Mark is 5!

My baby boy turned 5 years old on September 14th!

Look how handsome and grown up he is!

 Because the birthday cutoff in VA is extremely late (Sept 30th), Mark could have technically gone to kindergarten this year. Even though I think he would have done just fine, we decided he could only benefit from another year at home. His current schedule is Tuesday/Thursday preschool 9:00-1:30, Community Bible Study with mom on Wednesday mornings and Classical Conversations on Friday mornings.  He loves getting out of the house to do anything - quite the opposite of his big brother Keaton, who is my homebody.

Mark is so independent. His favorite phrase is "I can do it!" And he CAN! Everything from making a salad and start a load of laundry to running the dishwasher. He's such a good helper - with anything really - and he rarely complains. Except cleaning up his toys - He draws the line there when it comes to independent or helpful. ;-)

Mark loves to laugh and make others laugh, but he much prefers being the funny sidekick to the center of attention. This year for CC, he is required to get up in front of his class each week to do a short presentation. This has really challenged him, but he's getting the hang of it and is gaining more confidence each week. 

that smile! those freckles!

Mark's very curious about how things are built and the way they work. You can just see his little wheels turning behind that furrowed brow as he watches Daddy change the water filter on the fridge or install a baby gate. He loves building lego sets, making crafts, and gardening. 

Even though he's a much bigger boy than I like to admit, he still has a few funny Mark-isms that do not have the heart to correct - I just enjoy hearing them too much!

My favorites:

"Instruction Workers" = Construction workers

"Popkits"= pockets

"Glubs" = gloves

"Webbons" = weapons

"Sand Hanitizer" = Hand Sanitizer

 I did I little birthday interview with him. Here's Mark in a nutshell at 5: 

What's your name? Mark Maraca 

(the story here is that his preschool gives each kid a picture that matches phonetically with their name. Last year, Mark had the choice to be Mark Monkey or Mark Maraca - he chose Maraca! So this is his name now.)

What's your favorite food? muffins 

(Chocolate Chip Pumpkin are his favorite, and this is also one of the things he most likes to bake with Mom)

What do you want to be when you grow up? fireman

(this changes almost hourly)

What is your favorite TV show?  Paw Patrol

Who do you like to spend time with? Eli

What do you do really well? build puzzles

What makes you laugh? when Daddy makes silly faces

What is the best time of day? when we go pick up Keaton from the bus stop

What are you afraid of? caves 

(this was news to me)

Who is your best friend? Eli

What do you like to do with your family? go to Target and look at toys

What do you love to learn about? the Bible

(yay!!)

Where do you like to go? Chuck-e-Cheese

What is your favorite book? Chase is on the Case

If you had one wish, what would it be? To go to Disneyworld or Legoland

Did I mention this boy is an amazing brother? Sailor absolutely adores him!

 We had his birthday party on the Saturday before his birthday and invited some of his favorite friends including Dominic Duck, Eli Easel (also attending the same preschool, obviously) and of course the Heath boys! 

Setting up for the party! He was so excited!!

Paw Patrol theme: hence, the "pup-cakes"

Sailor and her buddy Isabel!

A family shot before cake

Five!

All the birthday friends!

 On the morning of his birthday, Daddy woke him up early so he could watch him open gifts before he left for work.

Jay Spin-Jitzu! We've been waiting for this...

I was able to take Mark out for a special mommy/son lunch to Chick-fil-a, and then for dinner, Scott's college friend Jay and his girlfriend Stephanie joined us for dinner and more cake.

Another family shot

 I think that Mark was well-celebrated this year!

Mark Nathan, you are a joy to me and I cannot believe you are so big! I love building lego sets with you and cuddling with you before bed. You have your Mom's tender heart and your Daddy's servant spirit. You make me so proud to be your mom. I love you SOOOOOO much!