Brian's 10th Birthday!

Brian is 10 years old!  I cannot believe it! 

Here are some facts about Brian at this age:

-  He loves to play with Julia.  He is good at taking care of his little sisters.  

- He likes to cook and bake.  So far, he can make Kraft mac and cheese, Betty Crocker blueberry muffins, Jiffy Muffins, Jell-o, and seasoned taco meat.  

-  He likes to play car racing games on my iPhone.

-  He likes to experiment and figure out how things work.  A few weeks ago, he tied a rope from the back of his bike to the handle of the red wagon.  He found out that he is strong enough to bike and pull Katie and Julia in the wagon.  It's fun for him to take his sisters on rides around the neighborhood.

-  He is very responsible and is one who follows the rules.

-  He is the hardest working elementary school student that I know.  Brian has gone up a couple of reading levels this school year and his reading level is now 4.5 (middle of fourth grade)!  I know that my boy always tries his best.  I admire that he doesn't beat himself up if he doesn't do so well on a test.  He has a "can do" attitude that is so important.

-  Brian's favorite color is still red and he still loves giving us weather reports.  

-  Brian likes to set a big goal and break it down into smaller goals to reach along the way.  He works hard towards reaching a goal.

Brian wanted me to take note of the gifts that he got for this birthday:  special stamping markers, a sketchbook, a deluxe Trapper Keeper binder, red Hubba Bubba gum, a Jell-O mold kit, a giant bag of Swedish Fish, Big Hero 6, and his very own iPod.  He's very excited to get the movie onto his iPod as well as some "rock music."  

Brian LOVES birthdays!  He insisted on making his own birthday cake.  He was very specific on how he wanted his cake to look (two round 8 inch cakes with chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles).  Two days before his birthday, Brian and I finished our reading goal that we had set back on Christmas Day.  Together read the first 28 books of "The Magic Tree House" series.  Our reward was a trip to the Jump Zone on his birthday.  Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling so good that day and had to send Sam in my place.  Brian had so much fun with his Dad.  I am making up for my absense this week when I chaperone the 4th grade field trip to Hogle Zoo and the Natural History Museum.  

We are SO glad Brian is in our family.  He keeps us organized and is a great helper.  We love his enthusiasm for learning and for helping others.  We love his great smile and his love for quality time.