Happy Belated Half Birthday, Forest!

It’s been a while since I’ve done a summary for Forest, but he just turned the big *5 and a half*, so he’s due for a check in. I really feel like 5 is flying by, probably because we’ve been so distracted and busy with moving to Bangkok and preparing for baby sister due in July. The milestones also don’t come as quickly these days. In some ways he’s grown up soooooo much in the past 6 months, but he still has issues with crazy energy, terrible table manners, and social awkwardness/anxiety. Here’s just a glimpse of where he stands in life:

Height: 47ish inches- About 92nd percentile. So he’s dropped off in height. Though it doesn’t seem so, especially compared to his Southeast Asian classmates. He’s by far the tallest kid in his PreK, and probably taller than 90% of the Kindergartners. 

he's the tall blonde kid

Weight: I don’t know what he weighs. Probably around 47 lbs. We’ve started buying size 7 clothes since he’s right on the cusp of outgrowing his size 6s. 

Favorite color: “Actually I have 3 favorite colors: Green, Blue and Red.” I think green would win if he had to choose. 

Favorite TV show: Paw Patrol(??) He’s never before had any interest in Paw Patrol and suddenly he’s obsessed. He says “It’s my favorite show even though my friends at school say it’s ‘baby-ish.’” One thing I will say about Forest, despite his social awkwardness (or maybe because of it) he doesn’t give a flip what people think of him. He’s independent to the max. He also enjoys watching Animal documentaries and Lifestyle Overland which is a YouTube show where a family with a 4/5 year old overlands and camps all over the Americas. 

Favorite movie: The Last Jedi. Nothing baby-ish about that. 

Favorite sport: Gymnastics and Swimming. It’s too hot for anything else! 

But his favorite extra curricular is LEGO class. 

Favorite Book: He’s truly a reading superstar. He’s reading 4th grade level chapter books fluidly with no mistakes. But he still likes books with plenty of pictures. At the moment, his favorite series is The 13 Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths which is a perfect bridge between his reading level and attention span. 

He loves all of the series by Cynthia Rylant (Henry and Mudge, Mr. Putter and Tabby, Poppleton, etc) but has read ALL of them multiple times. He usually checks out DK LEGO books, Geronimo Stilton and Froggy books from the library as well. The library has a 10 book at a time limit (as opposed to Houston where he had 20 and I had 30) so we go to the library quite often! Good thing it’s at his school. 

Best Friend: Cody. 

it's like they have an invisible leash that keeps them 2 feet away from each other at all times. 

The term ‘ride or die’ has never perfectly described any pair on earth. When Cody is absent from school, Forest is like a lost puppy (and vise versa). He’s such a sweet friend to Forest and will fill his water bottle for him, discourage him from eating fruit snacks off the ground and ALWAYS do what Forest wants to do. I asked Forest what makes Cody such a good friend and he said ‘He’s a really good helper to me.’ Hopefully Forest is as good of a friend to him! 

Wants to be: A “professional” book writer, a Lego creator, a filmmaker, an engineer, and an environmentalist. “I’m going to be a very busy daddy when I grow up.”

The overland vehicle he created. It has a kitchen in the back with a stove and everything. 

Book writing. 

Everyday I thank God for Forest’s creativity and imagination, his adventurous spirit, his tremendous courage, his emotional intelligence, his love for learning and thirst for information, his infectious maniacal laughter, his sweet empathetic nature, his independent streak, his considerate and helpful attitude, and his random bear hugs. 

Everyday I pray for God’s forbearance and wisdom regarding Forest’s insatiable energy level, his overly sensitive feelings, his anxiety and perfectionism, his unfriendly manners, his stubbornness and ability to hold a grudge. Forest is a child of extremes. Raising him is a rollercoaster for sure, a balancing act of pride and discouragement.  I just keep trying to point him to Jesus and pray the rest falls into place! 

Happy half birthday, handsome. We love you beyond words.