Oh What Fun It Is To Ride....

Braden did get to experience a white Christmas when he visited Gramma and Papa. The best part of this video of Papa and Braden sledding is Braden's laughter.

Hanging Out Down South with Santa and Sea Life

We enjoyed some time at Sea World in San Diego. Braden loved all the animals and sea life.

So, this is where Santa goes to relax after Christmas! We haven't talked to

Braden about Santa, but when he saw this Santa, he said, "There's Ho Ho Ho!"Here Braden was giggling with a little girl who didn't speak English. Somehow they were cracking each other up though!

Braden was particularly fascinated with the otters, so it was fun for him to take a picture with this otter character.

Cookie Monster

When I was younger, baking cookies with my grandmother was one of my favorite memories, so I have been eager to bake with Braden. Christmastime seemed like an ideal opportunity to make sugar cut-out cookies with him.

The baking experience didn't go quite as planned. Every baking tool and product looked like a toy to Braden!

Banging these metal measuring cups really hard on these metal mixing bowls was louder than any drum we could ever buy for Braden. I had to get out the cookie sprinkles to distract him from this activity!
Braden sampled the cookie toppings and approved of the candies and sprinkles. He quickly discovered this was a fun project!
Apparently not all bottles of sprinkles come with child-proof caps! One little star cookie was topped with the whole container! Braden was so proud of his creation.

The masterpiece cookies were finally baked and decorated. When I offered Braden one, he opted to play with tools instead. His daddy would be so proud!

Braden didn't care to even have one of his cookies, but he did a great job making and decorating them!

Santa's Other Reindeer

Jett and Braden weren't too sure about wearing reindeer antlers at the park. After all, what if some cute girls saw them or something?? Erin and I overlooked the whole embarrassment factor and figured the opportunity to put antlers on our boys will pass before we know it!

Apparently Braden didn't realize that he also looked pretty ridiculous!

Walking hand-in-hand for only a few moments, Braden and Jett scoped out some places to run around and play. The antlers came off shorty thereafter. Guess they kind of cramped their style!

Table for Four

Christmas came a bit early when Papa and Gramma made a visit with a gift for Braden. He got a table and chairs set for his room. He loves his new furniture and even helped put it together. Braden enjoys sitting at his table, but doesn't allow us to sit with him because he's saving the seats for others. Most of the time, he wants Jett, Gramma, and Papa to join him. Sometimes he wants his buddies, Luke and Drew, to occupy the seats. Braden also mentions that he wants Baby Jesus to sit with him.

Our little carpenter was pretty serious about making sure his chairs and table were assembled correctly.

Braden counted the members of his nativity set and was displaying that there are 9 figures. He checks on his Baby Jesus several times a day and is excited for Jesus' birthday.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

There's a story that's been told numerous times in the Johnson household. One day, when Matt was much younger, his dad promised he would take him surfing. Matt was really excited to go, but his dad told him they weren't going since it was raining. He was insistent on still going despite the weather & really created a scene. To prove the weather was too rough to go to the beach, Matt's dad "tossed Matt in the front yard and Matt did somersaults across the wet lawn in his underwear".....at least this is how Matt tells the story. Well, Braden almost had a similar experience when he begged to go outside in the rain. It has been pouring relentlessly, and Braden has been so bummed he hasn't been able to play in the yard.

Braden used all his charm to plead with me to play in the puddles. He didn't win this one though!

Fortunately, Braden found other activities to enjoy inside. He kept running to the window to see if "water was still falling from the sky."

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

With 2 weeks to go until Christmas, we are finally getting into the holiday spirit. Experiencing the season through the eyes of a two-year-old definitely adds to the joy.

Miss Sarah kicked off the Christmas season with a pajama party. The kids wore their jammies, were given their tickets to board the Polar Express train, and enjoyed hot chocolate and treats while watching the movie.

We finally took Braden to pick out a Christmas tree. He had more fun running through the maze of trees, but finally chose a nice one to take home.

It's easy to get in the holiday spirit when hanging out up in the chilly mountains at Gramma and Papa's cabin.

Braden displayed his creative side and was very serious about perfecting his project....

and we got to enjoy the final product! Braden gave us an ornament and ceramic plate he made all by himself. We loved them!

It's That Time of Year Again

The holidays seem to be the time of year when the aunts and uncles who don't have their own children decide to buy their nieces or nephews really loud, obnoxious toys. Ok, so maybe Uncle Billy and Aunt Maria didn't exactly buy Braden a guitar or drum set, but they gave him the idea that these would be great toys to request at Christmas time! Instead, maybe Braden can just look forward to playing with these at his aunt and uncle's house.....We can always get revenge by buying their dogs some annoying, loud toys, but it's not quite the same!

No wonder Braden looks forward to hanging out with his aunt and uncle! If he's not playing with Uncle Billy's collectible cars or harassing the dogs, he gets to rock out on the drum set.

They sure look like they're having fun....much more excitement than Braden would EVER have at our house with a drum set!

Best Seat in the House

Our drive home from Glamis wasn't quite as relaxing as we had hoped. It took nearly double the amount of time that it should have due to holiday traffic unfortunately. Braden didn't sleep at all on the drive which took almost 7 hours! He found plenty to do in the motorhome the whole way home.

Trying to get comfortable, Braden found a cozy spot under the bed.

Apparently leaning on Pepper seemed even cozier....
Then Braden discovered that sitting on top of the dog, armed with his favorite toys in hand, would be the best way to stay comfortable on the drive! Pepper seems less than pleased!!

Celebrating in the Sand

With so much to be thankful for, it's difficult to know where to start. We have wonderful family, great friends, and countless blessings everyday. God has been so generous to us and we are so appreciative! Our Thanksgiving tradition is to spend the long weekend in Glamis, camping in the sand dunes. We enjoyed sunny days, relaxing with friends.

Braden pretended to enjoy his turkey, mashed potatoes, and green beans. He was over the whole traditional Thanksgiving feast idea pretty quickly though! Ok, so it may not look exactly like a feast, but we did have the standard Thanksgiving staples and it was plenty for just the three of us!

Where's the beach!?? With the 80 degree weather, spending the holiday by the shore would have been wonderful! Braden was perfectly content with all the sand in Glamis though.
Braden enjoyed hangin' with the older kids, Wyatt and Payton. He was such a dirtball all weekend and loved every minute of it!
Zooming by on his quad, Braden flashed a grin. He did a great job cruising around on his quad....except when he was slightly distracted and rode right into the big fire pit in our camp. Thank God there was no fire burning at the time! He flew right over the handle bars and landed face first in the sand! Braden seemed just slightly shaken up, but didn't even shed a single tear!!
Cruising around in the dune buggy was one of the highlights of the trip for Braden. This car goes really fast through the dunes and is very loud. He loved it! Like father, like son....

All the playing made Braden pretty tired! He was just kicking back and relaxing a bit.

This picture might explain why Matt is insistent that Braden gets a haircut. He could give Donald Trump a run for his money!

We finally got to meet our friends' daughter, Stella. This darling little princess didn't seem to fit in with all her pink and frills! Hopefully she learns to love the desert one day like her parents!

Why lounge alone when you can share a share with a friend? Braden loved hanging out with his new 4-year-old pal, Courtney!

Stella's mom and dad seemed to think Braden was ready for this big quad. Not quite, but probably very soon!

Big boy gear for a big boy quad!