Disney with the Dethiers

We were excited that Matt's Uncle Brian, Aunt Joy, and his cousins, Nicole and Lauren, came down to Southern California for a visit. At the last minute, we were able to coordinate our schedules to meet up for dinner....Somehow meeting up for dinner turned into a 2 day trip to Disneyland.

After dinner, Braden decided that the perfect way to get acquainted with his cousin would be to jump on the couch cushions together in the hotel room.

We headed over to Disneyland around 9pm, right about the time it started getting cold and rainy. That didn't stop us from spending a couple hours on rides and watching the fireworks displays.

Braden just can't seem to refrain from scaling anything that appears to be "climbable." Instead of posing inside this giant letter "C," he wanted to show me that he could climb up it. He was successful until he fell on his butt.
Always a ladies' man, Braden gave Minnie a kiss on the cheek.

The very long line for the Toy Story ride was worth waiting in...just to get a photo of our family wearing 3-D glasses!

Brian won the Toy Story game, so we're quite convinced he spent the whole day on this ride practicing, prior to our arrival.

Braden would've probably gone on the scariest ride at Disneyland as long as Lauren was sitting next to him. He was quite pleased to have a buddy to hang out with.

After a chocolate muffin for breakfast, a giant lollipop seemed like a logical mid-morning snack.

Braden had the best seat in the house for the parade.

The sign at this ride's entrance estimated a 15 minute wait...it was only off by about an hour! We realized lots of people were riding alone which was probably delaying the line. I was looking forward to riding with Braden once it was finally our turn...

Braden had other plans, and I had to ride alone! This pout returned once we had to leave the park. Other than that, we had a great time at the happiest place on earth!

Braden thinks he gets bigger muscles every time he eats...even if it's ice cream. The flexing thing is cute now, but hopefully it doesn't continue into his teen years.

Guess he wants Papa to get bigger muscles too!

Advice Column

Braden enlightened me today when he commented on the fact that I always say, "Hurry up. We are running late!" Whether it be to work, school, or church, we always seem to be rushing. Most of the time, Braden isn't the one who creates this last minute stress. But somehow even a 3-year-old can sense that everyday life seems to be less peaceful than it should be.

As Braden was winding down for bedtime, I noted a few things that he does naturally everyday...and so should we!

Life Lessons from a 3-year-old...

Lesson 1--Relax!!....While chilling out on his lion rug, Braden put on part of his lion costume from Halloween 2 years ago.

Lesson 2--Have Fun!....Braden found his Foster Farms chicken costume that he wore as a baby. He ran around the house clucking and waving his arms...he was supposed to be settling down for bed, but he got sidetracked for a little while.
Lesson 3--Be Happy!...Braden's smile is enough to brighten up my day, even on the most stressful occasions.

Dog Days of Winter

Winter? What winter?! Even though I mistakenly dressed Braden in warm clothes, it was a beautiful day to spend at the beach. The inappropriate attire didn't stop Braden from running around in the shore with Pepper and Enzo at Dog Beach in San Diego.

The relaxing day at the beach I envisioned turned into chasing two very energenic dogs and one extremely active 3-year-old around.

Braden either has a future as a pitcher....or he is just a typical boy who loves to throw anything and everything he can get his hands on!
Daddy jumped off the edge of the sand, so naturally Braden followed suit.

Braden was very concerned about Enzo drowning, so he used his skills to coerce him out.

He is quite a cutie, even with a piece of seaweed wrapped around his head!

Love is in the Air...

....along with lots of dust and dirt! We spent time as a family for Valentine's weekend. One of the days was spent in Ocotillo Wells with Braden's "girlfriend," Addison and her family.

It didn't take long for Braden to get very, very dirty.

We made several stops on our ride to check out the scenery and natural phenomenons. This was one of several mysterious, volcano-like mud pots with bubbling liquid. The gray water releases large bubbles of gas and Braden and Addison made sure to get a very close look!
The kids had no qualms about leaving their hand prints in the disgusting, muddy muck that flowed from the "fountain."

Getting this dirty is really tiring!

Braden thought Addison was quite entertaining...

so he attempted to crack her up too!

Braden and Addison got the giggles again on our night ride in the Rhino as they yelled, "Faster, faster, faster!"