This Friday I feel like we all have plenty of things to celebrate. We made it through another week. We made it to the end of the month (well, if you don’t count tomorrow). We survived the first full month of school. And, for me, it’s pay day! Yahoo!
Today’s going to be a very special edition of Friday Favorites because I’m focusing on my favorite birthday boy: The newly 5-year-old Foster.
All About Foster
The word that best describes Foster is happy. Other people comment on how happy he is all the time. It makes my heart melt.
He was the happiest baby and he still is overflowing with joy (most of the time). But, seriously. I had no idea how fortunate I was to have a baby that smiled all the time. He was smiling non-stop even four years ago!
*Sidenote. I am dying laughing after watching that video. I totally forgot that he banged his head SO hard 5 minutes before this video. You can see the huge bump on his forehead. And he was already over it and smiling again!
Six months later … he’s still smiling (and dancing). 🙂
Another characteristic that describes Foster is literal. He is very literal. Last year while driving home from his friend’s birthday party I asked him something about the princess (who was hired for the party). He looked at me incredulously and said “She was not a princess. She was a lady who went to the store and bought a dress to look like a princess.” I hope he didn’t say that to the other kids during the party … Along the same lines, Foster put me in my place one day after swim team.
I asked him if he had fun at practice and he answered “Swim team is not for me to have fun. It’s for me to swim and for you to have fun watching me do it.” I guess I was a little more into it than him.
(I know I’m his mom, but) Foster is smart.
He just is! He takes after his dad. You can tell Foster something and he will quote it back to you verbatim a month later. His memory blows my mind. We stayed at Cinnamon Beach in Port Aransas back in May of 2016 and then went back six months later in December. Cinnamon Shore is a huge property with hundreds of vacation homes. I lose my bearings all the time when we’re there because the houses all look alike. Well, when we went back in December Foster walked out on to the balcony of the beach house and pointed across the pond directly at the house we stayed at previously. “We stayed across the lake in that building last time.” I couldn’t have even told you that. His memory is freaky!
Foster is loving. He loves giving big hugs and would love it if I just laid in bed with him each night at bedtime for an hour, cuddling and chatting. He is such a good big brother to Parker too.
Although I wouldn’t consider him generally patient, he is incredibly patient with her. He loves to teach her new things and help her accomplish new feats.
Most recently, he has been her biggest cheerleader in her potty training efforts. “Good job Parker! You get a skittle now!” 🙂
Foster wants to be just like his dad.
And he already is. It’s creepy. Just yesterday my friend Nicole filled me in on a conversation the kids had during carpool. Apparently, Foster was getting really frustrated that the other two kiddos were saying dragons were real. (Remember – he is very literal and he just wasn’t going to let them pretend about this.) He finally yells out, “My daddy knows everything and he says dinosaurs aren’t real.” Another child said that the only person who knows everything is God. Foster thought about it for awhile and then said “My dad went to heaven and talked to God. That’s how he knows everything.” Oh my.
And, if we’re being honest, Foster can be very sneaky.
A couple months ago I knew he had snuck into the kitchen to steal a few extra brownies but didn’t say anything at the time. That night at dinner I was laughing about it to Jarrod in front of Foster, saying that “Foster probably snuck in and grabbed an extra 4 brownies …” I then turned to Foster to ask him how many he had. He didn’t say anything for awhile and then said “I don’t know what to say because I don’t know how many you know about.” Ha!
Foster’s Big Day
Foster’s actual birthday was Saturday. He had an incredible day. The most commonly-exclaimed word of the day was “awesome.” 🙂
He woke up to a house full of streamers and balloons.
Unfortunately, this was the only photo I got. It was 6:40 am because we had to be at the soccer fields at 7:35 am … cut me some slack, okay?
Then, Foster played in his first soccer game EVER.
I would say his emotions during the game could initially be described as confusion …
Which quickly turned to frustration (as the other team kept scoring on them) …
But soon turned to excitement (as he assisted in a goal and began to get competitive).
Look at this sweet photo of my two during the game. (And so we’re clear, I did bring Parker in clothes. She fell into a huge puddle and was soaking wet and muddy so her clothes were quickly pulled off. 🙂 )
After the game the kids enjoyed some donut holes and we all sang happy birthday to the birthday boy.
The morning was absolutely perfect when Foster’s BFF, Finley, stopped by to wish him a happy birthday.
We then grabbed more donuts and Rudy’s breakfast tacos and headed home with some family to have a quick birthday celebration.
He opened a ridiculous amount of gifts.
Then we surprised him with a trip to Fiesta Texas. YAY!
Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Foster did not know anything about Fiesta Texas or amusement parks, so he didn’t really understand what we were doing until we pulled into the parking lot. That’s when he flipped out.
My husband and I couldn’t hide our smiles either – the early morning wake-up followed by nearly two hour drive was totally worth it.
Foster’s Five-Year-Old Interview
I like to ask my kids the same questions on their birthdays and then compare their responses each year. It’s so funny to see how their answers change (and for several questions) don’t change.
How old are you? 5
What makes you happy? When people be nice
What is your favorite toy? My favorite toy is the big crane that Jules got me.
What is your favorite stuffed animal? Butch
What is your favorite real animal? The spinosaurus. Wait, I forgot that’s not a real animal. My favorite animal is actually the hippo.
What is your favorite color? Green and blue
What is your favorite fruit? Canteloupe
What is your favorite thing to eat? Mac and cheese
What is your favorite drink? Apple juice
What is your favorite dessert or treat? M & Ms
What is your favorite thing to do? Play with my toys
What is your favorite TV show? Blaze and the Monster Machines
What are you really good at? Listening (ha ha ha – this interview took 15 minutes because he couldn’t listen)
What is your favorite song? The song at the end of Blaze and the monster machines
Who is the coolest person on Earth? You! (swoon …)
What do you and mommy do together? We go on roller coasters
What do you and daddy do together? I work with him
What do you and Parker do together? We play
If you could go anywhere, where would it be? The rollercoaster place (Fiesta Texas)
Who is your best friend? Reed
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Riding my bike
What is your favorite book? The Book Without Pictures
What do you want to be when you grow up? A worker and a daddy
What makes you sad? When people be bad to me.
Alright that’s it for this week’s special “Foster Friday Favorites.” Thanks for letting me gush about my favorite boy. See ya next week!
