Birthday Balloon

March 18 is a significant day around the Johnson household. Matt celebrated the big 35, while Braden is excited that he is officially 3.5 years old as of today. We remember Matt's late Grandpa Johnson who also shared the March 18 birthday. Sadly, Matt's Grandpa Dethier passed away this year on March 18. It will always be a day we celebrate, while also remembering special loved ones who are no longer with us.

We started the beautiful morning off with a private sunrise hot air balloon ride a few thousand feet above the Temecula valley.

We enjoyed views of the lake, wild flowers, and wine country.
Braden searched for wildlife down below (we spotted horses, a coyote, and some rabbits) and he checked out the inside of the vast balloon with his homemade "telescope."
Braden enjoyed watching the highly technical manner in which the balloon is deflated and put back in the sack...all the guys use their weight to deflate and shove it in!

Most 3-year-olds don't have the opportunity to go for a hot air balloon ride in the morning before heading off to preschool. Braden proudly displayed his First Flight in a Hot Air Balloon Certificate.

We topped Daddy's birthday off with some gifts Braden picked out...a toy truck and silly putty. It wouldn't be a birthday celebration without ice cream cake with batman figurines on top right before bedtime.

Who's Scott?

Braden walked out of the bathroom with a puzzled look on his face. He said, "Mom, why are we using Scott's toilet paper?" Having no clue what he was referencing, I had to walk in the room myself to see where Braden came up with such a crazy question. Sure enough, he saw the package and said, "See, S C O T T. Do we need to buy some at the store?" Sometimes this kid is too smart for his own good. I explained that Scott is the brand and we can look for toilet paper manufactured by Johnson next time we go shopping.

Springtime never fails us...a beautiful evening called for a walk to the park.

Silly Sport

I decided I want to go back to preschool. Braden's school offers so many fun activities. Unfortunately, Braden said I'm "way too big," so I guess I'll live vicariously through Braden.

For Sport Day, Braden wore his jersey and shorts he wears while riding his quad. I snapped his picture outside his school where he was pretending to do jumps and wheelies on his invisible quad.

Braden loves doing anything where he can be active. Hopefully he will be very athletic so he can get a sports scholarship, be a pro athlete, and allow us to retire early. His favorite activity is riding his quad, so I guess that's his sport for now.

When I Grow Up...

Braden's school is focusing on the theme, When I Grow Up. I was excited to see the career choice my 3-year-old was heading toward...

Firefighters are popular with young boys, so it seems natural that Braden may want to head down that path. Maybe Uncle Billy can hook him up with a job in about 18 years. Oh, nevermind....

Braden doesn't have intentions of being a firefighter. Apparently, he wants a job where he will "have lots of money and treasures and get to fight with a sword." Every mother's dream...

Bad Hair Day

Rather than covering his bed-head with a hat like usual, Braden had Daddy put forth some effort for Wild Hair Day at preschool.

Braden seemed a bit unsure about how the final product would turn out...

He was quite pleased with the colorful pouf that was created! Nope, it's not a wig!
The hair-do gave Braden a bit of extra heighth over his buddy, Daniel.

The Brat in the Hat

Braden really isn't a brat, but it was the only relatively appropriate word I could come up with to rhyme with hat. In honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday, Braden wore a hat he made at preschool and looked through every Dr. Seuss book he owns. I was practically thinking in rhymes after reading so many books!

Braden was reading every word he could sound out with great enthusiasm!

Someone else we love shares Dr. Seuss' birthday, so Happy Birthday Uncle Roderick!!

Little Rascals

We were able to sneak away for the weekend to hang out in Ocotillo Wells. We enjoyed riding trails through a variety of terrain. Braden would probably live in the desert if he could...especially if Addison was there with him!

These head lights were all the rage with the kids.

I've had to accept the fact that getting a normal smile out of a 3-year-old boy is extremely challenging. Now getting one from a girl is a whole different story....
We took a break from our ride to check out the "lost city," an area that is filled with rocks shaped and stacked into bizarre forms.

Braden took a moment to chill out on this "man's lap."

When Braden wasn't riding his quad or cruising around in the Rhino, he loved hanging out in the Baja...with Addison of course.

Two wild kids running off into the amazing sunset...