Brayden's IQ

I think part of being a parent is realizing that a childs IQ is not stable - it varries with their level of interest in the subject. For instance, I can tell Brayden to go to bed, and it seems like he can't find it at all. However, if I say he has to put his shoes on before he goes outside, they magically appear on his feet in a very short amount of time. So. I ask you, is it harder to find a six foot long four foot wide piece of furniture, or to find two four inch long, two inch wide articles of clothing and put them on?

A line from "Everybody Loves Raymond" comes to mind - "I just act stupid so your mom won't make me do stuff."

Brayden Turns Two

Brayden celebrated his 2nd birthday on the 8th. Can't believe it has already been two years! We went to Round Table Pizza with some friends and then came back here to open gifts and play. Greg and I gave Brayden a sandbox (which Greg and his dad built), so the gifts followed in the same vein. We got to celebrate with both sets of grandparents. We're so glad the Andersons came to visit from Aspermont!









Here are some pics from throughout the two years. My how he's changed!


Falling asleep eating at camp (2006)
Family Camp 2006
Just Moved! Oct 2006

Snow While Visiting Grandma (May 2007)
Swimming at Fairbrae with Katy and G'ma Derr (May 07)
At the Park (June 2007)

Anderson Visit

Tahoe

We had an unexpected trip to Tahoe the first weekend of July...my parents had some car problems that gave us some time up in the mountains. We went to Donner Lake to camp, but decided to trek the additional miles to let Greg and Brayden see Tahoe. It was worth the trip! Grandpa D found a crawfish (sp?), and that is what he's showing B in the picture. My parents made it back home with less car damage than they expected, and a relaxing time in one of our favorite places.

Random Pics

At first glance this looks random, but notice that he only marked in the boxes or in the lines where Greg filled out or should have filled out...smart kid!
Brayden's Random "Vogue"ing
"Vogue"ing
Hanging out sketching
Brayden taking a pic of himself

Kitchen Remodel

We are in the throws of our kitchen remodel right now...I thought I'd throw up some pics of the progress. We moved our furnace up to the attic and took down the closet where it was (right between dining area and kitchen). I'll put up more as we progress...looking forward to the finished product already!!
Before Pics
Before. The closet on the left side is what we took out
The living/dining area...the walls on the right are what we took out


End of Day 1
End of Day 2

Potty Training

About a week ago, we decided to do a potty party to introduce Brayden to potty training. He did very well and was really excited about getting to potty in the potty. Now he averages about 1 or 2 accidents a day, and he's in big boy underwear most of the time. He loves his independence!

A few highlights from the day:
*Brayden dancing with his bear he named "Eyes"
*Brayden running back and forth to the potty and laughing his head off
*Brayden cleaning up a hose "accident" outside by running inside to get a towel and then wiping it off.
*Brayden running inside for a minute while both Greg and I pondered his actions. He was going to get his comforter from his bed to cover "Eyes" while he rode on his tricycle. We helped Brayden get a little blanket instead of the big old comforter.