We wanted to showcase Braeden's favorite new toys. Well..."new" is a relative term. He's actually had these toys for quite some time, but he needed to grow into them before he could truly appreciate them. Now he has! (And he's having a blast!)

Mouseketeer

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!
Okay, so the hat DOESN'T fit, but that just makes it all the cuter!

Mickey 'n Me

We are discovering new things about our precious boy every day! This afternoon during Braeden's 2 o'clock feeding, it was all I could do to keep him interested in his bottle! Why? Well, he was much more interested in playing with "Autumn Mickey." Those of you who know even the slightest bit about me know that I am quite a Disney fanatic (a close 2nd to our good friend, Nick) and of course, seeing Braeden reach out for and hug our Mickey Mouse literally brought me to tears. So, I had to share this momentous occasion with you!

Little piano man

We made an exciting discovery the other day that thrilled both of us...Braeden not only is interested in "interpretive movement" -a.k.a. "dancing" (see previous post on the "hippy shake") but he also is very curious about the piano! Maybe we will have our own little musician after all! (I'd say our chances are pretty good since it is in his blood on both sides!)

It looks like 9 months of hearing mommy and daddy sing as well as mommy's love of blasting music in her car and classroom have paid off (hehe).

Autumn Leaves

Our Labor Day was spent doing our "Fall cleaning." Matt and I are both huge fans of the Fall season and we were very excited to do our seasonal decorating. *Sidenote: I'm convinced that God knew what He was doing bringing the 2 of us together. In our case, we are not exact opposites of each other (which is the case for many couples.) It worked out for us that we're very similar and we love that fact!*

So, we wanted to share this with you since many of you don't have the chance to see our home as it changes from season-to-season. We hope that this helps you feel a little closer to us as you get an inside look into our cozy home! Until next time....

kitchen table with Fall tablecloth


re-arranged counter top...


...and the other side


Matty's Fall basket-very festive!


more of the kitchen



PSU pride corner-we've also added 2 framed photos of us in Penn State gear as well as a view of a game at State College


cling leaves- Braeden is in awe of these...really!

mantle with a touch of Fall

Fall Mickey (of course we had to incorporate a Disney touch!)

The Hippy Shake

So...this is a new and interesting development. Last night while we were rehearsing with the Worship Team (or at least part of the Worship Team), Braeden decided to break out his very first dance move. We have affectionately called it "The Hippy Shake."

Captured on film once again this morning, it seems this phenomenon appears most readily when there is (how shall I say it?) a good, driving beat. What can we say? This boy was destined to love music!

Basically, he lays on his back and begins to push off the ground with his foot, causing his hips to gyrate back and forth. Pretty funny really. Feel free to enjoy the silliness of the hippy shake (as we thoroughly have!).

Roll over some more!

We're so excited to share this short video with you because we just happened to be taping at the right time and caught Braeden rolling over! As you will also see in this clip, he is laying on his new Nemo blanket that Matt's mom made for him. It goes so well with his Nemo cross-stitch that she also made for him soon after he was born. (We love the aquatic theme in his bright aqua bedroom!) It's fun to watch him discover the fish and reach out to grab them. Special thanks to Matt's mom for helping us create an early Disney fan out of our little Braeden! :)