: Pharmacist

We LOVE having you in our family Parker.

 You have blessed and changed our lives forever and we adore you!