Choo-Choo

I'm a little dare devil riding in
snoopy's dog house and on
the chipmunk train!

Children's Museum of Cleveland

Braden, Grandma and Mommy all had a great time at the Children's Museum of Cleveland! Thanks Grandma Gens for a WONDERFUL DAY!

Christmas at Grandma and Grampa Gens'

Some fun holiday photos from when we opened gifts at Grandma and Grampa Gens'.






I love my monster suitcase. I'll use it every time I go to see Grandma and Grampa!














Everyone needed me to help unwrap or even hold up their gifts for photos. Grampa couldn't hold his fish finder without me!

Little Fishy's

Grampa Gens gave me my own minnow bucket with little fishy's. This was the best gift ever and kept me entertained (and the adults too who were watching me) for hours! Thanks Grampa!

My Little Pony

I'm a little pony...clippity clop...clippity clop...such a pretty pony...

OK...I love to ride my pony but I think the music is driving my mom and dad a bit crazy!

My 2nd Christmas

I'm a little elf on Christmas morning!

Merry Christmas

Posing for our family Christmas card!

I wanted to play with the ornaments but mom wanted me to smile for the camera!

My first time sledding!

While daddy put up lights, mom took me sledding around the yard. This is my trial run before the wintery snow comes. I love sledding!

Thanksgiving weekend

Lunch after picking up Uncle Robert for Thanksgiving.
This was my kid sized pizza but I was nice and shared with everyone!

Mommy found me my new favorite drink.... a mango fruit drink from Starbuck's! MmmMmm Good!

I love to play with blocks and cousin Kylee made me a fort just so I could DESTROY it!

The spoon!

I'm a big boy and love to eat with a spoon.

Mom and Dad let me be messy and it is fun.

Dad gave me some cookie dough and it is yummy!

Peek-A-Boo

My latest trick...I'm such a silly boy!

Happy Halloween

Trick or Treat
Happy Halloween

Walking Puppy

Here comes the puppy......

There goes the puppy.....

Pumpkin Carving

Lots of pumpkins and spooky lanterns

Braden's talking for the camera...he's not shy! Then he "sings" using his hand which Grandma Wilmes tought him awhile ago.

Learning to Eat with a Spoon

Braden is learing to eat with a spoon. It is 50/50 as to how much goes in his mouth vs. on his body! Thank goodness for bathtime!

Smart Little Boy

Braden loves his toys and has gotten quite good at putting the rings on the cone (even if Dad puts them in order)!

A story for all my fans

Braden loves to talk so we caught him on tape!

Learning to walk

We love to watch Braden learn to walk.
He is so proud when he takes a few steps.
Aaron and I have him walk back and forth between us.
It has become a nightly event!

"Crash and Laugh"

"8 steps and counting!"

Deanna Rose Farmstead

The Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead

We had a great time taking Braden to the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead. Braden had so much fun and will have even more fun when he is older and can walk/run around. We saw a bald eagle, bobcats, a hawk, goats, chickens, cows, sheep and many other farm animals. Braden was not scared at all and got right in there with the goats and sheep. Must be because of his dog Riley. It was a gorgeous day and an a nice family outting. I'm anxious to go back!

Braden's 1st Birthday Party at Daycare

Thanks Mary Beth and Grandma Karin for a great birthday party at daycare! Mom made some "hostess" cupcakes to share with all of Braden's friends.

Braden's 1st Birthday Party

Braden's 1st Birthday party (video's are in three chapters)

FAMILY

All of our family came to celebrate Braden's 1st Birthday! Grandma and Grandpa Gens came all the way from Ohio and Uncle Robert surprised us and came up Saturday night from South Carolina! Hurricane Hannah didn't stop him! It was great seeing everyone and Braden LOVED the attention that he received! THANKS everyone for coming!

OPENING GIFTS

WOW! Everyone was so generous! Braden has so many fun things to play with. He really got into opening the gifts and never wanted to open the next present as he wanted to play with the one he just got. Dad had to sneak them into his new toy chest while Mom distracted him with another gift to open. Braden loved all of his toys and has really enjoyed them! THANKS for your thoughtfulness!

CHOCOLATE CAKE

Yummy! Braden waited a whole year to experience chocolate cake and he loved it. We tried a little bit of ice-cream too but that was too cold and he spit it out. No hesitation on his part...he dug right in and shoveled it in. At times he even used both hands to keep it coming! Uncle Robert summed it up nicely saying that he was definitely mom's son...."he was messy but neat". While getting it all over his high chair and face, he did not fling it on the walls, floor or rub it in his hair. Thanks Braden....you are mommy's little boy! THANKS for all the laughs!

Birthday Cake

Birthday cake - mom and dad were so excited about this cake because it was just like their wedding cake. Chocolate cake with raspberry filling.

Isn't it cute....just like my invitations and partyware. Mom likes to coordinate!

Braden's One Year Photos

A slideshow of the photos from Braden at one year old! He was not camera shy and had fun. They turned out great with too many to choose from!

Peek-A-Boo

I see Braden!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

We had fun celebrating Daddy's birthday on August 22nd. Grandma and Grandpa Wilmes, Uncle Mark, Aunt Angela and my cousins Kylee and Hunter all came over. It was fun!

Swimming at Grandma and Grandpa Wilmes' pool. It was a beautiful evening and a lot of fun.

We all went to the park near Grandma and Grandpa's house. Boy was it neat. There was a water station for Braden to play in, swings and slides. I'm sure we will be back many times to visit the park again!

Braden and Mom visited Grandma and Grandpa Gens at the end of July (24th - 27th). We were able to meet some of Grandma's friends, went shopping, saw hot air balloons and best of all, Braden was able to see Grandpa's big fish! We also celebrated Grandma's birthday which was special. It was a fun weekend that went by fast!

Braden had fun eating his cookie. He has really begun to learn how to chew or at least gum things up until they are a complete mess and all over his hands, face and high chair. It is fun to watch him chomp away....the clean up is another story!

Splish Splash!

Braden's first time to the Lawrence swimming pool was a success! He LOVED it!
He was a little apprehensive when we got there as you can see in the video. Once he found his green duck he was OK. He then began to get daring and went after his duck which mysteriously found its way out of reach (was that mom's doing?). After that the water was fun and he began to splash, crawl and explore. I even swung him around on his back and got quite a few giggles....sorry no shot of that as I needed both hands. We had a blast and will definitely be going back!

Braden and his train

Braden loves to stand and "walk" across the fireplace ledge. Every chance he gets he pulls himself up on something. Here he is showing off on Sunday July 6, 2008.

Our first family vacation was to Seattle! We visited many places including Pikes Place Market, the Seattle Aquarium, Mount Saint Helens (the visitor's center), the Museum of Glass and many other spots. It was a great city to visit where there is more to do....maybe we will return when Braden is older.

Happy 6 month Birthday Braden

Braden at 6 months

March Madness

Go KU!

Aaagghhh Aaagghhh Aaagghhh

Fun to hear some of Braden's first "words". I believe we caught him saying "I love you Mom and Dad!" For only being 4 months old, he was on a roll this night!

I love my jumperoo!

Braden's jumperoo has to be one of the best things we ever bought. He loves to jump and play. It has been fun watching him grow out of it. Even at 10 months old he is too big for it but we still let him play in it because he enjoys it so much. I'm so glad we captured this moment when he was 7mos old.

My first trip to Chicago!

A short video from Braden's first trip to the Windy City. We had a blast in Chicago! Started out with meeting Grandma Gens at Midway airport where then took a ride on the El that took us into the city. We arrived and had fun shoppng at Water Tower. The next day, we met up with cousin Chris and Aunt Judy for some shopping, eating, entertainment and hanging out. It was a fun weekend for everyone!

Happy 4 month Birthday Braden

Braden at 4 months