August has been quite the month! Lots of big days and new beginnings, which is exciting but also an emotional roller coaster. Jona turned 5 yesterday, and that day also happened to be his first day of kindergarten. What a day! I wanted to share a little update and interview about Jona’s life as a big 5 year old.
Kindergarten – Yesterday was the first day, and it was a bit rough. Jona is pretty sensitive to crowds and noise, and it was noisy and crowded when I dropped him off. All the kindergarteners met in the library, and it was chaos. He cried when I left, and it was so hard for me to walk away with him in tears. His teacher was very reassuring; I know she’s well equipped to handle the transition, but it was still heartbreaking. He had a smile on his face when I picked him up though, and he said he had fun. I know that each day will get better, and I hope he ends up loving it.
Interests – Jona is still very into super-heroes. He plays with his action figures quite a bit and loves books and movies featuring his favorite heroes. Captain America, Iron Man, Black Panther, Batman, Hulk… he loves them all. An interest obsession that has developed over the past year is Legos. He got a set for his 4th birthday last year, and from then on he was hooked. Our house is now overtaken by legos, which is a challenge since Violet likes to take Jona’s creations and take them apart. As much as I don’t love trying to keep them from Violet, I do love the entertainment they provide. He will sit there at the table, following the directions to build something (or rebuild again and again) for hours if we let him. He can’t get enough!
Big brother – One thing that hasn’t changed is that Jona is still the sweetest, best big brother to Violet. He is very protective of her and makes sure other kids treat her nicely when they play. He tries to comfort her when she’s upset, and he shares his toys (even his Legos!) with her. There are times when he gets frustrated–when she destroys something he’s been building, for example, but for the most part he has tremendous patience with her. I wish I could say that patience were reciprocated, but Violet is embarking on the terrible-almost-twos stage of her life and patience isn’t her thing.
In his own words – I love the idea of interviewing kids each year on their birthdays or at the start of the school year (which is the same in Jona’s case), so here is a little bit more about my Jona, in his own words.
– What’s your favorite Color? Blue.
– What’s your favorite Toy? Legos. (Said with a look that said, “didn’t you know that already?!”)
– What do you like to play? Legos and super-hero figures.
– What is your favorite food? Pizza.
– What’s your favorite game? Candy Land. That’s because I always win the game! Well, not all the time, but sometimes.
– What’s your favorite TV show? Iron Man and Captain America (cartoon).
– What’s your favorite animal? Bongo (his stuffed monkey).
– What’s your favorite book? Books about Legos. I asked him if there was a certain one he liked best, but he said he likes all books about Legos.
– Who’s your best friend? Addie. (my best friend’s daughter who is just a year older than him.)
– What do you like to do outside? Play golf.
– What’s your favorite holiday? Christmas.
– What do you like to eat for breakfast? Waffles.
– What’s your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Tacos. (By tacos, he means a tortilla with a piece of cheese inside.)
– What’s your favorite snack? Nutri-Grain bars (which is funny because he rarely eats these at home).
– What’s something you don’t like? Broccoli.
– What’s your favorite thing about yourself? At first he said “I don’t know…” But when I asked him again he said, “I like to do tricks.” I asked what kinds of tricks and he told me, “Multiple kinds of tricks. Cartwheels. I don’t know what else.”
– What do you want to be when you grow up? A ninja.
– What’s your favorite thing to do with Violet? Play the marble game with her.
I love this kid.
