Our life lately in pictures

I haven't been doing the best at keeping up with the blog, but I do have a lot of pictures that I want to share. Here's a little bit about what we've been up to lately...

 This has to be one of my favorite pictures. Braden was so happy to be way up high on Devin's shoulders. 

 Our little family up at Sundance with the rest of the Young family.

 Braden got his first hair trim from Grandma Clarke. He had scraggly hair growing over his ears, so it was about time!

 Braden has a highchair! He LOVES it! It's so nice to have something that he can sit in while I'm making dinner or cleaning. 

 Braden is becoming more and more adventurous with his eating. The other day I made a grilled cheese for myself and cut some of it up into teeny tiny pieces for him. He loved it!

 He got a hair trim on the sides and the back of his neck, but we didn't touch the top. It's getting so long and so blonde.

 He also tried spaghetti for the first time the other day. I just about died when he would suck in the noodles that were falling out of his mouth!

 We have a stander! He loves to stand by the couch and play with toys but his new favorite spot is right by the door so he can look out at the cars. We're going to be sad when it's too cold to have the door open all day. 

He's still trying to figure out how to walk along the couch. Sometimes I'll put toys on the other end of the couch out of his reach and see if he'll try to get them. He usually ends up getting himself into a really weird position trying to move his body over. In the picture above, he is standing on both heels! 

Braden | nine months

Braden has changed so much in the last month. . . which I'm sure I say every month, but this time I really mean it! Here's what he's been up to this month:

- He can get up on all fours now, but can't quite move forward yet.

- He scoots/army crawls his way around to get stuff.

- He loves to kick his feet really fast when he's sitting up playing with toys

- He just started standing up against the couch without help from me.

- He loves any kind of ball, especially if it makes a sound.

- He is still drawn to anything that has a string or ribbon. He LOVES shoelaces. 

- His favorite foods are graham crackers, yogurt, zucchini bread, pretty much any kind of fruit, and applesauce.

- He goes crazy when I take a drink from a cup and insists on taking a sip.

- He has new new teeth on top with a big gap between them (just like his mom and dad!)

- He still loves to go outside and look at the cars.

- Unfortunately he has a little bit of a problem with pulling other babies' hair. We're working on that one.

- He cracks up every time we pretend to be hurt. All we have to say is, "Ow, my arm!" and he starts laughing.

He definitely keeps me smiling all day long! We love him!

CLAS Ropes Course

Kristin worked at CLAS Ropes Course for the summer and was able to get us all in for free. We had the place pretty much to ourselves and did whatever activities we wanted. It was so much fun! Some of the activities were pretty intense, but it was a great experience.

 I had a lot of help with Braden from Mom and Grandma Plaster so that I could do the 

different activities.

The scariest thing activity was one where we had to climb up a post and stand on a little perch about 25 feet off the ground. Then you had to jump off and try to grab a metal ring that was hanging from a cable. It was sooooo scary! 

Dad 

Devin 

Jared 

Nathan

 ... and my sad attempt at grabbing the ring. I wasn't even close! haha

The Youngs Come to Provo

Kristin graduated a few weeks ago so we were lucky enough to have a lot of family in town visiting that week. Devin's Grandma Plaster came as well as his parents and two brothers. It was a great week! Here are some pictures of the graduation:

Devin had a final review for his internship so he couldn't make it :( 

Forming the letters BYU with the three BYU graduates.

Braden | eight months

I think this has been my favorite month so far. Braden is such a joy to be around! I can't believe that he is just a few months shy of a year. A YEAR!!! I can't believe how fast the time goes. Last year at this time I was buying textbooks and wondering how in the world I would make it through the last few months of pregnancy with a full class load and work. I'm glad that time is in the past and I am now loving life as a full-time mom. Here is what Braden's been up to lately:

- He sleeps now from about 7:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. This month we changed his schedule so that instead of nursing five times a day with three naps, he nurses four times and takes two longer naps. Instead of going to bed at 10:00, he is now in bed by 7:30. It's amazing what a difference that has made for all three of us.

- He still just has two teeth. I'm convinced his top teeth are coming soon!

- He sits on his own now and loves sitting in shopping carts and high chairs.

- He has starting eating some table foods. So far he has tried (and likes) bread, pears, peaches, bananas, green beans, and apple sauce. It's so fun to watch him try to chew things with just his two front teeth.

- He learned how to make the 'D' sound.

- He really likes to play with all different kinds of balls. 

- He is getting much better at drinking from a sippy cup. 

- He is working on not spitting. So far we haven't made much progress.

- He stands against the couch now, but is still very wobbly.

- Every once in a while he will get into the crawling position, but he still doesn't move.

We love him!

Silly Braden

Braden has been so silly lately. He has been experimenting with new sounds and is getting closer to crawling every day. This morning, he was getting frisky when I was trying to change him out of his pajamas so I snapped some quick pictures. His expressions are hilarious!

Yesterday

Saturday was a very busy day for us. We spent the day running errands, cleaning, and trying to get rid of ants and mice in our apartment (not the highlight of my day). Needless to say, we needed a day to relax, be spiritually uplifted, and spend time with family. Sundays are my favorite since Devin is home all day and can spend time with Braden. I love watching them interact! The highlight of the day was when I walked into the kitchen before church and found Braden with his hair slicked to the side with gel! Devin had taken him into the bathroom while I was getting my stuff together and had styled his hair . It cracked me up all day! Here are some pictures from the rest of the day:

This is Braden biting into a grape. He wasn't too crazy about it!