Dearest Jakey, JJ, Bendy,
Three months ago on the 21st of October 2012 you turned FIVE years old - a whole hand of fingers. You got a LOT of Lego and a Maxi Micro scooter for your birthday. Since your birthday fell on a Sunday we had your party on the same day at the Essendon Traffic School. We were VERY lucky because Aunty Neen and Uncle Stephen flew down from Brisbane and Aunty Neen not only made the most amazing cup cakes but she also planned and made all of the party food with Uncle Stephen's help. It was fantastic. There were about 15 of your friends at your party and we also had a pinata, which you cutely called a pinni-yata.
My last update for you was when you were THREE years old - I can't believe two years has passed since then. Today is the 30th of January 2013 and tomorrow is your FIRST day of school - WHaaat??!! I remember when you were a baby and I would imagine you being a big boy and going to school in 2013 (which seemed SO far away) and now that day is here.
I loved reading your three year old update because even though I was saying how much you had changed between two and three (and you had) - the changes we have seen between three and five have been no less significant.
Not long after your third birthday you became fully potty trained - it certainly took longer than eight hours which one book had professed would be a reasonable amount of time for a kid to become potty trained - luckily for us you succeeded in staying dry both in the day and at night straightaway. I don't miss nappies that is for sure. In 2011 you still attended Gowrie in Docklands close to my work and you moved to the kinder room where all of your friends were. I was happy that you were with your friends Max and Kai, but soon after moving to the kinder room with other bigger kids, you immediately dropped your nap :( I remember your first week in the kinder room you had an excursion to Fed Square to see an aboriginal dance performance - it seemed like such a BIG kid thing to do - we sent you off with a back pack and you rode the tram with your friends and of course had a fantastic time!
Later in 2011 around September we decided to move you to a kinder closer to home so initially you were going to two different kindies every week between September 2011 and December 2011. It was a bit rough at first for both you and me as we had both grown used to the teachers and the routine at Gowrie. At the beginning of 2012 you went full time at your new kinder and the first few weeks were rough but once you got comfortable and made some new friends all was good.
Before we get further into 2012, other notable events in 2011 were your first camping trip to Daylesford - you totally loved tramping around the woods going bushwalking, and that love for all things to do with nature has really intensified over the past two years. You also went to lots of birthday parties and obtained a liking for lolly bags and cake :) At first you would just lick off the icing but now you eat the cake and the icing - smart boy!! Another big event in 2011 was the closing of the King Chow - your Nanna and Poppy's restaurant in Brisbane - they had run that for nearly 45 years - crazy!!
You turned four in 2011 and your love for dinosaurs, lego, superheroes and nature has been growing in leaps and bounds. For your fourth birthday party we had a superhero party at the house and we had a great time bouncing around on your new trampoline. We use the tramp to have picnics and build cubby houses - it is so much fun and I love spending time with you on the trampoline - we are on there quite a bit - we play games like "Let's swap sides" and I have taught you to do the daffy and now at five you can bounce on your knees and your bottom - a LOT of things seem to be clicking now that you are five and oh so grown up :(
We spent Christmas in QLD in 2011 and 2012 actually and as always we had a fantastic time with your cousins. Your dad went back to visit his brother for xmas 2012, but is back now to experience your first day of school with you :)
So back to 2012 - it was your kinder year at Montgomery Park and after the first month of settling in you had a fantastic time and made some great friends. You went to kinder five days a week and everyone knew you - we would go to local parks and people (old and young) were constantly recognizing you!! You really loved your teachers Maddie, Sharlene, Natalie and Wan Ling. Maddie really encouraged your love of nature and you became well known as the best mini-beaster around!! Your best friend during kinder was Aiden - you were both there five days a week and spent A LOT of time together - we loved hanging out with them until they moved to Perth last November but hopefully we'll get to visit them this year some time.
There were lots of excursions and incursions last year to the museum, scienceworks, the zoo and the aquarium. Apart from kindy you were really into LEGO - Ninjago, Superhero, City, Monster Fighter - actually you love all lego and became an official member of the Lego Club last year. You also love the show Deadly 60 with Steve Backshall - he is the English version of Steve Irwin - Australia's crocodile hunter.
We went and saw A LOT of movies together this year - I think I've seen every single animated movie that was released in 2012 and that is no joke.
So I mentioned you turning FIVE at the beginnning of this post and to be honest I have been shocked by the amount of changes that I have seen in the past two months. You have started taking showers (you also still take baths) and it is a very convenient option for us. One of my biggest worries during your kinder year was that you refused to draw or do art - WHAAAT - you would always reply that you can't do it - it was shocking to hear those words from the mouth of a four year old. BUT since you turned five you have started drawing again suddenly and both your father and I are over the moon. We also tried to take you to swimming lessons and you HATED it, but I tried again at the beginning of 2013 now that you are five and about to start school and guess what - you loved it!! As I said before you can now bounce on your knees and bottom on the trampoline and we are finally setting up your very own bedroom and you are very excited about that!!! You brush your own teeth completely, dress yourself completely (although we still need to work on tieing shoe laces) and you can even make yourself a jam or a honey sandwich - you leave quite a messy trail but it is a helpful task in the morning if I want to have a little lie in. Oh and before you would never get up and go outside by yourself but while your Uncle Stephen was visiting you started doing this out of the blue. I wonder if it is all this talk of you being a big boy has made you realize that you can do big boy stuff, but the changes have been phenomenal and they have happened quickly.
Just so you know you are still a good eater although today you randomly told me that you don't like dates or sausages anymore!!! I mean dates I can understand but sausages....after you said this though we had sausages for dinner and you ate them no problem :)
So on this the eve of your big new adventure, I sit here wistful about the past five years with you and how far you have come. You have the absolute best laugh of anyone I know on the planet and a great sense of humour (although your potty humour has definitely come to the forefront lately). I love your insatiable appetite for knowledge about nature (we borrow at least 10 to 12 books on dinosaurs, bugs and animals every time we go to the library) and the environment around you but I also love that you love superheroes and watching spiderman and old scooby doo episodes and I recently cracked and bought a Wii U because you have been DESPERATE to play Skylanders after playing it at your friend Stanley's house. We have only had it less than a week but I have enjoyed playing Zelda and Mario as much as you love playing Skylanders (well maybe not quite as much - ha!). We have also discovered working as a team on Pikmin is also a family favourite :)
Jake you really are a rad dude! It is hard to believe that by the end of 2013 you will able to read!!! I can't wait to be there for you on this new adventure at primary school. You are and always will be my best friend, team member and love of my life.
Lots of love,
Mum oooooxxxxx
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