TGIF

Braden saw us packing our bags for vacation and was excited to do the same. He is thrilled to be heading to Gramma and Papa's house, while Matt and I are leaving for a getaway that will be a bit more tropical.

In between putting stickers all over his drawers and floor, he threw a few items in a suitcase...mostly toys, instead of clothes.

Don't worry Gramma and Papa....he's not moving in forever! Just packed a few extra items in case Matt and I "get stuck" in Hawaii.
Braden's been yelling, "I'm reeeaaaaddddy Mom!" So, guess we should head out!

Simple Pleasures

Every parent has heard it and most have probably said it themselves....Having a child will change your life. Well this seems obvious, but it has really changed me in ways I could never imagine. It's given me the opportunity to step back and enjoy certain things in life through the eyes of a two-year-old. Every stage with Braden has been wonderful and it seems to keep getting better!

Bubbles are one of those things that Braden has always loved. Now that he can blow them himself, it gives him a whole new sense of excitement. Watching his joy even in the simplest of activities brings us such happiness.

Braden was bundled up like we were expecting snow! We happened to have one pretty chilly evening this week, so I wanted to be sure he was cozy!
Prior to having a child, I never knew hanging out with a toddler could be so much fun. He just makes me smile and laugh all the time!

As he was winding down for bedtime, Braden told me how much fun he had playing in the backyard. He happened to find a bag of MnM's right before bedtime, so I told him he couldn't have any. He asked if he could just make a picture of me with the candies. He didn't even eat one!
He was so proud of his creation! At least he sees me as a happy person!

Spring Break

I think there's an unwritten law about not doing spring cleaning on a beautiful day, so Braden and I headed off to Carlsbad to enjoy the sunshine instead! Sadly, Daddy is in rainy, cold Seattle this weekend. Uncle Billy and Aunt Maria couldn't pass up on the opportunity to beat the 90 degree weather at home, so they joined us to cool off at the coast. On our way home, Braden told me he wants to live at the beach....that makes two of us!

A two-year-old+sand=a huge mess The pickiest eater looked like he wanted to chow down on some sand...go figure! You just never know what a relative might feed your kid when you're not looking!
Braden was thrilled to have Aunt Maria with us at the beach.
Uncle Billy was a pro at helping Braden with his sand creations.
Braden only got calf-deep in the water because it was a bit chilly. He was completely content hanging out in the sand though. This little rock collector gathered several stones to mix with his sandy, muddy mess.

Monkeying Around

Braden was extremely excited about spending the day at the zoo with his grandparents and cousin, Sydney. Sydney and Braden loved all the animals, but they especially enjoyed all the different monkeys, apes, and gorillas. Strangely enough, these silly cousins' actions resembled that of monkeys' behavior!

We were fortunate enough to see a baby giraffe that had been born just an hour before we arrived. Do Sydney and Braden seem like they are even interested?!

Although Braden was intrigued by all the amazing animals, he was just as interested in climbing and hanging on the railings.
I think we saw one too many monkeys at the zoo. Braden was starting to look like his favorite animal.
We got the kids to chill out....only momentarily though! Why do I receive this reaction when I ask the kids to look at the camera?! They got quite a kick out of these spider monkeys.

Any resemblance?

The humongous real-life gorillas were right behind Braden, but he had more interest in tackling this one.

We determined Sydney and Braden could have been an exhibit at the zoo based on their antics! The San Diego Zoo's theme song echoed through my head...."You belong in the zoo, the San Diego Zoo...."

Our little monkey mellowing out....

Forget the Bunnies and Jelly Beans For A Moment...

It's so easy to get caught up in the Easter holiday hoopla. Who doesn't enjoy the chocolate eggs, baskets, and time with family?! But, it is easy to forget the reason Easter exists to begin with. We enjoyed the impressive reenactment of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection at the Easter service at the Ramona Bowl. Matt's parents' church put on the play which served as a wonderful reminder of Jesus' sacrifice for all of us.

We celebrate the fact that Jesus died....

and then rose from the dead to offer us new, eternal life.

Easter Blessings

Easter morning greeted us with birds chirping, the sun shining, and a cute bunny hopping across our lawn (ok, destroying our grass...but still looking sweet and adorable). We had a wonderful weekend with family.

Braden loves all the bunnies in our neighborhood, but can't quite grasp why they all bolt as soon as he runs toward them.

Braden prepped for Easter by dying eggs. As with most projects, he took this one very seriously. For some strange reason though, brown was his favorite color to dye the eggs. He made one for me, Daddy, and Pepper. He then cracked most of them...unintentionally of course. He didn't realize the real eggs aren't quite as durable as the plastic eggs.
We were all dressed up for church, so it seemed like a good photo opp. Braden just couldn't control his laughter though.

Everything is funny when hanging out with the cousins. Just getting the four of them to sit still on the couch for a moment was a feat in itself.

Braden loved the Easter egg hunt, but was more fascinated by watching his Uncle CJ juggle eggs. I think Uncle CJ has been practicing because his skills were pretty impressive!

This is a grandparent's dream come true...all the grandkids chilling out for a minute on their laps with no kicking, screaming, arguing, or crying!

I thought sweet baby Lyla might get up and run for the hills after a day of hearing the other kids playing very loudly and running around the house. She is just the most mellow, relaxed baby so she was probably wondering whose family she mistakenly got stuck with! Next year she'll be running around too!

You'd think baseball would be played outside if you live on an acre!! Nope, Uncle CJ taught Braden some skills in the family room.

Braden always gets spoiled! He deserves it though!

Drumroll Please....

Becoming potty trained is one of those milestones that is more exciting for parents than it is for the child. Case and point....Braden has been doing a great job using the potty for a while now, but we decided to transition him from pull-ups to big-boy underwear a few weeks ago. I thought picking out underwear at the store would be fun for Braden, but he really couldn't care less if he got Thomas the Train or Diego underpants. I also thought he'd be excited to tell everyone about his big accomplishment. I told him to announce it to one of the high school girls we know at church, and he just gave me the look like he was extremely embarrassed that I'd even suggest such a thing. Strangely enough, he's pretty much been treating this big step like it's no big deal. He now asks for "privacy," shuts the door and insists he doesn't need my help. I feel like I'm dealing with a teenager....Nevertheless, we are proud of our big boy!

Braden was very distracted by the TV in this video, but I figured he wouldn't otherwise be inclined to talk about wearing "chonies." Apparently that's what 2-year-olds refer to as underwear these days!

Hick Town

When parents are given notice that it's picture day at school, we immediately think about putting our child in a nice outfit. So, this is exactly what I did for Braden on picture day. He didn't spill breakfast on his shirt or have a milk mustache when I dropped him off. To top it off, I made sure he didn't wear a hat and I even brushed his hair! So, it might be understandable that I was a bit confused.....

Our city was a one-horse town years ago, but it's come a long way since then! Parents weren't even made aware ahead of time of the fact that our efforts to make our darling children look adorable for their photos was a big waste of time! Needless to say, Braden was clearly amused by the costume he was dressed in. And obviously I couldn't resist buying a copy of the photo!

Wild Wonders

The gorgeous weekend weather enticed us to spend the day outdoors. The San Diego Zoo was our destination of choice and Braden certainly thought this was a great idea!

Do all boys love snakes? When Matt told me that these snakes are commonly owned as pets, I made it explicitly clear that we will never have one of these enormous reptiles!

Braden loved all the animals, but the elephants were a favorite.
Braden enjoyed the Skyfari ride that traveled high above the zoo.

Braden shoveled this ice cream into his mouth quickly as if he was fearful we would take it away if he didn't polish it off! He was actually done after a few bites because he wanted to go for a ride....

Braden enjoys all animals....real and fake!

It's so fun to enjoy visiting the zoo through the eyes of a child. We all had fun checking out the wild creatures.