Beautiful Day!

It was a beautiful day here! We took a bike ride down to Tempe Town Lake. For those of you who don't live here, it is actually a stopped up river that they call a lake. I actually swam in the nasty thing once when I did a little triathlon... yuck! Anyway, it is close to our house and a fun little outing. There are always things going on there and today it was the Dragon Boat Races. Kind of a random thing to come across out here in the desert! Anthony and I stopped and got some lunch and then Braden ate some of his lunch on the grass in the shade (he's eating beans now and loves string cheese and yogurt!). He fell asleep in the bike trailer on the way home... looked soooo uncomfortable, but he was out! He's took a nice long nap when we got home (I actually took one too!) and then we went over to the condo for a swim! Our pool is getting warmer, but not there yet.

Eating his lunch on the grass.

I love those chubby little feet!

This picture is actually from a walk we took a few weeks ago. We think it's a funny picture of Braden!

Playing with the toy his Mimi got him.

Eating a spaghetti noodle for the first time.

Airplane Ride!

More fun and firsts!

Braden and his Daddy have been building forts. Here's Braden in his yoga mat fort!


His first balloon!




Figuring out the quintessential high five!


The higher the better!

Happy baby! This sound often wakes us up on Saturday and Sunday mornings!

My Favorite Thing

It appears that the concept of amazement has become a reality to Braden. My favorite thing lately is when we show him something that he thinks is cool. He looks at it, looks up at us with this amazed, quizzical look and then looks back at it. This happened yesterday when he got his Christmas present from the family that Anthony flies (yes, it is almost the end of March, but that's a different story). Considering it's a remote control, ride-on jet we looked at it with amazement, too. But the cool thing is that Braden also does this when I read him pop-up books!



We're doing some baby-proofing around the house this weekend. The fireplace hearth and the cupboards are where we are starting, plus the pool fence is ordered. Considering he likes to try to climb up the walls, I figure these would be a good starting point. He is a strong-willed little boy when it comes to things he wants... and unfortunately some of those things are not safe for him! So we'll all keep learning as we go.



I'm sure Lori and Alexandra will be glad we are doing some babyproofing! They come to the house and take care of Braden when Anthony and I both have to work. Braden really enjoys them and as you can see from the picture below, Alexandra likes Braden, too! We are grateful for them!



We went hiking and took a couple of bike rides this weekend. Braden enjoyed both. We're squeezing in as much as we can outside before it gets hot!


On the top of "A" Mountain in Tempe.

With the Bastian's.

Hiking tired Braden out!

Here are some other random pictures of Braden from this week. You'll see him without pants quite a bit because he has a hard time crawling on the hardwood floors with them on!

The Maiden Journey

Braden and I took a trip to Walmart this weekend and he got 2 new toys. The first is one of those big bouncy balls that you see in the tall metal cages. They are usually inviting to kids of all ages. Let's just say that's one of the best $1 I have spent in awhile. Braden loved it while we were at the store and has had a blast chasing it around the house, too!

The other "toy" is a bike trailer! Some friends of ours got one recently and have been talking about the fun rides they've been taking. It encouraged us to get one and I'm glad we did. Anthony put it together Sunday morning and Braden and Kyndal took a maiden voyage in it around our cul-de-sac that afternoon! Oh and did they have fun!

This afternoon we rode over to the condo to get it cleaned for some renters coming in so it was Braden's first trip off our street. Plus the little trailer carried all of our supplies quite nicely! The places we'll go...

Braden has tried a couple more new foods. He LOVES yogurt and so far he doesn't seem to have any reaction to it. I was worried because dairy seemed to bother him when I ate it. It will be great if it doesn't bother him... and I can start eating cheese again! :-)

Another Week

Braden had his first visit in the church nursery this past Sunday. We keep him with us during worship though because he loves the music and he truly thinks that any clapping is just for him!


His new big boy carseat. It's seriously like a Lazy Boy!


Tempe Marketplace is really close to our house and Braden has fun when we go. Anthony was craving sushi so we headed to Kabuki. Braden's deciding what to order.

He always spots the airplanes.

He loves straws these days.

Even though he's a big boy, he's still my little baby.

So cute!

This is a favorite spot for Braden. He knows he's pretty cool when he's on his Daddy's shoulders!

Another thing that makes him feel cool.

Eating Leaves

Anthony had to fly to Santa Monica for the afternoon, so Braden and I were hanging out in the backyard enjoying the weather. He decided that he wanted to add a new food to his diet on his own... leaves! He liked finding the tiniest fragment of a leaf on the grass and do all he could to pick it up and get it into his mouth. He did get a little piece off of the first one he picked up... he's quick sometimes! We did add cauliflower and chickpeas to his diet.

We also took a walk this afternoon. Braden loves taking walks in his Snugli. We met one of our neighbors and he gave us a couple of lemons from his tree. It was perfect because I had just made some hummus and didn't have any lemon for the recipe. Braden uses his feet to "direct" me when we're walking. He loves to watch the cars drive by and when he hears one coming he pushes his little foot in the direction he wants me to turn. Anthony and I have a habit of trying to see the British Airways flight that arrives direct from London every afternoon (having been on the flight twice, it's more fun watching it come in and think about fun adventures then sitting in that seat anxiously waiting to get off!). When we were walking home Braden heard that plane and wanted me to turn all the way around to see it! He takes after his Grandpa Ernie with the airplanes. He used to love to sit in our backyard and watch the planes land at Sky Harbor. The other night Braden was sitting with me on the couch having his bottle and he could see the lights on the planes through the window as they flew by. He watched them while he drank his bottle and happily kicked his little feet.

Braden had his 9-month visit with Dr. Sotelo. He said he's doing great! He had 2 shots and had to have his iron level checked. His measurements were:

Weight - 24 lbs 1 oz (92%)
Length - 29 1/4" (85%)
Head - 18 3/4 (100%!)

He continues to be a big boy...



I love playing with my toys!

Blueberries are yummy!

We didn't leave the garage, really!

9-months.

Well, the month's continue to fly by and Braden is now 9-months old... although there wasn't really a 29th of February so I can pretend he hasn't gotten any older. Braden's newest things are standing in his crib, starting to crawl, getting his 2 front teeth on the top, drinking from a sippy cup, eating with his fingers, giving kisses, throwing balls and I think that's about it. He's had blueberries and kiwi (although I found out he wasn't supposed to have kiwi yet since it's a citrus). He liked them both. The next new thing is a broccoli and cauliflower mix and we'll see how he likes those! For those of you who have seen the post of him eating peas for the first time, wanted to let you know he now likes them!

My parents (Mimi and Poppa) were here for 5-weeks and we all truly enjoyed that! The time seemed to fly by. We've had great weather here and got out and enjoyed it. Braden went on his first picnic and took lots of walks. He also went swimming at the heated pool at the condo! He enjoyed it! He was supposed to start swim lessons in January but it's a brand new pool and they keep having delays in getting the pool finished. It's now supposed to be March 30 and I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Braden went to Denver with my Mom and me and did a great job on both flights. He stayed in the hotel one night and then got to go stay at the Carlson's comfy house (they are my Mom's friend Joan's daughter and family). They are such a sweet family and made us all feel very welcome! With 5 very talented and interactive kids, it was very cool to see Braden interact with them.

On a different note, we are excited that Scott MacIntyre has made it into the Top 12 of American Idol. We already know he's a great singer because we get to hear him sing at our church! How exciting for him. The only bad thing is it makes me want to watch the show! I was hoping to be done watching tv now that the (stupid) Bachelor is over!

I love when my Mimi and Poppa are here!

Hangin' with Mommy.

Daddy's a good storyteller.

I wonder what's going to happen next?

Looking for fish in the pond on my first picnic.

Looking at airplanes with Daddy.

I like to cross my feet when I'm comfy cozy.

With Mommy in the hotel in Denver.

I'm not used to this cold weather!

I like flying in airplanes!

Wow... something that makes cool sounds when I pound on it!

I liked playing with Becca Carlson.

I even have fun on a visit to IKEA!

I love swimming!