Braden John: The big THREE!

 

Our little Hobo

Fun at the Zoo

Candle blowing!

The Thomas cake he's had his eyes on for months!

Mean, lean football machine.

 

I'm a little behind in blogging. Life gets the best of us sometimes- this month was busy with pre-school starting, a one-year-old with a horrible reaction to Amoxicillin (lasting 8 days), a Duathlon for me, and last but not least a three year old birthday!

Yes, Braden turned three this past weekend on Saturday. The birthday festivities actually started on Wednesday at his school. They threw him a little party and he brought cupcakes for everyone. He got to bring home a giant birthday bag- inside was a book and stuffed turtle that he could keep for a week, along with a new matchbox car, crayons and a birthday ribbon that he got to keep. What an amazing pre-school teacher he has. Miss Deanna made him feel so special. Thursday I took the boys to Como Zoo. It was a beautiful fall day. We took in all the animals and then stopped for an ice cream cone on the way home. Friday we had a mini-party. Braden had a few little dude friends over for some pinata fun and then pizza followed by cake and ice cream. Then on Saturday, the birthday boy woke up and opened his presents. Then we headed to Target for a donut and chocolate milk (yes, his breakfast choice) and then we went to the Jackson Street Roundhouse train museum in St. Paul for their family day. We toured old trains. We took a train ride. We roasted Smore's outside. Braden got his face painted and played with the train tables. It was a great day for the birthday boy- he had a smile on his face the entire time, especially on the train ride. Liam enjoyed it too. That night Joe had an event to head to, so I let Braden pick whatever he wanted to do. So, we had a movie marathon. We watched two movies, ate snacks and cuddled on the couch together. He was in heaven. Turning three is a lot of fun. I had fun celebrating with him, although on Sunday I was a little tired!


As my oldest son turns three, these thoughts come to mind:
Braden,
Just over three years ago, we had no idea what parenthood was about and we hadn't met you yet. When you joined our family, our lives changed drastically. We never new a love like that existed. We watched you grow and change from a baby into a toddler so quickly. Now, at three you feel like a little man to us. You go to pre-school. You use big words like "actually". You say funny things like, "is this a good idea Mom?" You love trains, baseball, climbing, books, playing with friends, going places, building forts, riding your bike, and watching movies. I love how excited you get when you can do something new- today you climbed to the top of a jungle gym and you got the biggest smile and said "I did it Mom." You are laid-back and easy-going, always up for anything. You ask to try everything on your own. You are outgoing, social and love to be around other kids and people. I love when I walk into your room in the morning and you greet me with a "Hey Mom". While we watched a movie the other night, you turned to me and said "I really love you Mom" and it melted my heart. I am so proud of the kind, sweet, caring, loving, funny, smart, adventurous, happy and creative boy you are. I love that your reports from school always say you were happy, loved whatever the project of the day was, and that you always help clean up. I get a smile on my face when you hug your little brother when you don't think I'm watching. I could go on and on about all the things you do that make me so proud. I know this time goes so fast. I am taking a step back to soak it all in and enjoy it while it is here. I love these fall days when we head outside after nap and don't come back until dinner time- taking in the scenery, talking and playing together. I learn so much from you. Your view of the world helps keep things into perspective for me. I try to keep a balance of letting you be independent and figure things out, but yet being here if you need me and teaching you things.

Braden, you turned three and you seem like a little man but you are still my little boy. I peek in at night and watch you sleep peacefully. You are an amazing little guy, and I can't even imagine how proud I will be of you as years grow by. I know you will go places with your can-do attitude and your sunny disposition.  You are loved in so many ways by so many people and I hope you never forget that. You put smiles on others faces- from strangers you pass, to family and friends. You have touched us in so many ways in just these three years, we are so looking forward to all that is to come!

Happy third birthday, sweet Braden.

Best running partners/coaches

I'm a pretty lucky lady to have these two smiley guys to keep me company on my runs. A couple of times during the week, we head out right after breakfast and hit the trails of Woodbury. We always have the following in tow: hats, sunscreen, water, toys and only two-thirds of us wear shoes! Some days are hot and we hit a few sprinklers, some days are chilly and we put blankets on little legs.

Needless to say, we all like to soak up the fresh air, sunshine, and whatever scenery we happen to see that particular morning. Sometimes it's birds, kites, kids going to school, buses, construction trucks or horses.

In preperation for my first duathlon next weekend, I've been trying to log a few extra miles these past few weeks. I have to thank my running partners/coaches- they keep me company, give me motivation and are pretty good sports- coming with me without much fuss!

Even though it's hard work pushing an extra, who knows, 70 lbs. let's say- I'll be sad when the winter arrives and I'll have to protect my little running partners/coaches by keeping them indoors instead! Until then, I'm going to keep enjoying these wonderful running mornings.

Braden John: 2 years 11 months

 My train loving guy!

 Vacation smile.

 Fun at the zoo.

He "lights" up when he gets to play with his flashlight.

Braden is very, very close to turning three! On Liam's birthday, he turned 2.11. I like to do these monthly updates so I can keep track of what my boys are up to at all ages and stages. Of course it's a great way to share pictures to relatives and friends who don't get to see them often. Double whammy!

What is Braden up to at 2.11? He is quite the young man. He knows his directions- where people live, where we go to the dentist, where to turn to get to the YMCA, etc. If you take the wrong way, he will let you know. I often get told, "You are going the wrong way" or "We need to go this way".  Braden is starting pre-school next week, just on Wednesdays. I figure starting him with one day will be good since he is eager, social and learns fast. He will have three years of pre-school with his fall birthday, so this year he can do one day, next year two and the following three. Today we went to the orientation. He got to see where he is going to hang his backpack, he met his new friends, got to play trains and eat a snack there. Needless to say, he didn't want to leave. I think he is going to love it! I am so proud of this guy- wearing his backpack that's as big as his body almost. :)

Braden is still as active as ever. He spends a lot of time riding his bike (the kind with training wheels), playing baseball and running the bases. He still loves anything to do with water- swimming, splashing, fishing, etc... He had a blast on our vacation in early August- running around with cousins, swimming in the lake, fishing with grandpa, and the list goes on. We are still working on potty training with him, it has it's up and downs. Maybe around his birthday we will have more progress.

His favorite toys are Thomas the Trains, cars, and his baseball and bat of course. He loves movies and building forts. We go to Skyzone and he jumps until he is blue in the face (so does mom). He is really into imaginary play. He still takes a 3 hour nap- woo-hoo! He isn't the best eater- he eats a good breakfast and lunch but he doesn't eat much for dinner. This has been a real struggle lately, but I am learning to just give him a couple of things I know he will eat and then chalk it up to a lost cause. If someone isn't hungry, you can't force them. Braden is still my laid-back little dude, up for whatever, whenever- but is also starting to show a little attitude and sass at times. There are a lot of "No, I will do it myself'" being yelled at me too. Terrible three's are approaching, so I figured this is inevitable. He still is very sweet- jumping up and down for me when I pick him up at the YMCA daycare with a big grin and saying "Hi Mom". He told me that my hair looked pretty the other day and that my shirt looked nice- it melted my heart. He is always full of energy. He loves playing with other kids and has no problems going to people's houses or trying new things (well, besides new foods). He took his first roller coaster ride and loved it. He is getting taller and taller- growing out of his clothes. His questions are getting harder for me to answer. He never misses a beat, he has a steel trap memory and he is constantly keeping me on my toes. Just like his Dad, he will notice if you move something in the house or if you got a haircut. He's my detail-oriented boy!

This year will be an exciting one for Braden- he starts school, he will meet new friends and he turns three in just a couple of weeks! We are so lucky and proud to have this guy in our lives everyday. It's crazy to think he's only been in our family for three years (meaning I don't remember life without him hardly) and at the same time I can't believe three years has flown so fast and how much he has grown! He makes us smile constantly and we laugh every night at the things he says. Life with Braden is never dull, and always fun.

Summer is rolling by.....

Big bad B got to ride his first roller coaster this weekend. My in-laws were here this weekend so we headed up to our town's annual festival to hit the rides and walk around for a couple of hours. Braden also took his first Ferris Wheel ride. I sat across from him wondering if he would like it or not, but he said he wanted to try it. His face turned a bit white when he realize how high we were going. He held onto the rails behind his head. He told me he didn't like it as soon as we got to the top. I tried distracting him by pointing out things we could see like a fire engine parked below. The ride happened to stop when we were at the way tip top. Our bucket was rocking back and forth. He nervously asked me why we stopped. I was praying it was to drop off another rider at the bottom. Thank goodness it was, and we started up again. Then when he got off he said it was fun but it made his belly drop. I am not sure he will choose to go on it again! :)  How fun when kids are able to go on their first "big" rides (somewhat). Liam had fun on the merry-go-round sitting on a horse for the first time. Braden seems to like rides, but Liam may be our thrill-seeker. We'll see.

We are trying to fit as much fun into this summer before the cooler weather arrives. Braden starts preschool next week- just one day a week. Where does the time go (days and years fly by)?