A Day at the Farm

Beautiful sunshine provided a break from the rain, so we headed to Tanaka Farms in Irvine to enjoy harvest season.

Apparently Sponge Bob even likes to hang out at the pumpkin patch. Braden insisted I take a photo of him.

Braden displayed how he could do a better job scaring away the crows...
All I hoped for was one nice photo on top of the haystack by the fall surroundings. Braden took the whole fall thing to a whole new level though!

Braden tumbled down the haystack & over some pumpkins. Happy Fall!

He brushed himself off and he was off to the petting zoo.

This little guy got quite friendly with Braden.

This is the turn-the-camera-off-so-I-can-just-enjoy-chilling-with-the-animals-smile.

Guess even goats love ice cream cones...as long as they're filled with tasty goat treats.

Braden took home the infamous carnival game prizes, including an obnoxious whistle that he blew incessantly until it fell apart. We had to explain to him that prizes are cheap and only last as long as the car ride home.

After searching high and low, Braden found the perfect pumpkin to take home. Matt promised him I'd bake a delicious homemade piumpkin pie...that's funny.

Cooped Up

Braden and I have the same thoughts on the rain...We pay a fortune to live in southern California, so we should have sunshine 365 days a year. The weekend brought 2 days of relentless sprinkles, but we made the most of it.

We are in the process of remodeling our house, so this was the best I could do to create a movie theatre for Braden...my laptop on the couch so he could watch a DVD.

Braden got bored...
and then delirious...

There's no proof a kid will catch a cold from playing in the rain...and even if Braden does, it was worth it! Braden got wet & muddy...but more importantly, he was worn out & happy after cruising to the park and back on his scooter!

Merry Matrimony

There are tons of Kinnons, which means tons of weddings...that's a good thing because weddings are a great excuse to see our family! Erin and Garrett chose a perfect San Diego day to say their vows.

Congratulations Garrett and Erin!

Cheers! Braden loved toasting!

It's inevitable...family pictures that we dread taking as much as when we were kids! For some reason, we chose this blase background rather than the beautiful palm trees outside.

The pain of taking the pics is usually worth it though...parents love photos of their kids, even though we are all old now!

The bigger the group gets, the tougher it gets for all of us to look happy...better this than nothing though!

Tour de No Training Wheels

Braden must take after his Daddy because he picks up on new skills quite quickly. We told him we would take his training wheels off when he turned 4, and he held us to that promise.

Braden was off and cruising without hesitation. I was quite impressed with how fast he was able to learn how to ride without training wheels.

Just like his Daddy, Braden is a total people-watcher....this may get him into some trouble while trying to perfect his cycling skills.
Guess I've found my workout partner!

This show-off makes looking cute so easy too!

Two Little Monkeys...Jumping in a Cage?

Uncle Billy, Aunt Maria, and Grandma Judy watched Charley, Braden, and Miles and this is the only lousy picture I got? I realize 3 rowdy boys can be difficult and exhausting, but is there something wrong with this picture? By the way, where's Miles??

Braden seems to be having a blast playing in Jade and Hunter's crate. Hmmm, we have a few extra crates at home that could come in handy!

Rebel Without a Cause

Braden has certainly developed a sense of independence and strong opinions. After all, he is 4 now!

Braden cruised into the house on his scooter. His justification? He knows we are replacing the floors soon, so he said it didn't matter if he ruined the existing floor.

We began to think the temporary tattoo Gramma put on Braden's arm was not-so-temporary. After more than a week of trying to scrub it off in the bath, the tattoo didn't budge! Even rubbing alcohol had a hard time getting it off. Braden now points out everyone he sees with "real tattoos".....that should be a battle I won't have to think about for many years, I hope!

Our style-setter decided it is cool to wear shoes like this...not practical at all, but neither are stilettos.

Got Bugs?

Braden went from the kid who was scared of the littlest spider in the house to a bug-lover overnight. Guess boys are meant to love all things gross & slimy.

Braden insisted I read him his books about bugs while he was surrounded by toy bugs.

Braden found this treasure in our bushes...a fresh, moist worm.
Favorite chore around the house? Attacking any and all creatures that happens to sneak in.

Bugs beware...Braden has an accurate swing and he hates flies in particular!

Braden caught a green bug he named Yoda to keep in his bug house. Unfortunately, Yoda died of dehydration, hunger, or maybe just plain boredom...I dread the day Braden has to deal with the death of a real pet.

Braden's first attempt at photography...he made sure all the bugs were posing for the picture.

The Day After

Although Braden's birthday was pretty mellow, he did have his fair share of excitement with all his new gifts & plenty of cake and ice cream. We headed to Disneyland for fun with friends to finish off his birthday weekend.

No matter how old he gets, Braden can't resist a ride on the carousel....especially if Daddy agrees to ride on the horse next to him.

The day is bound to come when sweet, adorable Addison gets fed up with Braden's goofy antics. Until then, they will enjoy having tons of fun together!
While Matt flashed a peace sign, Braden proudly flashed his age. He just kept saying, "I can't believe I'm not 3 anymore!"

It's never too early to teach kids about money...ok, maybe this wasn't a good example of learning about wise spending. He was splurging on Star Wars figures with the Disney Dollars Addison's family so generously gave him. Hey, he did flash his annual pass for a discount...that's my boy!

It's never a good thing when the kids are really tired shortly after arriving at Disneyland...they somehow made it through the day, but by the evening, they were slightly delirious.

Somehow kids always get a second wind....and a third, and a fourth...

The Big Four

Our sweet, funny, clever baby boy turned 4 today. It's hard to believe since he often acts like he's 8. This smarty pants (or farty pants, as he says) cracks us up daily. The last 4 years have been amazing and we look forward to seeing what this next year brings.

Rather than an over-the-top birthday party, Braden suggested we just hang out at home...do we have an easy kid or what?! We did go out for a birthday dinner with Gramma and Papa.

Why down 1 drink at a time, when double-fisting it is much more efficient?!

We enjoyed walking around the lake & checking out the ducks and snapping turtles.
Braden loved goofing around with Gramma and Papa while enjoying perfect weather and beautiful surroundings.

Mr. Dramatic didn't want to take any more pictures...

But when you're this cute, the camera simply can't resist!

Braden showered the cake while desperately trying to blow out his candles....trick candles that is! I couldn't resist!

Braden quickly cleaned up the cake topper so he could play with it. It combined 2 of his favorite things...Spiderman on a quad.

Braden does most things quite enthusiastically...this triple chocolate fudge brownie cake amped him up more than he already was!

Cool guy cruised down the street on his new bike and showed it off to a few of our neighbors.

While riding his bike, he found a dollar bill in the street...the quad on top of his head? Just something he insisted on putting there if I was going to take a picture.

Braden was so delirious that he wanted me to take a picture of all of his new toys on his head....Here's Grave Digger rolling down his head in slow motion. Braden thought this was a cool trick!

Strange Housemates

Braden seems to be tracking down some items we haven't pulled out for quite some time...

He tried to pull off a serious demeanor as he sat at the desk. The hair and mustache made me cringe!

Hopefully none of the Hemet folks are offended by this picture. Matt thought a character like this may be seen in that town...he is from there, so guess he would know!