Brody Kristopher, 5 (what?!) Years

Brody!  We can't even believe that you, our first baby, are now FIVE!  It sounds so...so...old. :)
 

I think that first pic is one of my all-time favorites of you.  Of course I'm biased, but you are just so darn cute.  Your little blonde buzz-cut, your dark eyes, your sweet smile...you are a beautiful boy, and I'm sure glad you're mine!


You've done a lot of growing up this year!  It made my heart so sad last year when you would be in tears almost the entire morning at preschool.  You love you daddy so much and would constantly ask for him.  This year...wow, what a change!  You walk in like you own the place, and Ms. Beth says she has seen so much improvement in your listening skills and your ability to pay attention.  You can carry this over to your home life annnnnyyyy time now... :)


At home, it seems like you're always faced with a dilemma of sorts: act like your 3-year-old twin siblings or be the big boy, the role-model of the family.  And we never know just what you'll decide in any given situation.  Sometimes you leave us feeling like we have a set of triplets, and other times we are so proud of you for making smart choices and being a great big brother.


You have always loved to be our little helper.  Whether it's by Mommy's side or Daddy's, we can always count on you to lend a helping hand.  I love that when you hear me getting bowls out to make something, you run out to the kitchen to grab a chair to stand on and push it up beside me to help.  I love to see your face light up because you feel so special.


I've even caught you standing by the loveseat...you know, that piece of furniture in the living room that holds all the clothes that come out of the dryer until Mommy gets a burst of energy to fold and put them all away?? Anyways, I've caught you standing there on several occasions, working so hard to perfectly fold our washcloths and towels.  That is so sweet of you!


One thing in particular that makes me so proud to be your momma is that you are normally so polite!  Remembering to say please and thank you, asking to be excused from the table, saying "excuse me" when you belch like a boy--ha ha.


A few of your favorite things at FIVE years old: tractors and monster trucks, sunbutter and jelly, Jason Aldean and Rascal Flatts, books and magazines.  You love to be outside!  Sports will hold your attention for a short time, but you'd much rather ride your four-wheeler and motorcycle, or tinker around with things and pretend you're mowing the lawn or heading off to work.


You've also become extremely opinionated about the clothes you wear.  You always have to wear socks, even to bed.  Actually, you've designated some socks to be "school socks" and others to be "bedtime socks."  Jeans are a must right now, you request an undershirt if the shirt we pick out for you has a tag at the neckline, and some days you're just a flat-out stinker about wearing what we want you to wear.  Some days we give in, and while we think you look ridiculous wearing a Santa shirt in June...or a too-tight, too-short t-shirt paired with jean shorts, long socks, and boots...YOU think you look just absolutely fine.


Ooohhh, Brody.  You're funny and frustrating, lovable and challenging.  You can be so hard to please at times, yet so caring and thoughtful and sweet.  Each day is definitely an adventure, and we're learning to just hop on and enjoy the ride.  Love you so much, Little Man.

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And I realized I totally neglected to post anything about Brody's first day of school, which was Wednesday, August 22.  Kris snapped a couple pictures for me since that was my first week of school, too.
 

And this was another morning before school in early September...I believe I had to take a half-day off for an appointment in the AM, so I was able to see him off before Kris drove him to school.
 


Finally, Brody was so proud to have received a "Caught Being Good" award in early September.