New Goals!

So lately we haven't been doing much outside of the house. Sometimes it's hard to get going when Brayden takes two naps. I think that will change soon but as for right now, Brayden naps about 2 hours after being awake and then again at around 3 or 4. This only gives us a few hours at a time and if that time stretch includes a meal...that brings us down to only about 2 hours at most to go somewhere. I know that he is flexible and doesn't NEED to go down for his nap at the same time but he enjoys his naps and I hate when we have a day that is all thrown off! Needless to say, I need to make it a point to get out of the house! I have been doing a little research on Mommy & Me classes and they seem like a great option. I was also looking into Stroller Strides but our budget just won't allow me to spend money on both activities. As of right now, I am leaning toward Kidnastics where Brayden would learn balance while getting to explore music and movement. It is a reasonable price and it is something that I think Brayden will really enjoy.
Today in our mission to get outside, we visited the El Dorado Nature Center. We have been here several times and we love it! Brayden gets to hang out in his stroller while I do all the work but I need it!! We see things like turtles, rabbits, squirrels, lizards, ducks and trees!

Brayden loved looking at all the animals and I got in a good 3 mile walk! I want to do things like this way more with Brayden! My official goal is to go somewhere with Brayden at least 3 times a week. Even if we just hit up the local park for an hour or take a walk around the neighborhood...anything!! If you have suggestions on places to go or things to do PLEASE leave them in a comment below!

Date Night!!

The hubs and I had a spontaneous date the other night and I think it was one for the books!! Hubby mentioned the OC fair and of course I got super excited! I always forget about those things and I hadn't been to the fair in YEARS!! We called up my dad to see if he would be able to watch Brayden (of course, he was thrilled!) and we were off!
The fair has all sorts of fun stuff and I think we want to go back and take Brayden with us. They had this whole room for little kids that had a gigantic sand pit, little animals to look at and a magic show. I think he would enjoy the fair as much as we did! Since we didn't have Brayden with us, we walked around a bit and looked at all the fried food! They had fried EVERYTHING...I am talking fried smores, White Castle, frog legs, etc. They also had things like a bacon wrapped turkey leg and chocolate covered bacon! Yikes! I wonder if they have ever had someone actually have a heart attack at the fair..I wouldn't be surprised!

Anyways, we stuck with something a little normal, a corndog, and then headed to see all the cute animals!!

Did I mention they had baby goats?!?! So cute!

CUTEST THINGS EVER!!! Piglets...they were
born the day before we saw them!

Next up was a turkey leg and the "Extreme Rodeo"! These men are NUTS!!

Turkey leg!

Ready for the rodeo!

A rider getting taken out! They had to stand
in the circles...last one standing won!

The bull was ready for more!

Crazy men!! Of course...they were Marines!

Last stop? Back to the cute animals!! They were about to close and we wanted one last look at the animals before they were done for the night!

Aww!

A sheep in camo...not something you
see every day!

Cuddly piggies!

Pigs that would be auctioned off to help
support injured Marines and their families!

Overall, we had a blast! I would definitely suggest anyone in the southern California area make a trip to the fair and bring your kids! It was so fun and we really want to take Brayden next time. I think he would really like seeing all the animals! They also have a petting/feeding zoo...that might be interesting. Anyways, I am so glad that the hubs and I got some time alone together. And we had a date that didn't include dinner and a movie!! Even better since that is usually our go-to date night! It was a great night and much needed :)

Awesome Sunday!

Our Sunday last week was pretty spectacular! (I am finally getting to blog about it!) It started out with some family snuggle time in bed, then pancakes for breakfast, a trip to costco and then THIS!!!

Yep! Brayden has his own pool now! This thing will be so great for summer when it is hot and the nice cool hose water will keep him from overheating! For this particular day, we filled it with warm water from the sink because it wasn't hot enough outside. Brayden had such a great time splashing around! We all know how much he loves his baths and being outside. This was like having a bath outside...a win, win! After the pool shenanigans, we went HERE!

El Dorado Nature Center!

He was pretty excited about it!

So many turtles!

And brave little squirrels

Beautiful flowers

Cute spiky caterpillars!

He almost made it to the end!

A stunning view!! 

Who knew you could find a place like this in the middle of Long Beach?!?! This place is great. It has so many fun things for Brayden to look at and I get some exercise in! Brayden really did love looking at the squirrels, turtles, fish, and we even saw a rabbit! I definitely want to make more trips to the Nature Center during my summer break and I know Brayden will love visiting this place when he is a little older. It was the perfect way to end our Sunday!
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Happy One Month of Life!!!

Dear Brayden,

I can't believe you are a month old already! It seems like just a few days ago I was meeting you for the first time. Since those first few days in the hospital, you have grown so much. You can hold up your head and grasp things in your tiny hands! Your dad and I are so in love with you and can't wait to see how you grow and develop.

Since today was your one month birthday, we took a trip to the El Dorado Nature Center. You didn't notice because you slept the whole time but the walk was awesome and you got to spend some quality time with your GiGi(great-grandma!!). She absolutely loved being with you (obviously she can't get enough of you!). We saw so many things today like squirrels, rabbits, turtles, spiders, butterflies, fishes, dragonflies and I am sure many more things that my brain can't remember this late at night!

You were asleep from the very beginning!

The turtles were so cute :)

Don't worry, the ducks can read and we didn't give them any food!

The beautiful scenery

Sitting in your boppy...such a big boy!!

So as I go to feed you and put you to sleep, just know that I love you so much and I can't wait to celebrate every birthday with you....even the birthdays like today that don't really count!

Love, Mommy

P.S. Thank you for all the kisses tonight! And by kisses I mean open-mouthed head butts to my cheek! Don't worry, grandma has it all on video!