This post is all about my favorite little boy in the whole wide world, Mr. Braden James. You are proud that your middle name is the same as daddy's and you try to get Karina to call you Braden James.
You are so goofy lately.
You LOVE your animals. This winter you got attached to this specific calf which you named Whitey.
There wasn't anything particularly special about this calf. I mean there are plenty of black cattle with white faces but you chose this one to be your buddy. You always wanted to check on him and you knew which one he was. The day daddy sold him and loaded him on a truck was a sad, sad day for you. You loved that moo cow something special. We went to say goodbye in between your sad sniffles. It's neat to see your personality grow and change, but you still love your animals fiercely!
Even the pretend ones.
You spend lots of time with your stick horse. You and Addyson like pretending you are animals or using your animals for something.
You spend lots of time on your hands and knees pretending to be a puppy, or a lion, or a horse, or anything that is noisy and can run. You chase your sisters all over the place. We are working on understanding what pestering is and trying not to do it. Mostly I think you just want someone to play with you (whenever daddy isn't available) and your sisters just do. not. get. it. Mommy is struggling to understand this little boy who is suddenly VERY rowdy. I think you are feeling over run by all the girls and wishing for a little brother to play boy stuff with.
And you play with your plastic animals. They are your most favorite toys. And you know each one. If you are missing one you can explain to me just what it looks like. Sometimes you like to group your cattle by color, or whether they have horns, or by size, or by boys and girls. You get frustrated when they were made without parts to distinguish whether they are a girl or a boy and we have to decide. Details. You line them up on the couch or in or on anything you can come up with. And you always want more. Because they are all different and each one is special to you. The cows and the horses are definitely your favorite though.
You like playing in the mud and you loved the many snows we got this winter.
You love doing things with daddy. Especially if it involves animals. Or helping. But mostly just daddy is important.
Here you were helping daddy with dishes.
Braden, you have a big, big heart. When we said goodbye to your great-grandma Dyck it was the first funeral you had gone to. And you started to understand death. Grandma died the day after Easter so everything we talked to you about Jesus dying for our sins and death struck you. And you felt the sadness everyone else was feeling because you just catch that stuff and you don't forget about people. And you boo-hoo'd through most of the services. I pray that that tender heart of yours loves Jesus and loves people your whole life long. Here you are sleeping on our road trip to Oklahoma for the funeral.
Here's my silly boy - that is some manly chapstick you have smeared all over yourself.
You have a big heart for your littlest sister. You two hit it off pretty early on and still have some good times together. You try to "help" her all the time, whether she appreciates it or not.
You are willing to share your toys with her and you can have the sweetest spirit towards her. You both have a love for snuggling. Here you are all snuggled up coloring on your leapster.
And you are willing to share your food sometimes too.
More hugs.
You've figured out how to pedal. Here you are on your daddy's old tricycle.
Licking the bowl is so much better without a shirt apparently.
You are full of love most of the time. You are so willing to help. You are still fearful of new things and new people. But if you are out with the animals you will probably talk anyone's ear off and you will become the best of friends. You made a new friend the other day with a little boy and you rode your ponies together, ate your Happy Meals, and had an awesome time. You think farming is ok, but mostly because it means being around daddy. Otherwise you'd really prefer being around the ranching part of things. Tractor time is not your favorite right now. At your four year checkup in April you weighed 39 pounds and were 41 inches tall. You are stretching out and looking older. Noodles are still one of your favorite foods but you like your chocolate milk pretty well too. And pop. McDonald's rates pretty high on the list too. You like to be with Addyson for new things - so glad you have her hand to hold when you get scared. You love watching cartoons and Franklin. Or anything at all about animals. We love you so much and we're sure glad to have a little boy just like you. You are an awesome brother to your sisters and an important part of our family!!
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