All About the 5 Year Old Dallin

 Dallin likes to say that now that he is five he can...  Well he can do a lot of things.  He recently learned how to read, is a green belt in TawKwonDo, is a fantastic eater, is an encyclopedia of knowledge about alligators and snakes (really any dangerous animal), is a great bike rider, and a great climber.

He will probably make a great stunt man one day or a clown.  He loves to make people laugh and uses his tricks (rolling on the ground, pretending to fall down etc) to make his audience (i.e. Gavin) laugh. Dallin does get into a lot of mischief and a lot of time it is because he is seeking attention. For example, while having a talk with him about an incident, I let him know no one was laughing at his behavior.  He then asked, "Did you almost laugh?" 

"No" 

"Did Daddy almost laugh?" 

"No." 

"Did Grandma and Grandpa almost laugh?" 

"No."

So apparently no matter what I say, the behavior would have been fine if we had almost laughed.

Dallin has the most caring heart.  If someone in preschool is sad or left out, he will be the first to befriend them.  Dallin was meant to be the oldest child.  He is full of unconditional love and doesn't pay attention to differences.  He is a great brother to Gavin and Lili. When we told him Lili was coming to our family, he asked if she was going to be peach like him or brown like Gavin.  This is the only time he has asked about skin color.  It just doesn't matter to him.  Gavin and Lili are his siblings, end of story.  

The other reason he was meant to come to our family first is because he can be a very difficult child to parent. Between his high energy, struggles with focusing, and his impulsive behavior, we are talking about consequences (both good and bad) a lot.  He is the gift though that came after all the heartache and pleading to God for just one child.  I became a mom with him and the hole in my heart started mending.  On those hard days, I am reminded the privilege and honor it was given to me to be his mom.  I hope I can live up to that honor.

Climbing on playground equipment isn't good enough for Dallin any more.  He is finding new challenges all the time like climbing the front of the fridge

or the roof.  We have water totes on the side of the house and he figured out how to climb it.  Zane and I really need to think, "What will Dallin do with this" before we set anything up.  I firmly believe that the only reason Dallin hasn't broken any bones is because his birth mom (who passed away a few years ago) is watching over him.  She has her work cut out for her.

Dallin is a very healthy eater (he likes his candy too of course) but he loves green smoothies (usually asking for seconds) and will eat salads.

Since Lili joined our family, Dallin has become more responsible and his sister sure brings out his super sweet side.

When Dallin was born, our lives changed dramatically.  These have been the best five years.