Nine Things About Brady

1. Brady was born on January 26, 1999. He was of course the cutest baby I had ever seen in my life. Firstborns tend to be that way though. It was literally love at first sight and those maternal instincts I had only heard about up to that point had completely embraced us both. He was mine and I knew I could take care of him. We would learn together, but it was entirely this brand new infant straight from heaven that would teach me how to mother. Don't get me wrong, I don't consider myself a pro, I still learn things everyday about this important calling I have of being a mother but I can honestly say that Brady, as an infant, taught me the most.

2. Brady has always given 110%. Even at a very young age he has given his all to everything he has ever done. He threw the best tantrums, he laughed the hardest, he played hard, he cried unconsolably, he continues to go, go, go. He loves life. He's happy and does his best at everything he tries. Not to mention he's our only child who has had multiple trips to the ER, again showing us he always does his best even considering injuries.

3. Brady is a natural athlete. I know this sounds like we're fluffing his feathers a little bit, but being the most unathletic being in the human race, it simply amazes me that he is so good at sports. He is a natural. That's all I can say. He excels at swimming, baseball, and basketball. He is great at each sport and loves them all equally. His endurance, strength, accuracy, and skill blow me away. How can he be mine?

4. Brady loves caring for others. He is a great big brother especially to his baby sister, Maddie. He adores her! It is so sweet to watch him care for her. She is 7 years younger than him and I think that distance between them allows him to be the doting big brother that his other siblings don't necessarily need. The way he speaks to her, how he always wants to hug her, how he is always looking out for her and helping her is so rewarding to watch. Atleast 2 of our kids get along.

5. Brady also loves animals. Since he was about 2 years old, he has always had a pet in his room to take care of. The first pet he had was a beta fish. It was the brightest turquoise color. He had a little rubber lizard toy the same exact color, so when we asked him what he wanted to name his fish he said, "Lizard". Made sense. So he took care of his fish named Lizard for 2 years. When we moved to Spokane, Lizard kicked the bucket. The only way to console our devastated little 3 year old was to tell him that by flushing him down the toilet, Lizard would be able to swim to Jesus. We should have thought a little harder on that one since we spent the next few months trying to convince him that poo poo does not take the same route to Jesus that the fish did.

6. Brady is very smart. I know, again we're fluffing those feathers, but it's true. He's extremely bright. We have seen so many times when the wheels are turning in his head and he says some pretty incredible things. I love it. Something else I love is that he loves to learn. His teacher noticed he needed to be challenged in a few of his subjects at school and has devised seperate lessons for Brady. He loves to be challenged especially in spelling. His teacher gives Brady a list of words to study for that week and allows Brady to pick one word from the dictionary that he didn't know how to spell before. He of course loves picking words like cephalothorax, revolutionize, identification, distinguishable... He has yet to miss a word on his tests!

7. Brady is a rule follower. He takes rules very seriously. This doesn't mean he is always a straight arrow but he is a great kid. He takes the recommended "read 20 minutes a day" suggestion from his teacher literally. He will even set his alarm 1 hour early in the mornings before getting ready for school in order to read. This is why he loves scouts. He loves passing off all the requirements and does more than what is required.

8. Brady has a great sense of humor. He loves to laugh and tries to make us laugh. He's gassy at all the wrong moments but thinks it's hilarious. He does the robot dance, I'm still trying to figure out if those really are his only dance moves. He tries to mime - you know trying to get out of a box. First time I saw him do this was during a Sacrament meeting. Nice. He's funny and has a great laugh.

9. Brady is an avid Pokemon collector. I thought supporting this interest of his at age 5 would just be a phase. I bought him some cards, a few toys, a computer game. No big deal. But 4 years later, his little hobby took on its own life and he's still going strong. I don't understand it. He has probably 700 cards and knows every single one of them. Knows their name, power, life, knows a good trade from a bad trade, watches the cartoons, has the video games. He lives for Pokemon.

So that's Brady. Today is his 9th birthday. I can't believe it. This little baby of mine is becoming a young man. Which also means I'm becoming an old woman. What's happening?

Happy Birthday, Brady!

I love you!!