More Braedon

My mom got Braedon this play mat that has a tent over it and you can hang toys from the ceiling of it. Braedon absolutely loves this thing and started out by batting at that toy cow that you see to the right in the picture. About a week later he started having long and serious conversations with that cow and just today he has started to actually grab the cow and pull on it. (The cow makes crinkly noises when it is touched.) When he gets really excited he manages to move himself off of his mat completely. Yes, he started out in the middle of the mat and ended up on the floor completely turned around. The kid wont roll over, but he sure can scoot.

He also likes this Caterpillar toy. As you can see by the look on his face he is very intrigued and can push the caterpillar's feet by himself which then makes music.

I can't believe how big he is getting!

Dog Park

Today I took Peyton to the dog park so she could burn off some energy. Since most parks around here don't allow dogs I usually end up taking her for a good 45 minute walk in the morning around the neighborhood, but when you are a 1 1/2 year old puppy, a walk doesn't tire you out. Peyton enjoyed running around, chasing her frisbee and playing with the other dogs. I feel bad because Peyton doesn't get as much attention from me as she used to. Before Braedon arrived, I would take her out for walks everyday and we would go to the dog park quite often.

Derek found Peyton on the bench of our patio yesterday afternoon people watching. Now if she only did this quietly I wouldn't mind so much and it is actually quite cute, but Peyton has a barking problem.

Here she is guarding Braedon's room while he is napping. Actually Derek was playing fetch with her down the hallway and decided to throw all of her rope toys but Peyton couldn't decide which one to bring back.

More Exploring

This weekend we decided to check out another state park. I forgot the name of this one, but it had a pretty cool trail called The Gorge Trail that took you through caves and behind waterfalls. Saturday was a bit cloudy and rainy on and off. We did this hike pretty quick in between rain, but still ended up getting caught in it! Braedon was a trooper even though he had his face buried in Derek's chest the whole time.

This picture was taken behind the waterfall. It was pretty cool looking in person.

After being here for a month we have decided that this area is not dog friendly at all. It seems like everywhere we go there are "No Dogs Allowed" signs. It is so weird seeing those signs in state parks and other random city parks. This trail didn't allow dogs either, so unfortunately Peyton had to wait in the car.

JOE

Last weekend was the Johnson Outdoor Experience, which was basically a wrap up for Derek's orientation. It was an overnight camp out that included a lot of group bonding and activities requiring team work among all the first year grad students. Derek said he had fun and it reminded him of being at summer camp.

In the following picture 1/2 of the people were blind and 1/2 of the people were deaf and they had to work together to do various things such as "cross a river of lava" simultaneously. Speaking of the deaf leading the blind!















They also had to figure out how to lead a blind person to an "antecdote" in the middle of a "pit" with a 15' radius and nothing but a rope and tree for assitance. Oh, and the blind person could touch the ground in the pit.

This one consisted of the team having to work together to cross a "river of lava" while staying on the blocks and wood. Note: the boards didn't reach the blocks as you would think. Oh, and on this one, Derek was blind.

Buttermilk Falls

After Derek got home from school yesterday we decided to hike Buttermilk Falls. This beautiful place is about 2 miles from our house! It was a pretty good hike too, especially when you're hauling a 14 pound baby. Peyton had a great time as well and it was a nice, relaxing ending to our day.

Big Man on Campus

Even with the binky he can still work a smile and is still popular with all the girls.

Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend was filled with lots of outdoor fun. On Saturday we did a boat cruise on Lake Cayuga put on by the Johnson School. It was fun, but very hot. You would think that being on a boat there would have been a breeze of some kind, but no! Oh, and Braedon DOES NOT like the heat! Good thing we have an air conditioner in his room or we would all be miserable!

On Sunday morning we decided to venture out and see some of the outdoor stuff Ithaca has to offer. We decided to check out Taughanock Falls. We thought it would be more of a hike, but it was more like a wide path. It was still pretty though and there was a place where you could go out and walk on the rocks and through the water, which Peyton loved!

Sunday afternoon we went to a surprise birthday party for one of the Student's at Cornell. It was fun but very hot in the house, which made for an unhappy and cranky Braedon. We didn't stay long. Here he is before he started to scream.

RIP my good friend

This weekend my good friend of 7 years was finally put to rest. Yes, my treadmill did not survive the trip to NY. The last 7 years it has been such a trooper moving from Spokane to Seattle, to Kansas, and then back to Seattle. You see, I love to run and it is my morning "me time" that I look forward to each day. I was very upset to find out that my treadmill was broken and my wonderful husband did everything he could to try and fix, but after a week we decided that the best thing to do would be to just get rid of it and buy another treadmill that can support my running needs of about 25-30 miles a week. My new one should be here the end of this week and I am very excited!! You may be wondering why I am so attached to a treadmill and why I wouldn't rather run outside everyday. For those of you that don't already know, I have Ulcerative Colitis and this gastrointestinal disease keeps me off the pavement and close to the bathroom if you know what I mean! So with running being one of my passions, and having Ulcerative Colitis, my treadmill breaking was a semi crisis for me...or a really big one if you were to ask Derek!

A few more pics

I have been told by numerous people that I better take lots of pictures of our growing little guy since we have moved clear across the country. Here are a few pictures from today. Peyton is a great little babysitter and Braedon is also starting to show more interest in her as well.

A couple weeks ago he found his tongue and is always sticking it out and playing with it. A couple of days ago he found his bottom lip and will make this face quite often.

All ready to go for our morning walk.

He is quite the little flirt!

A Long One

A lot has happened since I last blogged, so I thought I would give you all a quick update. In the last couple of weeks we have packed up our old place in Mill Creek, moved clear across the country to Ithaca, New York, and have gotten ourselves pretty much all settled into our new place. Derek and Chad left for the long trip with the moving truck a week before Braedon and myself flew out. Since Derek was traveling on his birthday, we celebrated before he left. Derek and Chad had a good time as they got to stop and sight see along the way. They saw Custer's Last Stand.

Mt. Rushmore

Niagara Falls

Peyton was a trooper and traveled well! Although all three of them were glad when they finally arrived in Ithaca four days later. Derek and Chad worked like crazy and got the truck unpacked and the house put together before I even got there. I have the best husband!! Here is a picture of our living room. We have so much more room than we did before and I am loving that. We both really love our new place and Peyton is loving her yard!

Kitchen

Living room/dining room

And here is some cuteness just for the fun of it! Braedon turned 3 months old on August 6th and he is getting to be so much fun. He smiles constantly, can stay awake for longer periods of time, and is getting quite talkative. We sure love this little guy!!

So that's the quick recap and I'll be sure to keep you all updated! Derek started his orientation at Cornell this afternoon!