Finally Four

Braden was excited that his gal pal, Addison, is finally 4-years-old. We celebrated at her house with dinner and of course, a pink princess cake.

This duo played for hours on end without stopping! Braden loves that Addison can play tough like a boy, but is still sweet and girly!

Up on the Housetop...

This picture just doesn't quite put into perspective how frightening this light-hanging adventure really was. Matt had many curious onlookers as he climbed on a ladder on a slanted roof....on the second story...that had a wet, mossy roof. A couple weeks ago, we scoffed at all our neighbors who hired professional light installers...we now know why they went that route!

Matt did a great job of sprucing up our house for the holidays!

The Countdown

Braden reminded us that Christmas is just 25 days away...He's already in the holiday spirit!

Braden kicked off the month of December by eating a piece of chocolate out of his advent calendar. It's amazing how horrible-tasting chocolate can bring such joy to this boy!

Parking It

Grandma Judy, Uncle Roderick, Aunt Maria and Uncle Billy closed out our Thanksgiving weekend with a visit. Taking a walk to the park was a nice way to spend the afternoon.

Even the big kids like the park!

Braden gave up on pushing his uncles on the swings so he could go for a ride too!
Grandma and Braden bravely rode the wild roller coaster...oh wait, that's just a slide.

Daddy offered to show Braden how to navigate these funky monkey bars...they were a bit more challenging than they looked!

Sweet Braden always picks yellow flowers for Aunt Maria because he thinks they are her favorite.

No basketball? No problem!

Should've learned how to use the camera timer or photoshop so Uncle Roderick could've been in the photo!

Curiously Fake?

Pretend City Museum is featuring a special Curious George exhibit, so we went to check it out.

After waiting in line to meet Curious George, Braden walked away and said, "Mom, I don't want you to be sad, but that Curious George was a total fake."

When I came in to read Braden his Curious George book before bed, this is what I came across...Faking it? Nope, he was passed out after a tiring afternoon at the museum.

Dashing Through the Snow...

Snowy weather meant tons of fun for the kids. They went on hikes, had snowball fights, and went sledding.

Three out of four kids smiling and looking at the camera?! Not bad!

These three have such a great time together. Going on a hike in the snow was one of the highlights of their stay at Gramma and Papa's.

Kendall led Braden on a fast sled ride....a great way to build up an appetite for turkey dinner!

Family Feastin' & Fun

Unfortunately, we rarely get to spend time with the "other Johnsons," so we were thrilled they made the long trek to southern California for a visit.

After all the feasting, time at the park seemed like a great way to burn some calories!

Why go down the slide one at a time, when all four can tumble down at the same time?
Lyla doesn't let her age prevent her from roughhousing with the big kids.
The Thanksgiving weather was perfect, the setting was beautiful, and the company was even better.

Hanging out with all these girls is so exhausting!
This foursome has the energy of about ten kids, so a dance party seemed like a great idea.

Unsure if Papa enjoys the dog piling, but the grandkids sure do! Papa doesn't look too annoyed!

Papa got a Wii for his birthday, so the kids tested it out. Braden took the game very seriously.

Is this an appropriate game for a 4-year-old? At least he was pretending to hunt animals, not people.

So much for settling the kids down...Gramma pulled her famous move and squirted whipped cream in the kids' mouths.

Pilgrim Pride

Braden's preschool hosted a Thanksgiving program for parents. He was decked out in a pilgrim costume he made and proudly belted out a song with the other kids.

Braden realized how much he loves Thanksgiving after scarfing down two plates of turkey at the luncheon.

Smart Cookie

We are experiencing record breaking November heat, so summer is on our minds! Braden comes up with word everyday to spell out in cookies for his lunch. Today's word seemed quite fitting for the 95 degree day!

Braden only needed help with adding a second 'm' to the word...he'll be smarter than us pretty soon!

Once a Marine, Always a Marine

Deja vu? Braden thought it would be a great idea to dress as a marine again this year, so we happily obliged. May as well get our money's worth out of the costume!

Braden enjoyed a donut breakfast at his preschool's harvest festival.

What a tough-looking cutie!
He found an ideal spot to hide from his buddies, Spiderman and Woody.
Looking handsome in his recycled costume...
Sporting camo shades, Braden walked in the parade with a bunch of stormtroopers, Buzz Lightyears, and princesses.

Braden's buddy, Tate, couldn't determine who was under the hat...His friend finally yelled, "Hey everyone, I figured it out....it's Braden!!"

Braden was thrilled to go back to his old preschool for their harvest festival. He really misses Ms. Tricia and was so excited to see her!

This pretty much sums up this threesome's friendship. Hudson and Braden put Addison on a pedestal and simply adore her. This little princess is the leader of the pack!

Love how Addison doesn't let a frilly dress get in the way of tumbling around with the boys!

There's just something about her!

Unsure how Braden ended up looking more like a clown than a tough marine with war paint...

This marine didn't miss an opportunity to perform stunts for his friends.

Seeing Fireman Daniel at the festival was an added bonus. Braden is looking forward to riding dirt bikes with Daniel in the desert!