Hunter and Jackson: 5 Years Old

Hunter and Jackson are FIVE!

The twins turn five on November 14th and I'm once again in disbelief that we have gotten to this point. The amount of growth and change that's happened again this year has been nothing short of remarkable. The past five years have gone by in the blink of an eye, yet I can't imagine life without our wild twin duo. It's hard to remember those tiny premie babies we brought home from the hospital, and how they have grown and changed so much. See how much they have changed since their first birthday, second birthday, third birthday, and fourth birthday.

They have left the toddler stage behind and we are left with two fun-loving adventurous little boys. We no longer have naps and go full speed all day. They still love to play outside, go on adventures, build forts, and ride their bikes and scooters. Their love of trucks holds strong and not many days go by without some sort of tractor ride.

They have so many firsts this year and big adventures including our first commercial plane flight, their first international trip, their first major league baseball game, their first trip to SeaWorld and Disney, and their first Polar Express. They took 17 flights in our small plane this year and are great travelers. They can tag along and do so many more things that felt impossible when they were younger. They are in their third and final year of preschool and will start kindergarten in the fall.

They mostly play together, coming up with all sorts of fun stories and situations to act out. They also thrive playing with other kids and have made friends with our neighbors and some of their preschool classmates.

They have had so many firsts and milestones this year, it's hard to remember it all, but we have made some wonderful memories.

5-Year-Old Update

Favorites

Art: Both boys actually love to do all sorts of coloring and art projects. They spend HOURS making all sorts of things and it's super interesting to watch.
Trucks: The boys still love trucks, although they now play with other toys too. Seeing a garbage truck still lights up their eyes, makes me so happy.
Lego: In the past few months the boys have started making and building with Legos. They build all kinds of fun things and it's cool to watch their minds work. We
Magnet Blocks: Another favorite toy that I love is these magnetic blocks. They will spend a long time creating big structures with them and really use their imagination.
Tractors: The boy's favorite toy remains the driving tractors that they got for their second birthday. They still use them all of the time and it's something they love so much.
Bikes: The boys got bikes for the Christmas after their fourth birthday and have been riding them ever since. They use them all of the time and are so good at them.
Scooters: They still use these scooters and go so fast on them. They are pros and go travel our driveway and street with them and go so fast it scares me.
Being Outside: Being outside is another favorite! They really thrive with anything outside.
Imaginary Play: Both boys have really grasped into imaginary play this year where they come up with stories together and play games together. It's super cute to watch.
Favorite Books: I've tried to buy different kids' books when we travel to remind them of trips we've been on. A favorite right now is Scoot's New Home, which is about a boat that lives on Hilton Head Island.

Jackson

Jackson has had so much growth this year. He's such a special kid with so much joy in his heart. He's kind and sweet and so creative. He'll spend hours coming up with an art project or building something. His mind comes up with all sorts of interesting and fun ideas of things he wants to create or build.

When Jackson is happy, everyone is happy. He's kind of infectious.

He's always doing something sweet for me, like leaving me a special stuffed animal on my bed, which is so endearing. He loves with his whole heart and cries when we have to drop off Makena at doggy daycare or visiting family leaves town. He loves to be helpful.

Jackson's a great eater who loves all sorts of food. His favorite food is still holding strong with Mac and Cheese. He loves chips and queso, crab dip, and even oysters.

He's really shot up this year, now coming in at 46.5 inches and nearly 47 pounds. You've probably noticed, but he is a good deal taller than Hunter these days.

Hunter

Hunter is still more even-tempered and a cuddle bug. He gives the best "Hunter hugs" and loves to cuddle with you on the couch. He'll sit for a lot longer than Jackson will and loves to be "cozy."

He has an endearing sweetness that I hope will serve him well in life. He calls me "lovey."

Hunter is often the leader among the twins or any other group of kids he's playing with. He's strong-willed, but not quite as much as Jackson.

"Puppy Hunter" hasn't been around at all this year, and I've missed that phase dearly.

Hunter loves to come up with games in his head and play them out with friends. He loves to direct a group.

Hunter has also turned into a pretty good eater, yet his favorite food remains Peanut Butter and Jelly. He also loves a good burrito. He has a pretty good sweet tooth and would eat anything sweet I gave him.

Hunter dropped his nap in January of last year very abruptly. I tried for a few months to keep the boys on that schedule with a quiet time instead of a nap but eventually gave up after no one ever wanted to do it and I was exhausted from fighting it daily. They now are full speed ahead all day long. 🙂

Hunter is now 44 inches and he weighs 43 pounds.

It's been a joy watching these boys grow! I'm so grateful they are mine.

5th Year Highlights

What a year. I love having these posts to look back on as a bit of a yearbook, so I'm going to share the highlights of the past year. I love having these as a bit of an online baby book. I hope you enjoy reading it as well.

Let's kick our recap off with their 4th birthday. We had a pirate-themed birthday this year and it was so cute.

They celebrated at the Little Gym and had a fabulous party.

Thanksgiving was a few weeks later and we celebrated at home with Dad, Margaret, and our friends.

Christmas rolled around quickly and they smiled for our holiday card photo.

We had all sorts of fun holiday activities, many of which are now tradition, including seeing Santa at the Biltmore.

We also snuck in a visit to see the Winter Lights at the Arboretum.

And a huge first for the family, our first trip to the Polar Express. It was such a fun day and they believed the entire thing!

Christmas we celebrated with two boys who were so excited to see Santa. It was such a magical age for the holiday.

The big gift this year was bikes which they had to ride for the first time in the garage because of the record-breaking artic blast that weekend in Asheville.

In January we kicked off the year with another big first for the boys, we took them to Turks and Caicos, which marked their first commercial flight and their first international trip.

They did wonderful and it was such a lovely adventure for the entire family.

In January the boys came back to Asheville and became pros at our new bikes.

In February we took a quick visit to Columbia to see the cousins for the day, including visiting the Columbia Zoo.

They also celebrated Valentine's Day.

March arrived and we celebrated St. Patrick's Day, complete with leprechaun traps.

The boys also had a visit from Bobby and Pap, who took us to the Greenville Zoo to explore.

When the weather started to warm, we got out of the Biltmore to see the tulips.

Palm Sunday weekend was wonderful. My Brother and his family came to visit and we enjoyed more cousin time.

They also had a visit from Grandpa Nick over Easter weekend.

Easter was lovely, with pretty weather and another great Easter egg hunt.

The boys remembered all the holidays and traditions this year, which made everything even more fun.

In April we also made another quick visit to Lake Lure for more cousin and family time.

In late April we took our annual post-tax season trip. This year the boys went to Marco Island, which was new to all of us. We were planning on going to Captiva, but it got his by the Hurricane in September.

The boys had so much fun including taking their first boat tour, which included shelling on a remote island.

On the way home we stopped in Orlando to see Grandpa Nick and got to go to their first theme park, Sea World. It was such a fun day for all of us.

We also got to visit Downtown Disney!

Back in Asheville, the boys helped me celebrate Mother's Day with brunch at the Grove Park.

And we also went strawberry picking.

Memorial Day weekend we spent back with family, visiting the cousins in Columbia again. This time we visited the Children's Museum there.

June was a super fun month too! We tagged along with Daddy on a business trip to Atlanta, stayed in their first big city hotel, and saw all sorts of fun city things.

The boys also went to their first major league baseball game, a Braves game.

We also spent a long weekend in Atlanta visiting the zoo and the nature center.

Plus, we went to the Georgia Aquarium, which was epic.

We also kicked off another round of swim lessons. The boys took them from July until October and became much better swimmers this year. They both can swim across a pool now. Our plan is to start them back up after the new year.

In late June we took our annual trip to Hilton Head Island.

And for the 4th of July, we split our time between our friend's house on Lake Keowee and Pittsburgh.

We had more family time in Pittsburgh with the cousins.

In late July we got to peach picking.

We also rode our scooters along the sunflowers at the Biltmore. They did the entire path!

In August we met up with the Hub's family for their big annual family vacation. This year was in Nags Head. The boys loved being around family all week.

For Labor Day we hosted more family in Asheville and everyone went apple picking. I love how much time we spent with our cousins this year!

September kicked off a new school year and the boy's last first day of preschool. Next year they start kindergarten.

In mid- September we snuck away for one last summer adventure. This time to Bald Head Island.

We returned to full-on fall including the school apple-picking field trip.

For fall break we went on a some fun adventures including visiting the Bilmtore, Arboretum and going on a hike on a the Blue Ridge Parkway.

We also visited our pumpkin patch.

In October the twins and I tagged along with Daddy on a business trip again, this time to Key West. We went on a boat ride, saw the sunset celebration, and rode the conch train.

On the way home we stopped in Orlando again and this time did Disney! It was the twin's first trip the the Magic Kingdom and it was nothing short of magical.

We rounded out the year with our annual family costume, "Welcome to Jurrasic Park!"

It was the best Halloween for everyone.

And all of this leads up to their fifth birthday. I cannot believe how much they have grown this year and how lucky and blessed we are to be able to take the kiddos on so many fun adventures. I hope this little online journal has been fun for you to look back on.

Happy 5th Birthday Hunter and Jackson... my world is a better place because of you too!

If you are still reading at this point, thank you for supporting my family and enjoying the boys as much as we do!

Have you missed any Hunter and Jackson news? Catch up here…

5-Year-Old Update

Favorites

Jackson

Hunter

5th Year Highlights

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