Happy First Birthday Braden!!

Happy Birthday Braden!! September 16th was Braden's first birthday!! We can't believe our little guy is one already! We were in Utah, so Braden got to have his birthday party with family including Grandma and Grandpa Scott, lots of cousins and aunts and uncles. Here's a quick recap of the celebration.

The cake. It wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but it turned out ok and Braden was happy. :) 

Getting ready to open presents with Mom and Dad.

Braden didn't exactly know what to do with all the presents, but sure liked his gifts. He also had lots of help from his cousins who helped him figure it out! 

The birthday  boy with his cake. Braden loves anything with wheels, so we thought a car cake was fitting for Braden's cake. 

It took him a few minutes, but Braden had fun ripping his cake apart. He had never had cake or frosting and really liked it. He also enjoyed the vanilla ice cream that came with the cake! 

My sweet boy enjoying his cake.

He did a pretty good job eh?!

Words can't begin to describe the joy that Braden has brought to our lives this past year. He is such a sweet baby boy and is so fun to watch learn and grow. He is definitely all boy and loves to dig in the dirt and play with sticks. His favorite place is still outside. He would spend all day outside exploring if we let him. He also loves watching trucks, airplanes, and cars. He has a big caterpillar dump truck that is by far his favorite toy. He has spent many, many hours pushing it around, climbing on it, and spinning the wheels. He also loves when his dad rough houses with him, especially when he spins him in the air. Braden is super curious and is learning so much, so fast these days. I love watching him take everything in and try to do new things. At his year check up, he weighted 20 lbs 5 oz and was 29 inches tall. Still just below average, but right on track for him. He has become a pretty good eater, but still prefers playing over eating any day. He walks really well now and just learned how to get down off of high places, like beds and couches. He is a tough kid and has taken plenty of spills and rarely cries. I could go on and on about our little guy. But simply put, he is the best! 

A quick catch up

This past month was pretty crazy. I left for Utah the day before Jason left for Texas for a month. He went to Officer Basic Training in San Antonio while I hung out with family. I obviously got the better end of the deal. However, he toughed it out and didn't complain despite the hot, humid heat. We both kept busy, and though  a long time, it went pretty fast for both of us...luckily. As you can see, Braden loves his daddy. So it was tough for both of us to let him go. I love the pool shot because he used to leave his sunglasses on and looked so darn cute. Now he pulls at them unless he is really distracted.

We learned right off the bat that Braden takes after his parents and is an animal lover. He had no fears what so ever of dogs. In fact, he LOVED them! He buried his face in Koda's fur and got so excited anytime a dog came in sight. Fortunately, there was a dog everywhere we stayed!

We were able to be there for Kyler's birthday party, which we celebrated in West Haven at Jason's parent's home. Braden loved being with all the kids and part of the party.

Kara tickled Braden every time she saw him. It was so cute.

Braden was lucky, he got to spend lots of time with Uncle Victor and they became buddies quickly.

My handsome little man at Jaelyn's wedding.

Braden went through this funny stage of closing his eyes real tight like this for no reason. It was pretty funny and I'm glad I caught it on camera. Kids are hilarious!

Jaelyn had a fun country reception and as bridesmaids we got to wear boots with our outfits. Super cute and fun! There was lots of dancing, so Braden had to be my partner since Jason wasn't there.

The cute bride and groom!

While in Utah, I got to spend lots of time with my sister Becca and her family. It was so fun to hang out and do lots of summer activities. Micah and Braden shared a swing at the park. They both loved it.

I think Braden would stay in the swing forever if you let him. Saying that Braden loves being outside is an understatement. This kid is so content just being outside, even if he's just sitting in the grass. He had a little accident while at Becca's house and fell down the stairs. It was pretty scary, but he only cried for a few seconds until I took him outside. He instantly stopped crying and started chewing on a blade of grass! Tough kid and so happy outside!

We spent an afternoon at South Fork Park in the Provo Canyon and had a great time. Micah, Kara, Mae, and Lincoln were great little pals.

Jannae and her new camera that Victor gave her for her birthday. She was thrilled!!

Braden with his cousin Collin. Collin is so adorable and looks like he is older than Braden. He is a head taller, out weighs him by several pounds, has six more teeth than Braden (Braden doesn't have any yet), and is 3 months younger than Braden!! He is a super cute, cuddly giant! It will be fun to watch these boys grow up and be buddies!

Braden not only learned to crawl while we were in Utah, but he started to pull himself up on everything. He went from this kennel to the table all by himself. Big boy. He thought he was pretty cool stuff.

The day after Jason got to Utah, Jannae and Victor were nice enough to keep Braden for a night so we could have a little getaway in Salt Lake. We had so much fun going out to dinner, shopping at City Creek Mall, then staying at the hotel Monaco where we spent part of our honeymoon. It was a much needed celebration of Mother's day (which I worked), Father's day (Jason was in Texas), our anniversary (next month), and just being back together after a month apart. Thanks again Jannae and Victor!

Braden loves his Caterpillar dump truck that Jason's uncle Danny gave him. It makes cool noises and has huge wheels that he loves. It's so fun to watch him like all the boy toys. In fact, in Utah he was playing with his cousins my little pony, sitting on the floor, pretty content. Then all of a sudden someone dumped a basket of cars on the floor. Braden literally threw the pony behind him and went straight for the cars. He was smiling and had a car in each hand within seconds. Amazing that they have a preference so young.

So proud of himself, the cutie! I love this little boy and feel so blessed to be his mom. We have so much fun with him and can't wait to continue to watch him grow and change.

Fun with Friends

One really great thing about L.A. is the wonderful friends I have made here. Lately I have been a little sad thinking that after this year, we will have to say goodbye to so many great friends. But because of this, I am determined to make this last year the best! With that said, here are a few fun things I have done with my friends lately. Yesterday we took advantage of the free admission day at the Natural History Museum here in L.A. It was really cool seeing all the dinosaurs and animals. The babies were great and we were able to spend the afternoon seeing lots of amazing stuff!

I thought the wooly mammoth was pretty awesome. Those tusks were amazing! When standing, I think I might have made it to the bottom of his rib cage! Crazy!

This Bongo was pretty cool looking. I didn't even know they existed. It made me think of my nephew Weston, who probably knows everything about it. He would've love this museum for sure!!

Braden loved the museum. He especialy loved hearing his voice echo in the marble halls when he screamed! Funny boy!

Obviously not the museum anymore...this was our baking group the other day. I hosted and we made soft pretzels. It was something different and super yummy!

Cute little Addy! I shouldn't say little because she is the oldest of the "babies" that come to the baking group. She's such a cutie!

Noah, Braden, Ashtyn, and Henry hanging out! What adorable babies!

Noah and Braden sharing so nicely!

Another group shot of the babes.

One of my sweet friends Hope is having a baby next month. So we threw her a shower on her birthday. They are having a baby girl. I can't wait to see the sweet little baby. Congratulations Hope and Daniel!

Christina, McKay, and Tricia at the shower. Christina and I had fun planning the shower together. I think Hope had a good time and lots of friends came, so I am pretty sure that means it was a success!!

7 Months!!

Braden is 7 months old today and since I just posted a bunch of pictures for Easter, I thought I would just give updates on the past month. This last month has been so much fun! Braden has now become a pro at sitting up. It was kind of an over night occurrence and he seems to love feeling like a big boy sitting up all by himself. He is also doing much better with baby food. We haven't introduced much since it took about 3 weeks to get used to oatmeal cereal (he prefers it over rice cereal). He has tried squash, sweet potato, green beans, and pears. He no longer shutters and gags with every bite, so we are making progress!

Braden still LOVES to be outside and to go on walks. We are looking forward to spending lots of time outside this summer and just got him a new swimsuit to wear to the pool! And, as mentioned in my last post, I really think we need to get him some shades as well. Braden loves his books. We got a new book this past month called 10 Tiny Tadpoles and Braden loves it! He squeals with excitement when he sees it and kicks his legs through the entire book. He also still loves the Dr. Seuss books that we read.

Unfortunately, we are starting to hit that stranger danger stage. It's not too bad yet, but he definitely is aware of who has him. Luckily he will still give pretty much anyone a smile as along as Jason or I are holding him. He also can be quite silly and has started to cry when we leave the room. Funny boy!

Braden is such a sweet baby and we are having so much fun with him. We are trying to teach him how to give kisses. He doesn't fully get it yet, but he is learning and watching. Today he slobbered my cheek in what I think was an attempted kiss! Progress. We feel so very blessed to have such a sweet little guy in our home!

Easter

We had a great Easter this year. It was a beautiful sunny day here in L.A. Church was really nice. There were excellent talks and musical numbers that really invited the spirit. After church, we went on a walk and snapped a few pictures of Braden. Then we had a really nice dinner with some of our best friends here. Just a nice relaxing Easter.

There's a nice neighborhood across the street from us where we like to take walks and where all the yards are kept up, much nicer than the parks around here. So, hopefully no one cared, but we borrowed a corner of someone's yard so Braden could play in the grass. This was the first time he's really felt thick, green grass. It was cute to watch him explore and feel the blades.

We ran into a little girl in our ward who was insistent that Braden wear her sunglasses. I didn't think they would last more than a few seconds, but it turned out Braden didn't mind them at all. He didn't reach for them once. I guess this means we need to get him some shades for this summer!!

Me and my sweet baby boy on his first Easter.

I love these purple flowers that line the gate of our apartment complex. I have wanted to get a picture of them since we moved here. So, I finally did. This was on our walk too. Braden absolutely loves being in his carrier, especially outside!! No matter his mood, if we put him in the carrier and go outside, he kicks his feet and is happy the entire time. What a cutie!

Life with our six month old

I keep saying that I am going to be better at keeping up on my blog. However, life is crazy and I am still no good at it. At least this time I have a little bit of an excuse. Two days after my last post, I had a kidney stone that took me down...hard. To sum it all up, I had three trips to the E.R., was admitted to the hospital twice, had two surgeries with two stents placed, and was dealing with lots of pain!! Fortunately, I think the whole ordeal is almost over! I still have a stent in, but hopefully it will be out soon and the whole thing will be just a bad memory! :)

Although this whole kidney stone experience was no fun, I do have to count my blessings. First of all, I am so grateful for a sweet husband who took an entire week off of school and clinic to take care of Braden and I. And not once did he complain about it or make me feel bad about him missing so much. Also, we are so fortunate to have such wonderful friends here who took great care of Braden. It's at times like this that I really wish we had family close by. However, my friends really were amazing and helped us out so much! The other huge blessing was that Braden was an angel through it all. I was worried how he would behave being passed around from one person to the next, but from what I was told he was great! (unless my friends were all just being nice and telling me that so I wouldn't worry!) Braden also had to be on formula for several days, which he had never had before and I was a little worried he wouldn't like it. But, he took it without batting an eye. Then he went right back to breastfeeding with no problem at all. For this I was so grateful!!

Enough of the boring stuff and on to the fun stuff! Braden is now 6 1/2 months old and SO much fun!! He really has become such a fun baby! In this picture above he wrapped himself up in this blanket a few days ago and couldn't get out. I thought it was pretty funny.

At his six month check up Braden weighed 16lb 4 oz and was 26 in tall. He is still 25th % for height and weight but is growing steadily. He is close to sitting up, but still face plants if you don't help him. He always wants to be sitting or standing now and gets bored if he is laying for more than a few minutes. He is definitely a social guy. He loves being out and about and especially loves all the attention he gets from people. He will smile for almost anyone and he is always getting comments about his big blue eyes. He has become so much more coordinated and loves inspecting everything he can get his hands on!! Braden is also still really ticklish and it is pretty easy to get him to laugh now days. We no longer swaddle him, which has brought on a whole new way of sleeping. He used to never move when he was swaddled. However, now he is ALL over the crib!! I will have to get some pictures of it. He still usually wakes up once a night and takes 3-4 short naps a day.

This past week Braden finally got to meet his Great Grandma and Grandpa Grattan. Grandma had so much fun playing patty cake with him and singing to him. We even caught Grandpa carrying him around and playing with him. ;) We hadn't seen them in a long time and it was so nice to get out of L.A. for a quick break.

Not the best picture of everyone, but the only one I got of them all together. It's so nice being in California where we can visit them occasionally!

We don't have a highchair yet, but we will definitely be getting one soon because Braden loved sitting in it at Grandma and Grandpas. I think he felt like such a big boy!


A couple weeks ago Falycia and Kirk came to visit, which was a blast!! We did all sorts of fun stuff including a super windy trip to point dume up in Malibu. We bundled Braden up pretty good, but we weren't able to stay that long because the wind was blowing sand everywhere!

Braden got spoiled by his aunt and uncle the entire time they were here. Unfortunately we did a horrible job taking pictures while they were here...I guess we were having too much fun to stop and take pictures! We miss them already and really hope we can live close some day. At least not across the country from each other!

One fun thing we were able to do was go to Sea World. Falycia and Kirk had never been before and they both loved it. Braden did too!! He was so good all day long and loved taking it all in.

This past month we started Braden on solids. This was just before his first taste of rice cereal. We thought it would be a big hit because he loves to nurse and he is always watching so closely as we eat. However, this wasn't the case at all. He really didn't like it! He closed his eyes, did a whole body shutter, and gagged with almost every bite. Then he started holding the food in his mouth until it mixed with his saliva enough to just run out all over!! Funny kid. Needless to say, we are still working on it.

Ha!! His face says it all!

This picture just makes me laugh. One of the best dear in the headlight pictures right?! Braden loves hanging out with his friend Evalyn. They are about 7 weeks apart and are quite the little pals. This is usually how it is...Braden doing his own thing and Evalyn totally intrigued by Braden. She likes to touch his head or laugh at him when he cries. It's pretty funny. We are so grateful to have such good friends here.

Braden still LOVES his baths. Sometimes he will play for 30 minutes just splashing and having a grand ole time! He also loves being naked, which is why he almost always cries when he has to get his pajamas on! But, he loves being read to before bed. He usually kicks his feet and screams in excitement. I hope this love for reading continues!!


Jason was on spring break this past week and we decided to stay in California this time and do things close to home. One thing we did was go to the famous Santa Anita Park and watch the horse races. Kinda random I know, but super fun. We loved watching the horses and were amazed by how fast and strong they are. I'm afraid both Jason and I want to own race horses now! ha. And of course Braden loved it because we were outside and there was so much to see!

This was before a race. We didn't get any good pictures of the races, just video. The race track is in a beautiful part of L.A. It was kinda foggy that day, but it backs up right into the mountains and was super pretty.

Jason and Braden just hanging out in between races. Next time we'll have to figure out how to bet on the horses and win some big money, right?!

On a side note, I had to include a picture of our trusty little scooter. We bought this scooter back in Provo, about 5 years ago. We had so much fun riding it in Utah and have lots of good memories on it. However, L.A. traffic is just too scary and we weren't using it anymore. So, we decided to sell it. Hopefully the new owner will take good care of our little scoot. On a happy note, I think we are going to get road bikes instead. There is a nice path along the beach where we can ride. And who knows, maybe we'll start looking into some triathlons too!!