Potty Mouth

Braden scolded me when I said, "What the heck?" the other day. He admitted he got in trouble at school for using that phrase. Braden also told us that he corrected a boy in his class for using the word "stupid" because it's a bad word. Then he reported to his teacher that I referred to someone as "stupid jerk" when I was driving....now she knows where Braden gets his fowl language from!

When Braden told me he wanted to read my new book, I didn't know he was referring to the latest issue of People magazine. Something on the cover must have caught his attention.

He quickly discovered the magazine had nothing interesting to offer him, so he grabbed some stickers....
and put them all over the cover. Ironically, a monkey sticker ended up covering John Edwards' face.
Braden told me my books are too boring!

Move Over Michael...

...Phelps, that is! One of Braden's favorite activities is going to swim lessons. Warm weather is right around the corner, so hopefully Braden will be able to use his skills in the pool in a few months.

Braden was getting in position to glide under water to his instructor.

Braden loves showing off his skills for Ms. Diandra!
Braden enjoys all the attention he receives from the cute swim teachers.

Another Shark Award to brag about...actually Braden was much more excited about the giant shark candy he was given as a reward!

Oldies But Goodies

With so many electronic toys and gadgets for kids these days, it's easy to forget about all the simple toys we played with as kids. We did find some "vintage" toys in the stores at Christmas time and Braden loves these classics.

One of the board games Braden enjoys playing is Chutes and Ladders. This game hasn't been upgraded at all over the years, but it still provides lots of fun, especially when Braden wins.

Beginner's luck....
Braden capped off the evening by grabbing a couple of toys to sleep with. Some nights he wants all of his reptiles in bed. Other nights he insists on burying himself amongst Transformers, Batman, Spiderman and any other figurines he can find. Tonight he grabbed Gumby and a slinky to cuddle with....same as those we had as kids, but just more expensive!

Let It Snow

The upside to a week of rain storms is snow at Gramma and Papa's house. We made an impromptu visit to check out the winter wonderland.

Braden enjoyed the sledding right outside of Gramma and Papa's cabin.

We're pretty sure Papa was eager for Braden to visit so he'd have an excuse to go sledding.
Braden took advantage of several opportunities to head down the hill with his Daddy.

Hiking up a steep hill is tiring, so Braden took a break and launched snowballs for a while.

Gramma wanted a turn too!

The family that plays together....

apparently doesn't necessarily stay together!

Ooops! Braden ate a bit of snow, but at least it wasn't yellow!

Stormy Surprise

It was our good friend Shanon's birthday, so his wife surprised him with a dinner with friends. Braden was excited too because he was invited to join in the celebration!

Braden, Hailey, and Hunter were quite the adorable trio. They loved hanging out together.

Hailey and Braden were either flirting or having a serious discussion about the pictures they were coloring.
Happy birthday Shanon!

Strangely, the kids were enthusiastic about taking photos as long as they could pile on top of Anntionette.

The crazy, stormy weather wasn't enough to keep us away from celebrating with friends we rarely get to see.

Monster Madness

When plans fell through to spend the weekend riding out in the desert, we decided to take Braden to a show that was full of dirt and loud vehicles. We had no idea that the Monster Jam at Angels Stadium would be so popular. We got tickets at the last minute and the show was completely sold out. We didn't know so many monster truck racing fans existed in southern California!

Needless to say, Braden loved the event. Like any "sports" fan would do, Braden immediately chose his favorite to win.

The "Monster Mutt" didn't win the main event, but was winning the freestyle portion when we snuck out of the stadium a bit early. What boy wouldn't love a dog-themed truck that jumps and crushes old cars?!
Braden said the monster trucks were "awesome!"
Any big crash makes the night much more exciting!

Must Love Dogs

Being a dog lover must be ingrained in Braden's genes. He adores his dogs, Pepper and Enzo. Actually, he loves all dogs. He is hoping Jett will let him take his dog, Foxxy, home so our dogs have a new playmate!

Note the shorts and t-shirt in January! Braden was playing referee with the dogs. He didn't get the dog-loving gene from me...

This is Matt, around Braden's age. Laying on rust-colored, shag carpet, he was snuggling with his dog, Reckless. Any resemblance between Braden and his Daddy?! Love getting old pictures from Gramma Suzie, but we're glad she didn't save Matt's old clothes to pass on to Braden!

Prehistoric Pain

Braden came home from preschool with a shiner on his forehead. Apparently he slipped on a book and slammed into the corner of a bookshelf. Braden told me his latest injury looked like a dinosaur egg and felt like a dinosaur sat on his head. To take his mind off of it, I suggested putting on his dino pajamas and reading "How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?" He loves these two gifts he received from Charley and Miles for Christmas.

It's difficult to see in the photo, but the bump is actually huge and it's shaped like an egg.

Braden always likes to read every inch of his books, including the back cover.
The book (and some M & Ms) made Braden forget all about his headache!

Meadow Meandering

I think Braden is going to be a great running partner when he's a bit older. I suggested going for a walk with Pepper, but Braden said he didn't want to ride in the stroller. He wanted to run with me....

It seems like we've experienced 365 days of summer, so the meadow near our house looks more like a desert. That didn't stop Braden from running up and down the hills.
He was running so fast that he had to come to a screeching halt once he approached me and Pepper.
Braden pointed out all the highlights of the meadow to Pepper...dirt, rocks, sticks, & grass.
We saw some people riding horses, so Braden tried to mount Pepper. It didn't work really well, so he just gave her a big hug instead.
I dressed Braden as if it was a winter day. January feels more like July, so Braden suggested taking off his shirt and hat....and flex his muscles.
Braden thought he found a snake hole. He was probably correct since we spotted two snakes on one day a few months ago. He gave up looking when he determined the snake was probably taking a nap. He was content with this shiny rock he discovered because he said it was like finding a pirate's treasure.
When Braden saw this picture, he asked why his belly button looked so funny...apparently he hasn't noticed that his belly button always looks like this!

One Little Monkey Jumping on the....

bed...until I made him get down! Braden claimed he needed to "chill out" before bed, so I told him to grab a book. Of course he chose his Five Little Monkeys book which is about a bunch of wild monkeys. Sounds like the perfect book to settle down our little monkey.

By the time I made it back in his room to read to him, he was covered in stickers....

I told Braden he could jump on the floor if he needed to get his "wiggles" out.
The jumping didn't quite do the trick. Braden said he was still "really awake."
Oh, the stress of having to go to bed when filled with so much energy!

Sometimes I long for the days of putting Braden in his crib at 7pm and not being awakened until 7am! I certainly wouldn't mind borrowing some of his energy though!

Expensive Taste

The world's pickiest eater decided to get a bit adventurous when we went out for sushi. The days of mac n cheese off the kids' menu may be behind us....

Braden's staple at Japanese restaurants is chicken yakitori and a big bowl of edamame. After he polished those off though, he dove in for some shrimp. He really wanted to eat the tail too, but we refused to even let him try it.

Next up was some raw salmon....
After his sushi sashimi (which he loved to say), he cleansed his palate with a lemon in anticipation of dessert....

Mochi was the perfect treat to top off the delicious meal!

Two Thousand Ten

As we enter 2010, it's amazing to think that a whole decade has passed since we were concerned about Y2K! There are countless things we are thankful for that have happened in the last 10 years. The birth of Braden would definitely be at the top of the list! We've moved to new homes, changed jobs, lost a couple loved ones, and gained a few extended family members. Through it all, we are especially thankful that we have good health, family and friends. We've been so blessed throughout the last year, and we hope this next year is great for everyone.

We have a tradition of celebrating the new year in Glamis. I didn't think about bringing any noise makers, but Braden found a makeshift one....a dirty piece of piping that he found on the ground. I didn't bother thinking about all the germs because he looked so cute yelling, "Happy New Year!"

By the expression on Braden's face, it seems like he thought these bottle rockets were really cool.
When Braden isn't riding his quad, he loves to ride in the sandrail.
Looks like Braden was walking in a winter wonderland of snow...nope, just lots and lots of sand! He made a "sand angel," ran around looking for strange desert bugs, and hiked up some hills.

Braden is becoming quite the quad rider! He loves going on rides with us to show off his skills. We had fun cruising around until a teen, who was riding a large quad pretty fast, hit Braden's quad. Fortunately, he didn't get hurt, but just a bit shaken up. He said some "spicy juice" would make him feel better. He was good to go in no time!

Braden got a lift hiking up this steep sand hill. There are never a lack of activities that involve getting really dirty!

Fortunately Braden didn't get any major bruises or scratches on his face this trip....just lots of dirt!

Equipped with a headset, goggles, and a face mask to shield the wind & dust, Braden was ready to go for a really fast sandrail ride.

As night closed in, Braden was still full of excitement everyday. Whether it was tossing around a football, kicking a ball around camp, or trying to find someone to play this "blue & red ball-on- a-rope game" (as he referred to it as), Braden made sure he welcomed the new year with lots of activities and energy!