Pentwater 2009

Pentwater....need I say more? The most amazing place on earth. The beach, the shopping, the campground.....all wonderful. And we got to spend a whole week there this summer....Sean, Brayden and I...plus all of our wonderful family and friends. It was glorious. We had so much fun. Brayden loved it! He loved all the walks in the stroller and wagon, loved playing in the sand....and eating it, loved all the attention. He even did great sleeping in the tent. He is a camper at heart. But I think the thing he loved the most....ice cream! He takes after his Mama! We spent most of our time on the beach, eating, or laughing with family and friends. We are already looking forward to next summer!

A family picture with Lake Michigan in the background.

Brayden and his cousin Eliana.

Taking a stroll down the beach.

Mama, Daddy and Brayden

My new Michigan outfit!

Wagon ride time!

On the beach with Papa and Nana.

Building sand castles with Papa.

Playing in the sand with Uncle Chad.

I love the beach!!

Happy 10 month Birthday Little Guy!

Brayden is 10 months old! Wow...where has this year gone? His one year birthday is just two short months away! My baby is growing up!

Accomplishments this month....he is walking!! He starting taking steps on his own about 3 weeks ago. Just this past week, he is walking all over the place. It is so cute! He wobbles all over the place and gets so excited when he takes more than a few steps.

He is loving most solid food now. He eats his Gerber puffs like they are going out of style. When I go to the pantry to get them out, he starts waving his arms and squealing. He also LOVES ice cream! He was quite spoiled in Pentwater. He was getting ice cream almost every day. One night after he finished his ice cream, he got so mad that it was gone, that he had a meltdown....in the middle of town....in front of a bunch of people. He loves his ice cream...just like his mommy.

We spent the last week in beautiful Pentwater. He loves camping and everything that goes with it. I will blog about our wonderful week there in another blog.

He will be going to his very first wedding this weekend. My cousin is getting married this weekend in Chicago. I sure hope he is good! We will see!

Here are some recent pictures of the little guy!

Brayden and Momma after his haircut that Daddy gave him.

Happy 4th!

We hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July! We sure did! What a great day! We went up to Schoolcraft to partake in the festivities. We enjoyed the parade and playing outside. Then we had family and friends over for a cookout and to watch the fireworks. It was a wonderful day! The weather stayed nice and not too hot...perfect! Brayden didn't make it to firework time, be he sure had a fun and tiring day! Here are just a few pictures of our 4th!

A picture with his Papa.

Riding in my wagon to the parade with my cousin Ellie.

Sitting with Great Grandpa and Ellie.

Family picture before the parade.

Wheeee!

Chattin' with dad.

Wearing his daddy's hat. Go Blue!

Showing off his walking skills.

Trying to pull his wagon.

And he is spent...cuddling with Nana.

Visiting Uncle Chad and Aunt Adie

A couple weekends ago, we went out to Port Huron to visit Chad and see his new apartment. Chad moved out there a month or so ago. We had so much fun! We spent the day playing in the sand on the beach, walking along the boardwalk, visiting family and friends, and having lots of fun! The day went way too fast. We are definitely going back out very soon! Thanks for letting us visit Chad!

Watching the geese while waiting for dinner.

Chad and Adie

Playing on the playground.

Watching the water in Lake Huron.

Brayden and Momma.

Chad, Erin and Mandy

Standing in the sand for the first time.

9 Month Check-Up

Brayden had his 9 month well check last Wednesday. He is healthy as can be! He weighed in at 22.5 pounds and is 31.5 inches long. His weight is in the 75th percentile and he is still off the charts for his length. He is going to be a tall kid, but we kind of already knew that! The pediatrician said that he can start eating grown-up food now, like yougurt, pudding, cheese, ground beef, mashed potatoes, lunch meat, etc. We tried a cheese slice the other night and he was not too fond of it. But those Gerber Puffs...he inhales those! To say he loves those would be an understatement. He cannot get enough of them in his mouth fast enough. We have learned that if we need to go anywhere, bring a bag of the puffs with us, so if he starts fussing we just whip out the bag of puffs and he is happy as a clam. Works like magic!

Brayden's first 4th of July is just around the corner! I am so excited! We are traveling up to Schoolcraft, my home town, for the annual festivities. We are going to the parade that morning and then going to my parents for a cookout and fireworks. I am not sure if Brayden will last until the fireworks, but he will get to experience everything else! I will post pictures of that day next week!

Here are some pictures from this past weekend of Brayden at Sean's baseball game.

9 Months Old and First Haircut!

My baby is 9 months old today! I can't believe it! He is definitely showing that he is a big boy more and more everyday. He is crawling all over the place and getting into everything! They said that he took 4 steps by himself today, not holding onto anything. Yikes! I'm a little bummed that I missed his first big steps, but I can't wait to see him take some more! He is starting to eat more solid food. It took a while for him to get used to the texture, but he loves the Gerber Puffs! He could eat a whole jar if I let him! He is already a picky eater though! He will only eat his squash and sweet potatoes. All other vegies make him gag. But he LOVES his fruit...any kind, it doesn't matter. He will gobble it right up!

Brayden got his first haircut last Friday night. He needed it so bad. It was so long and scraggly. So I finally broke down and took Sean's advice to take him in. We took him to the Great Clips in Granger. He was such a big boy! Sat in the chair all by himself...until the very end. He sat still for the most part. He had to keep turing around to make sure Sean and I were still there. The lady that cut his hair was great! Talked to him the whole time. The whole process took only 10 minutes! It was perfect! Here are some pictures from him very first haircut!

Sitting like a big boy in the chair!

What is going on?

Cutting my hair.

I'm such a big boy! They were amazed that I was only 9 months old!

Trimming up!

All Done!

My New Ride and Popsicle Time

Not a whole lot to report this week....Brayden had ANOTHER double ear infection last week. His fourth one. They keep putting off the tubes in his ears as it is summer and if he gets tubes, he won't be able to get ANY water in his ears. So they are hoping to either wait until fall or they are hoping that this was the last one. His pediatrician said that if he has one more ear infection in the next four to six weeks, he will definitely have to have them. There is good and bad to that. I want him to be free from ear infections and ear pain, but I don't want my little guy to have to have surgery. I know it is minor surgery, but still...it is surgery.

I got a new car! Yay! Finally! We bought Brayden a new car seat a few weeks back and it was too big for my little Cavalier....so we bought a new car. :) I LOVE it! It is a 2003 Trailblazer. I can haul so much more stuff and I don't have to struggle to get him in his carseat. I must admit that I was teary eyed as we left the car lot with my old car sitting there, but this was what we needed to do. I'm loving it!

Sean's first Father's Day is coming up! How exciting! We are going to have a nice breakfast or lunch out and then enjoy the whole day at home. It will be nice to have a lazy day since we don't get very many of those lately!

Brayden is getting bigger and bigger everyday! He has his 9 month check up at the doctor next Wednesday. He has 4 teeth now with two more getting ready to push through. He crawls like a champ and can even walk behind a push toy or along furniture. He is just starting to be able to stand on his own without holding on to anything. It won't be long before he is taking his first steps! Eek! Then we will really be in trouble!

Here are some updated pictures from his new car from Nana and Papa and pics of his popsicle time....

This is how he stared out riding in his new car from Nana and Papa...sitting down, with a seat belt on, like a good boy.

And this is how he rides now....now that Daddy is the driver. Standing up like a daredevil. This child has no fear!

Thumbs up Mama!

Mmmm....popsicle time.

Ooh...it is cold!

I like it though! I'm such a big boy!

And I have to put it in my hair...just like everything else....

The after effects of the popsicle in the hair. Love the new hair-do!

My Mischevious Little Guy

We have a mischevious little boy on our hands. He LOVES getting into things that he isn't supposed to be getting in to. And if you tell him no....he looks at you, laughs, and keeps doing it. Then if you try to take him away from what he isn't supposed to be doing, he squirms and gets mad. He can have every single toy of his all around him and he will crawl over it all to get to something that he isn't supposed to have. We are definitely going to have our hands full...even more so when he learns how to walk. I have posted some pictures below of some of the mischevious stuff he is doing...and most of these pictures were from one night. Between Milo and Brayden, we are moving non-stop!

Pulling on Milo's paw.

Throwing the ball!

He LOVES his PraiseBaby DVD!!!

Getting into the garbage....

And into the dishes....

And into the dishwasher....

And into the tupperware.....

And into his blankets and burp cloths....