Brayden,
Happy 13th Birthday! How, oh how, are you a teenager? I know I take these milestones with you the hardest because they are the last milestones, but it's hard to believe you are a teenager. You have grown and matured in so many ways over the past few years, and at the same time, you are still a little boy.
Your 13th birthday fell on Thanksgiving. The last time your birthday fell on Thanksgiving was your 2nd birthday. I remember back in 2014, when we determined that your birthday would not fall on Thanksgiving for another 11 years, and that felt like an eternity. Yet, here we are! Time is a thief. You were a trooper sharing your special day with this American holiday. You had your whole family, Mimi, Grandma, Pop Pop, Uncle Ryan and Aunt Brandi (and sometimes Tyson, Taylor's boyfriend) with you the entire day.
Wednesday afternoon, we went to Top Golf and then went out to dinner at Mizu, a Japanese steakhouse. You still stifle a smile when any attention is given to you. You and Matty had fun competing against each other at Top Golf - seeing the two of you finding a shared interest brings me great joy.
At 13, you are just starting to show signs of puberty. I think Matty was much further along by the time he turned 13, but it is totally okay to be a late bloomer. In fact, it is better for your kidney function if you grow later. You are eating more and more, and you are starting to hide your naked body from me, so I guess these are natural signs of growth and change.
For your birthday, dad and I surprised you with a ski trip to Colorado. We are going next weekend and skiing at Winter Park. I know you are beyond excited about this trip - undivided attention from us PLUS skiing! You still LOVE skiing and want to go whenever possible.
Other notes about you:
- Hair - You have great hair now. I think back to the days when you would roll out of bed and go to school with a head of lettuce on your head, and now you spend a lot of time (and put a lot of product) on your hair. It looks really cute, I must say. You and Matty go to the same barber for $50 hair cuts. It is expensive, but I know hair is important to both of you.
- Cooking - You still love to cook. You are always coming up with new recipes. Recently, you started making "Indian" chicken after being inspired by friends at lunch. You take rotisserie chicken and add a bunch of spices. It is really cute. The other night, I was watching Matty's basketball game when you called me and asked if you could make a side dish for dinner. When I asked what you wanted to make, you said "a Mexican naan bread." I had to laugh because I have no idea where you come up with these ideas. I
- Friends - Your best friends are still Owen, Drew, and lots of other boys, but the dynamic seems to be changing. You are making friends at school, and I hear stories about them, but I have not met them. Your group does not tend to hang out socially. Earlier this month, your school hosted a dance/glow party. I texted several of your friend's parents and offered to take everyone out for pizza, drop you at the dance, pick you up from the dance, and bring everyone back here for a sleepover. Guess who was interested? No one. It's one thing to miss a social event at school because you have a better alternative, but it is crazy to me that your friends would rather stay at home on a Saturday night than go to the dance.
- Soccer - You played Select Soccer for the first time this fall. You also played on the CMMS varsity soccer team. You have not complained once and seem to enjoy the sport. You are not as aggressive as your brother on the pitch, but you are gaining confidence and playing really well. I love that you are finding your thing... and I love that you have different interests than Matty.
- Clothing - Your style has changed in the past year too. You wear sweats, sweats and more sweats. I have given away all of your "little boy" clothes because you very much want to look like the cool kids. You love Hollister and Uni-glo sweatpants and sweatshirts. You wear the Hollister white t-shirts that we bought in Chicago over the summer over and over and over.
- Video games - You still love to play video games. Some evenings, you will be on that darn device all night.
- Bedtime - Bedtime is still a chore. We still have to micro-manage you every night. You'll tell us that you are getting ready to go to bed, but then an hour later, you have still not started. Then, once you shower and brush your teeth, you come into our bedroom and play with the dog. And then, you decide to clip your nails, find some Aquaphor, fill your water bottle, snuggle with Annie again, pack your backpack, etc.
- Church - You ask to go to church every Sunday. Interestingly, you have no interest in going to youth group, so you sit with us through every service. You also listen to worship music on Spotify all the time. I love that when I see you wearing AirPods, I know there is a very high likelihood that you are rocking out to Christian music.
- School - You are in a high-school level math class this year and are working very hard. I have seen you very stressed because you want to excel in this class since your grade goes on your high school transcript. You have been on the brink of tears many times. Thankfully, your sister is awesome and sits down to work you through challenging problems. Science seems to come easy for you. You are always excited for projects and research. Your teacher has sent me emails, telling me how awesome you are.
- Annie - You LOVE Annie. I will miss hearing your high-pitched "AAAAANNNNNIIIIIEEEE" when you want her to come play with you. Someday soon, that high pitch is going away. I wish Annie loved you as much as you love her. Many nights, you ask me to come into your room so that Annie will follow me onto your bed.
- Restaurants - Your favorite restaurant is Aji, but you also love Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A, and Jersey Mike's for a quick fix.
- Vacations - Your favorite vacation spot is anywhere that has skiing. :)
Mom
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