A Very Train Birthday

Fufamaloo,

You wore me out today. You woke up with a smile this morning and we partied hard. I am having a hard time believing that you, my BABY, turned four years old at 3:31 PM today. How are you now older than Taylor was on the day your were born? I am acutely aware of the quick passage of time. How I have loved being your mommy and spending the majority of the last four years with you. You make me laugh every single day. I just adore you.

When you woke up today, I came into your room before you were out of bed. I climbed into bed next to you and the first thing you did was put your hands on my cheeks and say "Mom, your cheeks are so warm. I love you. I never stop loving you." Be still my heart! It was a wonderful way to start the day celebrating your sweet little soul.

We came downstairs and you were thrilled to see presents on the fireplace. We grabbed a donut (mommy and daddy made coffee), and we watched you open gifts from Taylor, Matty, Aunt Janice, Mimi and Baba, and me and daddy. Every gift you received involved trains. Your train obsession made gifts pretty easy this year.

After church, we picked up Tyler and Owen (your buddies) and started our birthday adventure.

First, we went to lunch at Red Robin. Grandma and Pop Pop met us there.

Then, we drove to the airport light rail station and boarded the train for downtown. I wish I could have bottled up your excitement as you took the escalator to the train platform and watched the light rail approach. You were about to combust!

We rode the light rail for about 30 minutes and got off at Westlake Center in Seattle. From there, we walked to the Macy's holiday window display. Guess what was in the window? A train scene! If it were not rainy and chilly, you would have stood there and watched the trains for hours.

But, the monorail called, so we jumped on the monorail and rode to Seattle Center (by the Space Needle). We found a great spot in the Armory for cake (a train cake), watched another train display, got balloon animals, and started our trip back to the car.

We passed a holiday carousel on the way from the monorail to the train, and you wanted to go on it... so of course we let you and your buddies take a spin!

We dropped your very over-tired friends off at their homes around dinner time and came back to our house for pizza and presents with grandma and pop pop. Then, you had a bath, read books, decided you were hungry again (dad caved and gave you a banana), and finally went to bed. To say you had a special birthday would be an understatement. Daddy and I are beyond exhausted, but we will go to bed with smiles on our faces because you are so darn cute.

Here are some fun facts about you as a new four-year old:

• You are the most active four-year old I have ever seen. People comment on your energy and endurance on a regular basis. A few weeks ago, we watched you run at least seven laps around a high school track (~1.75 miles) during one of Taylor's soccer games. The other parents were giggling at your energy each time you circled the track. You tried to recruit other children to run with you after each lap, but no one could keep up with you.
• You are still obsessed with machines, conveyor belts, vacuums, trains and urinals. Your interests just makes me laugh. It is painful for me to read some of the books you enjoy because I just have no interest!
• Your favorite TV show is "Mighty Machines." Duh!
• Your best friends are Owen Park and Tyler Stone.
• Your favorite foods are chips and chili.
• Your favorite color is blue.
• When you grow up, you want to be a police officer (this is a new interest after spending Thanksgiving with daddy's cousin Brendan), an engineer, and an artist.
• Your favorite sport is "Seattle Seahawks, Billy Butler, Butler Basketball, and the Yankees... and the Oakland A's." This is your answer verbatim. :) You then corrected yourself and said you like football, baseball, and basketball.
• You still have a "hug box" and dole out hugs and kisses when you feel inspired. The other morning, you told me I should have slept next to you "in case a hug came out in the middle of the night."
• You have a slender, chiseled body. You are long and lean and look like a runner, even at age four.
• Your hair is crazy. I cannot control your bedhead and have given up trying.
• Lately, you have been walking around with a mechanical arm (you call it a grabber) and annoy all of us with your toy. The grabber goes with you to the bus stop, restaurants, and all around the house.
• When you wake up in the mornings, you typically come out of your bedroom with your Thomas the Train blanket over your head. You walk into my room or into the family room looking like a ghost. I will always smile when I remember the image of you doing this.
• Before saying anything, you walk up to me (or a teacher or another adult) and say "Guess what?" It is the funniest thing. You also say, "Mommy, do you know what?" or "I need to tell you something." We have tried to explain to you that you can just tell us the story without the pre-cursor, but you don't get it. That's okay, I love hearing you say "Guess what?" about fifty times a day.
• You exude joy! I cannot adequately describe how happy you can be and how much you make people smile when they interact with you. Your excitement is contagious. You shriek and giggle about the smallest things, and I can't help but smile - it can be something as little as passing a construction site or seeing a train trestle.
• On the flip side, when you are mad, you get pissed! You have no patience and are very demanding when you need something. The other day you said to me, "Thanks a lot, Mommy! You can't be my mommy anymore because you won't play trains with me." Then, after I cut my finger one night prepping dinner, you got mad and said "I hope you never stop bleeding" Sheesh! So, your cuteness is undone in a matter of seconds when you are upset.
• Your teachers LOVE you. There has not been one day that I've come to get you from school that your teachers have not told me about the cute/funny things you did or said during the day. Other teachers have found me in the hallways at preschool to tell me how adorable you are. Miss Aiti, your current teacher, told me that you always tell her you are a problem solver and that you can help her get things done.

Brayden, I love you to the moon and back and am so very grateful to be your mommy. You have brought endless laughter to our family, and I cannot wait to see what life has in store for you. I have no doubt that you will bring a smile to many, many faces in the coming years. XOXO