Heating Up in the Wild

Heading south to the coast on a blazing hot day would have been a logical idea,but we chose to go to the San Diego Wild Animal Park which isn't exactly located near the beach. The 105 degree weather was almost enough to steer us away, but we figured we would brave the heat & check out the wildlife.

These two amazing lions were just hanging out and looking cool, calm, and relaxed.

Braden's best impression of a fierce lion....
Apparently, we weren't getting as up-front-and-personal with the animals as Braden would've liked. Hopping the fence would solve that dilemma.

Lots of animals were sleeping or hiding...exactly what we wanted to be doing in this weather! The gorillas had the courtesy to come out and play for a bit though.

When asked what his favorite animal was, Braden said he liked the birds best....seriously?! After seeing various species of rhinos, elephants, tigers, giraffes, and many others, he chose birds. He also noted that he wished we had seen a dog there. Next time, we'll just hang out in our yard!

Just Chillin'

Braden has really acquired a love of water, so enjoying the pool has been an activity we've been trying to squeeze in whenever possible.

I was already in the pool and not bothered by a few leaves in the water. However, Braden takes after his daddy and requires pristine conditions before jumping in.

Now that the pool was sparkling clean, Braden was ready to jump in.
Braden floated around the pool while wildly kicking and splashing. I wasn't necessarily thrilled with this activity, but the dogs thought it was a blast getting splashed on the sides of the pool.

Kicking around was too much work....it was time to kick back and relax!

Going Bananas

I solicited Braden's help in making healthy banana bread. I hoped that if he assisted in the creation, he might actually enjoy eating some of it.

Braden was immediately in on this idea once he found out there was a loud "cooking tool" involved. Little did Braden know, he was making cauliflower puree to add to the recipe.

Another perk to this project...smashing food with all of his might.
Scooping the brown sugar in was almost as fun as shoveling sand. Braden added an extra scoop just to make sure this bread was more like cake.
Braden thought it was hilarious that he was mixing the ingredients with the "spanking spoon." Braden thinks all wooden spoons are intended for spanking. Fortunately, Braden's bottom doesn't come in contact with the spanking spoon too often.

Braden didn't quite comprehend the fact that the banana bread would take 55 minutes to bake. He just kept saying, "OK, it's been 5 minutes."

So much for the healthy recipe! Braden figured he'd top off his creation with just a bit of whipped cream.

The wheat flour & flax seed was disguised with the help of some whipped cream.

Forget the banana bread. Braden resorted to a little trick his Papa taught him!

Braden wanted to give me a kiss.....He looks like such a punk, but I just love this sweet boy!

Financial Planning

The state of the economy seems to have had an impact on Braden. Out of the blue, he has a strong interest in saving money! We had a lot of change that we had set aside, so I decided to see how much we had managed to save. Braden was very interested in this project and only had interest in the quarters. Smart guy! Hmmm, maybe he should be advising Obama on how to fix our country's financial woes...

Braden counted 40 quarters out to put in the coin wrappers. I thought we had saved at least $80 in quarters, but I was way off! Nevertheless, Braden was such a good helper, that I decided to give him 10% of the change as his reward.

Hopefully Braden will always find satisfaction in working hard and saving his money....
Who knew putting money away for a rainy day could be so fun?? I actually said something like that to Braden and he said, "Mom, it hasn't rained for a long time and it's really hot. So that's just silly."

Uh oh....Braden wanted to know how he was going to buy a treat if his money was stuck in a pig. Yep, the bank now has a big crack in it....he figured that one out really fast!

Clan o' Kinnons

Dozens of cousins, aunts, and uncles gathered for a Kinnon family reunion. The decedents of my late Grandpa John were instructed to wear red, so that explains our color coordination in the photos. There weren't any kilt-wearing bagpipe players this year, but we did enjoy the camaraderie amongst our Scottish (mixed with a bit of German and Irish) family members.

Braden was thrilled the reunion was held at a park. There was something intriguing to him about a playground that took us over two hours to drive to.

Frisbee became the most exciting activity once Braden completed this masterpiece at the craft station. He bribed several family members to play with him by displaying his charm. We discovered Frisbee can be a bit dangerous when a 2-year-old is allowed to throw it without getting advice on the proper way to do so.
Apparently when a former teacher plans a reunion, all bases are covered. The kids loved all the creative crafts....thanks to Aunt Joan. Braden loved playing with his "friends"and can't wait to see them again. I tried to explain these "friends" are my cousins' kids, but he was just thrilled to have playmates.
At family events, there seems to always be the token family member who morphs into a child & essentially gets beat up on by the kids....Uncle Roderick chose that role for the day. I was glad because I didn't have to run around playing tag while several children, with far more energy than I had, chased me down!

Braden was impressed with Aunt Debbie's softball skills and has been asking when we get to see her again. As children, we often spent summers with her, so I'm thinking Braden would enjoy a week or two at her house...

This is becoming Braden's signature move...yep, flexing his muscles any chance he gets. He wants to make sure everyone notices how strong he's getting.

After several near misses to peoples' faces with the Frisbee by Braden, Matt showed off a few skills of his own. Braden wasn't too impressed. He just wanted to scout out more people to play with.

Is a Camel Better Than a Reptile?

Matt has warned me that part of having a son means eventually owning more pets. He's not referring to a cat or goldfish, but rather a rodent or a reptile. I will fight this battle when the time comes, because right now it seems Braden is more interested in a different kind of pet. He asked me if we can get a camel. Naturally, I was perplexed by this request, however, Braden offered a logical explanation. He explained that it's very hot where we live and camels like the sun. The camel could live in our backyard and watch over the dogs because he'll be so much bigger than they are. He wouldn't drink very much, but if he gets thirsty, he can just drink out of the pool. Braden could ride the camel with the people in our neighborhood who ride horses. I was impressed with his sales pitch, but I had to disappoint him by letting him know that the pet store doesn't sell camels. He was content with my response!

It doesn't take much to please this little guy. He was happy with a bag of animal crackers which happened to contain some camels.

Braden devoured the animal crackers and told me he loves his dogs so much that he doesn't want a camel anymore. Wish every whim he has was this short-lived!

Bad to the Bone

Braden was traipsing around the house wearing Daddy's riding boots and skull underwear. I wanted to capture a photo of my little tough guy, but he had snuck out to the garage and had other plans....

Since Daddy was still sleeping, Braden said he'd start his bike so the noise would wake him up.

And then he figured they'd go for a ride together. Hopefully Braden can wait a few years.....

Beach Bummed

Bumming around at the beach for a few days left Braden a bit spoiled. He has been so bummed that we can't go to the beach everyday. He's been moping around the house, dragging his boogie board all over.

Braden kicked off his shoes, grabbed his boogie board, and said he was ready to head off to the beach. He was beyond disappointed when I told him that we couldn't. But this little beach bum cheered up a bit when I let him enjoy a popsicle before dinner.

Piece of Paradise

Few things top spending a few days soaking up the summer beauty at the beach. Braden absolutely loves the beach and thinks we are going to hang out on the coast everyday....we wish that was the case!

Braden enjoyed helping Daddy dig a "hole to China."

Somehow the sand all over Braden's face and body didn't bother him a bit.
Aunt Sandy taught Braden the art of digging for sand crabs.

Gramma ran down to the shore about 40 times to fill buckets with water just so Braden could dump it on the sand castles....and then do it all over again.

Braden loves hanging out with Uncle CJ, especially if they do activities which involve getting dirty.

Braden displayed his skills in a game of smashball.....

and he has quite a powerful swing!

Lyla simply focused on being adorable throughout our beach trip. Unfortunately, I didn't capture any pictures of Braden and Daddy riding the big waves, but they sure look like they were having a blast riding the boogie board.

These sunbathing babes were enjoying some bonding time while working on their tans.

No, that's not Braden in the cart.....

Braden enjoyed honking the obnoxious horn on his bike while cruising around our campground.

In between chowing down on chips, cookies, and Zingers, everyone enjoyed some juicy oranges.