The Blue Moose

A few nights ago our oldest boy, two-and-a-half year-old Brayden, started crying in his bedroom. We typically don’t bother to check on him since this tactic has been used in the past to get us to visit him one last time with some innocuous request, but since he had been feeling sick lately, we decided to pause our television show and check on out little guy. Kim went up to check on him first and then requested my assistance. I wasn’t sure what was happening because the tone of her voice seemed unworried with a hint of snickering. When I stepped through the door, she turned to me and told me that our son had been chewing on one of his stuffed animals antlers, his blue moose, and it had gotten stuck between his lower teeth and he couldn’t get it out. I tugged for a little bit and found that it was indeed wedged in and stuck. Not wanting to pull one of his cute little teeth out before their prime, I wiggled and tugged on the soft antlers as my wife laughingly searched for some scissors to set both the moose and our son free from their new bond. I too, laughed as I fenced my son’s tongue with my fingers trying to see how it got wedged between his teeth and the best means of extraction. Just as Kim returned to the room, the medium amount of pressure I had been exerting on the antler gave way and the stuffed animal and my son were again free from dental bondage. I took the stuffed animal away to trim its antlers and my son cried out in anguish asking me not to take his moose away. I told him that I was just going to fix his antler and I would be right back. When I returned the moose to my son, he made an attempt to bite the antler and roll back into his bed. I told him that if he keeps biting the antlers it will get stuck again. He just looked at me and said, “Nie-night” giving me my cue that he was done with me and I could leave him alone to go back to sleep.

Happy 2nd Birthday Brayden

 Happy Birthday to our sweet Brayden. He is truely amazing and we love to watch him grow.

 We let him open one present on his birthday and took him out for ice cream.

 The day after his birthday his grandpa and grandma Saling came up and we had a little party. He opened the rest of his presents and got to blow out the candles on his cake (he might have eaten a piece too).

 This cake proves that I was not very talented in my baking classes in culinary school. I try and make due with what I have which is much easier to do with cooking then baking. Atleast it looks like a car.

We had such a fun time celebrating. I can't believe he is 2 already. We took him to his 2 year check up and his stats are as follows:

 

Weight: 27.6 lbs (46%)

Height: 36 inches (89%)

Head: 46 1/2 cm (7%)

 

We are so proud of him for all of the things he is learning and we love him so much. We just have to get through the terrible twos :)

Aquarium

 We went to the aquarium with Chris's co-worker(from Primary's) and had a really fun time. Brayden loves to see all the fun animals now and actually enjoys watching the fish swim around. His favorite part was playing with the stingrays (because he got to splash in the water), he cried for about 10 minutes after we made him stop. We had fun and we were glad that Chris got to take a break from studying and come with us.  

(My favorite are the Jelly fish and the Seahorses, I am not sure what Chris's favorite were)

Easter 2012- Lots of pictures

Easter in Ferron

Dying Easter Eggs

Hanging out with Dad

Playing with Taighleigh

Hidden Easter Basket

Where Brayden would rather be than looking for the Easter Basket

What Brayden did when we made him look for his Easter Basket

Finding the Easter Basket

Brayden knocking the Easter Basket out of the tree when he found it.

Flying the kite from his Easter basket

Playing in the dessert

Tayven was up the mountain before most of us got out of the car.

Brayden's favorite thing to do, play in the dirt :)

Indian writings

Hiking and playing on big rocks

After all the hiking we rolls the dyed Easter eggs down trails we had made. I just didn't get any pictures with my camera.

Getting ready for Church

We love being in Ferron! We don't get down there as often as we would like since Chris started school, but when we get down there its always amazing. We love our family and we are so grateful for the great love they show us when we can get down there.

Snow Day

Its been a long time since I have posted and thought you would all miss seeing Brayden. So HERE HE IS! :)

Halloween 2011

Halloween was pretty interesting this year. Brayden had been fighting a cold and the night before Halloween he was up all night coughing and crying, coughing and crying. It wasn't a normal Brayden cough either. It was like that of a fog horn (babies aren't supposed to sound like that). Chris and I decided that it was time for us to call the doctor. I was up with Brayden early Halloween morning and as I sat and rocked my coughing child as I watched the clock switch from one number to the next, number after number until the doctors office finally opened. They were able to get me in a few hours later. The doctor came in checked his eyes, ears, nose, and throat. He had a fever of 99.6. Then the doctor walked to the door told me he was at the end of his cold and there wasn't anything they could do for him. Hmmm... ok... So I took him home and we played for a few hours.
Chris got home and we hurried outside and let him crawl around and take pictures in his costume.
 We didn't want to take him door to door because he had been sick and honestly I don't need anymore candy.  We let him ring the doorbell at our house and offered him cheerios for his treat.Then Chris went to class and I opened the door for trick or treaters. One knock was never enough, it was usually 10 pounds, a door bell, followed by more pounding. This was my first year having trick or treaters since I moved out of my parents house and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Maybe when my kids can go out trick or treating it will be more fun. I guess I will have to wait and see.

Brayden's First Artichoke

And he LOVED it!