This is Big. Daniel is 5.

Daniel is 5.

I just cannot wrap my mind around that fact, not one bit.

In his 5th year, Daniel:
Weighed 44 lbs.
Wore a size 12 1/2 shoe.
Was in size 4T, 4, and 5T clothes.
Was in 50th percentile in height and weight.

In May:
Went to West TN to visit family.
Celebrated his cousin Karlee's birthday.
Played in Mema's big Jacuzzi tub.
Was in his Mother's Day Out closing program.
Was dressed in a cowboy hat and bandana.
Had his last day of Mother's Day Out.
Loved watching our 1st family garden grow.
He was VERY interested in it!
Was a big helper when his baby brother...
    had to have a GI probe placed for 24 hrs.
Painted a spring painting for Mimi on Mother's Day.
Celebrated Elias' 1st birthday!
Liked being in the backyard.
Sometimes, we'd find him naked out there playing.
Loved when it rained, leaving a mud pit in the yard.
He could always be found splashing through it!
Went bowling for the 1st time for Samuel's bday.
Went strawberry picking with friends and family.

In June:
Went to Touch a Truck Day in Goodlettsville.
Really enjoyed the John Deere Gator and police car.
Got his very 1st bike with training wheels.
It was a green and black Hot Wheels bike.
Was the first to try something from our garden.
It was a beet.
He didn't like it at all.
Loved all things water.
Attended Victory's Running the Race VBS.
He adored it!
Had his 1st dental visit.  Did great!

In July:
Cousin James Evan came to stay with us!
Played with James in the backyard water pit!
Went to his 1st carnival.
Went swimming in the Ball's pool!
Tried swimming on his own.
Dressed up as a cow for Chick Fil A Day!
His sign said, "Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner,"
   and he says that all the time.
Went fishing with Grandpa.
Caught his 1st fish.
Traveled to Missouri for a youth weekend.
Went to a minor league Cardinals game.
Came home with a game ball!
Loved playing with Lincoln
   and holding Mikaylen.
Enjoyed catching the rolls at Lambert's.
Was in AWE at Bass Pro Shops.
Got an ice cream cone at Andy's.  YUM.
Jumped into a pool all by himself
   at a youth event in Missouri...
   without anyone knowing it.
Said goodbye to Lincoln.
Went to Dyersburg to drop James off,
   and saw Aunts Pattie and Dina.
Cried when we had to leave James.
Called James before we got on the interstate...
   because "I miss you so much."

In August:
Started Pre-K at Temple MDO.
Mrs. Jenna (mom) was his teacher!

In September:
Traveled to Indiana to stay with the Shives.
Loved Celeste and family!
Went to a petting zoo and touched a goat.
Rode a horse.  Looked at chickens and llamas.
Sang "10,000 Reasons" in front of a roomful
   while Mrs. Celeste playing piano.
Was an amazing little singer.
Celebrated Mimi's 55th birthday!
Took Dad to Donuts with Dad at MDO.
Had a BLAST at Addy's carnival party!
Won his 1st pet, a goldfish he named Josh,
   after my friend and state rep, Joshua Evans.
Got his very own bunk bed!
Sleeps at the top!
Was so excited to have Brother James visit.
Brother James brought Mary with him!
Daniel loved her!
They brought Daniel a stuffed sled dog,
   and he still sleeps with "Balto."

In October:
Took a lot of bike rides.
Went to Baby Josie's party.
Helped open all of her gifts.
Went to the circus with Jessica and family.
Really liked the clown, Cabbage,
   and got his autograph.
Had fire safety day at MDO.
LOVED the fire truck to no end.
Celebrated Grandpa's birthday.
Then went for Aunt Cathy's 50th birthday...
   Party at Kabuto!
He loved the fire and watching them cook.
Hugged all over Cathy.
Was all about pumpkins.
Was excited when Mom made him a pumpkin shirt.
Decided he wanted to dress up like the Tin Man...
   we got on a Wizard of Oz kick, all thanks to
   McDonald's happy meals.
(We aren't fans of Halloween, but we do allow
them to go to their MDO's church's Trunk or Treat.)
Mom was Dorothy, Daniel was Tin Man,
   Samuel was the Scarecrow, and Elias the Lion.

In November:
Took our family trip to Pigeon Forge.
Loved our cabin with lots of stairs and games.
Rode the Skywheel with Samuel and Mom.
Had MDO Thanksgiving with Pop and GranJu.
Went back to Pigeon Forge for Called Out singing.
LOVED being with the crazy girls.
Saw the first bit of snow for the season.
Celebrated Thanksgiving at Mimi's.
Helped Mommy make Turkey Cookies.

In December:
Always dressed up in Mom's boots.
Was fascinated by Christmas lights.
Got his Ninja Turtle van with turtles.
Mimi got him the Thomas track he'd wanted:
   Quest for the Crown.  He loves it!
Enjoyed time with family.

In January:
Liked listening to Daddy read bibles.
Had Muffins with Mom at MDO.
Loved dancing in the living room.
Always wanted Daddy to hook his computer
   up to the t.v. and play worship songs.
Celebrated Mommy's 31st birthday!
Made his own grocery store out of
   cardboard boxes.  Hilarious.
Adored going to church.
Started liking olives.
His Oo week MDO journal had an
   octopus, oatmeal, and black olives.

In February:
Was all about tickling people.
Helped with Addy's Crafts for Cuties.
Dyed a LOT of noodles for necklaces.
Did NOT want to wear his pjs on Pajama Day.
Loved riding in the sled.
Fell with Mommy in Sam's parking lot.
Wrote his name perfectly!
Got all dressed up for Valentine's Day.
Asked specifically to go on a date...
   to none other than Cracker Barrel.
Asked to sing a song by himself at MDO
   during chapel.  Sang "Not for a Moment",
   a worship song by Meredith Andrews.
Signed up for soccer.
Had his first COLD practice.

In March:
Got our big snow/ice of the season.
Had his first soccer game!
Scored his first goal for the team!
Next game, he scored again.
Third game, he scored AGAIN!
Saw his first theater movie, Frozen.
Likes all things tractors and ninja turtles.
Is a big fan of playdoh and bubble gum.
Loved his green and yellow bday countdown.
Tells everyone his birthday is months away,
   although it's only days.
Likes to give lots of details.
Loves to tell stories and be heard.
Wants to be in control.
Cannot be still.
Fights a nap, but still needs one.
Is having a joint John Deere party with brothers.
Wants ninja turtle cupcakes for his class party.
Is busy all the time.

In April:
Started his 5th birthday countdown!
Played a lot of soccer and scored a lot of goals.
Won a game!
Did a LOT of egg hunting.
Turned 5 on Easter!
Celebrated at Mimi's house.
Opened presents and Easter baskets.
Got a My Spy Birdhouse and Ninja Turtle stuff.
Had his 5th year well check up/visit.
Had to get his finger poked for blood.
Celebrated his 5th birthday at MDO with friends.
Chose a BLUE #5 for his number from Mom.
Asked specifically for Ninja Turtle cupcakes for school.
Was amazed when Mom made them herself!

His favorites are:
Color:  Blue and Rainbow (all of them)
Food:  Apples, Blueberries, Raspberries
Restaurant:  Taco Bell, Chick fil A, Cracker Barrel
Toy:  Transformers Rescue Bots, John Deere, and Ninja Turtles (TMNT)
TV Show:  Rescue Bots and TMNT
Movie:  Frozen
Person:  Grandpa
Song:  Not for a Moment by Meredith Andrews (he calls it After All)
Thing to Do:  Playing in the Dirt, Soccer, Backyard Baseball, Riding His Bike, Going Outside, Blowing Bubbles, Running, Staying Up Late, Having One-on-One Attention
Birthday Gift:  Play-Doh, TMNT Master Splinter, Boulder the Rescue Bot, My Spy Birdhouse

Easter Sunday and Birthday in One

Daniel's last night being 4

Waking up Easter morning to the LAST chain being gone!

SO exciting!

Easter Pictures in the Front Yard

This is typical.

:)

Sweet Brothers

How old are you?  Show me!

Pictures at Mimi's after church...

Samuel was so over it.

The Johnson Family

Sisters

Jenna and Jessica

Jenna and Brian

Ca and Daniel

Mimi and Grandboys

Mimi and Daniel

Opening his first gift...

A John Deere Gator from Grandpa.

Opening up his card from Aunt Cathy

Seeing his card from Pop and GranJu

Opening up his gift from Mom and Dad

He was so happy to get the My Spy Birdhouse!

Mimi surprised him with a TMNT Master Splinter.

A Ninja Turtle book!

:)

His Ice Cream Cake with all the colors

because he loves them all.

Getting ready to blow out his candles!

Eating cake and ice cream

Wishing It Away

It wasn't that long ago when I found myself wishing his life away...  I couldn't wait until he slept through the night.  I wanted him to hurry up and just crawl.  I was wishing he could walk.  I was so ready for him to talk.  I begged him to get out of diapers and be potty trained.  I couldn't wait until he started preschool.  For the past four years, I have been wishing it all away.

Now that he is doing all of those things and is about to turn five in a little over a week, I am realizing how much time I wasted by looking forward instead of being in the moment I had with him.  Just recently, I have really started listening to him, discovering his heart, seeing who he is, praying for who I want him to be, and cherishing these last few "pre-K" days.

I've noticed how funny he is and how he loves to be the center of attention.  He adores his friends, and he wants, more than anything, to be liked by others.  He enjoys sports and action figures, and his favorite foods are Taco Bell, Cracker Barrel, chicken nuggets, fruit (in particular blueberries, apples, raspberries, and blackberries) applesauce, gummy snacks, pizza, and anything barbecue flavored.  He can sing really well, but he doesn't care to sing with a group; he's more of a soloist kind of guy.  He wants to be heard.  He likes to give the details of every situation.  At any given moment of the day, he is either telling me he wants to be outside in the dirt, eating a snack, or playing in the bathtub.  He prefers getting dressed all by himself, and he likes to fix his own hair.  He craves one-on-one attention and needs to feel special.  He likes to know you are listening to him.  He wants to go do something every single day and if he can't, he would like a visitor to come over.  He loves John Deere, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and soccer.  He is super interested in WHY things happen...  (like tonight when we hit a opossum in the road, he asked why the opossum decided to get in the road and why does he have a long tail and why does he look mean and why do you think he's gross, Mom, and why did we run over it and why did it NOT die and why can't we keep it?!)  He knows exactly what he wants.  He does NOT like to follow instructions because he is strong-willed.  He gets his feelings hurt when others won't play with him.  He loves to paint and play with playdoh.  He always sticks his tongue out when he is working really hard.  He loves trains and dirt and tractors and marbles and flashlights.  He really likes to watch things grow.  He loves to tickle and be tickled.  He always wants to hug his favorite people.  He begs to go to church and loves to be there.  He likes to sing about Jesus.  He knows the words to more songs on the radio than I do.  He says a lot of things to the tune of a song.  He is ridiculously honest.  He's quite bold.  He is a visual, hands on learner.  He cannot sit still, but despite that, he is listening to EVERYTHING that's being said.  He loves his Daddy.  He cannot wait to get big.  He likes to feel smart.  He needs approval.  He drives me crazy, but he's my everything.

I wish I could have seen these things more clearly during the haze of the infant and toddler stages, but I know that God has blessed me with the time I've been able to spend with him this past year...  Teaching him in Pre-K has been a tremendous opportunity I will NEVER forget.  I have learned so much about my son and about myself and how similar we really are.  Maybe I wished his life away because life was a bit overwhelming.  Most of his life, I've been pregnant, nursing, and/or taking care of a baby; I don't feel I was able to focus on him the way I wish I had.  Yet, I'm learning day by day to take him in, pray over him, and enjoy him.  It won't be long before he'll step into elementary school, but until then, I'm going to stop wishing it away and just wish he could stay like this forever.

In Case I Forget...

As of lately, Daniel is quite clever with his sing-song way of talking as well as his ridiculously blatant honesty.  He loves singing and telling the truth.  I often forget to write these things down, so I wanted to make certain these were in print.

February 25:
Daniel raised his hand in chapel today and told Mrs. Becky that he needed to sing a song. She asked if it was one that his whole class knew, and he said, "No, just me." So, she put him on the benches in front of everyone, and he sang these words:

You were reaching through the storm 
Walking on the water 
Even when I could not see 
In the middle of it all
When I thought You were a thousand miles away
Not for a moment did You forsake me
Not for a moment did You forsake me

After all You are constant
After all You are only good
After all You are sovereign
Not for a moment will You forsake me
Not for a moment will You forsake me

-Not For a Moment by Meredith Andrews 

March 25:
"Mom, we can't lay down; we have too much energy." 

April 8:
While getting ready this morning, I overhear Daniel singing to a particular tune, "Mommy, Mommy, can I tell you something?" I answer him and he replies, "I love you!" He goes on about his singing, but this time, he sings the REAL words to the tune he'd been carrying: 

"Alive, alive, alive forevermore! My Jesus is alive, alive forevermore. Alive, alive, alive forevermore! My Jesus is ALIVE!"