Yesterday was Aron's fifth birthday. I think I am still in shock that five years has gone by since I first held that sweet bundle that looked like a carbon copy of my husband.But if I stop and think of all he has experienced in his little life, it makes sense. I don't see how anyone can have a child and not recognize God's hand in creating life. We literally experience a miracle through pregnancy and birth and then the miracle continues as they grow and develop right before our eyes.
My little miracle boy has moved from Las Vegas to Tennessee. He has traveled to CA, AZ, NM, TX, LA, MS, AL, NC, KY, IN, FL and Mexico. He has learned to do so many big-boy things like dress himself and write his alphabet. He has played 2 seasons of T-ball and now goes to pre-school two days each week. I suppose if I stop and think about it, it seems like more than 5 years worth of adventures and learning.
Last night after his bath I was getting him ready for bed and if you have ever put lotion on a wiggly little boy, you know that you either come up with games and songs to keep him still and focused or you do a lot of yelling and threatening. I prefer the former method to the latter. So, I was teaching him to count to ten in Spanish and Japanese. Since five is the number of the year in his life he zeroed in on "go", which is Japanese for 5.
"Like 'Ready, set, go!'", he said. "Yep," I said.
It's exactly like that. Ready, set, go. Away from the toddler years. No more clothes with "T" after the number. We are reving our engines and peeling out- right into childhood. I am sad to say goodbye to the younger years, but excited to see who he will be come as he grows and becomes the boy God created him to be. Let's GO!
Here are some piles of leaves I raked BEFORE the kiddos went wild:
And after:
This one is my favorite! Here is my BFF, Casey last year right before we introduced her to a really nice guy we know: 
And here she is AFTER...368 days after, to be exact. 
Aren't before-and-afters fun?