A boy of five.

My dear first-born,
You are five today. Five whole years! Where did those years go?
You've always been such a talkative wee thing, asking questions from the day you could speak. So curious and so opinionated, so stubborn but also so sensitive. You make some hilarious jokes and you are a master when it comes to word play. You love to spend hours playing superheroes, or lego, narrating the whole game to whoever will listen.
You are growing into such a fine (and handsome) young man, with your short, smart hair cut and ever-increasing height, but yet somehow in my mind you are still the little, chubby, longhaired mischief maker you were a few years ago. You are still the cheeky toddler who accompanied me on all those long walks and bike rides around Nelson, the wee baby who I couldn't believe was mine, the gummy grinner who was into everything. It all seems to have gone so fast. I scoffed at the multitudes of people who told me I'd blink and you'd be all grown up but now I find myself saying the same thing to others. If you are five already it really will just be another snap of the fingers and you'll be at high school.

Thank you for the privilege of being your mum, Aesop. I know I don't always seem to appreciate it, and we don't always see eye to eye ( it's because we're so similar, really.) but I truly am thankful for the opportunity to watch you grow and to be part of the process. It's an honour.
Thank you also for being the worlds best big brother to Otto. You are so patient with him, so loving and not once have you shown even a single moment of jealousy, despite all the extra attention he demands from us, and how much attention he gets from others. He loves you so, so much, right from the day he could focus he has searched for you and listened for you, and frankly, I don't blame him.
Thanks for being awesome.

I love you Aesop. We all do. Thanks for five tough, but rewarding and mostly fun, and funny, years. I can't wait to see what comes next.