Cal academy of Science

On Wednesday we went to the California Academy of Science in San Francisco with our good friends The Taboras. Darren had a blast and Braden was just excited to see other babies! I think overall every ones favorite thing to see was the awesome aquarium, the kids got to explore a little more there than the other exhibits.


The weather was great, the exhibits were great and the company was great!

Way more interested in DJ than watching the penguins get fed =)

Hydrangeas in the Azores

My Grandpa spent a couple months in the Azores this summer and transferred all seven hundred pictures he took onto my computer. When I was looking through them I noticed all the Hydrangeas and remembered that I had just blogged about the ones in his garden. You can see them all over the hillsides. I will definitely be posting more of his pictures of the islands, there are some really gorgeous ones.

caught!

So every morning and after every nap, Braden's bottle is stuck between the wall and the crib and any excess milk is spilled on the ground. Well today I was walking by his room when I heard him stand up, so i walked very quietly up behind him and watched him jam it between the wall and then laugh at the milk dripping down! Before he saw me, he finished laughing at his bottle trick and then turned on his music projection thing on in his crib which is usually are clue to go get him. I asked him about the bottle and he went over to it smiling which is when I took the pics, so cute and now there is always a towel under the crib!

D's first time bowling

We took the boys bowling yesterday for the first time, well Braden just watched. Dare did good he bowled a 44, not bad for his first time. Darren loved bowling and cried when we had to give back the bowling shoes.

miniature golfing

I'm off of work for three weeks and Tim is off with me for the first week and we are taking full advantage of it. We have been taking the boys to do fun things everyday.
Darren loved miniature golf, I took two videos, the first was his cute little reaction when he hit the ball in the hole and the other showing how long it took him to get it in. I decided to only post the one with the reaction, the other was a little long!

Glass beach

Glass beach, I've have probably blogged about his before, is a beach in Fort Bragg that used to be the city dump that over time the waves crashing into the trash turned all the glass into a colorful non sharp stones. We couldn't get Braden down to the actual beach so Daddy and Dare got some good quality time together. Darren brought me back and handful of glass to take home too =)

Pudding Creek

These pictures are from our Portuguese Festa weekend. We took the boys all over the place in Fort Bragg. This is us at Pudding Creek, it is a quaint little beach on the outskirts of Fort Bragg. The morning started out over cast, but quickly turned to blue skies and great weather the rest of the weekend.

The three pictures of the boys overlooking the beach I adore. I can't decide which is my favorite, the one of Darren looking down and checking on Braden, the one of the both of them watching the waves or the one of Braden clutching onto Dare when he got scared (don't worry I picked up Braden as soon as he got scared).

Playing at Grandpa and Grandma's house

Braden enjoyed playing with the berries too.

The Grey Whale Inn, Fort Bragg California. This hotel used to be the town hospital, we drive by it on our way to the Portuguese Hall. It is where my Dad was born fifty years ago on September 16th. Another cool thing about going to the Festa every year is that is always falls around my Dad's birthday. It's nice to be with his family and all remember him together =)

Braden playing in my Grandpa's garden, Hydrangea's are all over the Azores, in particular Flores the island my Grandpa is from.

Darren and Great Grandpa looking for berries

Darren is a notoriously picky eater, but he ate every different kind of berry my Grandpa gave him, I think he thought it was fun to "find" food.

Uncle Pat and Grandpa showing the boys around the property.

Daddy and Darren stretching in Cloverdale (about half way of the four hour car ride to Fort Bragg)

great investment =)

The boys recently got a Mickey Mouse ball pit that they ADORE! Braden just goes in circles in it and Darren loves throwing the balls in the top part and watching them circle down (I'll post pictures of that part of it later). They are so cute in it and we have had it for a couple weeks now and have only lost three balls to Baron =)

Baby Jaxson!

Jaxson Randall Smith born at 11:41 p.m. on 9/10/11, he is 4 lb 2 oz and 17.5 inches long. My gorgeous nephew Jaxson made his debut a little earlier than scheduled (about 6 weeks early) but mom and baby are doing well. I love him so much and I know my boys can't wait for him to get nice and strong so they can all play together.

I was able to see him briefly last night, he will spend a couple weeks in the NICU for monitoring and got one picture but definitely more to come.

Congratulations Kim and Dan!!

11 months old

Our baby is eleven months old, wow crazy to think that he will be a whole year old next month! Braden is into EVERYTHING right now, nothing is safe =) He is walking so much. it's hard to believe that he just took his first steps a couple weeks ago and is already doing so well.