Update Long Overdue (Random Happenings)

These are in no particular order, however, I need to update my blog since it also serves as my journal. I guess I need to work on it because I am not very regular about posting. 

We have been enjoying ourselves and preparing for the fall/winter which we are not really use to having anymore. I have decided that I really need to invest in some rain gear since it rains like crazy here. Fortunately Summer is already prepared for the puddles and drizzles. 

At the end of August and all through September we were able to go pick wild blackberries that grow everywhere. This is just across the street from us. It was nice because we could just pick a small bowl at a time to go with dinner. Maybe they are still growing. I should make a pie for Thanksgiving here since it is in a week. That is weird too. I am not use to having Thanksgiving before Halloween.  

 Here are the Blackberry bushes behind our house. 

 Brayden's First Shower

 This is when we moved him to his crib. I am a little sad not to have him right next to me, but it is better that he gets use to his bed. 

I love looking at my kids when they are fast asleep. There is something about it that just makes me want to hold them and give them many kisses. They are just so peaceful and I think it is then that I remember their innocence. 

 Here Summer is learning to ride her bike over a dirt mound with some friends of ours. She seemed to enjoy it enough. 

 Summer and Brayden watching TV together for the first time. Fortunately I don't turn it on that often so he is not really hooked, but he does like it. 

 Enjoying the Jolly Jumper. It only lasts for about five minutes before he falls to one side and wants out. 

 Brayden very frightened from the flash on the camera. Apparently he cried for quite a while. He is also very scared of the vacuum. Every time I turn it on he cries with tears and all. I have come to the conclusion I have to vacuum when Philip is home and can hold him. 

 Rockin' a tie I made out of Uncle Aaron's shirt.

 Summer after losing her second tooth. The Tooth Fairy almost forgot to bring the goods until just before she awoke. The funny thing is my friend just posted a tutorial for a Tooth Fairy pillow just for this purpose and I thought I should make one and never did. I guess I really should have. 

Brayden looking a little bald as Philip would say. He is just too cute. I can't get enough of him. 

 Brayden has started to coo/talk a lot. He also loves laughing and interacting with us. He especially likes Summer as long as she is not flopping him all over the place. Recently he has been grabbing for toys and Summer's hair. One of his favorite things is taking baths. I think he is getting a tooth because he is very slobbery and chews on his fingers all day long. 

 One day after school we made play dough. Summer made an alligator and it reminded us of Texas at the alligator park (Brazos Bend)

 This one is for my sister who loves Kiss. At least she use to. It reminded me of her, so I thought I should have Summer try it on. What do you think Kori?

 Brayden finally wearing the Darth Vador shirt his dad got for him. Philip loves Star Wars and when we saw this shirt on clearance at the GAP last January it made it into the cart. Philip has been wanting him to wear it since he was newborn. Now that it is October I gave in. 

 Also since it is October I have decided to make a fun Halloween meal for dinner every Monday night for Family Home Evening. Tonights menu was courtesy of Martha Stewart, and it was a lot of fun. Even though I shaped her meatloaf into a bat she still wouldn't touch it. At least the ghosts disappeared. 

Anyhow, it has been way too long. I hope to keep it up a little better now that I am in a better routine with Brayden and Summer is off to school. Oh Yeah, see I forgot all about documenting those pictures. I guess more posts to come tomorrow or sometime this week. 

Trip to California

 It had been 6 years since I last visited my family in California. My dad came to visit us while we lived in Houston a couple years back. Since we knew we would have a new addition we decided it was just the right time to make a visit. My grandma is getting old and I really felt I needed to see her soon. So we made the road trip down. 

As you can see above one of the ways Summer stayed entertained was to watch a movie. Most of the time she was bored out of her mind, but she did really good. Brayden did really well too since he slept most of the time. It was horrible when he was sick of the seat and cried as loud as he could. I think he developed a bad taste for his car seat. 

Once we finally arrived it was late, but we enjoyed seeing family and snapping some photos. 

 Here you can see my dad. I look a bit like him, however, he looks kind of intimidating in this picture. I remember when I was little and I would go visit him he wore button up shirts without the buttons done up, along with huge gold chains, and large gold rings the kind that you put three fingers into. My sister and I use to say he looked like Mr. T

 This is my abuelita or my grandma. She is such a wonderful woman and I love her so much. She just loved the kids. She didn't want to stop holding Brayden. It was so hot there and they didn't have a/c so it was like an oven in the house. This also caused Brayden to sleep. 

 Summer found a tree outside in the yard and brought me these. I thought they were limes only to realize they are oranges. Citrus season is not for a few more months. 

 My dad helping her pick the fruit. 

 Summer was roasting to death. She said to me, "I think all the people in Houston must be asking for lots of drinks of water." I think she forgot what it was like to live in the heat. Really I guess I have too. I  don't know how we survived living in Houston's weather but you just do. It is actually funny because since we got home it has been in the low 80's which is the highest so far this summer. We are entering fall and we are still wondering where the summer went. 

 Abuelita loving Brayden

 Summer and my cousin Giselle. 

 Some of the super yummy Mexican food we enjoyed thanks to their hard work and hospitality. 

 Philip enjoying the food. 

 This is my uncle Chaba cooking my favorite ever Carne Asada. Yum

 Summer helping my cousin Stephanie make gorditas.

 The finished product. I might have to try these myself. They might not work out. 

 On the last night there we drove to the temple to see it. It was beautiful of course. It is nice to visit and see all the different temples. 

 My uncle Chaba and his family minus one son who is in college. 

 My uncle Tonio and his family. 

 My dad and our family. 

 My Abuelita and our family. 

 Yummy Mexican pan/bread we got for the way home. 

Once of the nice things about traveling was the scenery. I didn't take many photos, but this one will do I guess. It was so interesting to see the different crops go on for miles and miles almost until we were out of California. We also enjoyed looking at Shasta Lake and wished we could stop for a swim. 

It was so nice to finally see my family again. We hope that we can go more often and that one day they might be able to come visit us as well. We love them and miss them all. 

Toothless

For the last year and a half Summer has continuously asked when her teeth would fall out. She was so anxious for this to happen. She even tried making her teeth come loose even though she knew it would not work.

Well, yesterday she was eating some chips and she said I think I might have a loose tooth. She showed me and sure enough her tooth was quite loose.

Forgive the dirty mouth picture, but she had been eating chips. She was so excited. I tried to get her to wait and wiggle it after Philip came home but she could not resist.

Once her dad came home she asked me for an apple because I told her that might help her tooth come out. Well that didn't work. She then went upstairs to look in the mirror. About ten minutes later she said it came out. I didn't believe her so she came to show me that the tooth was hanging by a thread. So, now you see my daughter has surely lost her first tooth.

Here is the classic missing tooth smile. I can't believe she is growing up. I am so happy for her to have lost her tooth. She was happy in the morning to find that the tooth fairy had come to leave her a surprise. She then smiled and said I like having a missing tooth.

6 Weeks

I really can't believe it has been six weeks already. Brayden is growing and time is flying. I am not sure how much he weighs now, but he has grown. Although he is small he no longer looks like a newborn. He has started holding his head up quite nicely. He enjoys tummy time but only for a few minutes and then he gets tired and starts fussing.

Brayden is a good baby for the most part. He is a good sleeper now and lets me get at least three hours sleep at once. To me that is way better than wanting to eat every hour like he did in the beginning.

It has been interesting having a boy. We are so use to our little girl and not all the things that come along with a boy. Mainly we have only really noticed how frequently he pees on the wall, Phil, or himself. The goal now is to get him changed as quickly as possible to avoid old faithful.

Here are several pictures of some of the things we have enjoyed with him over the last six weeks.

We decided to take him on his first walk. Summer was so excited and insisted on pushing the stroller.
There have been a few times when his fingers have found their way into his mouth and he gladly sucks. I think if they made there way there more often we would have ourselves a thumb sucker.
Summer playing with him while I got ready. She is such a good big sister. We like to think there are two moms in the house because she is always trying to take care of her brother.
Brayden and his three month old cousin. It will be fun to see the two of them grow older together and have a playmate.
Philip thinks he looks like he has a mushroom on his head, but I like the hat. I made this as I was teaching myself to crochet.
One day I came in Summer's room to find that she was rocking the baby in her own little rocking chair. He was fussy and she needed to sooth him so this is what came to her mind.
Philip thinks he needs driving lessons already. F.Y.I. we were in our parked car eating. We were not driving with him in Phil's lap incase you were wondering.
Yoga time. My sister brought me a bunch of hand me down clothes. This is one of my favorites. He really has a little boy yoga outfit.
This was taken at about four weeks old. He looks like Philip in this picture to me.
Brayden was blessed on July 24, 2011 which happens to be my birthday. My family was in town so we felt is was appropriate to do it then. I need to snap a picture of the baby alone in his outfit.
Brayden sleeping in on his 6 week mark which was yesterday.
Not so happy I was trying to snap photos of him when he was hungry. I love the frown face.

It has been a blast so far. I look forward to every day I get to spend with my kids. I hope to soak in as much baby time as I can before he gets older and is no longer in baby stage.