Erin Is How Old?

Given her time in grade, Erin has entered the stomping ground of 5-year-olds. I contend she has been playing in this arena for months. Days ago she had her 5th birthday! It was obvious to all in the Robinson house that nobody was more excited for this day than Erin. Amy, Tyrel, and I were held hostage to the imagination and wonderings of a very excited soon-to-be 5-year-old. More realistically, we couldn’t find peace from this child. I now know the total focus of a 5-year-old child during such times is miraculous. To add fuel to an already raging inferno, a few days before Erin’s birthday, we received a LARGE package in the mail. It didn’t take Erin long to put 2 and 2 together and realize whatever was in this large box was likely her birthday present. I don’t know if it was intentional, but Amy left that LARGE box out and unopened for days and Erin could not pass this box without letting everyone know she had decided her birthday present was inside. Even funnier, Erin would study the address label pretending to receive some inspiration as to the contents.

Eventually, Tyrel kicked Erin’s psychological tricycle in the ditch when he informed her the package was addressed to Amy Robinson and not Erin Robinson. That little curve ball left Erin speechless, but only for a split second. I confessed to Amy and I was tempted to hide this box and wrap a very small decoy box to give to Erin. I had second thoughts when I realized this would be very, very cruel. Erin’s big day finally came. It began like most days at our house - Amy’s alarm goes off, and off, and off for an hour or more before she finally shuts it off and gets up. Next, Erin shows up in our room shortly after 6:00 AM already fully dressed. Now is where this day was different. Instead of going to the kitchen and getting into food she shouldn’t be in to (e.g. pudding, cookies, the sugar bowl, etc), she was instantly working Amy like a rented mule to hurry and get ready so she could open her presents. When Amy was ready and Tyrel was able to fight the mattress monster off his back, we all met to watch Erin in an unwrapping fury. This ended soon enough and we all knew round 2 would start after work. Family came over in the evening for cake and ice cream and this unwrapping frenzy continued, this time with an added element of “tired Erin who did not get a nap.” We were all exhausted just watching her.

Looking back over the past 5 years I realize we enjoy Erin for her uniqueness. In fact, it is best explained by saying she is in many ways the opposite of Tyrel. I have learned that to enjoy one of our children you must also have experienced the other- otherwise, you only get half the experience with nothing to compare the other with. No doubt, one child makes Amy and I appreciate the other.

Each day Erin’s daytime activities defer to what is best described as combat sleeping. She is never under the bedding and she uses her entire bed when she sleeps. This girl twists, turns, and falls offer her bed each night. We discovered that the fire alarm going off over her head doesn’t even cause her to stir (oh how I long for that kind of sleep).

For instance, Erin will not be convinced she is wrong. As Jarod (a close friend) discovered during our Disneyland Trip a while back, Erin CAN swim, even when she is taking on water, coughing, and can’t touch the bottom of the pool. For those or you wonder, Erin jumped into the deep end of the hotel swimming pool without hesitation. To this day, she CAN swim in her own mind.
This year Erin played her first organized sport. Before her first soccer game, Tyrel told her to be mean when she was playing. This brotherly advice was unwarranted as Erin came out of the package more aggressive. She typically scores more goals than all other players (her team and the opposing team) combined. She is blessed with speed.

Amy and I have already started praying for whoever her kindergarten teacher will be next year. In her own words, she is “very smart” (I will add she is humble too, just ask her). I was informed by Amy that Erin counted to 100 the other day- without help. We opted to not send her to pre-school after we realized she already knows the alphabet and can also write each letter. Finally, colors came naturally to her as she spends a great deal of time coloring and painting.

Truly, we enjoy Erin’s imagination, her “in your face” personality, and her candor. We are blessed to have her. Happy 5th, we recognize the best is yet to come.