Ian's FIVE!!

He's FIVE! 

My goodness! How can it possibly be your FIFTH birthday. These years have flown by with so much love, joy, and wonder. Now, when we ask you how old you are, you beam and hold up your WHOLE HAND!

Five years ago today I was marveling at you for the first time and, truth be told, I still marvel at the incredible being you are each and every day.

You are strong, joyful, intelligent, exuberant, curious, kind, daring, adventurous, cautious, encouraging, loving, determined, sweet, imaginative, bold, articulate, devoted, and still absolutely set on being a farmer.

For your birthday this year you chose to go apple-picking again at Butternut Farm (like last year) and you wanted to make applesauce with Papa and for me to make you an apple cake! When asked when your birthday is, you always reply that it's when the apples are ripe! We love that.

This week Aunt Christine was here to celebrate your birthday with us! She got you an awesome magnifying glass :)

This coming weekend you are going on your first big camping trip with Papa! The two of you have been talking about The Common Ground Fair in Maine since we left last year. I cannot wait to hear about your adventures and visit you one of the days!

Sticking true to your farmer soul, we made dirt dessert for you to share with your friends at school today. You were excited to celebrate with your buddies! It was a rainy morning, but that couldn't dampen your spirits! We joked that we should plant a seed in the dirt, let them get some rain, and see if they grow! You thought that was pretty funny.

You continue to amaze us with your love of stories and your ability to retell them to us. You listen to books on CD each night and every week you bring home a massive stack of library books, which you pour through as soon as we get home. You really enjoy learning new words and phrases and often work them into your everyday vernacular. You love using the word "simultaneously" :)

Right now you are really getting into Legos and Playmobil toys; we just acquired a few bins of hand-me-down toys from our neighbors! You are ecstatic.

You love riding your balance bike and are so fast an agile at it now! You and Owen love your newfound independence on walks and we love living in a place that makes it easy to bike/walk around town and campus.

Lately we've watched a few new movies and you've been quoting different lines at different, pertinent moments. One of our favorites was when you ate a treat that Papa made and said, "Crunchy, yet satisfying!" You adapted a Simba line from when he tried a grub: "Slimy, yet satisfying" and it was perfect for the situation.

You are a wonderful and devoted big brother. Owen loves sharing a room with you and, when I asked you about how you feel about sharing a room, you said, "I like having a buddy in there." Heart melt.

Most mornings you can be found playing together before we wake up and almost immediately you ask if you can hold Liesl! You love making her smile and are determined that you will marry her when you are older. Ha!

Most mornings you help let the chickens out and feed Leif. On the weekends you like it when Papa makes crepes or pancakes; he lets you choose the night before. Papa usually does your bedtime routine and you watch "The Bearded Man" (Justin Rhodes- a farmer with 4 kids) and other farming or interesting videos on Youtube-- you love this time and Owen does, too.

You are very thoughtful and conscientious, holding doors for me, thanking me for meals, sometimes helping to clean up other dishes, but always making sure to take yours to the kitchen after each meal. You have a huge heart and we pray that you retain this through the years!

Ian Forrester, we are so incredibly proud of you. You are pursuing your passions, trying new things, and tackling each day head-on. You make us proud and nothing you could EVER do would be able to separate you from our love. We hope you grow to know that <3

Love you forever, dear five year old!
- Mama, Papa, Owen, & Liesl