So We've Been Busy...

My kid is like a friggin machine! He NEVER stops! It makes it really hard to get in blogging time so thats why I haven't been doing it. And honestly, playing with my little monster is more fun! He has changed so much in the last month or so. He is talking constantly which makes me laugh a lot! Does he even know he is so funny?! He also has a favorite word..."no." It's. so. frustrating. It goes like this!

Me: Hey Brayden, do you want Gold Fish?
Brayden: No. (Then eats Gold Fish anyways)

Me: Brayden look, Super Why is on!
Brayden: No, no Super Why!

Me: Brayden, here is your favorite...hot dog and cottage cheese!
Brayden: No! No hot dog. (Then eats it all anyways)

How do I get him to stop saying no all the time!?!? Seriously, sometimes I have to stop, take a deep breath, and then move on. I even made up a song one day because he was literally saying no to EVERYTHING!! It goes like this "My name is Brayden, and my favorite word is no!" The song was a big hit and he wanted me to sing it over and over again! I still sing it for him and he starts jumping up and down and then says "no" when I get to the end! So cute. I have tried changing it to "yes" but he apparently doesn't like that word nearly as much!

Between saying no and then dancing to his new favorite song, he is also running around like crazy. I love this stage (on most days) because he is interested in so many things. Coloring, the park, just being outside in general, marching down hallways, singing, playing with tools, using drum sticks...and practically doing everything else! So there you have it...my really long excuse for not blogging lately! Hopefully these pictures will help make up for my absence!

Happy Birthday Grandma!!

Look at that stance!! He just might be a baseball player!

He thought the boomerang was super fun...AKA boo-boo-bang!

These are most of the pictures I get lately...the back of his dang head!

Pretty excited for the slide...

Getting ready...

Here I go...

Oh YEAH!!

The sand obviously needs to be OUT of the sand box!

Wiping off his messy hands

The sand under the slide was very exciting...

Scooping it up...

And it obviously belongs ON the slide! Silly park.

So there you have it. Toddlers are busy...which makes for busy moms!

Impressed!

Last week we had Brayden's 18 month wellness check with his doctor and she was impressed to say the least! He was jumping when she walked it and she immediately said that jumping is a milestone for when they are about 2 1/2...not 18 months! Haha. Well he has been jumping with both feet off the ground for a few weeks now! Crazy child. She was also impressed with the number of words he can say. She asked us how many words and we couldn't even give her a number so she asked us if he said more than 20. I am pretty sure we laughed. He most definitely says more than 20 words...he basically repeats anything we say.  At the end of the appointment, she asked if he puts 2 words together. Brayden promptly said "bye-bye Dr. Shih!" So yes, he puts more than 2 words together.

It was a great appointment and we are so proud of the big boy that Brayden is becoming! He is still in the 50th percentile for weight and now in the 75th percentile for height. He definitely has that toddler body! It's so hard to find pants that fit him. He is too long for 12 month pants but the 18 month pants are too big in his waist. So he is either ready for a serious flood or he wears a belt. He wears all 18 month shirts and pajamas and jackets...we just struggle with the pants!

We did ask her about his cough because he developed on the day before his appointment. With all the times he has been sick, he has never had a cough. She said his ears and lungs were clear so it's probably just from the weather. We are hoping it passes soon because this poor kid doesn't need to be sick anymore! This winter season has taken a toll on him!

Overall, Brayden is amazing! We love him beyond words...and he's pretty cute if you ask us!

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A Trip to the Zoo!!

Since Brayden is obsessed with animals, I have really been wanting to take him to the zoo. The Santa Ana Zoo isn't very far from us and the prices are super reasonable! This morning we got up and got ready and then headed out. I wanted to be back by Brayden's nap so his schedule didn't get too messed up. Once we got there and entered the zoo, Brayden got pretty excited! There were a ton of monkeys and Brayden kept pointing at them and saying "eewww"! Haha I may have started this when we saw a monkey with no hair but needless to say, it was hysterical!

After seeing the monkeys, birds, a camel, some emus and llamas, we headed over to the train. Brayden has never been on a train so I was really excited for him to go on it. The train just took you all around the park so we got to see the animals one more time before leaving. Once we got off the train, we were all pretty hungry so we stopped to eat. Brayden ate like a champion (like always) and then we headed out. Brayden was asleep before we got back on the freeway! The kid really pooped himself out!

I think the zoo is something I would love to do with Brayden more often! It's small enough that we can do it before nap time in the morning but just big enough to keep Brayden interested! It was perfect. Now here are some photos!

Laughing at the monkeys!

So excited for the train!

18 Months Update!

How did this happen?! How did my sweet, dependent baby boy become such a little kid that knows what he wants and can usually do it for himself? It scares me sometimes how much he already knows. I fear he will be THAT kid in kindergarten that the teacher doesn't like because he already knows the content. Oh well!

So here we go...
Likes:
-singing
-dancing
-Elmo
-Vinko*
-Tempo* (or.i-i-i-tacos as Brayden calls it)
-fruit
-green beans
-baths
-the park
-marching in the hallway
-Special Agent Oso
-his blankies
-pushing buttons
-climbing
-the slide(he goes down all by himself!)
-coloring
-his ball pit
-his turtle light
-playing "basketball"

Dislikes:
-olives
-napping on most days
-being told no
-something being taken away from him
-pickles
-new people (he just stares at them)

**Vinko and Tempo are from Baby Genius DVDs that Brayden started watching when he was a NB...he is still obsessed with them!

Honestly, Brayden is so much fun! He knows about 18 letters and can identify them at any time...and will usually point them out when you're not paying attention and then you have to search for the letter. He full on jumps now, as in he gets both feet off the ground! That is his way of dancing so usually some clapping goes along with it. He is speaking so clearly these days so there is rarely a time when we don't know what he is saying. This makes it really nice when he wants something. Oh and he can clearly say "please" and he knows when to use it. We are still working on "thank you" but he said it once the other day so it's coming along. I am so happy to be a boy mom of a crazy little toddler that is so busy all day and just wants to play. He is so easy to keep happy (just take him outside) and he is so active that he just conks out at night and sleeps a good 12 hours every night. We are so beyond blessed to have such a happy son and I couldn't ask for anything more! Here are some photos to round out this long, wordy post!

He also likes his belly!

Even big boys like to hold Mommy's hand sometimes!

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Resolutions!

It's THAT time of year to set goals for self-improvement and I love it! I have a couple of resolutions for this year and I think I have made them very realistic for me. So here we go:

1. Be more active- I want to get back to taking Brayden on walks and bike rides. Or if we can't to that, I need to do some form of working out while Brayden is napping, even if it is just 15 minutes. I am not an unhealthy person but I definitely have room for improvement and I want to set a good example for my son. So I actually have a craft for this that I need to make and then I will show you all!

2. Learn to shoot- after all the crazy shootings at the end of last year, I definitely want to get more comfortable with a gun. I want to be able to protect my family if I needed to. I also want to learn to shoot a bow because I think it's pretty badass!

3. Do more activities with Brayden- my husband actually made this resolution but obviously I am on board! We want to do more things with Brayden and altogether as a family before the hubs has to leave for work. Simple things like going to the park or the nature center. But it could also be something like finger painting! And then on the hubs work weekend, I really want to do things like the Irvine Park Zoo or the aquarium.

There you have it! My resolutions for this year! I really hope I can stick to them and accomplish the goals I have set for myself. I will try to keep you updated and I will be back with my "be active" craft at the end of the week.

Christmas Photo Dump

Whelp, it doesn't look like I am ever going to write a full post about our amazing Christmas but I think the photos will do just fine!

So glad Sam and Mike could be there too!

Obviously, Brayden loves his Auntie!

My grandparents are hilarious! My grandma bought herself a present, wrapped it and wrote a note to her from my grandpa! This stuff happens every year...always good for a laugh!

No Christmas is complete without a little tantrum!

Playing with my new camera!

Brayden didn't want Auntie to leave!

So there you have it! Our Christmas rocked! Brayden wasn't as into opening presents as I thought he would be but it was still fun and I think next year he will just go nuts!

I can't believe it is already 2013 and I can't wait to see what the new year brings us! I hope everyone had great holidays and cheers to the new year!