Happy 5th birthday, Brandon!
Brandon is weighing 48.80 lbs and is 46 inches tall now! Even with this growth Brandon still seems to fit into size 5/6 tops but is struggling with bottoms, size 5 fits in the waist but is getting too short in length but size 6 is just too baggy! And Brandon loves, LOVES “soft pants” as in sweat pants and thankfully I found some sweat pants with a real drawstring! Brandon is wearing a size 12 shoe.
Brandon still likes the comfort of knowing Mommy or Daddy are close by — so Mom or Dad usually read in our room for a while until Brandon has fallen asleep.
Brandon is more open to trying new foods but he still has his staple go to foods — pasta of any kind (we are slowly trying sauce sometimes), egg scrambled or poached (just like Mom), hot dogs with ketchup and of course strawberries and raspberries, cucumber, carrots and broccoli. Brandon’s new food likes since last year are rice, green peppers, watermelon and pizza.
Brandon is definitely a strong personality (like his dad); he gets frustrated easily and is constantly trying to keep up with his big brother, Owen. Brandon is very competitive in everything he does – we are trying to teach Brandon that winning isn’t everything and that trying your best and not giving up is more important.
Brandon loves attention and will do most anything to get a smile, a laugh, a giggle from anyone. Brandon loves to dance, to sing and be silly to music. Some of Brandon’s favorite tv shows and movies are Special Agent OSO, Handy Many, Bee Movie and Rio.
Brandon moved to a new daycare this summer, the daycare Owen went to when he moved to kindergarten. Brandon and Owen seem much happier now that they are both together again. Brandon and Owen take care of each other, watching out for each other’s jackets and shoes and lunches (makes Mom’s job a little easier).
Brandon started kindergarten this September and was very excited to be going to school with Owen. On the first day, though, when he stepped off the daycare van, the look on his face was the look of oh-my-gosh there are so many kids! Thankfully he spotted Mom and Dad waiting to walk him to class; he grabbed Mom’s hand and didn’t want to let go. Dad did a very good job of distracting and encouraging so Mom and Dad could leave the classroom. So far three weeks in, Brandon enjoys school – recess is the favorite!
Brandon played outdoor soccer again this spring; this time with Owen on his team and Dad and Mom as coaches. The soccer was a hit again, Brandon loved chasing for the ball, running for it and trying his best to score a goal! Last year Brandon and Owen played ice hockey for the first time. It was a great experience for them and for us. Dad did the head coach role and we made some wonderful friends through hockey that we have continued to keep in contact with all year! Brandon and Owen will start another year of hockey this fall….with Dad as head coach again (he loves it)! Over the summer we built a play set for the boys in the yard, Brandon loves to swing and he will swing for hours! Sean and I have been encouraging the boys to ride their bikes more over the summer and by the time school started, Brandon was trying very hard to ride without training wheels! He is so close!!
Brandon still loves playing bad guy and good guy — so army men (complete with the jeeps, tanks, helicopters and guns), superhero’s (The Hulk, Spider-man, Batman and Ironman), police men and fire men are his favorite thing to play with these days. Brandon still loves building and fixing things – so tools, construction trucks and lego are always a hit. Brandon also still really enjoys dress up — fireman, policeman (or SWAT) or cowboys are the favorites!
Brandon’s birthday party was Army theme at a wonderful facility with a climbing structure, movie theatre, air hockey table and plenty of room to run this year.