School's Out!

Braden officially completed the preschool year and is now going to enjoy the summer program with the kindergartners...yikes! He is pumped up about all the fun he will have in his new class.

He will miss Ms. Rola's hugs....

and Ms. Mandie's kind words about him.
Braden sang his heart out at the end of the year program. As usual, he tried to sing the loudest to make sure we heard every word to every song.
Nothing like a hot dog on a warm summer evening after all that singing and looking cute!

Third Time's a Charm

Charley turned 3 years old, so we partied at a park. Braden was thrilled to help Charley celebrate his big day.

We were entertained by Braden's enthusiasm and determination to break the pinata.

His determination and powerful swing wasn't quite enough to break it open...then Uncle John-Paul told us it was unbreakable and pulled a string to release the candy. Where's the fun in that??!
Checking out and comparing the loot!
Miles is always willing to flash his pearly whites....
But Charley? Not so much...

Braden tried to talk us into letting him have a few cake pops since they weren't as big as a slice of cake. Nice try buddy!

Gotcha Charley! He couldn't help but smile as he played endlessly in the jumper.

Just a good ol' fashioned cousin beatdown. Wrestling in the jumper wore these boys out!

Was Uncle Matt offering some advice to Charley? Yep! He was talking him into trying to eat ALL of the candy in the bag from the pinata.

Wishing Charley a wonderful new year!

And the Journey Begins...

Journee Rose created lots of drama before she even made her debut into the world by giving Aunt Maria a very difficult pregnancy. We are all very excited that the sweet little girl is finally here!

Braden made a couple interesting comments after we visited Journee in the hospital. As we walked out of the room, he said, "I do not want one of those." He was referring to a baby, but clarified he was happy to have a new cousin. Braden also mentioned that he knew how the doctors got the baby out of Aunt Maria's belly but just doesn't know how the baby got in her belly. Aunt Maria can explain all of that to her nephew.

Maria thinks she is going to have a girly princess, but Braden has other ideas that involve dirt, lots and lots of dirt.

The Closer

The Silver Knights may not have had a stellar season, but these 5 boys sure did have fun with each other! We'll count the spring season as a warm up for fall.

Braden wanted to be goofing off with Parker and Landin, but he paused for a moment to pose.

Braden proudly wore his medal all weekend. We appreciate Coach John's efforts to teach the boys.
This photo sums up our whole season. The parents referred to the Silver Nights as the Bad News Bears, lovingly of course. We've enjoyed meeting new friends, Keegan, Landin, Carter and Parker.

Gramma surprised Braden and showed up for his game.

He was very excited to have an extra cheerleader on the sidelines!

Easy Target

While we were traveling for work, Braden got to take a little vacation with Gramma and Papa. On top of the day to day spoiling, they took him on a trip to the toy store to pick up enough pool paraphernalia for six kids! Guess they didn't want us to get bored when we came to pick him up and spend the afternoon in the desert. When I think about a sunny Mother's Day in Palm Springs, thoughts of relaxing by a pool run through my mind...Braden's ideas were just slightly altered from mine. Actually, it was a beautiful day and I did have a chance to relax, despite Braden's desire to run around nonstop...

Braden struck a pose...and soaked anything in sight. Fortunately, I had a camera in hand which offered me temporary shielding.

These super soakers never lost their thrill!
The cutest pool boys I've ever seen...
Gramma got brave and armed herself with a couple water guns while in the pool. Braden got creative with his protection!
Braden was tired of hearing me tell him to stay away from me with the water...I got soaked!
Why does he look like he's 7 in this photo? Maybe it's Daddy's hat or the fact that he drinking a 20 oz. soda.

The best mother's day gift. Ever.

"The cactus look a little dry, so I'll water them." Any excuse to shoot something...

May Day

Traditionally, May Day is a celebration of spring, so we decided to acknowledge the holiday with a day at the beach.

Seal Beach is swarming with lady bugs. Braden counted six on his cousin Charley's head at one point!

He's not called Miles of Smiles for no reason! Miles smiles every time he sees a camera. He kept me active by running in and out of the water constantly!

Miles wanted to pet the little friend on Braden's arm.

"Mom, this IS the cutest face I can make for the camera." Love his one-liners!

So, the group photo idea didn't pan out the way I planned it.

A mud bath at the beach is a perfect way to relax!

This adorable beach bum told me over and over that he was not going to smile for the camera....

Despite the lack of smiles caught by the camera, Charley had a blast splashing in the waves with Braden.

Three tired boys piled into a two-seater stroller captured lots of comments from onlookers about me having my hands full...Kristen will be the recipient of such commentary when baby boy #3 arrives soon! The boys were so well-behaved and fun!

The Great Chase

After a busy week, spending time as a family on Friday evening seemed like the perfect cure for exhaustion!

Matt & I ran while Braden raced through the nature trails on his bike. While this wasn't exactly relaxing, chasing after him must have helped us burn a million calories! A quick break to enjoy the beauty of the great outdoors that is just passed our backyard.
He came up with this pose for this photo...looks like a future pro BMXer! Unsure if it was getting too hot or Braden just wanted to show off his tattoo?! He rocks a new, elaborate helmet since he has gotten more adventurous on his bike!

Spring Breaking

April showers? Nowhere in sight! Rather than doing some necessary spring cleaning, Braden and I hit up the beach to enjoy the beautiful Laguna weather and scenery. After Braden's soccer game, we spent the day with his teammates Landin and Keegan.

Braden looks like he's ready to boogie into the waves.

This kid can't stay still! Landin and Keegan were watching for waves, while Braden looks like he's busting a move!
A few shovels, buckets and sand is a perfect combo for three playful boys!

Time for a carwash!

We had such a nice day at the beach that it was hard to convince Braden that we needed to head home. He can twist my arm to head to the beach again soon!

A New Addition?

Matt has warned me that at some point, Braden will want a reptile for a pet. Really, it's more like Matt thinks it will be fun to have another pet, so he'll talk Braden into insisting we get one. I'd give in to the idea, but I just think Pepper and Enzo would be so jealous....

Fortunately, Braden looks a bit unsure about this enormous snake. However, he did come home from the Pet Expo and tried to sell me on the idea of getting one. He assured me it would be smaller than this one...phew!!

Mountain Man

Braden discovered that he enjoys one of Papa and Gramma's pastimes as much as they do. Hiking in the great outdoors in Idyllwild made for a perfect evening activity.

He hiked the trails like a champ! Water bottle? Check. Fanny pack? Check Walking stick? Check. Cheesy grin? Always!

He's got the "I can't wait to push Papa in the stream" look all over that face!

Cheetos are the perfect protein to help power through a hike.

Looks just like his Daddy when he was younger. Full of mischief, but so cute!

Searching for creatures or maybe just looking for a way to get really dirty?

Fanny packs do look a bit cooler when worn around the back.