Austin is 5

Playing with his new train set

My firstborn son is five years old. He has matured in so many ways over the years. Here are a few things I remember from his birthdays past:

Birthdate- September 23, 2006: Austin was so tiny (2 1/2 lbs), yet perfectly formed, at birth. We used to call him our little peanut. (Here's a pretty good synopsis of the week leading up to his delivery at 29 weeks gestation.)

First Birthday- 2007: We had a party outside at the seminary, and it was sooo hot outside. Both sets of grandparents came, and we invited two friends from church. Of course, the first birthday is mostly for the parents anyway. (old blog post here from Austin's 1st birthday, and here is a post I wrote right after we brought Austin home from the NICU.)

Second Birthday- 2008: We didn't have a party, but Joseph's parents came up to celebrate. (see old blog post here) It was at this time that we were able to stop "correcting" Austin's age. Up until this time, the doctors would subtract 2 1/2 months from his birth age when determining if he was meeting his developmental milestones. He seemed to be all caught up, which was a great blessing considering how early he was born.

Third Birthday- 2009: Austin had a party at a local park, and lots of kids from church and from our apartment came. (see blog post here) It was fun, but at the same time we had a lot of serious worries on our minds. Austin had been diagnosed with two neurological conditions- a tethered cord and chiari malformation. I was also 20 or so weeks pregnant and already starting to feel contractions. Praise be to God that he persevered us through the months that would follow as Austin had a successful spinal surgery  (see here) and as our second son David was carried to full term the following January.

Fourth Birthday- 2010: (see old blog post here)We had just a few friends over to our apartment for a playdate lunch out on the lawn. Austin got some Sonlight preschool curriculum from my mom, so we spent a great deal of time reading and learning at home last Fall. At that time I really expected to be homeschooling for kindergarten, but here we are....

Fifth Birthday- 2011: Austin got lots of great toys this year, and I think he is finally at an age to appreciate a good birthday party. Austin had three friends over along with their families (and his adoped "Uncle Adam" of course) for a Super Mario birthday party- pictures to follow in a separate post.

I'll close with this humorous picture of Austin biting his toenails. You may think I'm cruel for posting this, but hey, if he's silly enough to bite his toenails, he's got to face the consequences. Ha!

Austin has a nail biting habit, but he doesn't stop with his fingernails...

Field Trek

Last Friday, I helped at Austin's school during their Field Trek fundraiser. The kids asked for donations from family and friends, and then they each walked a mile on the day of the Trek. David and I helped at the track. We walked two miles :) I served as sort of a walking cheerleader, encouraging those who were falling behind and walking alongside those who were too tired to run with their classmates. Here are a few pictures from our day.

David is ready to do some walking.



Coach Mo from The Biggest Loser and a water bottle mascot

So, if you are a Biggest Loser fan, Coach Mo from season 8 (I think) showed up to cheer everyone on. It was really neat to see him in person. He didn't make it to the finale, but he was one of those contestants that everyone loved to cheer on.

Austin waiting with his class.

Austin tells about the first few weeks of school

Helpful JCPS Links

This post is for anyone in Louisville considering public schools. It can be a little complicated to enroll your child in school here, so I thought I would provide a few helpful links to get you started.

End of Year Resolutions

I've never been big on making New Years resolutions.

However,