I will remember it as the year I nearly missed it because I was stuck in Snowmageddon traffic.
But to this little guy, everything went right on his birthday, including the freak snow storm that shut down the state.
In true Caleb fashion, he was only concerned with one thing: "When can I go play in it?"
And that pretty much sums up five-year-old Caleb.
He wants to play, and discover, and build, and take apart, and create all day long. I can already see we're going to have to be a little creative when it comes to kindergarten next year. There will be no sitting still and filling in blanks for this guy.
And that's just what I love most about him.
He's still just as rambunctious as he ever was, and if ever the term "bull in a china shop" fit anyone, it is Caleb. There are no limits to what he can destroy, break, or tear down if given the chance (or a few moments unsupervised). "Why are your closet doors on the floor?" and "Where did that doorknob come from?" and "How does that even happen?" are all phrases we have used around here, some more regularly than others. He means well, he truly does. He just doesn't know the limits of his own strength.
When you combine brute strength with an insatiable curiosity, a few things are going to get broken.
And oh, is he ever curious. He's going to learn to read this year, he tells me, so he can know all the things in all his books. He's going to build rockets and cars and bridges and tunnels and he's going to do it all in the comfort of our backyard. He's constantly trying to solve something or create something or tell you about some new discovery of his. He needs to know everything about every rock, every stick, every inch of our backyard, and he's going to get very, very dirty figuring it all out.
He still talks non-stop. I don't mean he talks a lot. I mean from the time he wakes up until the time he goes to bed, his mouth is always moving. If you've ever wanted to know what a five-year-old thinks about all the time, we have your answer. Because every thought that passes through his head comes across his lips. There is no filter. It is noisy, very noisy to be around Caleb. And hysterical at times. But at least we always know when something is bothering him, and precisely what that something is.
He loves deeply. He gives the best hugs, and shows the most sorrow, and cares sincerely for people around him, both friends and family. He remembers birthdays and favorite animals and knows just what to say when someone is hurting. He's quick to say he's sorry and even quicker to forgive when he's on the receiving end of an offense. He forgives completely, and loves even more. He is truly a gift, in this way, and often serves as a walking, talking reminder of how we are called to love and forgive one another.
He loves his brothers and sister, and still wants to be with them more than he wants to be without them. He'll play by himself for a while, but it usually only takes a few minutes before I find him wandering through the house searching for someone to play with him. He doesn't even care what they play, in general, so long as they can play it together.
He's still my favorite Caleb in the whole world, and I'm still in awe that I get to be his mom.
Happy birthday to my favorite little shark lover!
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