My Little Braiden

My little Braiden just had a birthday. He is now seven years old.

Seven.

Years.

That's old.

Where did the time go? How did this happen? Am I in some sort of time warp? I remember when I found out that we were pregnant with him, and inside, I was secretly scared about having a boy. I already had two little girly girls....I wasn't sure how to be a mom to a boy! But all fears completely and immediately disappeared when I saw him for the first time. Now, I can't imagine life without my sweet little boy.

So, since this is his birthday post, I wanted to take a "snapshot" of Braiden the way he is right now. This is my little man at age seven:

--He absolutely adores his dad. I love this about him. It is so funny, because he has to wear whatever Dad is wearing. If Dad takes off his baseball hat, Braiden does too. If Dad changes into shorts, Braiden disappears for a while and then comes back in shorts! It is the cutest thing. He really cares what his Dad thinks about things and I hope that continues forever.

--He is not a morning person. Poor kid, he inherited this from me. For the first few weeks of school, I didn't think we would make it. Twelve years of getting up early and being to school on time? I don't think so! We had a very rough start until he received a Mater (from the movie CARS) alarm clock for his birthday. Now, Mater yells at him in his southern drawl every morning to get out of bed. It has worked like a charm and he doesn't have to be told a second time to get moving!

--He loves Kaden. Kaden is his best buddy in the whole world and I hope it will always be that way. They have a great time together, usually riding bikes or playing the Wii.



--He loves babies. Ever since I can remember, he as been obsessed with them. When Ethan came along, he was constantly begging me to let him hold him and have me take his picture. His latest obsession is with his cousin, Cora. He loves to hold her little hands and kiss them. It is so sweet.



--He likes his ears. I know this one sounds really weird, but he likes playing with his ear. He is always bending it and folding it over on itself. It's the funniest thing, and I know if I don't write it down, I will forget this cute little quirk of his.
 

--He loves to joke around. He has quite the funny personality. He is always cracking jokes, quoting movies at just the right time, and being plain silly. Here he is getting ready for the July 4th rodeo being silly...

And here he is again at Disneyland practicing his air guitar skills. Funny kid...



--He is very affectionate. He is my cuddler. He will offer free hugs out of the blue at random times of the day. I can always count on him if I need a little squeeze.

--He likes sports. I wouldn't say that he is athletic, but he does enjoy playing sports. His favorite is basketball (probably because it's Dad's favorite). He also plays soccer and T-Ball.

--He is a very picky eater. I have to say that most of the trouble we get from Braiden is over food. I don't know if it stems from his Reflux when he was a baby, or if he just takes after me when I was a kid (I'm much better now), but he will turn up his nose at most things. After some arguing, he is usually the last one still at the dinner table and when he finally decides to eat, he realizes that it isn't as bad as he feared. The problem is, he always forgets that when I cook it again and we have to repeat the entire process.

--Favorites. Favorite show--Phineas and Ferb. Favorite toy--his bike or Legos. Favorite cereal--Rice Chex. Favorite lunch--Mac and Cheese. Favorite sandwich--Peanut Butter and Honey. Favorite ride at Lagoon--Wicked.

These are a few things that I always want to remember about Braiden at age seven. I already know all too well how fast time flies. There are so many things in the past twelve years of being a mom that I have forgotten and it makes me sad inside. I am now using blogging as my "journal" and trying to preserve these "snapshots" of time. I know it won't be too long before I look back on this time and remember with fondness my little man.

Here are the rest of his birthday pictures. They turned out really cute. He doesn't like to smile with his teeth showing because he think he looks goofy. I think he's cute either way, but maybe I'm a little biased.

Happy Birthday, Braiden! I love you!