My Little Monkey Making Valentine's Cupcakes

I caught Brayden's version of 10 Little Monkeys!! I love it!!

Brayden and I got bored on Sunday afternoon because his nap was short, he is deep in potty training and the weather was freezing rain and slippery roads we didn't want to drive on so we made cupcakes!! He loves to use the Kitchenaid and does a great job adding ingredients too!! It always turns out to be a messy endeavor so we usually don't let daddy be around, but oh well we had to do something!! This time he didn't want to frost them just put the sprinkles on them. Each cupcake got like 5 sprinkles and I think he ate even more than he decorated the cupcakes with!! He also got a spoon out and cleaned the bowl, or at least snuck a few bites of the batter!!!!

Art Projects?!? Bribery?!?

Well potty training is going better than ever!! We had a great Wednesday and then Thursday and Friday he went to daycare, so it wasn't mommy working with him, buyt he did keep using the potty. Saturday was a rough potty training day that ended up with a diaper on and mommy and daddy going to the mall by ourselves!! Today we started our day but going shopping and picking out some fun toys that he wanted and "Let the bribery begin"!! He cried a little because he wanted all of the toys now, but now because he really wants toys he is telling us he needs to potty!! He has gotten a few toys already including 2 new color changer cars and a small race track!! One way or another he will get potty trained, right??

We get art projects from school about every day he goes!! They come up with some of the cutest ideas including this one!! This is so fun I think, I wish that I was this creative and we could do stuff like this at home!!

Brayden has taken up a new hobby of singing silly songs and his favorite right now is "10 little monkeys juming on the bed"! He sings it over and over again and also watches it on youtube!! He laughs so hard!!! He has definately learned that he can say anything and uses words I never would imagine him using, he is also being a sassy little guy with NO being a favorite!!!

Potty Training!!!

Potty training Brayden has been a roller coaster to say the least!! He has been going potty on the potty for quite a while when HE WANTS TO at least!! But we have been talking about it alot more lately and decided that 1. He has to be potty trained before we go to Disneyland and 2. Candy is not going to work for bribery. So we told me he was not getting any more toys till he was trying to get potty trained at least. This morning we woke up and went potty right away and put on big boy underwear and have had them on ever since!! We went 4 hours going potty about every hour (which was a huge upgrade from every 10 minutes like he was doing) and even went to McDonalds for lunch with daddy and then to Target to pick up a few things I needed!! No accidents!! He is not necessarily telling me he needs to go but is no longer refusing to go to the potty at least!! I figure if he goes every hour we shouldn't have an accident. After we got home he did start to poop in his underwear and got really upset!! We walked to the potty finished going potty and the poor kid was heart broken!! We talked about it a little bit and he wanted to go so bad in the potty that is why he was crying!!

While we were at Target he picked out a new CARS toy that he wants and told me "Later tonight we will need to come back and get my new toy for pottying in the potty all day" "I a big boy mama"!!!

That was hard to hear from my little baby for sure!!!

Hopefully soon I will be done with diapers and my little guy will need to be called a big boy!! Not quite ready to call it quits yet, but time will tell!!

Going to Build a Bear!

Brayden and I went to Build a Bear today while daddy was shopping for a few shirts!! He was amazed at first and walked through the store and just watched everything that was going on, then he saw a football outfit that looked like the Huskies from NIU and it was over!!! We found a little huskie dog and away we went!! He had to wait in line and that was hard because we were quickly approaching nap time but it all worked out ok!! He brushed his bear, dried his bear, dressed his bear including putting his shoe on him, and squeezed him too!! He even carried the box all the way out of the mall by himself!!! It is amazing what he can do when he wants too!

Every 2 year old needs Color Changers!!

I learn something new everyday with this kid. Today I learned the reason that my mom never wanted to let my sister and I play Barbie Swimming Pool. Brayden had been wanting Color Changing Cars for quite a while, after watching them on YouTube of course, so we finally found some that were in stock at Toys"R"Us, so we got them and they came with race tracks or play things and water gets everywhere!! I am definitely getting my pay back for this one!! We spent more time than normal in the bathtub this weekend because he loves them so much!!!

Brayden and I went to our first gymnastic class at the park district today and it was funny!! He doesn't like organized play too much and does better doing his own thing, but it is good for him to have some extra structure I think anyway!! He is the only boy in the class of 5, but he doesn't care about that much!! He loves to be able to run around and it is hard to run around much in the winter so I figured it was worth a try!! After class, and lunch with grandma, we headed to find a new toy, a possible bribe to get him in and out for his flu shot without a big fuss!! It worked!!! We went in, got the shot, he looked at the nurse and said "I think you hurt me" , he obviously wasn't sure, and out we walked!! Success!! I held him and her give it in his leg while he looked at the mural on the wall and talked about everything that was going on there! A little whine was all we got!! Love that little boy and how tough he is!!

We have been talking about Disneyland alot lately and he can't wait to "Visit Mickey's house and Lightening McQueen's house" and "ride in a big airplane way way up in the sky!!" I am so excited I can hardly handle it!! I hope stays this excited!!

Well not much more is new at our house, here are a few new pictures!!

Dressed for his gymnastic class, had to have one more minute of phone time!!

New Color Changer tracks and play things!! He loves everything about it!! 

Kids say the darndest things?!?

Brayden is at the stage where you never know what is going to come out of his mouth. He doesn't hear much for bad words, but he hears everything else we say. He already at 2 and 1/2 has a way with words especially with his mommy!!! Like last night when I was holding him, he wasn't feeling great, and he sits up and looks at me and "Well mommy you are a pretty lady!!" I mean really where does he come up with this stuff!!
When he wants me to play with one of his toys, he tells me to close my eyes and take his hand and "he has a suprise for me"!!
I have been telling Brayden over the past few days that we are going to Disneyland for his birthday and that he has to be potty trained before he can go. He told me, "I need some time mommy". He told my parents that "He needs his own potty to go potty in the potty!!" I asked him why he needs a potty and he said "Mommy it is Lightening McQueen and I need everything Lightening McQueen"!!
Brayden woke up this morning and said "Quick mommy I need a drink" I went and got him some water ofcourse and he said, "Didn't you know I need 2, water and milk, keep going mama"
He has a cold and cough and feels a little icky, I went to wipe his nose this morning and he has just a t-shirt on with his pajama pants and he told me "I wipe it on my shirt, I am good!!!"
Daddy was tickling Brayden today when he came home for lunch and Brayden told him "I don't want tickles, go to work!!"

Here are a few pictures of my 2 year old being his funny self!! He comes up with the funniest things!!

If you look closely, you can see him under the clothes, we were cleaning our closet and this was his way of helping!!! He loves to put anything in a line, even our shoes!!

He loves my hat!!!

Super Batman!!

Brayden has quite the imagination and lately he has been into some Super Hero's especially the one with monster trucks named after them like Batman and Spiderman. He has also watched a few things on YouTube about Superman I guess because he now jumps off of our ottoman and yells "I am SUPER BATMAN"!! He came up with it all on his own and he frequently comes to the rescue when anyone needs help yelling Super Batman!!! He is so funny!!

Brayden has been quite the mommy's boy lately!! He doesn't want Daddy to do anything Mommy usually does or can do really!!! I get all of the kisses, hugs, cuddles, and attention at the current moment!! I have only worked 2 days in the last 11 so he has had a lot of time with me and this usually creates a little extreme of some sort!! The other day we were grocery shopping, all three of us, and I had been pushing the cart and ran to get something so Donny started pushing the cart and Brayden made him stop and said "Only mommy push me"!!! He is such a stinker but I will choose to enjoy my baby time while I can have it!!! I am sure as I go back to my usual schedule at work that he will go back to being neutral!!!

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!

Happy New Year!!!!

Donny and I both had to work on New Years Eve this year, but I got off just in time to go to Brayden's favorite fast food restaurant...McDonalds, and then go to Aunt Karshawn's for a little party!! We had a great time and as usual all of the little kids were the life of the party!! Brayden was the youngest so he ofcourse was loving all of the attention he was getting!!!  Brayden loved the horns, hats, and leis!!! He handed them out and wore plenty himself!! Brayden stayed up till midnight, and celebrated the New Year just like a big kid!!

 Brayden fit in with all of the older boys at the New Years Eve Party and sat and watched xbox. The three younger boys were so enthralled with what was happening on the tv that they were little angels!!

We got home and put him in bed and he was out in just a few short minutes, but he did ask to play first!!!