Mile High Fun

Since Braden is absolutely obsessed with planes, we decided to take him on a trip to Vegas. He was ecstatic from the moment we arrived at the airport.

Braden prepared to get on the plane with his boarding pass in hand. He probably would have been thrilled to stare out the window all day at all the planes arriving and departing.

When Braden wasn't shouting "whoa!" and "wow!" he did a bit of browsing through the Sky Mall catalog, just like Daddy. We thought his enthusiasm was so cute...don't most travelers appreciate loud toddlers on the plane?!!
We enjoyed Braden's excitement and fascination with all aspects of the flight. This was his expression as we were landing. He was eager to get out and begin his weekend away in Vegas....we didn't know quite how much he would enjoy the city. More pictures and stories to come....

Happy Harvest

Oak Glen is a mountain community that features apple orchards and pumpkin patches. Spending the afternoon there was a nice way to welcome autumn. I bundled Braden up in a thermal, long-sleeved shirt and beanie to prepare for our excursion. However, we were welcomed by extremely warm weather. This was a friendly reminder to us why we love California so much.

Braden's savored every bite of this Arkansas black apple. Who knew California grew such a wide variety of apples?!

I wish I had a picture of Matt when he was younger picking apples on his grandparent's orchards. He has so many wonderful memories of spending time on their farm.
Braden was playing hide and seek with us through the countless trees.
Braden's always eager to lend his muscles to help his daddy.
By the end of our visit, Braden looked as if he had rolled around through the patches. The dirt that was covering him just displayed how much fun he had!
Braden has been looking forward to picking a pumpkin ever since he learned the word recently. He would walk around with one until he found another he liked better.

This photo depicts why mothers who live on orchards don't have to go to the gym.....
Braden didn't run out of energy all day!

Up, Down, Around, Under, & Through Legoland

On our way back from running an errand in San Diego, we decided to drop into Legoland for an afternoon visit. After all, the weather was great and about a million other people thought it was a nice day to spend at the park too. Braden's favorite word of the day was "ride" and he made sure he hit up as many as he could.

Daddy and Braden zipped around on the plane ride.

This was the only picture I could get of Braden in the obstacle course. We basically got trampled by numerous children while exhaustively working our way through it. When we finally made our way out, Matt informed us the sign at the entrance stated it was for ages 5 and up. That explained a lot!
The mini towns created with Legos are amazing! Braden thought so too. Here he is planning his escape under the barrier. I decided to skip the picture of that and just grab him before he rearranged the city.
This ride seemed a bit intimidating for a 2-year-old, however Braden braved it and seemed to enjoy it!
Braden refused to ride in the stroller at all, until we were walking to the parking lot.....Daddy always makes activities exciting!

No Time for Cabin Fever

Braden loves visiting Papa and Gramma at their cabin in Idyllwild. There is never a lack for activities to do. Between watering the plants and feeding the squirrels, Papa and Braden stayed very busy blowing leaves off the deck.

Braden took this job very seriously......

Until Papa blew Braden with the blower! Then it was war! I'm sure Gramma and the neighbors got a kick out of seeing Papa and Braden chasing each other down the road with their blowers!
Time for a nice, relaxing break with Gramma....doesn't Braden look sweet and peaceful here?! Actually, he and Gramma were feeding the Bluejays, so he was very excited when the birds swooped down for the peanuts.

Wedded Bliss

Even though most of my cousins are adults now, it still seems crazy when they get married! We attended Paul and Clarissa's beautiful wedding in San Diego and had a really enjoyable day.

Braden has mastered this look when he's around girls. He wants nothing to do with them and that's perfectly fine with us for another 15 years at least! Braden handed Clarissa some money, but certainly wanted no part in the money dance. No offense, Clarissa!

The weather was perfect and the setting was gorgeous.
Even this enormous sea lion wanted to take part in the wedding festivities. He just sunbathed throughout the day and wasn't bothered by all of us checking him out!
Future babysitters Marcos and Ali really take care of Braden. He loves his second cousins and can't wait until they get to hang out more often!
Grandma and Braden were too busy goofing around, while Maria and Charley James were just enjoying hanging out.
Billy and Braden sure got a kick out of the wedding festivities. Braden seems to find fun and humor in most activities!

The Cute Pool Guy

First of all, we were standing right next to Braden while he was cleaning the pool, so don't stress out! Actually, he was very diligent about his task, so we can't wait until he is old enough to help with the many chores around the house and yard!

Mini Matt

Braden absolutely adores his daddy. Most people say he looks exactly like Matt and I see similarities in their personalities too. Braden called me in the kitchen and told me "Look Mom, I'm Daddy!" Braden had climbed up on the counter and grabbed Matt's sunglasses, keys, & wedding ring. He also grabbed what he refers to as "Daddy's cup," which was a can of Dr. Pepper.

Braden definitely gives preferential treatment to his daddy, but I try not to be jealous. At least he's wearing his "Mom's Love" shirt!

A Decade

A decade is just a fancy way of saying a reeeaaaallly long time! That's how long we've been married, so we celebrated the occasion in Vegas for the weekend. Since Braden is the result of our wedded bliss, I figured I would post a few photos of us. I was so excited that Matt actually allowed me to have strangers take our picture all weekend. I figured we'd get a nice picture or two of just us. However, I discovered handing a camera to people in Vegas doesn't seem to work out really well. Most of the pictures chopped off our heads or were really blurry! Oh well, we have a couple photos to remember our weekend!

Usually Matt is the jokester, but I beat him to the cake in the face on our wedding day.

We packed tons of activities into our weekend. We checked out Red Rock Canyon, a popular rock climbing destination.
We rode a Harley throughout Vegas and the surrounding areas. We stopped at a biker bar which claims to be world famous. It was packed with a variety of people.....an awesome people-watching spot!
Ok, enough of us....Braden hung out with Uncle CJ, Aunt Sandy, Sydney, and Kendall. Apparently Braden loved cheering at the parade they attended. Or maybe he's just cheering us on for many more happy years together....I know, this is a cheesy post. But if it weren't for us, there would be no Braden to blog about!

There's Something About Stella

Now that Braden is 2-years-old, he considers himself quite the big shot with the girls. He seems to have a thing for "Stellas" in particular.

Example #1: Braden is obsessed with the phone when it rings. He was looking at my BlackBerry which had just received a picture message from our friends. It was a photo of their absolutely adorable 5-month-old daughter, Stella. Clearly, Braden is intrigued....

So, he shows me the picture as if it is his phone....
And proceeded to kiss the picture of the baby without any prompting. The shirt he has that says "Lock Up Your Daughters" is apparently quite fitting!
Example #2: Her father would vehemently deny it.....but, our other friends' daughter, sweet little Stella, initiated the flirting, the hug, and the kiss while hanging out at Colt's birthday party.
I could almost hear the shotgun being loaded by Forrest as Stella and Braden managed to squeeze into the chair together!

Daddy's Little Wingman

Matt has been looking forward to taking Braden to the Miramar Air Show, which is a salute to Marine aviation. Matt comes from a family of Marines and thought Braden would love to see all the planes. It turns out I had to attend a work event, so Matt & Braden headed down to San Diego for a father-son bonding day. They packed up the car, drove an hour, sat in a long line to exit the freeway, finally found a parking space,.....& then had to get on a bus to go to the actual air show. Soooo, Matt toted the stroller, diaper bag, camera (thanks Matt!), & of course that adorable 2-year-old on a crowded bus. They bought some overpriced food & drinks, & finally, along with thousands of other people, they made it to the event. Surely Braden would love checking out the aircraft, seeing all the jets break the sound barrier, and SLEEPING! Yep, after all that effort, Braden fell fast asleep! I thought this was quite humorous, but I think Matt thought otherwise. Well, he did finally wake up & here's one photo to prove he had a fun experience. He's announced to us about 37 times that, "The planes were LOUD!!!"

Future Marine? Not if Mommy has any say in it,....but we'll see.

6 Feet Tall

Well, it may be an old wives' tale, but supposedly one can determine a child's adult height by doubling the height at 24 months. Braden probably won't be a linebacker, but we're just thankful he is healthy and falls within the normal ranges for height and weight.

Braden weighs in at a lean, yet healthy 28 (and a 1/2) lbs. He's 36 (and a 1/4) inches tall, so the doctor predicts he will likely be about 6' when he's fully grown. Braden's head circumference is 20'' which means he has a big brain like his mommy....hey, I'm just reporting what the doctor said!

Braden was excited to stand on the big scale instead of having to lay on the baby scale.

Getting creative in the exam room while waiting for the doctor. It's amazing how Braden always remembers there are suckers in a jar on the counter. Fortunately he was entertained with a "hand balloon," as Braden called the inflated latex glove.
Braden's expression changed as soon as Dr. Du mentioned he had to get shots. Braden was a total sport & handled the shots like a big boy!
Dr. Du Du Du, as Braden calls her, rewarded her well-behaved patient with the long-awaited sucker.