January 30, 2008

Tonight Braden got a VERY NEEDED haircut...but let me tell you about the not so much fun that we had to endure to get him looking that cute. First off, this kid has never had a problem with haircuts...even his first one he sat still and never cried...it's been that way ever since.

Last summer we started cutting his hair with a *buzzer* as he calls it. Well Tuesday night we tried to cut his hair and our *buzzer* wasn't working very well...it is a hand-me-down and has seen better days, but had always worked. Well I think it might have pulled his hair a little bit...so he started freaking out...so with a few areas cut already we quit (oh boy was he cute!) and I told him we'd buy a new one the next day. So we got a brand new super duper one today at Target and he was all excited...until we sat him down in the bathroom to cut it...let's just say after 45 minutes, countless bribes, ear spliting screams and hair ALL OVER MY BATHROOM he looks like this. I really don't think he ever agreed to the haircut, he just wore himself out fighting us...Chris and I both agree that this was the most exhausting team-work we've had to play yet! Geesh!

January 29, 2008

And some question why we call him the Miracle Monster!!!

January 28, 2008

This is what I find outside my kitchen on any given day...for those of you that don't know, this is the set of Extreme Home Makeover hosted by Ty Pennigton. Braden is OBSESSED! He will act out the entire show...someday I need to get it on tape because it is way too funny! We now have it on DVD thanks to Meena K and every other episode of the season is TIVO'd for his viewing pleasure...

January 27, 2008

Now, you have to view these pictures in order...it is pretty funny...

First we start with Chris initiating a snowball fight...

Then "Daddy help me, I fell down and I can't get up"
"Oh, poor baby, of course I'll help you up...here ya go"
"Ha ha ha, my plan worked, I got him close enough to nail with a snowball :) (If you look closely he is holding it in the above picture and as soon as Chris helped him up, he nailed him!)
WhooEEEE this snowball fight business is fun!!!

January 26, 2008

Braden doing his part to help the city clean up after our last snow fall!

January 25, 2008

More Snow Falling...Yeah...(can't you sense my enthusiasm)

January 24, 2008

Braden has been asking about new running shoes for weeks now. His original *Moon* (Nike) Shoes haven't fit him in awhile and the pair after that have gotten pretty ratty...so he's been asking for new ones. So today after preschool we went to Kohl's and he picked out these new *Moon* shoes! He first thought he might like the character shoes, like Elmo, Thomas or Spiderman...but then spied these and that was it! So on our way home he asked if he could go outside and Run Run Run when we got home...I said maybe, then he replied "Mom, I have to exercise because my back is hurting just a little bit and running will make it feel better..." I guess he was listening when I told chris that working out would make his back feel better...plus Chris and I have recently gotten back to working out so we're always talking about it...Too bad last thing this skinny kid needs is to RUN off calories ;)

January 23, 2008

I truly believe that after days like today...God knew what he was doing when he made them look so sweet and innocent in their sleep! It helps us start fresh in the morning :)

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And we have another birthday today...yes my parents are really 4 days apart...Happy Birthday Mom! Thanks for being a wonderful mom, a best friend and the greatest Meena to two very special boys! We love you!!!

January 22, 2008

4 years later...Chris and I finally put up curtains in our bedroom!

January 21, 2008

Well imagine our surprise when Braden came upstairs to say hi and he looked like this...we both wondered...hmmm...what is all that white stuff on his clothes? So we followed him downstairs to his *shop* and this is what we found!

He had found some styrofoam packing pieces from our new DVD player (thanks DeedleDee!) and thought it was SOOOOOO cool that his new saw actually cut through it! He quickly told me that he was cutting the bumper for his car...and he sawed and sawed and sawed.
Now some of you may be thinking "OH MY GOODNESS....WHAT A MESS! HOW COULD SHE SIT THERE TAKING PICTURES WHILE HE WAS MAKING THAT MESS...DOESN'T SHE KNOW HOW HARD THOSE LITTLE STYROFOAM PIECES ARE TO CLEAN UP?" And yes I truly despise those little styrofoam pieces...but you know...the look of pure joy on his face...and the fact that he wasn't sawing anything that couldn't be fixed...I just let him go to town...you're only a kid once right?!?

January 20, 2008

The problem about awesome weekends...they have to come to an end!

How many people does it take to deflate the air mattress???

Little E is loving being wrapped up like a burrito!

January 19, 2008

Still in KC having a great time!!!

Kara's shirt says it all!
J is from Texas and begged S and me to go out and play in the 10 degree weather with her. She wanted to make a snowman...but the snow was a powdery substance...not very good for snowman making so we made one lying down! A good time was had by all :)
Then there were the weenies that stayed inside!
Just have to say THANK YOU to D for having us at her house! It was an amazing weekend!

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Then while I was enjoying lobster in Kansas...my Daddy was celebrating a birthday! I called him to wish him Happy Birthday and rubbed it in that I was eating Maine Lobster...I'm sure he loved me even more! But seriously....Happy Birthday to one of the best dads a girl could ask for! More recently his name is PopPop...and he's a heck of a grandpa too!

January 18, 2008

Today I headed down to KC to meet up with some very dear friends of mine! We had such an awesome *girls* weekend! It was just what I needed! When we arrived, this is what we found! K who had flown from MAINE had brought along 10 of these suckers! Straight off the docks that day...they were just about the most delishish things I've tasted...

After a scrumptious dinner we had to pose for some pics! I finally got to meet the McTriplets! They are so darn cute! And D's girls are darling too...we had so much fun...and this was just the first night :)

These women are truly amazing. I've met them*gasp* online for the most part. Each of us has been touched by prematurity, all in different ways...and have become forever friends! K flew in from Maine, J flew in from Texas, McTriplet Mommy is from KC and three of us drove down from Iowa...and to our amazing host D for putting up with all of us...it was a weekend to remember!!! Can't wait to do it again, the plans are already in place....

January 17, 2008

Grrr...I knew it was only a matter of time before something like this would happen. I don't know how exactly this happened, but when I found them downstairs like this I asked Braden what had happened and he said "I was dancing with them mom"!?!?!?

Thankfully, it glued together relatively well...he's lucky :)

January 16, 2008

Well with all the sickness in our house, we needed a project...so we made jell-o. Now Braden has never really liked jell-o, but PopPop Dirk gave him some when we were there for Christmas and he liked it so he wanted to give it a try...this *lick* was about as far as he got. Oh well...at least he loved mixing it all up! This *crud* he has just won't let up...yuck!

January 15, 2008

Well...we did it, we broke out *FISHY* dang it! I looked back through my pics, and I'm pretty sure we haven't had to use *FISHY* since last March...that's 10 months...it's a record! Braden was a trooper though...I just told him that Baby Keegan had to use one too and he had no problems! (Please say some extra prayers for Keegan...he's got RSV...YUCK, YUCK and Double YUCK!)

January 14, 2008

Well today Braden was diagnosed with a 1)sinus infection, 2)ear infection, 3)upper respiratory infection and 4)eye infections! Oh yeah, so fun! But besides all the ickies coming out of him, you wouldn't now he's sick. He looks pitiful but was still running around in circles around the doctor's office...so even when he's sick the kid doesn't sit still.

Here he is in his *tent* that his mean mommy won't set up for him right now b/c there is way too much *stuff* in my living room...so he just played in it like this...see he's resourceful!

Then Daddy captured a quiet moment before bed...

January 13, 2008

Braden and I pretty much spent all day laying in bed and watching cartoons...he's got some gunk going on and started a fever today..so we were trying to lay low!

January 12, 2008

One of my goals of 2008 is to finally get some organization in my house and get rid of some junk! I was going through my pics from last year and realized that some time in March I started cleaning the basement...well sad to say I didn't get too far after that. So here is what it looks like today...

As Braden gets older there seems to be more clothes and toys to store...so we went to Menards and bought some shelving and we actually got them built today...now the hard part begins...

January 11, 2008

Finally there wasn't any ice around so Mommy let him get out his bike! He was thrilled!

January 10, 2008

Grown women would kill for those lashes!

January 09, 2008

Another edition of "The Many Faces of Braden"

Braden and Gavin let me practice some photography on them this afternoon...

January 08, 2008

When I came upstairs to go to bed, this is what I found in Braden's room! Both of them were zonked! It was awfully cute!

January 07, 2008

My little worker bee!

He got this new laptop for Christmas (thanks Meena C and PopPop Joe) and he loves it! He loves the alphabet game and can find almost all of them! There are a couple of other games he will sit and play too (all educational!) It's amazing to see his attention span increase! I mean, he might be able to put some meat on his bones if he will actually sit still for 20 mintues a day :)

January 06, 2008

mmm...there's nothing like frozen corn on the cob from Chili's...ha ha ha, ok, so it's not like the stuff you get fresh from the field during the summer around here, but Braden still wanted a few bites...but of course he doesn't like to get his hands dirty and since there wasn't a stick on the other side, he made Meena C hold it...geez...who's kid is this????

January 05, 2008

Meena C., PopPop Joe, Uncle Matt and Uncle Adam finally made it to our house to celebrate Christmas! They couldn't make it because of the snow before Christmas so we celebrated late! It was great to see them and Braden was so happy that they were there!

First Uncle Matt got him this cool helicopter toy and this picture shows his face of joy...He just couldn't quit laughing at this thing...I don't think there are too many sounds that are quite as awesome as his laugh!

Then came the gift that Santa accidentally left under Meena and PopPop's tree. He couldn't believe that he finally got his guitar! Santa really came through with all he asked for this year! And let me tell you this kid can jam. I don't know where he gets his dance moves from, but he is awesome, seriously looks like he is putting on a rock show. I need to get it on video soon...it is just too darn cute!
And one shot of the slippers that Matt's girlfriend Katie got for him...he thought they were pretty cool...he thinks he's roller skating since there are wheels on them...he he he!

January 04, 2008

Some day, years from now, I want Braden to remember how much he LOVED Mustangs when he was 3 years old. He has a love for cars that I *know* has come from my brothers...he has an uncanny memory and can pick a mustang out from 200 yards away...he can name an Eclipse only by it's tail lights in the complete dark. He's always been able to associate people he knows with the cars that they drive (even if he's only seen your car once), this started when he could barely talk. It has always amazed us...I hope he continues to keep this memory as he goes through life.

This year is all about the Mustang...new, old, it doesn't matter, he likes them all. He spotted a red Mustang PowerWheels convertable at wal-mart and can't quit talking about it...guess we better be making some room in the garage for his birthday :) But we have 6 months, maybe we can convince him that Mustangs aren't that cool .... ha ha ha!

January 03, 2008

Well the tree came down and the work bench went up...now he is all set...all he wants to do is cook and build! Awww...my little cooking mechanic...look at that engine he's fixing! His uncles would be so proud :)

January 02, 2008

Well we finally made it back home after a great visit with Meena K and PopPop Dirk! Thanks for putting up with all of us :) Braden got home and headed straight to his kitchen...but since he got new tools for Christmas too (and is OBSESSED with Extreme Home Makeover) he ended up "knocking down the old and building a new kitchen" He really wanted the tree down too so he could set up his new tool bench...but I convinced him to wait till tomorrow!