The Sleepover

Braden wanted to take advantage of having Veterans Day off, so his buddies Landin and Keegan came over for a sleepover.

There are always a few rounds of foosball when the boys visit.  Keegan was losing, so...

his twin Landin jumped in to help.

Inevitably bedtime came along and naturally, the boys were not ready to go to sleep.

Landin chose a cozy spot in the corner of Braden's room and the other boys wanted to check it out too.

Surprisingly, the boys slept soundly and were up bright and early.  A trip to the park with Bentley started our morning off.

Who said soccer season is over?  The boys put their skills to use and prepared for spring season.

Gone Fishin'

Fishing is an activity that seems to epitomize father-son bonding time, so my boys headed out for a day at sea.

By the looks of the backdrop, seems like the very early morning was well worth it!

It appears as though Braden enjoyed his first experience deep sea fishing.

Hmmm, seems a little less interested once he actually caught a fish...

Ok, so the stinky, slimy fish aren't so bad...as long as he wasn't forced to eat them.

Braden caught a variety of fish, and even a couple birds.

Ahhhh, the joys of Matt taking the day off work to hang out with his buddy.

Looking forward to another day out at sea.

Better than Bigfoot

Braden gets to see his best bud Jett so infrequently, it is almost like catching a glimpse of the loch ness monster or bigfoot!  We caught wind that we may see Jett at Colt's birthday party, so we brought a camera just in case...

Like true besties, Jett and Braden acted as if no time had passed since they last hung out.  These boys have been buddies since birth, so we need to do a better job of getting together more often.

Celebrating Six

Cake and ice cream just wouldn't do for his 6th birthday.  Instead, Braden chose to celebrate with lots of variety and a few close friends. 

Boomers in Irvine was the location Braden chose to let loose for an afternoon and evening.

With lots of video games, rides and other activities, Braden jumped right into the action.

Ski Ball is a classic favorite that Braden did quite well at.

Braden played and played....pretty much Every. Single. Game.

He went to great lengths to score on Daddy in air hockey.

This smile indicated he must have beat him!

Braden's party was for some big kids too.  Stacy, Steve, Cornell and Steve played a round of miniature golf too.

Apparently Keegan didn't know just how serious Cornell is about the sport of golf...even if this was just mini golf.  These boys are so competitive!  Landin was happy-go-lucky as ever though.

Braden tried his skills out before using his new golf clubs he received for his birthday.

Looks like Zach, Jaydon and Lily were enjoying the sun-filled day.

Caden, Jaxon and Quinn had fun too!

Miniature golf clearly exhausted this crew....for a moment at least.  Jaxon, Buckley, Carter, Keegan, Landin, Braden, Quinn and Cornell took a brief break before heading over to the go-karts.

Gramma and Papa joined in the adventure-filled day too!

Despite the warning on the sign, there was definitely lots of bumping that took place.  After all, these kids are competitive and want to win....even when it means breaking a rule.

If only Braden was this serious about other things....He was determined to lap all the other racers....and he did!

These kids worked up an appetite after a couple hours of playing. 

They know they need their veggies...All the kids requested vegetables with their pizza!

Braden helped design a surfer-themed cake for his big day.

Braden was a bit embarassed while everyone sang Happy Birthday.

This group sure didn't sit still....

or stay quiet for long!

Braden earned hundreds of tickets from all the games he played.

After games, rides,golf, pizza, and cake, Braden wanted to play even more!

The Gickings made it a late night too!

Couldn't pass up on an opportunity to play laser tag.

This crew beat the teens they played against.

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The security guard seemed humored by Braden's shenanigans in the fountain on our out of Boomers.

Unslumber Party

Braden got to experience his first sleepover when Cornell spent the night.  Unfortunately, the boys had to leave for soccer at 7:30 the next morning, but they still managed to live it up a bit.

Capping off dinner with ice cream seemed necessary.  A little sugar before bed never hurt anyone.

Cornell told Braden he needs to learn how to golf, so he kindly offered a free lesson before bedtime....in the family room.

Everything is a competition with these boys. They raced to see who could brush their teeth quickest.  I told them to do the opposite and see who could do the best job brushing their teeth.

They insisted on sleeping in the same bed.

Just a quick pillow fight before sleep.

Somehow they got a hold of my phone.  They begged to play just one game of Angry Birds.

Then they decided to snap a photo of themselves.  Do either of these boys appear delirious yet?!

After making up jokes and cracking each other up, these boys finally acknowledged they needed to go to sleep so they would have energy for their early morning soccer game.

King for a Day

There was no shortage of celebrating on Braden's 6th birthday.  It started bright and early at school and continued late into the night.

It was only the second week of school and Braden already ended up in the principal's office...fortunately, just for a photo with Mr. Birkompas since it was Braden's birthday.

Braden's whole school wished him a happy birthday. Ironically, he shares a birthday with his teacher and the 6th grader who helps in his class.

Mrs. Abell let Braden pick a book to read to the class.

Braden decided to cap off his day at school by sharing Krispy Kreme donuts with his class.

Braden didn't even change out of his uniform before tearing into his gifts.

Star Wars Legos are always a favorite. Any gift that involves Dad's participation is extra fun.

Just when I thought he had every monster truck ever made, I found out that apparently there are a couple he still needed to add to his collection.

Gramma and Papa caught wind of the fact Braden wants to start golfing.  The Angry Bird golf balls were an extra bonus.

The rescue we adopted Bentley from estimated her birthday is in September, so we decided she could share in the celebration on the 18th too.

Root beer with dinner was a special treat.

Braden chose to have a teppanyaki dinner.  He had just caught a mouthful of rice the chef threw at him.

This kid loves grilled onions....and his dad just loves being weird.

An ice cream sundae with a cherry on top seemed like an appropriate way to top off a fun-filled day.