It's a Girl!

We've been eagerly anticipating the birth of Christian and Sandy's baby, and that day finally came! Lyla Noelle is Braden's newest cousin and he is very excited about her arrival! Although we haven't met her yet, we've been talking about her a lot to Braden.

He found the pacifiers he hasn't used for about a year and a half and ran around the house yelling, "I'm Lyla!"

Braden decided he was over the idea of being a baby pretty quickly. He took my cell phone to bed with him and looked pretty busy texting or something!! They grow up so fast!

Boy, Oh Boy!

There are countless reasons why having a son is so much fun. I have always thought that old saying, "He's all boy," was sort of silly, but it definitely comes to mind quite frequently!

Braden is usually not interested in eating, so we have to come up with creative ploys. Here, I told him he could eat on the rug in his bedroom with the television on. As long as he eats something, I don't care what it is or where he eats it! I asked from the neighboring room if he was eating, and his response was, "Yes Mom, come look." Glad I had the camera nearby! Maybe he's gifted?! Surprisingly, he ate every last delicious, homemade ravioli I prepared for him (ok, the evidence is in the picture). I searched his room for the hidden food, but he had actually eaten all of them.....somehow!

Mowing the lawn with Daddy has been one of Braden's favorite activities since he was an infant. It will be great when he can do this chore all by himself. Hopefully the novelty won't have worn off by then!
Anytime Braden spots a bug, he yells "BUG!!!" so loud that I'm sure the neighbors can hear him. He always runs and grabs the fly swatter regardless of the insect. He was so proud that he hunted down this bug and then retrieved it with a napkin to throw in the trash.
Braden was apparently working on a few minor repairs in his bedroom....handy, just like his daddy!
Just trying to figure out how to play soccer and football at the same time.....He has only knocked over and broken a couple picture frames by showing off his athleticism in the house. Apparently, Daddy must have influenced Braden's choice of favorite teams. He loves his USC football!

Braden loves to display his cuteness and apparently, his muscles as well! He was actually rooting and cheering himself on because he caught the football I threw.

No Time to Slumber

What 2-year-old gets to have a sleepover at his best friend's house?? Although I never got to go to slumber parties until I was probably a teen, Braden got to spend the night at Jett's! Looks like they had a blast at their camp out! Sean and Erin (who is 6-months-pregnant, by the way) were probably wiped out after this event, but hopefully the boys' excitement made it all worthwhile!

Back in the day, we used to make forts in our living room out of old blankets. Braden and Jett had a whole play room to set up a tent and really set the scene for a top-of-the-line slumber party!

Hide and seek was the game of the night. Apparently, the tent was always the hiding spot, but the game never got old!
I know what Braden's going to want for Christmas! Good thing Grandma Judy already ordered him one!
The size of the tent must be deceiving because Braden cruised in on the rocket.....

and Jett rode in afterward on his quad! These boys are so adventurous and creative!

I am assuming this was Erin's attempt at capturing the two boys in their Batman pajamas looking cute side by side.

Why bother going to Sea World when the boys loved checking out all the fish in Jett's new aquarium?!

The boys were finally pooped, so Sean and Erin graciously offered their bed so they could enjoy a movie before going to sleep. I'm pretty sure there was a competition here between Braden and Jett to see who could stay awake the latest. Looks like Braden was winning since Jett has one eye closed....

Maybe not! Armed with a few of his favorite toys (Jett's toys actually), Braden passed out, wearing his hat of course! Think Jett wasn't too far behind, cuddling with a variety of toys as well!

The fun just never stopped! Thanks to Sean, Braden enjoyed some early morning video games.

Looks like the boys enjoyed the homemade, delicious breakfast that Erin prepared for them!

After some WWF in the bouncer and more playing, playing, playing, the boys ended their party with a snack. The Fritos and bean dip helped refuel them for the day! Braden can't wait for Jett to come over for a slumber party!

Hangin' With the Lawes

Matt and I had to go out of town for work for the weekend, so Braden had a blast hanging out with his Auntie Maria and Uncle Billy. Braden played with his favorite "cousins," Hunter and Jade, hung out at the park, and got quite spoiled while spending time with his uncle and aunt. Before having a child myself, I certainly don't recall having any desire to take someone else's child to an amusement park, but Maria and Billy offered just that! Braden got to spend the day at Legoland and obviously he had lots of fun!

Braden worked on looking really cool on his ride down to San Diego.

Looks like they are having a good time so far...
This was one of many rides that Uncle Billy and Aunt Maria rode with Braden.
We have sort of sheltered Braden from the water rides for our sake since everyone gets off the rides soaking wet! Looks like Billy and Braden didn't mind and enjoyed the water ride in the warm weather!

Billy and Maria spoiled Braden by staying until the park closed! Braden loves his Auntie and Uncle!

Snug as a Bug

Braden has always been a good sleeper for the most part. He doesn't cause a fuss when we tell him it's bedtime and actually, his internal clock generally tells him when it is time for bed. We were playing, when out of the blue he said, "Goodnight Mom." I told him I had to get his sheet out of the dryer and when I returned moments later, Braden had turned off his light, grabbed his lion rug, blanket, and favorite stuffed animals. When he said he was ready for bed, I guess he wasn't kidding!

I took my eyes off Braden for a few minutes.....and this is what I found when I walked into his room!

Mr. Clean

Braden is going to make his wife very happy one day. He is really good at making big messes, but he generally does a great job cleaning up! He also loves to chip in when I am cleaning the house.

Braden loves his broom that Granddad got him and gets it out anytime he sees dirt on the floor. Braden is usually a bit more fashion conscious, but clearly, his main focus here was just cleaning the floor. Actually, he probably thought he looked great wearing his favorite hat and his Thomas the Train underwear!

Braden seems to be just as excited as I am with my eBay bargain. Braden managed to vacuum a good portion of the room despite the fact that our new vacuum is really heavy!
Braden is obsessed with wearing hats which is obvious from many of the pictures. He insisted on wearing this hat to bed and had it on when I went in his room the next morning. Guess it came in handy to disguise his "bed head" while he was doing some early morning mopping.

Night Riders

Obviously Braden is not alone in his obsession for things that go fast! Daddy bought a new toy for himself, ahem...I mean for Braden. Jett's daddy, Sean, came by to check it out and bring his own collection of cars....which of course, he has only for Jett.

Braden was just offering Daddy some tips on how to put this new toy together.

Fortunately this picture doesn't depict how chilly it was outside at 9:30pm when the boys decided to go for a night ride barefooted and in short-sleeved shirts.
Apparently Jett was alerted of an emergency over the radio, so.....

Braden got behind the firetruck and started pushing Jett fast so they could go take care of it!

Shaping Up

Since it has started getting dark earlier, it's difficult to go on jogs with Braden in the stroller after work. I decided to work out on my elliptical machine instead and thought Braden would enjoy playing with his toys contently in the same room. Of course, he wanted to join me and said his favorite line, "Mom, I want to try!"

Braden thought "working out" was lots of fun. I thought it was fun for a few minutes and then I started getting really tired trying to balance using the elliptical machine, holding a 30lb. weight, and reading up on the latest tabloids!

Braden is not imitating his daddy's workout here. He just happens to be lounging on the couch wearing Daddy's tennis shoes. He gets a kick out of wearing Daddy's shoes because he wants to copy everything Matt does! Guess Braden just wanted to unwind and relax after exercising!

Lions & Tigers & Bears, Oh My!

Braden is fascinated with all types of animals, so he was thrilled with the idea of dressing like a few of his favorites.

Braden absolutely loves lions, so he was excited to wear this costume that his daddy found on sale at a costume shop the evening of Halloween. I was pleased too since this $30 outfit was only $3!

Braden didn't wear a costume to Miss Sarah's on Halloween, so she let him wear one she had. Braden seemed less than thrilled wearing this tiger costume. I'm pretty sure this was only because it was a very hot day and the costume was very warm. He did love "roaring" though!
Braden found this cute bear hat in a drawer full of his old baby clothes. Clearly, his head has grown a bit this past year!
This is where the, "Oh, my!" comes in.

What Happens in Vegas.....

Matt had a meeting for work in Las Vegas, so Braden and I decided to tag along. Braden is always up for an adventure and we always enjoy taking him to new places.

"Where'd all the money go??" This was the first thing out of Braden's mouth as we entered the casino to check into our hotel. He repeated that line about 100 times throughout our weekend in Vegas. I'm pretty sure every gambler there had the same question in mind!

We arrived in Vegas a bit late, so we figured Braden would pass out in the car before arriving to the hotel. He still sleeps in a crib at home, so he was ecstatic to have a queen bed all to himself! Multiple pillows just added to the fun. Needless to say, this restful pose didn't last long....

Apparently Braden heard that Vegas is the city that never sleeps, and he decided he was going to live up to that! Our perfect sleeper went to bed each night after 11pm, but still woke up early! He also boycotted his usual two hour afternoon nap each day.

There was way too much excitement, so Braden didn't want to miss a thing.....
David Spade spotted Braden in a restaurant & complimented his outfit. Who knew David Spade had any fashion sense?! So, they did what any two comics would do...chatted a bit and then parted by giving each other "knuckles!"
Braden was fascinated with the lion habitat in our hotel. The two lions housed there are amazing! Braden has mastered a pretty impressive "ROOOOAAARRRRR!!!"

Not typically a good eater, Braden did sample the cuisine at a buffet. He actually indulged the way we all probably should. He took about one bite of everything!

Braden heard Matt and I rented a Harley when we visited Vegas a few weeks ago, so he insisted that Daddy do the same for him.....fortunately Braden was content with the video game version. Looks like Matt is having as much fun as Braden!

The weekend wouldn't be complete without some playtime with Braden's new buddies. Of course capturing a good picture of two 2-year-olds was impossible. Cody is just a few months older than Braden and all they cared about was playing, playing, and more playing! Cody's dad and Matt became friends when they weren't much older than the two of our boys!

Looks like our friends' son, Lance, and Braden just hung out peacefully and quietly.....

for about two seconds!! It was pretty late and the boys had a blast! Someone must have spiked Braden's milk with Red Bull because he was bonkers!

Surprisingly, we were able to capture a good picture of Kenneth, Lance, and Braden. I think they figured if they sat still for a picture, we would be more likely to let them climb and run around all over the place! They were having too much fun to put a stop to it!