The Awesome Kaleb Man!

Kaleb just turned 5, and I am so excited to write a birthday post all about him!  

How old are you?  5

Who is your best friend?  Aliyah

What is your favorite thing to do?  Ride on my scooter at the park and play Frisbee with Sammy

What is your favorite color?  Sky blue and dark blue

What is your favorite food?  Enchilada Pasta and crepes

What do you like to do with your family?  Go to the park

What is your favorite toy?  My Switch and Go Dino

What do you want to be when you grow up?  A superhero

What makes you happy?  Playing with Aliyah and wrestling with Daddy

What makes you sad?  When Zay gets hurt

What is your favorite show to watch?  Wild Kratts

What is your favorite book?  The dinosaur books from the library

What do you love to learn about?  Different animals and their creature powers

What was the best part of your birthday?  The presents!

Where do you like to go?  Parks and to Grammy’s house and Nonna’s house and Joseph and Jefferson’s house

Who is your teacher?  Mommy at home and Grammy at primary

What is your favorite treat?  Chocolate chips cookies and different flavored jelly beans

What do you think about before you fall asleep?  Hank the Cowdog, and Drover

If you could meet someone famous who would it be?  Superman

What was your favorite birthday present?  My Switch and Go Dino

Now, to tell you all about my little man...

• Kaleb is good.  He is really just such a good kid through and through.  He is obedient 98% of the time.  He is helpful and considerate and loving.  He truly seems to have a desire to do what's right and simply be good.
• He is also such a smart kid!  He is like a sponge when it comes to learning about new topics, and he has such a great memory.  He especially loves learning about animals and dinosaurs.  I am so excited to work on some new challenges when we head back to Spokane for the fall.  He has become comfortable writing the alphabet, and numbers, and he is beginning to sound out words and do some basic addition.  So, when we get back home we're going to work on reading and math.  He catches on to things so quickly, so it makes it fun to watch him learn and discover new skills.
• Kaleb has always shown a lot of athletic ability, and it was so fun to watch him in his first season of t-ball this summer.  The first game was a little shaky, since he is a very shy little guy, but by the second game (they had a double-header every Friday) thanks to a little coaching from Dad, he was hitting the ball and having a blast.  It was so fun to see his confidence grow and cheer him on.  
• One thing I love about Kaleb is how observant he is.  He really pays attention to details, and he remembers them forever.  It is fun to get his take on the world around him.  
• He has really high expectations for himself, and being the best at what he is doing is really important to him.  He loves competition and always wants to be the fastest, strongest, and most skilled of the group.  I'm working on teaching the importance of balancing humility and confidence :)
• Kaleb is very particular about what he wears.  He gets hot really easily, so he almost always wants to have shorts and a short sleeve shirt on even if it's a bit chilly to the rest of us.  He prefers basketball style shorts with cool Nike shirts or shirts with things he loves on them.  Dinosaurs, sharks, sports images, cars, fierce animals, and others would all make the cut for him.  He really really loves Nike, so I have to keep my eye out for Nike clearance.
• Kaleb loves to draw and to color, and he really has a lot of artistic ability.  I love seeing his depiction of different animals and people.  We have a full wall of his art in our living room, and it makes me so happy to look up and see his unique creations.  
• Lately we've been watching a really fun show called American Ninja Warrior, and Kaleb loves it.  He wants to be a ninja someday, so he likes to practice his ninja skills whenever possible.  The monkey bars have become a lot more attractive thanks to that show :)
• Kaleb is very, very, very shy.  He will not speak to adults he doesn't know, and usually won't speak to kids he doesn't know.  Once he gets comfortable with someone though, he opens up and has a lot to say.  In group settings he likes to sit back and observe, and is very uncomfortable with having attention on him.  
• He is a dipper just like his Dad.  Ranch, ketchup, bbq sauce, or fry sauce generally need to be included in the meal to make this boy happy.  

Have I mentioned that Kaleb is just completely wonderful and awesome and delightful and sweet?  Ah, I love him so much.  He is my pal, and I am so lucky to spend each day with him.  He makes life more interesting and fun with his creative mind and energy for each day.