Signs of Summer!

Spring has finally arrived here in the Midwest & we've been actually doing some "Summer-like" stuff lately - which has been a wonderful change.

1st we'll start off with summer haircuts. Aaliyah's was done professionally in a salon and much needed (before the cut her hair was 18 inches long when pulled straight). I did Mulu's myself. As I was about to begin I asked him if he wanted it short or all gone - he chose all gone, then after one swipe across his head with the #1 guard he said "ok - how about short" TOO LATE!

Using our playstructure in our backyard MULTIPLE times a day...

Aaliyah having her own little "picnic" on our deck.

The aftermath of a fabulous (and first) blue slushie at a friends little league game - baseball fever has now hit Mulu head on (not that Daddy minds much) and now we talk it and practice it often!

Playing in our new pool with a friend

Mulu is 5 & 1 !!!

I'm finally finishing Mulu's birthday post, and am merging it together with our family anniversary.

The week after Mulu turned 5, we celebrated his being home 1 year. Because of how far we/he has come and changed in the past year, its hard to talk about who he is now as a big 5 year old without remembering all of our fabulous 1sts as a family.

So,

Mulu IS . . .

* wise - way beyond his young 5 years. Even before we had a lot of language to talk about complicated things, he was putting huge concepts together on his own and explaining how things worked to the rest of us.

* funny - and he is the funniest guy he knows. He has a whole repertoire of facial expressions that makes him almost cartoon like and slapstick comedy is his favorite. Recently he is interested in knock-knock jokes, and although he really doesn't understand how they truly work, he laughs WAY loud whenever he delivers one (correctly or not).

* active - the boy is always moving! He is a natural athlete and constantly pushes the boundaries of what he is able to do (just yesterday he made it across the monkey bars at a park all on his own). He loves to swim, ride bikes, play t-ball, flip around, climb and RUN! Endurance is not a concern for him.

* inquisitive - he has an "engineering mind" always looking at how things work. He is very curious about everyday gadgets and looks at how toys move and operate, rather than just playing with them. In fact, as a result of this piece of his personality and the fact that he is good at taking things apart, we've had to make a "no touching batteries" rule for his safety as well as for Aaliyah.

*a great big brother - this boy has fabulous patience and is amazing at including his sister when he plays. Some of it is probably out of necessity - its either her, me or no one most of the day - but he includes her, accommodates for her being younger, laughs with her and lets her be herself. He loves to play hide & seek and even though Aaliyah always hides in the same spot, he pretends to not know where she is and plays along.

* is a lover of books - he loves to be read to and to read on his own. Its one of his favorite activities and a part of our nightly ritual. And if we are doing something else (like even watching his favorite show "America's funniest videos" - again that slapstick sense of humor comes back) and mention we may not have time to read books he always chooses stop so we have enough time to read.

* adorable - he has a fabulous smile he can through on at the right moment and eyes that you can get lost in. He positively affects strangers with a smile and can flip around someone else's crabby moment in a jiffy.

Mulu is NOT . . .

* timid - nothing about his personality is. He talks loud, laughs loud, dances hard and performs to all who will pay attention. He goes all out with his actions and loves to try new things.

* a follower - when with his peers, he often comes up with the activity and rules and directs the flow of the moment. He is good at including all kids (even his little sister who can't always fully participate)

* a wimp in the cold - although he had probably never experienced whether below 60 degrees F - he was a huge fan of Wisconsin winters. Throughout the winter he was always suggesting we do activities outside and would stay out shoveling, sledding or making snowpeople for hours at a time. He even got to go skiing down a real mountain when visiting his Auntie & Uncle in Colorado - and, of coarse, he did very well.

* a home body - he LOVES to be out & about or at least have people over at our house. Its become a little custom that everyday we leave preschool he invites at least two other people over to our house and then follows it up with "ok then where are we going". This conversation is often followed up with "So just Mama, Mulu & Aaliyah at home?" in an unexcited tone. He even explained to me one day that he had invited his friend to come over and even told him we live in a "white house on Milwaukee St" - which we don't & I've know idea where that came from.

* quiet - the boy is a talker. . . and a singer. . . and a commentator. He loves to tell people what he is thinking, what has happened that day or just plain make up stories. He constantly sings and make up songs - and when he can't think of things to say he often just gives me the play by play of what he sees (often in the car). He asks lots of questions and continues to ask more until he feels he fully understands the concept we are talking about. (and he still has a hint of an adorable Ethiopian accent - which I love).