Ben turned five on Memorial Day! Everyone keeps commenting on how FIVE is “such a big age.” And at first I really didn’t think much of it, but I feel like it’s such a turning point in childhood. Our sweet boy has hit that milestone – he’s officially five years old!
Ben’s stats:
- Weight: around 34 pounds {as of late August – 20-30th percentile}
- Height: about 42 inches {as of a couple months ago – 50-60th percentile}
- Clothing size: 5T
- Shoe size: size 11 {officially in “little kid sizes!}
- Favorite foods: crackers, pasta, any type of cheese
- Favorite activities: playing outside, picking wildflowers, climbing, running, riding his bike and scooter, doing art projects, playing pretend, building with blocks, reading stories….
Ben spent his whole fifth year of life living in a pandemic and I am amazed at how well he navigated the challenges.
Ben’s personality is quite dynamic. He is truly as sweet as they come. If Ben is in a great mood, there’s no one I’d rather be around more. He is extremely loving, compassionate and empathetic.
He builds relationships with kids and adults very quickly and is always the first to say hello, whether to a neighbor across the way, a friend as they come into school together, or a total stranger on the sidewalk or at the beach. Ben’s pre-kindergarten teacher mentioned how much this set the tone for the camaraderie in his class this year.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t include Ben’s stuffy, Teddy, in this post. Teddy goes everywhere with Ben.
Ben is also quite mercurial, though his personality, as of late, seems to be leveling out a bit more. He really wears his heart out on his sleeve.
I still consider Ben to be the most physically active child I’ve ever encountered, though now meeting more friends in the mountains, it sounds like he’ll be in good company here. Ben needs to run. He needs to climb, he needs to wiggle and fidget and move.
One of Ben’s absolute favorite things continues to be riding his bike. He is FAST. This is a huge confidence booster for him, too.
Alex has been taking Ben mountain biking at Ski Hill as often as possible and that’s been a really special bonding time for the two of them.
Skiing is another major love of Ben’s. He’s mastered the art of going down as fast as he possibly can… buttttt…. he has not figured out how to stop! I guess we’ll table that for next winter.
Currently, Ben wants to be a meteorologist when he grows up. He is so fascinated by weather and asks all the questions about storms and clouds and just wants to know everything. The way he processes things and his general curiosity amazes me.
Another major interest of Ben’s continues to be flowers and nature. He has such a knack for picking the most beautiful bouquets of wildflowers. And his memory! I can’t believe how well he remembers the names of the wildflowers.
Speaking of Ben’s memory, it is sharp. Don’t ever try to slide one past him. He’ll remember. We’re curious if he has a photographic memory, actually. The level of detail he can recall is unbelievable.
I can’t believe our sweetest boy will be starting kindergarten in the fall. It’s impossible to think of his birthday and not remember back to how things started with our 3 pound 3 ounce preemie. He’s overcome so much in these five short years and I’m so excited to watch him as a five year old!
