the girl next door

Braedyn received his first love letters from the girl next door. Complete with a phone number! He was instructed to head over and give the proper "thanks for the cool pictures, I really like them", which he gladly did. She was shy and.... a bit disappointed he did not draw her a picture. They are only three and five, but there interaction was cute even if Braedyn was clueless. Boys!

 
 
 

Photography

Braedyn has had a real interest in the camera lately so we've been indulging him by showing him how to use it and letting him take a few shots of his own. He has a little different artistic take on portrait photography than most other photographers, but maybe his new approach will catch on in the mainstream someday. Here are a few of his recent stills...

art collection

surfboard and waves by Braedyn

 

Merry Christmas

Well another year has come and gone and we find ourselves enjoying the excitement of the Christmas season once again. This time through the eyes of a toddler with a first realization of what a big deal Christmas really is. Even though we've celebrated Christmas in a different state every year of his life, Braedyn has rolled with the punches and is just enjoying life. Our latest adventure has brought us to Carpinteria, California where we are amazed every day at how blessed we truly are. The weather and beaches here are great, the people and the friends we've come to know are amazing, the church we've found is beyond a blessing, work is good, and having fun outdoors hiking, surfing, biking, or just playing with friends and family is what we enjoy the most. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect situation here and we thank God daily for the blessings he's given to us.


The biggest bundle of blessings we have is out little ball of joy. Braedyn has also been loving the move we made. He's always seemed more in his element in the outdoors and this is the perfect place to do that. You'll find him playing on the beach, exploring tidepools, throwing rocks in the creek, running around the playground, swimming at the pool or following daddy around on a hike, when he's doing these things, nothing can ruin the day. He's also been involved in other activities since we moved here like Kindermusik and Art class where he has really come out of his shell and just loves singing and playing drums or guitar and cannot get enough of painting and drawing. The only thing he hasn't been able to do yet that he wants to is to go surfing with Daddy, he's working on the swimming part first.


It goes without saying that Talisha and I are happy about our decision to move here. We feel like this was something that was really meant to be and that we were brought here for a purpose. The chuch that we have gotten plugged into here in Carpinteria has really challenged and encouraged us in our faith. The people we have met through the church have made us feel really welcome and we are just blessed to have met some great friends already. Talisha has kept busy with hauling Braedyn around to his classes as well as working out and continuing to be involved in MOPS. Michael's work keeps him pretty busy although when the waves come in there may be some longer lunch breaks taken. Although it's an adjustment moving from big cities to a small town of 14,000, where you will run into someone you know no matter where you go, we've been enjoying the small, beach town feel and haven't had too many Mayberry moments.

So thanks so much to all our friends and family for tuning into our blog for another year! We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and we pray God's blessings on you in this season of Christ's birth. We can't wait to see each and everyone of you as soon as possible.

Finger painting

We have a lot of fun painting pretty much every night after dinner. Finger painting has been the art of choice lately.

 

Artwork

Art class is almost over for this year, but Braedyn has enjoyed every minute of it. He asks to paint pretty much every night after dinner and so we've amassed quite the supply of paints and brushes and the like. Here is another sampling of some of his latest pieces.

 
 
 
 

Happy Thanksgiving

We have been so blessed and are so very thankful for so many things. Our family and friends are the top of the list to be thankful for. And although we don't get to see you all every day you are in our thoughts and prayers constantly. Have a great holiday.

 

More Artwork

Some more of Braedyn's art work. The bottom one features sparkle glue, beans, and toothpicks!

Art

Braedyn has been in an art class on Tuesday's after music class since we moved here. He's really been getting into painting and drawing so we started painting with him more at home as well. I can't decide if he just likes the mess it creates or enjoys the pictures he creates. But no matter what it is he certainly has a lot of fun. We set up a picture wire in the upstairs hallway to display his pictures so that we can see them all for a longer time.