Happy Birthday Brayden!!

My little man is growing up...Brayden celebrated his 5th birthday on Friday! It's hard for me to imagine that it was only 5 years ago that this thing called Motherhood began. Being the first child, Brayden holds a special place in my heart. I remember so many of our moments together when he was a baby, much more vividly than Landon or Charlotte (sad, but true). Although I am often hardest on Brayden (maybe this is an oldest child thing??), he takes it all in stride. He has handled our big move so well, and I am so proud of him for that. He is Ryan's little clone in so many eerie ways, not just physically, but even down to the way he likes his things organized and tidy. He has turned into a big kid lately, which is just so fun to see. Our conversations are so funny, as he is trying to figure out how everything works in life. He is so observant, and I have to laugh when he uses my punishments or rewards for him on Landon. The funniest was last week when Landon came down after getting his pajamas on and told me that he needed a sucker. When I told him "No" he said, "Brayden said if I got my pajamas on right away I could earn a sucker!" and then Brayden came down and said, "Yeah mom, he's telling the truth, I told him that, so he earned a sucker." Needless to say, Brayden and I had a little talk about who doles out the punishments and rewards at our house.

I had been feeling bad about Brayden's birthday because I wasn't able to deliver on a big "friends" party this year like I promised (before I knew we were going to be moving). He had been talking about his birthday for weeks, and so I knew he would appreciate something special. I made Brayden's favorite breakfast and then Ryan and Brayden went out for some father-son bonding time. When they got back we did cake and presents and headed out for the afternoon to see the Flower Carpet, a big event they do every 2 years in the Grand Place in downtown Brussels. We finished off the night at a local resturaunt with Brayden's favorite food, PIZZA, and hit a small street carnival in our neighborhood, ending it all with huge ice cream cones. It was great and grand and the perfect way to celebrate Brayden's entrance into big boy land! Thanks for being my good little-big man Brayden - I love you!