A cute baby, rocks, and Breast Cancer

So...wow. It has been a really long since I updated this. Sorry everybody. Life has been so crazy. Brayden is becoming so active, he takes a lot of my time. Everytime something cute happens or we hit a milestone, I plan out a blog post in my head but never actually write it down...So I will try to update you through pictures about what is happening in our lives right now. Of course, it will be centered around Brayden so if you can't handle looking at pictures of a baby that is cuter than yours, I suggest you leave now. :)
So first off....

 Brayden is eating solids!

And let me tell you, he is loving every minute of it....NOT! He never liked rice cereal or peas. He used to like oatmeal cereal and apples but he's changed his mind in the last week. I am going to try sweet potatoes today to see if he'll eat something else.
P.S. Yes, I am making my own baby food but I will do a whole separate post on my granola hippie ways a little later. It will include my experiences with homemade baby food, cloth diapers, cloth nursing pads, and even homemade diaper rash cream.

We visited Grandpa Shuldberg in Idaho. It was Brayden's first long trip and I'm pleased to say, he did very well. 5 hours up, 5 hours back and he slept most of the way. This is him with Grandpa Shuldberg and his cousin Maddi, who is a few months older than him.

 That smile melts my heart every time.

Are they too big for the swing when they can swing themselves? :)

This is how Brayden helps me in the kitchen. I can do the dishes or make dinner and he chews on his spoon. Or hits things with it. Depends on how he is feeling.

I told you - he is so much cuter than your baby.

 Brayden is starting to outgrow his swing and bouncer so we invested in an activity center. It has been great. He absolutely loved it the first few days. Now he prefers it be outside but it still is a necessity in our home.

Silly, silly boys.....

 We went on a really cool adventure a few weeks back. We needed some rocks to build a small retaining wall in our backyard but found it was REALLY expensive to buy them. We started doing some research and found out you can go to designated quarries in Utah and collect your own as long as you buy the permit from the BLM. So we went out to Stansbury Island for the day and collected rocks.

 Brayden was smart and stayed in the shade. Even though it was only 75 degrees, no trees means it gets very hot.

 This is when we had about half the rocks we would get that day. We were able to take 1/2 a ton and we will be going back soon to get the other 1/2 we paid for.

The dogs had a blast running and exploring at first but soon realized how hot it was and decided to hang in the shade with Brayden.

 No, he wasn't after the chocolate, he liked the sound of the bag. :)

 And yes, I am cruel, cruel mother because I still can't help laughing when I see this picture. He could barely move in this thing but he's just so cute! We were taking him outside so we could do yard work but it was pretty cold so we had to bundle him up.

 He didn't mind too much. Outside is is favorite place. We go for walks everyday, sometimes several times a day. It relaxes him and helps him stay in a good modd or put him in a good mood.

The picture is a little blurry but I couldn't help posting that cute scrunchy face!

 Oh the simple toys babies love. Brayden's favorites:

• cups
• wooden, plastic, or metal spoons
• water bottles (with or without anything in them)
• phones or remotes

His favorite talent to show off: Sock Removal.

 And we come to last weekend, the weekend of Mother's Day and the Race for the Cure.
We all receive t-shirts in the mail for registering but Brayden is free so I decided to make him this hat and onesie to show his support for breast cancer research.

 This event is a big deal in our family. It has been a tradition in our family for a long time. Anyone who joins our family, also joins the cause. This year we all dyed our hair pink for the race.

 Even the dog!

 Brayden wasn't so sure about being stuck in the stroller but he had a lot of crazy people to watch so he survived.

 This is a family picture of the "Pink Heads" as one lady called us. We decided next year, the girls are going to wear tutus.

 Victor was a big hit with the kids and a lot of people comments on how cool it was that we painted the dog.

 I love seeing how many people support this event. Since I did the registering this year and found out how much it costs, I know we raised a lot of money for cancer research!!!

He slept through the first part of the race.

 But woke up about halfway through happy as a clam.

 Grandpa Simpson pushed him the whole 5 kilometers.

 And he loved it!

 My younger sister and her boyfriend. So cute, right?

 Grandpa Simpson and Brayden.

 My younger brother was in charge of Victor.

 My sweet boys all decked out.

 We went to IHOP for breakfast afterwards.

 Everyone looked at us funny because of our pink hair but it was a conversation started.

And of course Brayden got his metal spoon. (He's sitting up in a high chair! Can you believe how much he is growing?!)
Well, this was a really long post. You are now completely caught up on our family. I'm going to do a separate post on some of the crafts I've been working on and all my new "hippie hobbies" later. :)