Dear Caleb,

It seems impossible that it's already time to celebrate another year of life for our first baby. Five. This year we celebrate five. For five years, you have been a part of our life. These five years have flown by, yet they seem filled with so many memories that we almost don't have room for memories we made before you were with us!

This year was yet another year in which we worked to figure out the boy that you are becoming. You've always been pretty easygoing and that makes the transition into boyhood a bit easier for us to handle. Gone are the days of testing the waters and creating trouble like typical toddlers/preschoolers do. You've grown up. You know your limits, you respect your authority, and you are such a people pleaser that you hardly ever disobey. You are thanked countless times during the day for your goodness, your willingness to help out, your understanding of your role in our family unit. We know we can count on you and you know you can count on us. You truly are a joy to have as our oldest child and you certainly have set the bar high for your siblings!

Now, speaking of siblings, this is where we often find fault in the behavior of our sweet firstborn. There are definitely times when you have fought for attention over the past year. With a toddler and baby to share the attention with, though, we weren't surprised. You also have your moments in which sibling rivalry hits full force. You and Leah go head to head in a lot of ways. You've also managed to figure out just what buttons to push with her and you aren't afraid to push when necessary! For the most part, though, you have an incredible amount of patience with Leah and Joel. You try very hard to work and talk through your problems, but every so often it just can't be done with a three year old. Countless times you've had lego masterpieces destroyed by your baby brother or beautiful drawings scribbled on by your sister and you handle it with more grace than most children would. For every ounce of frustration they create, you manage to love them in return times a thousand. You watch out for both of them and care for them like they're a part of your own body. When one of them cries, you are often the first one to ask if they're okay. If they are sick, you try your best to help "take care" of them.

Indeed, empathy is your strong suit. You have a unique way of being able to dig into the thoughts and feelings of others. It's not unlikely for you to be caught crying because you thought Mommy's feelings were hurt or because Daddy had a bad day. You have a genuine concern for the well-being of others and we are grateful for that. Along with being empathetic, you are also incredibly sensitive. Your feelings get hurt easily. You don't like to be left out. You don't like to lose. Your sensitivity and empathy make you such a wonderful friend and have molded you into the people-person that you are. Despite the fact that you have moments of just wanting to be alone (we don't blame you given the amount of noise in this home at any give moment) you typically love to be surrounded by other people. You greet any stranger with a friendly hello and sometimes we joke that you're our future "Walmart greeter"!

When you aren't surrounded by others or busy playing with friends, you are content to sit and watch tv (which you could do all day if we let you). You also love to play on the computer or with your handheld Leapster video game. You've grown very creative over the past year and are amazing at coloring. You also love to make "projects" (as you call them). We can turn you loose with some paper, crayons, glue, and scissors and you'll create all kinds of neat things. You've become a reader this year as well. Within a few short months you went from simply knowing all of your letters to knowing how to read low level books. Most of this accomplishment is from your own eagerness to learn and not from Mommy's scheduled "learning time" in the middle of the day. Some of your other favorite things include playing games, being outside, going to Grandma's, and taking a shower without any help.

The most exciting discovery over the past year is a deeper understanding of the seeds of faith that were planted in you from early on. Just recently you've begun to ask some very thought provoking questions. We can tell that you are closer and closer to understanding what it means to be a Christian and why choosing to live your life for Jesus is totally worth it! We hope and pray that the coming year will bring you even deeper into that understanding of God. May God bless you richly in your sixth year of life sweet boy. We love you so very much!

Love,
Daddy and Mommy