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

Happy 3 month Birthday Braden

Braden at 3 months

Silly Daddy and Me!

Happy 2 month Birthday Braden

Braden at 2 months

12lbs 2oz

23.75"

*6 week check-up