Being 5

Luke has been 5 for almost a month now.  He has been saying a lot of things like, "Now that I'm 5..." and "Because I'm 5 I can...."  He's such a big kid now.  He is very independent and definitely has his own opinions on how things should go or be.  He is artistic, a jokester, adventurous, a big time home body, sensitive and an awesome big brother.  And I couldn't forget to mention he's such a handsome guy!

 

Life for Lukester:

*Schedule: Luke LOVES to sleep!  Really and truly he loves it.  He doesn't like to be awake before 8 and at least 2-3 times a week I have to wake him up at 9.  He isn't taking a nap anymore although on days when we've had a big morning he will occassionally sleep while Hannah is napping.  He definitely has some down time in the afternoon though.  He goes to bed between 8:15 and 8:45.  

*Stats: Luke has his 5 year check up this week at the doctor and we'll get his official stats then.  My scale says he weighs about 40 pounds and a height estimate is around 42" tall.  Luke has had a lot of growing pains in his legs during the summer and relatives have all commented that he seems taller.  And one more note, Luke's hair grows really fast!  He has to have a haircut about every 5-6 weeks.

*Food: Luke's eating habits are probably pretty normal for a 5 year old.  I wish he would eat more of a variety of fruits and vegetables but he does okay.  Some of his favorites: roasted chicken, polish sausage, tilapia, salmon, shrimp, cantaloupe, green apples, corn on the cob, fried okra, green beans, carrots, noodles of any kind (except mac n cheese), pepperoni pizza, cheese, pancakes, french toast and chocolate milk.

*Activities: Luke still loves his trains and has now started incorporating Legos.  Our gameroom floor is covered with a Lego city and train track pretty much constantly.  Luke has also really gotten into art projects and drawing.  He loves to make melty bead projects and also necklaces.  This thrills me to death because that means I get to do all those fun things too!  Luke also really likes to read and will do so on his own now.  He and Troy have been reading the "How to Train Your Dragon" series.  Being outside is always fun and Luke got a bike for his birthday and has been riding that whenever possible.  He took swim lessons this summer and has really improved.  He loves to dive down for toys without his floaties on.

*Luke is writing all the letters of the alphabet.  He has also started sounding out words on his own and writing stories with pictures to go along with the story.  I love his progress in this area!  Luke can write with both hands; he is better with his right and so we encourage that but I'm 95% sure that he is ambidexterous.  

*Luke's imagination is still going super strong.  His stories revolve around robbers, firemen, policemen and his train engines.  He also loves to pretend that our swing set is a ship and there are sharks in the water (I remember doing exactly that when I was little too).  He is very slowly getting into super heros and all the Marvel characters.  We haven't pushed this at all and he's finally picked up on it enough from other kids to start mentioning it.  Troy and I are hoping he likes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles since they're something we're a bit familiar with.

*Luke is a fantastic big brother!  He is always giving Hannah hugs and kisses.  He is especially helpful when we're in the car.  When he's in the mood, he loves to play with Hannah and have her interact in whatever he's playing.  They love to spread a blanket on the floor and dance together or do crazy gymnastic stuff.

*Luke does a great job of helping around the house.  He sets the table every night for dinner, lets Maggie in and out, picks up toys and does lots of other various tasks.

*He is becoming more and more independent.  About 2 months ago he started picking out his clothes on his own and getting dressed by himself.  He no longer needs our help at all in the bathroom except for the occassional reminder to flush and wash his hands.  He has started taking some showers although he still seems to prefer the bath tub.  He has been buckling his seat belt for a long time and a recent thing is now pushing a cart solo whenever we are shopping.

*Luke is a big time home-body.  I could ask him ten times if he wants to go out and about for the day and nine of the responses would be no.  My boy loves to be at home, hang out in his pj's all day and just play.  I can't really blame him; he takes after me greatly in that regard.  (This paragraph is exactly the same as last year's 4 year old post.  It hasn't changed in the slightest.)

*Luke's favorite TV shows include Word World and Sid the Science Kid.  He also loves to watch nature and animal shows.  We have been watching a bunch of "North America" lately.  Luke is an expert on many animals that live in North America and he loves learning new things about animals and nature.  (Maybe another scientist in the works here at the Johnson house.  He will tell you that he wants to be a paleontologist when he grows up.)