Reason 1357634200345 We Love Braden

Love this guy. He didnt even wake up when we were laughing in his room. So dang cute.

Hiking Club

So we have enjoyed a few hikes in a row this month. It has been so lovely. Mother Nature has luckily cooperated and although it has been cold all month long, somehow we survive our hikes in shorts and t-shirts and have even managed to break a sweat. It has been so dreamy. Anyway, Devin has been a hike researching maniac and has found some really sweet hikes that we plan on going on, so I thought it might be fun to start a hiking club. For some reason having a club sounds awesome. I was in a Bunco group once and that was cool, but being in a *Hiking Club* sounds really COOL!!! This weekend we are going to the Sequoias I think, so no local hike for us. But seriously would anyone be interested in going hiking with us every now and then?

Recently our Hiking Club took us to the confluence of the American River. It was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed the hike even though it was purely uphill and we couldnt go all the way to the supposed pond because the trail was overtaken by poison oak. LAME! But it was so fun anyway, we had a beautiful view of the river much of the hike, and we had a great time.

After our hike we traveled down to the river to enjoy our snacks and water. Devin kept dipping Braden into the water upside down to get his hands and hair wet. I didnt get any great pics of it because I wasnt aware of the situation until the end and I made Devin stop. The water is freezing.
I am a spec here on the left side of this pillar. We got to go underneath the Foresthill Bridge to see just how gigantic it is from the bottom up. It was enormous!!

A surfer on the river? Who knew. Jeff you should try it out. Your new passion right here in Sacto. LoL.

I'm Melting....

This is me blabbing. I'm not melting because I am hot. I was melting like the Wicked Witch of the West. Just withering into the floor into a small puddle of water that was gathering outside my patio. Yup. It rained AGAIN today. The sun is my anti-depressant and I have noticed that I have had too many -BLAH- days as of late due to the outpouring of love the clouds have had for the earth. Its been raining like crazy and I cannot stand it one bit. I am ready for swimming, tans, bbq's, and the like. Isn't it May after all? I have a problem with the weather controlling my mood. It is certainly one of the side effects of my seizure meds. There should be a warning on the bottle suggesting that severe changes of mood can occur as a result of the weather. So I cant explain the Debbie Downer feeling I have. But I can explain the lovely band-aid I put on my mood. Her name is Regina Spektor. She is the best. She has the peppiest music. I LOVE IT!!! I havent gotten a good listen in on Regina in a long time. She reminds me of my love McCall and the ridiculously wonderful time we had in Rexy. Then thinking of McCall lifts my spirits and I feel happy. McCall is one of those friends for life kind of gals. She was the best roomie a girl could ever ask for. We were soulmates. One couldnt deny it. Especially when we would walk out of our bedrooms wearing the exact same WalMart sweats (still can't believe how much I ever bought in the clothing dept at WalMart when I lived in Rexburg), hideous white puffy coat, and ridiculous rainboots to walk in 1000 feet of snow to the boys apartments. I love you McCall you are like a ray of sunshine in this sunless life. So thank you Regina for helping me think of my McCauley. Thank you not Rain in May.

Cod Liver Oil

Saturday morning we set out around 8:30 for Foresthill. We were off on another hike to a new destination. The drive was gorgeous, we spent too long on a dirt road, we eagerly jumped out of the car into the heat of the morning. We hiked to a place called CodFish Falls.... or something. It was gorgeous. We hiked along the American River for about a mile and then headed into the forest for another mile to a beautiful little waterfall. The hike was perfect, pretty flat the whole way with tons of shade. It could not have been a better morning. We got there early enough to miss the morning traffic on the trail, and also to miss the heat. As we were on our hike back to the trailhead, I could smell the sun on the earth around us. It was truly unforgetable. We kept talking about how much we love it here in Sacramento and how perfect it is for us and our adventures. We are very blessed.

Braden is obsessed with anything that is outside. As much as I thought he would hate the cold water, he kept walking back in, with Dads help of course. Maniac!

Bradens first assisted rock climb

My Baby

We all know I wish Braden was still a baby, but come to find out, he wishes he was still a baby too!! Too bad his head and feet hang off the ends of his once gigantic infant bouncy seat!!

One Busy Day

We had a crazy day yesterday. We spent a busy morning at the grocery store, and then took a quick trip to the fabric store before nap time. Then after Nap 1, we had lunch, and then took a quick trip to the pool. We have been loving on the pool for the past few days since the clouds and rain have decided to take a vacation. We have been loving it. Braden is dying to learn how to swim and tries to get me to let go of him. After we were done swimming and trying to dry off, Braden let go of my chair for the first time ever. It was so awesome. He was loving it and kept doing it, and trying to clap, and was getting so so excited! I LOVED IT!!

After Nap 2, we took off in the heat to go to Emilys track semi finals. She is so fast, and even though we were melting we had fun.
Then we went straight to Ryans last baseball game. Braden had a blast playing in the grass and when Devins boss showed up with his kids just for fun, Braden loved playing with them.
But things got even better for Bradens awesome day when he found the dirt. Devin scraped a gigantic lump of mud out of Bradens mouth. Typical boy. He could have cared less, and when I gave him a drink of water, there were still traces of mud in his mouth. So sick. We had a busy and fun day and came home to the lovely taste of buffalo chicken pizza. Mmm Mmm!!!

Spring Carnival

This past weekend I was missing my sissie BAD!! We are 6 years apart and that has been a big gap until now. We get along so well and have such a beautiful time together. She surprised me last Friday with a phone call asking me if she could come over. I cried!! We had such a fun weekend with Lo and Chadder in town. We went to the school carnival, Chad had a spend over as usual, he even watched Braden on Saturday so I could go on a long run! Then off to the lake, Costa Vida and then enjoyed a lovely first Mothers Day. Love my sibs. They rock the hizouse!!

Braden and Pax playing bouncy twister. Right foot RED!

Braden and Pax playing a game of Twister at the Carnival. Right Foot Red!!

One of Bradens stink faces!

Me and my Boys!!

Me and Sissy and my new BFF Johnna! Yeehaw!

Johnna and Lo became friends on accident when Lo was 14 and J was 12. Now that J is 16 and all her friends have moved and gone to college, she and I are going to be besties. We are going to hit up a Celine concert if she wins us tix!! Booyah!

Bradens first time playing in the sand. I am not sure if any made it to his mouth.

Boo got me these lovelies for Mothers Day with his allowance. Such a sweetie pie!! And yeah Braden is whistling in this picture! Ha ha!!

Our Nanny

We love having my family closeby. Braden loves being close to his cousins, and loves having Grammie and Papa, and Aunties and Uncles around all the time. We are especially attatched to Emily, who has deemed herself "Our Nanny" and has even made up a song for us about how much she loves watching Braden. Braden loves his Auntie Emily and they are really in sync. :)

Bradens New Toys

Now that Braden is all over the place, he has found new toys all over the house. He has learned that the bookshelf is off limits. That or the books with only words got boring. But I do let him play in certain areas of the kitchen. I dont know how many times a day I put away the pots and pans, but man does he love them.

Already Addicted

There are no words.

This was my bottle. Braden didnt get a drop. He just a drinker!!

Did You Know?

Devin has finally turned 25. Much to his surprise, he found out a few months ago that he was only 24 so turning 25 has made things much easier for him. Not to mention that we just got a better rate on our car insurance!! We had a great day. We had a lovely breakfast of strawberry waffles, then got to go to our first lake day which was totally awesome!! Then took a wonderful trip on to Lucilles, our favorite bbq and birthday tradition. Braden even had his first sampling of the best ribs ever!! Oh its good.

HONEYMOONERS

Devin and I got the chance for a little getaway. My mom took Braden for 5 days! It was amazing! We had such a fabulous time, even if the time away had just been a drive, we still would have loved every minute being together. Our trip however, was more than a drive and I fell so hard for Devin again, having him all to myself. We drove down to LA one afternoon and checked into an amazing hotel in Anaheim, the Hilton. Hello!! We hit the pool as soon as we got there and then tucked in early, for we had an early morning Thursday at DISNEYLAND!!; My favorite place, and it seems as though I have now convinced Devin of the necessity to have Disneyland in our family life. We spent two magical days at Disney. Day 1: Rode every ride we wanted at Disney and California Adventure, some rides more than twice. We were maniacs. The lines were short, we walked fast, our legs were exhausted, my feet were aching, but we loved every minute. We held hands, we hugged, we looked at each other all day, and talked about important things. We loved being alone, although Disneyland is an awful place to go if you dont want to miss your adorable baby at home. Day 2: Back to Disney and California. Rode every ride 2 or 3 more times. We lucked out big time with the low waits. The weather was fabulous on both days. It was the best. Day 3: We took time to go to the Newport Beach temple for sealing sessions. It was a very tender experience, I think for us both, but my heart felt very close to my Dads as we were in the temple. Devins Dad has recently been called to be a sealer in the Rexburg temple, and my Dad was just called to be the bishop of his ward. My heart was so thankful for our Dads. For their worthiness and faithfulness, and especially for their love for me, and my boys. I have the best Dads a gal could ask for. After the temple, we of course headed to the beach and spent a few hours there enjoying once again, our time alone. I had almost forgotten what it was like to be so in love. There was no baby toddling around us, putting sand in his mouth and trying to crawl into the ocean. It was just us. Although when we saw babies, we of course couldnt wait to get home to Braden. Funny how we love love loved the alone time, but missed Braden so desperately. That evening we headed to Fresno to stay with John and Karlena, Devins aunt and unlce, and to go to church with them on Sunday morning before we were to head home. It was so fun seeing them and we had a sweet experience with them. We loved our vacation and I cant wait to get away again. We decided that we need to do that often, even if it just means a quick trip to Tahoe. It was good for us. And we especially cant wait to take Boo to Disneyland!!!