My Baby is Still Single (Digits)

Our little caboose turned NINE!  Last year of single digits for a Martin kid.  Brendan's birthday comes at a very busy time of year, when college kids are leaving and school is about to start up, so I would recommend to any couple who are trying to have a baby...just go ahead and skip Thanksgiving "dessert".

Having said that, of course we have no true regrets because otherwise we would not have Brendan Joseph!

We started the festivities on Sunday night with a Happy Birthday Brendan/Farewell Eamon dinner with some family and friends:

Brendan is Eamon's mini-me

His godmother gave him what he really wanted - cold, hard cash!

"Now I have $86 in my wallet!!!!"

On his actual birthday, he woke up to cards and notes and candy and a new water bottle from his siblings:

Declan's joke - the princess bday card

Then we (Phil, me, Eamon, Declan and Brendan) headed off to Camelback Resort in the Poconos for a surprise overnight stay on the way to visit family and drop Eamon off at college.  We stopped for lunch at the nearest Burger King along our route and it happened to be located in the food court in the mall.  So that little 4 minute detour took a lot longer when we had to park and walk through a giant mall to the 3rd floor food court.  But it was a fun memory!  Especially since we were all walking around in swimwear!

Before we knew it, we were at the waterpark:

I love the bright yellow matching shirts for easy spotting!

Brendan told me he rode the biggest ride at the exact minute he'd been born nine years prior, and I told him that his birth was the biggest ride I had been on nine years prior!

For the birthday boy's dinner, we went to Barley Creek Restaurant and got burgers.  Brendan ordered a raspberry lemonade like the sophisticated nine year old that he is.

Brendan is a whip smart boy, sometimes too big for his britches, cuddle bug with a sarcastic sense of humor and typically a great attitude.  He thinks life is unfair a lot since he's the youngest and that's what they do, but he typically enjoys hanging around all the older siblings and keeps up with them.  Brendan is a swimmer and piano player just like his brother Xander, wants to be a doctor like his brother JP, wants Birkenstocks like his brothers Andrew and Eamon once his feet stop growing, loves to draw, loves dogs, the color blue, is my literal memory, only has one best friend (Jackson) because you can't have more than one best anything, and is very proud to have two different color eyes (green and hazel).  We love him so much and I hope his love of hugging us never goes away.  They are the best!

We went back to the hotel and Eamon took the boys to the arcade while Phil and I went for a walk around the property, and then we gave Brendan his birthday presents of new sneakers (he wanted ones like Dad) and a smart watch and new crocs.  He was a very happy guy as he thought that the waterpark was his present :)

We all fell asleep eventually and woke up too early the next morning.  The three boys went back to the waterpark as soon as it opened and rode all the big rides that had no lines yet.  Phil and I went for a run and ended up getting lost for a bit and ran longer than intended,  but found our way back and saw five deer along the way!  We all showered and packed up the room and we were off to Maryland to see Phil's side of the family for the night.  The rain and fog and traffic were horrific and it felt like a very long ride.  

It was good to see the family members who were around that evening, and we slept at his parent's house overnight before leaving the next morning to take Eamon to college, which will be the next post!