So Thankful

I know this is late but I have a really good excuse...I was out of town with family! 

I used to go spend Thanksgiving in Lake Havasu with my family every year when I was little. It got hard to get the time off as we got older and had jobs so it has been a while since I was up there for the holiday. Let's just say, I think we are going to try to make this a tradition once again! 

It was so fun to just be with my family, without cell phones, without work, without distractions. We took Brayden out on the boat for his first time, we sat and played card games and ate ourselves into comas. It was the best Thanksgiving I have had in a long, long time!

So here is my photo-bomb from our trip!

Helping Grandpa drive the boat.

Obviously it was really fun!

The life jacket was not his favorite thing.

Sleeping on Grandma!

Crazy boys got in the freezing water!

Family bonfire!

Last night with Sam and Mike!

I am beyond thankful for my family and for the hubby's family that we get to visit next month. We are so blessed to have healthy families and that we get along so well with everyone. I honestly don't know what I would do without them. I am so happy that we all made it up to Havasu and got to spend so much time together. I am really hoping we get to make this a tradition!

Patience Cap

After my rant about the "Other Mothers" I decided that you all should know the super fun part about our new routine. 

Early last week, I was getting easily frustrated with Brayden and he was easily frustrated by everything. We were having a rough morning. I am pretty sure my exact words to the hubby were "my patience cap is off in some other country!" Yeah, I was having a bad moment and realized that I was losing all my patience. I decided that we both needed a little fresh air. I strapped him into the jogging stroller and off we went. I got to get my frustrations out by walking and jogging and Brayden was removed from the situation so all was better. On top of that, it was getting close to Brayden's nap time and I really wanted to wear him out so we stopped at the park. He played for a while and got out his energy and then we walked back home. It was a great way to make that last hour before his nap not so miserable.

A snack of goldfish and water on
the way to the park.

Just soaking up the morning sun!

Last week we did our walk/park routine 4 times!! I haven't worked out that many days in a row in I don't know how long. I guess it's not really working out since I just walk but hey, it's more than I was doing before! 

So you will be seeing tons of park pictures because we are practically going every day. I try to take him to different parks so he doesn't get bored. We have two in our neighborhood and then two in my parents neighborhood. I think we are covered in the park department!

Dirt and wood chips...life is good!

Playing peek-a-boo!

So here's a tip for you: when you have lost all your patience and you want to pull your hair out, just take your crazy child outside. Go for a short walk with the stroller, let your kid walk themselves, go to the park...just go outside! Your patience cap will be replaced and your child will be happy and tired...which means he will take a good nap.

Other Mothers

I took Brayden on our daily walk and we stopped at the park to play just like always. Today was a little different though. While at the park, I noticed two other mothers and their children there as well. Perfect opportunity for Brayden to interact with other little kids! However, the two other mothers were on their cell phones...the WHOLE time I was at the park. The other little kids were actually coming up to me and talking to me and Brayden. They were craving attention and I was the only one giving it to them. Brayden didn't really care about the other kids. I mean, there were wood chips and dirt at the park...he didn't care about anything else!

I felt bad for those other kids because I was the only adult at the park giving them attention. Why weren't the other mothers interacting with their children? I understand that these kids were a little older (4-5 years) and they are much more independent by then, but come on!!! How can you talk on your phone the whole time you are at the park with your kids?? Maybe it's just me but kids are just kids for only so long. They only say those cute, funny things for so many years and then it's all about their own cell phones and their friends. Isn't this the time that parents should be interacting with their children as much as possible? 

Sure, there are times that I don't interact with Brayden the way I should. I am not a perfect mother. However, I interact with my child as much as possible. I get down on the floor with him, knock on the window with him, play with the newspaper, sort noodles, read books, build with blocks, toss the ball or even just play games on my iPhone. I want to be the mother that Brayden deserves, the mother that will teach him things, the mother that will know what is going through his brain before anyone else. I WILL be the mother that interacts with my child at the park instead of sitting on the bench and talking on my cell phone, more interested in the conversation I won't remember tomorrow than the sweet, innocent child that actually deserves my full, undivided attention.

How could I ever be too busy and miss this face?? I really hope that I don't turn into one of the other mothers I saw today. It is my mission to always be an interactive mother and be there with my son, playing WITH him, not just watching him play!

Creativity

With the sun setting WAY earlier and the cooler weather, it has been a little more difficult to keep Brayden entertained and happy in the evenings. During the summer, we were playing outside until around 7:30 and now we are inside by 5 at the latest. Brayden starts to get frustrated and antsy by about 6:30...which makes for a long hour and a half before Brayden's bedtime. 

So, it is time to get creative with ways to keep Brayden happy. Tonight while I was preparing dinner, I came across my muffin tin and instantly thought it would be a perfect toy. You see, Brayden has started to "organize" things. Especially when he eats, he will put his food in the cup holder, take the food out, eat a few pieces, and then put his food back in the cup holder. A muffin tin that has 6 "cup holders" is like hitting the toddler jackpot!! I decided to put some penne noodles in the tin so he would have something to "organize." It was definitely a successful activity and I think it's something Brayden will like to do pretty often. It kept him happy for at least 30 minutes. I also brought out an old wipes container and a tupperware bowl. He was a happy camper which meant I was a happy momma!!

Father and Son

There is nothing like the father-son relationship I see blossoming between my two favorite boys!! I absolutely love to watch them play and my husband has never been more attractive then when he is being a complete goof just to make our son smile. It melts my heart into a giant puddle. 

The other night I came home to this....

Does it get any cuter than that?!? I don't think so!

Making Friends

Brayden doesn't have regular contact with kids his age so I have always been a little hesitant to take him to the park when there are a lot of kids there. I have a huge fear that he is going to hit someone...I would feel TERRIBLE!!! He doesn't regularly hit or anything so I am not sure why that is such a big fear but it is. 

I sort of faced my fear yesterday and took Brayden to the park when there were at least 3 other kids there playing on the jungle gym at the same time. Brayden did great! He played "boo" with the little boy and just looked at the little girl like she was something from another planet. I guess the girl-hating begins early in life! 

The little boy started following Brayden around and when Brayden fell, the little boy dramatically fell down on the ground and copied Brayden. It was so cute!!

"Little girl, I am busy spinning...please back up!"

"Can I help you?!" Haha he seriously wanted nothing to do with the little girl!

I have been seeing this face quite often lately... "Please feel bad for me Mom!!"

So it seems like Brayden will be good around little kids and I am hoping that when I can get us into some Mommy and Me classes, it will be even better.

Oh and the other little kids don't have ghosts faces...I just blurred them out for the privacy of the other families!

Wordless Wednesday

Have I mentioned that Brayden likes the slide??

Linking up with Jenni From the Blog!