Anything But Crabby

One way to keep three boys very happy is to take them to the beach on a beautiful day and let them run wild. Landin, Keegan and Braden did just that at Laguna Beach. They boogie boarded, played in the sand and tossed around the football. The highlight though, was finding several large crabs. A couple of the crabs were hanging out in this bucket.

After contemplating taking the crabs home for dinner, we ended up letting them go free.

Bike Buddies

We live in a great neighborhood that is filled with kids. Jaydon is one of a few 4-year-old boys on our street who Braden loves to hang with.


Taking a break from riding bikes, Braden and Jaydon enjoyed snow cones on a very warm evening...this was followed by a popsicle...and another snow cone.

Photo Opps

Unfortunately, we rarely have the opportunity to spend time with Christian, Sandy, Sydney, Kendall and Lyla. We were excited they visited southern California so we were able to hang out with them a bit. Our friend Sarah was nice enough to deal with the chaos of attempting to round up our overly tired, hungry and cranky bunch...and I'm not referring to just the kids!

It's a rarity to get a family picture, even though it only involves gathering just the three of us!

A picture perfect family with three girls who are growing up way too quickly!
Braden loves to give out his squeezy hugs to Gramma....

And goofing off with Papa, but....

Looking adorable is Braden's specialty!

Wow, another decent family picture?

Matt and his mini-me were less than thrilled about my enthusiasm for taking family photos. They couldn't escape the camera though on these rocks.

Papa, Gramma,, and their 4 favorite blessings...they never referred to them like that specifically, but we assume they feel that way!

Fun for the Fourth

The combination of perfect weather, wonderful family, and good friends made for the ideal excuse to spend a few days camping at the beach in San Diego to celebrate the 4th of July.

This little beach boy caught a few rays while getting really sandy.

Braden kicked off the weekend by participating in the campground's bike parade.
Gramma and Papa put the Martha Stewart touch on Braden's bike to make sure he really displayed his patriotism.
Showing off his red, white, & blue from all angles!No time for bathroom breaks. Braden misinterpreted, "Go pee in the ocean." Benefit of being a boy...no need to be discreet.

Double the fun!

If you're old enough to own a boogie board, you're old enough to carry it yourself to the beach.

Addison chose to ignore Braden's breakdancing on the beach. Hey, he couldn't stop himself once he heard a good beat!

Just hanging out in the jacuzzi.

Addison and Braden were obsessed with the sand crabs. They gave some to Papa to eat and got quite a kick out of it when he "swallowed" a few.

Well, if Papa likes them, maybe I will too...

A little slimy and a bit crunchy...

Too salty...I'm going to stick to just digging them up instead.

Braden had a bit of fun messing around on his boogie board, but preferred playing in the sand more.

The adults had a blast surfing and boogie boarding. We took a break and noticed a pod of five dolphins close to shore.

Hanging out with Gramma while sporting a chocolate pudding mustache coated in sand.

These kids just love each other!

No nap and lots of sand & water created eyes as red as Braden's shirt. The tiredness didn't stop him for long though!

Glow sticks are quite possibly one of the best inventions. The kids played hide & seek with them, created a jump rope out of them, and waved them around like swords. Happy 4th of July!

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...