So the boy is (almost) five. 

It's been a fun year. 

I mean, it hasn't ALL been fun. His "spirited" self recently got the cops called on me. 

That was a fun day.

But, honestly, he brings more tears of laughter to my life than tears of frustration. 

Like the one time I asked him to open his eyes for a picture before the Easter egg hunt and he replied, "I can't mom because I'm using the force to find all the eggs." 

Or the time I realized that his favorite person in the world is not me or daddy or his sister, but Lester Holt. Yes, that Lester Holt. He literally stops whatever he's doing when the nightly news comes on and watches him, transfixed. And, if he's not on for some reason (like it's the weekend) he get's very concerned and wants to know when Lester Holt will be back. 

And how about this look he gave his sister after she had literally spent a minute posing for a picture different ways? 

And then there was the time he saw a picture of Jay-Z and Beyonce and he said, "Look, it's mommy and daddy!" 

I've never felt better about myself, to be honest. 

Besides being the funniest four year old around, he is also the sweetest. Some highlights:

While watching the Final Four on TV and every time a player would make a shot: "Yay! Great job!" and every time a player would miss a shot: "Ahhhh man. Not again. It's ok. Try again!"

Along the same lines he also shared with me one day, "It's ok if you fall down, as long as you get back up." 

And oh my goodness does he love his older sister. Whether she's reading to him, playing with him or ordering him around--they are (almost) always together and he truly adores her. (Just so there's no confusion they do fight. A lot.)

And his love of Star Wars borders on obsession. We were in Milwaukee visiting family over Thanksgiving and the kids were sharing a room. Marc was whispering with E because he thought B was sleeping. They were talking about all the stuff they were going to do when they got home. 
  Daddy: "We're going to go to the tree lot and pick a tree and see Santa..."
  B: "And watch Star Wars..."
  Daddy turned around and B's eyes were still closed and he hadn't moved.

Not enough proof that he's obsessed with Star Wars? Check out how he answered several questions in his annual birthday survey.

• Age: 5
• Favorite Color: Blue
• Best Friend: Ali
• Favorite Snack/Treat: Superhero Granola Bars (Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, and Iron Man, specifically) 
• What do you want to be when you grow up: Police Officer
• Favorite Song(s): From Star Wars, "The Imperial March" (I think he secretly wishes Darth Vader was his dad. Seriously.)
• Favorite TV Show/Movie: Star Wars: The Force Awakens; Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith
• {Extra question: Who are your favorite Star Wars characters? Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, Emperor Palpatine and Darth Maul. ALL DARK SIDE FORCES I'M NOT EVEN MAKING THIS UP.}
• Favorite thing to do with family: Play Go Fish or Princess Memory
• Favorite Book: Any of the Star Wars books and "Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site"
• Favorite food for breakfast: Cereal (Miniwheats), cheerios and fruit 
• Favorite food for lunch: Peanut butter toast
• Favorite food for dinner: Macarroni & Cheese
• Most important thing learned so far: Counting numbers
• Favorite Toy: Darth Vader, R2D2, and Storm Trooper toys
• Are you afraid of anything: Ghosts
• Favorite thing to do outside: Slide but don't like bugs or bees and practice baseball.
• Favorite place to visit: Grandma and Grandpa's house and Grammy and Grandpa's house in Milwaukee
• Mom's favorite thing to do with you: Reading books to you, watching you play--you're so creative! 
• Dad's favorite thing to do with you: Playing catch and practice hitting the ball with the bat.
• What is one thing you want for your birthday: Star Wars Cake
• How are you celebrating your birthday this year: Bowling Party

Here's to kicking four out the door and welcoming five with open arms. Four was a tough year but the best thing to come out of it was realizing we weren't alone.

We were able to get some extra support through B's school and we moved him to a smaller classroom. And the extra help has, well, helped. 

Plus (bonus!!), no one has called the cops on us in a couple of months so we must be doing something right! 

Or our super helpful neighbor that called the cops on a crying kid has calmed down and realized s/he was being RIDICULOUS. 

Yeah, it's probably that. 

Even though it's been a tough year, I'm so grateful we've had it. 

Happy birthday to the sweetest, funniest, most dedicated Star Wars fan EVER...even if it's typically the dark side that he's most obsessed with.

That shouldn't make me nervous, should it?

xo Sara

P.S. Here are B's previous birthday surveys. Age 4 and Age 3. Here's the first post I ever wrote in honor of his birthday, in 2013. Finally, here's a sampling of a few times that B truly made me laugh, including when he thought Neil Diamond was his daddy. Yep, first Neil Diamond, then Jay-Z. I swear he does indeed know and adore his father.