A Day at the Farm

Spending time at Peltzer Farm in wine country was an ideal way to welcome fall.

Hanging out in the bed of an old pick-up truck, Braden made the most darling little farmer....

The king of the pumpkin patch....
The cutest cowboy at the farm....
Braden thought it was hilarious that the pumpkins came in so many shapes and colors.

The pig races were the highlight of the day. Braden chose the pig with the red around his neck as his pick for the winner...a bit ironic that his favorite was the redneck pig?! We're pretty sure the huge crowd of people cheering on the race also love NASCAR....just a guess though.

The scariest ghost we've ever seen....

Taking a brief break from running through the corn maze, Matt and Braden posed for a quick pic.

And he was off again!

Braden enjoyed a relaxing ride around the farm on a train.

+ Braden played on the John Deere while giving me the "Mom, I'm completely over taking pictures, so put away your camera" look.

Faking It

I remember a friend telling me how great it was when her son was old enough to get out of bed on his own and grab himself some breakfast, allowing her time to sleep in. At times, I eagerly anticipate the day that occurs since Braden wakes up quite early most days. Well, my wish came true....sort of.

I woke up to the sound of Braden yelling my name from the family room. It was surely an emergency that required me to leap from my bed to rush to find out what was the matter. Braden said, "I'm sick so I'm having fake cheetos for breakfast, but now they are all gone. Please go to the store to get more fake cheetos." Apparently he wasn't fooled into thinking these supposedly healthy "Smart Puffs" were the real deal. Then he said he was also having a fake fruit roll up and fake chips. I thought the baked chips and 100% fruit strips could hardly be discerned from their less healthy counterparts.

Apparently the "real" pretzels made this sick kid feel better.
I don't know where Braden got the whole "fake" thing from. Guess it's hard to even fool a 3-year-old with the healthy knock-offs! Braden magically felt better though after his breakfast and then wanted to top it off with ice cream.

Little Drummer Boy

When Uncle Billy and Aunt Maria said they wanted to bring Braden's gift by our house, I suggested they save it until Christmas. I suspected this gift had the potential to be loud or obnoxious. People without children of their own should have to keep the gifts they buy at their own homes. That way, Braden would have something to occupy his time when he visits them. Then they would probably learn that a book makes a wonderful gift!

This cute rocker was thrilled with his new gift.

He gets these intense looks on his face while rocking out.
He is trying to master his drumstick twirling tricks.

Braden was insistent that I dance and rock out while he played the drums. He'd interrupt playing to twirl his stick or try other cool musician tricks.

Hanging Out with Jesus

Out of the blue, Braden asked me where Nana is. I explained Nana lives in heaven with Jesus now. He asked me what she is doing in heaven with Jesus, and before I could come up with a logical explanation for a 3-year-old, Braden came up with an answer himself. He said, "I think Nana is having fun with Jesus, just hanging out." I couldn't have explained it any better....

Braden prayed before bed and asked Jesus twice to help him to obey.