I am pretty sure it's been awhile since I've really given any kind of update on my children, and since this is how we remember our life and days together, I thought it was time for each of them to get an update. So much happens from year to year when kids are young!
(If you missed the intro to Avery, you can click here.)
Christian is in a Sister Sandwich, as we say around here. He's in the middle of his two sisters, and he spends his days with three other girls. Sometimes, I'm sure, that can be tough on a boy.
He is almost five and a half. He will start Kindergarten in the fall. He is very excited.
Words that come to mind when I think of Christian: sweet, sensitive, thoughtful, obedient. He shows his emotions easily, from anger to crying and then laughing out loud. He cries easily, whether it's from tripping and skinning his knee, hitting his head, or Ansley doing something to him. Which also reminds me: he's very accident prone. If there's a wall to run into, he will. A toy to trip over? He'll do it. Something to step on? He's there. And if there's blood, he's usually wailing.
Christian is very much a homebody. He would rather be at home, with his family, over anywhere else. In fact, he doesn't really prefer to go to a friend's house or run errands, and he doesn't like to go anywhere where he will be alone. If Ansley is with him, then he's good, but he still has trouble in his class on Sunday mornings and has a few tears as we leave.
He loves playing with Ansley. When Ansley is gone, he is kind of lost. He doesn't do well with independent play, and always prefers to play with Ansley. Oh, he plays with Avery, and he loves her for sure, but it's not the same kind of play as with Ansley. When Ansley is home (which is most days, of course, but over the summer she is gone more than usual), he has a blast. He could play all day, and you can constantly hear him "Ansley! Ansley! Let's go......." They are sweet friends and siblings.
Sometimes, not often, but sometimes, Ansley wants to do something on her own or play with a friend, and Christian is sad. He doesn't really know what to do. I often think ahead, and wonder if one day that will be him, wanting to go play or do something on his own, and Avery will be calling for him to come play with her. It will be interesting to see their relationship grow.
In fact yesterday when a neighbor-friend of Ansley's came over to play, Christian said he didn't like it when she came over because then he was left out. It makes my heart sad for him. I can play with him, of course, but Mamas aren't the same as sisters.
Christian loves to draw. LOVES TO DRAW. He can often be found throughout the day coloring, drawing, practicing his letters. He has many, many notepads and sketch books that he has filled with his drawings. I love it!
He also LOVES Legos. I mean, LOVES. I'm not sure which he loves more, Legos or drawing. I'd have to ask him. But just about as often, he can be found in the playroom (with Ansley, of course) building away. And he's quite creative in what he comes up with. Ansley will often say "Mama, will you build me a ________ " (with Legos) but Christian very rarely asks me to build anything. He likes to do it himself.
For most of his life, he has shown no interest in sports, or really anything athletic. Often, if you ask him to do something that exerts energy (like pick up toys from the backyard, or take his clothes upstairs to his room) he will complain "But I'm so TIRED!"
Lately, though, he seems to be much more in to playing outside, riding his bike, running around and exerting lots of energy. He used to be quite fearful and cautious, and while those qualities are still there to some extent, he is MUCH less fearful than he used to be. He learned how to ride his bike in just a few weeks, and now he zips around on it like it's nothing.
He loves jumping on the trampoline, riding his bike, and running through the sprinklers......with Ansley, of course.
He is not a great eater. He's not terrible, but he doesn't try a lot of new things. He loves most breakfast items, but cereal is his favorite. He eats cereal just about every morning, and doesn't care for waffles or eggs. He loves fruit, but we can't get too many vegetables down him. Every once in awhile, usually because it's from our garden, he eats something that shocks me, like salad or cauliflower. He is, and always has been, a great sleeper. I can think of only a handful of times that he has been up in the middle of the night, and that's usually because he is sick or something is wrong.
Christian is very funny, and hilariously insightful, but unless he knows you well, he's pretty quiet. Around the house, however, he is quite the comedian. He does not like for you to laugh at him, though. This usually hurts his feelings, and he will cry. He doesn't like to eat or drink after anyone. If you took a little swipe of his ice cream, you can forget it. He's not eating it. He prefers to wear mismatched pajamas at night. He likes winter pajamas in the middle of summer. He loves Star Wars. He is quite obsessed with collecting things. He loves nothing more than having a shoebox or little trinket box, and then he will start putting things in it: a bottlecap, rocks, marbles, ANY little thing from around the house, he will find it and put it in his box. He is very observant - if I put up a new picture in the house, got a new outfit or rearranged something, you can bet he will notice. He knocks over or spills something at least once a day. He has trouble remembering to pick his clothes up off the floor.
But he is super cute. He is not overly affectionate, but he's not stand offish. There is one person that he freely gives affection to, and LOTS of it, and that's Mimi. He often will sit in her lap for awhile, and he doesn't do that with me or John. He is very considerate of Mimi's feelings.
He is color blind.
He is shockingly good at math. He is very excited to start Kindergarten. He says he will be a "good student."
Whew, it's amazing all the personality that develops in just five short years!
We sure do love our middlest!
Terrific pictures. You'll be so glad to have this to look back on one day and remember what 5 was like for Christian.
Posted by: Renee | June 15, 2012 at 10:59 AM