Travis turned 5

Dear Travis,

We celebrated your birthday a little early this year.

Then on your big day, our family headed to Oregon. 

We had a wonderful week, and life has gotten pretty busy as we're settling in again. So please forgive me for writing this nearly two weeks late, okay? Okay. 

Let's talk a bit about you at age five.

You love:

Drawing. You create volumes of new cards, books, and pictures each day. In the morning, I walk into a kitchen covered in art supplies while you and your brother draw feverishly.

Swimming. You're figuring out how to swim independently and always have a blast in the water.

Being a "mooey." About six months ago, you announced that you are a mooey. When we asked you what a mooey is, you explained that they're guys with wings and a bunch of powers. They never get hungry, cold, thirsty, or sleepy. (But they do like to eat, wear warm clothes, drink, and sleep if we ask.) Mooeys live in Travis-the-Mooey city. Every now and then, you'll shout out, "Travis the MOOEY!" as loudly as you can. It's awesome.

Playing outside. The yard is your playground. You make up games on the trampoline, explore cool hideouts, dig for bugs, and run around with Leo.

Making people laugh. Humor comes naturally to you, and boy... you know how to ham it up!

Your favorites include:

 Jake and the Neverland Pirates, popsicles, Legos, Mario Brothers, parties, Leo, bathtime, giant breakfasts, your teddy bears, and Halloween (dressing up + getting candy + talking to everyone in the neighborhood).

You're fantastic at: 
 Making up hilarious songs. "Meedy-moody-see" cracks us up every time.

 Melting hearts. You often say things to me like, "Why do I keep loving you and loving you and loving you? Oh, because you make me feel so comfy." You have a friendly, silly, talkative way about you that we just adore.

Seeing and approaching life in a unique way. Your plate after dinner totally epitomizes this.

Figuring out mechanical/computer-related things. Our printer has settings Daddy and I never knew about. You quickly discovered how to operate each of them. Then you turned Google Earth into the Death Star.

 You are five!

 These years have passed so quickly, yet we can't imagine our lives without you. Travis, you light up our world. We love you.