Big boy bed...

We talked a lot about what to get Brayden for his birthday and finally decided he needed a new bed and soon. He was currently in a toddler bed, which was quickly getting small for our growing boy. We decided to get him a bunk bed with a full size on the bottom and a twin on top. That way he can grow into the full size bed and we hopefully won't have to get him another bed until he moves out:). I researched different websites and stores and we found a reasonable bed and mattresses. We also changed the theme in his room to sports. Which is one I figured he can have for a long time. He LOVES his bed! He loves for Travis and I to lay down with him and read because now we fit. He's already had a slumber party with his friend. I think one of his favorite things was to help us set up the bunk bed. He had a Home Depot apron on and was actually a big help. He loved it!

Happy Birthday Brayden!

We can't believe our little man turned 4 this week! I know we all say that, but time flies when we're having fun. 4 years ago on his birthday I was screaming in a birthing tub asking for an epidural. Hahaha, it's funny because I was at a birthing center and knew full well that I obviously couldn't get that there. I was determined to go natural and I did mainly because at the time I didn't have a choice:) You imagine the birth of your first child to go a certain way. I especially did being a labor and delivery nurse and seeing multiple births every day. It didn't go quite like I thought it would, but it was beautiful and the end result was perfect. Beautiful, healthy baby and happy/tired mom. I remember looking at Travis after we had Brayden and he had tears in his eyes. He just said, "my son." It was a special moment.
Brayden has been a gift to us since the moment he was born. He is laid back, loving and lovable, encouraging, sensitive, and a very sweet little boy. He even told me today "Mom, thanks so much for doing my laundry, you did a good job." :) That doesn't mean that he doesn't have bad days, but luckily they are few and far between. He loves his family and friends, loves helping daddy do anything, and loves playing with his sister. He is still learning his letters, colors and numbers, but can do a 100 piece puzzle by himself and is great at sports. We are excited/nervous for him to start school this year but know it's time and he's ready.
To celebrate Brayden's 4th birthday he decided he wants a Curious George birthday party. That's very fitting because he watches his show almost everyday and loves reading his books. We had over his best friend Cooper and his 3 cousins. The kids painted, played a Curious George game, I read a book about George making pizza and then the kids made "pizza" cookies to take home, we ate pizza and of course cake. I think the thing they enjoyed the most was just playing out in the backyard, (thank God for the nice weather). I talked to Brayden before his party about being thankful for every present he opened. It was so funny. Every present, whether it was clothes, or some cool toy he exclaimed, "WOW!!!!" That was cute. Brayden, you are a joy to have as a son and we can't wait to see what God has planned for your life. Happy Birthday Mr. B!

Making "pizza" cookies

This was the hardest cake I've made yet because I had to free-hand the picture onto the cake, but it was a lot of fun and I didn't want to cut it up:)

Brayden at Azteca. He's been there every birthday since his first. Kind of a family tradition:)

I love Puyallup!

Peyton hanging out with her balloon

The library sets out chalk for families to use outside

I was impressed with the artwork

Brayden playing in a little tent set up next to the booth

Us

Poor Travis had to be there at 7:30 and didn't get home until 2:30, but of course he did it with a happy heart. What t good man!

We've lived in Puyallup now for 3 years and just love it here. It seems this city tries hard to be family friendly wherever we go. One of my new favorite things here is the Farmer's Market. It's so fun to go and look around at all the pretty produce, yummy treats, and get all the free samples:) This year Renovo has had a booth at the market and our HFG has manned it twice this summer. It's been fun, the kids love it and we've met a lot of new people. We pass out balloons, do a root beer taste test, face paint for the kids, and just talk to people. I know our family has enjoyed our time hanging out. Looking forward to next year!

Bitter-Sweet

Titi Desi and Uncle Jimmy. The kids LOVE them!

Desi and me. People have asked us if we are twins before. Seriously?

Today my sister and her husband Jimmy left Washington to make the long drive to their new home- Atlanta:( They are moving there from California so Jimmy can get his PHD from Emory University. We are very proud of Jimmy and his schooling and are behind him 100%. However, we wish they didn't have to live so far away:( They came home in early June for 10 days and then left to do a 6 week mission trip to Africa. They've been home for 2 weeks before they left this morning. I love having them in town, we had a lot of fun. We played at the lake, went out to Indochine for Desi's birthday, we went for walks, we had a pizza and game night, we got to hear stories about their Africa trip, they made my whole family a fun dinner, they came and babysat the kids for me, and we had a fun goodbye dinner for them last night at BJ's. The kids LOVE their Titi Desi and uncle Jimmy!! They will be sad when they realize they won't be around for awhile:( They plan to at least be in Atlanta for 3 years so we'll get used to this hello/goodbye thing again. Desi and Jimmy we love you and miss you already! You'll be in our prayers as you start your new life in Georgia. Can't wait to see you soon!

Our summer camping trip

Peyton coloring at the beach

In the water!

Brayden and his cousin Tanner

Daddy and Peyton hanging out

All the boys shooting their bows

Peyton playing with the trucks

Our cool new tent!

This last weekend we went up to mountains to Travis' parents property and went camping for one night. I got Travis a large tent for Father's day (because we only had a small 4 person tent from when we first got married:). Along with his tent I told him we could go camping anywhere he wanted sometime this summer. He picked this spot with his parents and Brayden's cousin Tanner. Their property is beautiful with a pretty creek running through it. They have a little trailer there with electricity and an outhouse and that's about it. So no showers, or running water:( We got there on Friday around 1:30 and set up the tent, which was a really nice 2 room one. Peyton took a nap and the rest of us relaxed in the sun. We had turkey tacos for dinner which were yummy! Travis was scheduled to talk a Pleasant Valley Camp to the 4th-6th graders that night so we took a little drive 5 minutes down the road for his talk.
We went to bed and were all really tired. The night started out great with the kids falling immediately asleep. However from there, it just got worse! Brayden had to pee three times during the night which is tough when it's freezing and you have to put on your shoes. Then I think he got an allergy attack so he was sneezing all night. Peyton woke up a few times and was cold so I had to get out of my warm sleeping bag to wrap her up again. To make matters worse Emma kept barking and growling at something through the night and Travis had to keep yelling at her to stop:) Needless to say we all didn't sleep that good! Hahaha...
Saturday was a nice day. The weather was beautiful. We had pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Then the guys went and shot their bows while us ladies read. We then went to Riffe Lake and had a picnic lunch and went swimming, which was so refreshing in the heat. We went back to the property and gave the kids naps and then packed up and came home. The biggest complaint of the weekend were the bugs. The black flies were ruthless!! By the time we left Saturday they were just swarming over you wherever you went. Gross! Travis had a great time camping, and I actually enjoyed it (but just a little bit:). Stay tuned to see where the Metcalfe's go next:)

Cacun Mexico

The view from my lounge chair

The view from our balcony

Out to dinner at the fancy Italian Restaurant

Me on the zip line. I did it!

Travis driving the golf cart

Travis swimming in the bathtub

Seriously this is our view!

Couple shot!

Travis and I returned this last week from Cancun, Mexico. We had a great time!!!! This was a special trip for us because for once (since Brayden's been born) we were alone on a vacation. The hotel we stayed at- The Sun Palace- has one of the most beautiful beaches in Cancun. The sand is so soft and white and the water aqua blue just can't be beat. We were pampered at our all-inclusive hotel. You step out on the beach and immediately someone comes to set up lounge chairs and an umbrella. Then a waitress comes and takes our drink orders and any food we want. We could pretty much eat and drink all day if we wanted. Room service was included and even free calls to the USA. There were four restaurants at the hotel plus numerous bars and snack bars. We LOVED the Mexican restaurant (go figure), and The Steak where you could order any steak you wanted (Travis loved this!).
Also included in this hotel was free tours. One day we took a trip to the Isla Mujeres which is a small island about a 45 minute boat ride from Cancun. The boat ride was fun, but our favorite part was renting the golf cart on the island and checking out all the sites. That was fun, relaxing and adventurous! We finished off the day shopping in the market and bought presents to bring home for the kids. Another tour we did was a Zip line tour! That was so fun and something I'm so proud of myself for doing. We were up very high with a jungle scenery down below. The swamp even had crocodiles in it:)
Our favorite thing to do was sit on the beach and read and relax. Travis always had a Pina Colada in his hand, and I couldn't get enough chips and salsa. When we got hot we just jumped in to the ocean (which felt like a bathtub) and cooled off. This was definitely a trip we will never forget. We were able to relax, spend some time bonding with God, and reconnect as a couple too. We are so thankful to our parents for taking the kids while we were gone. We missed the kids like crazy, but it was so good to get away. I've really appreciated them a lot more since we've been home. Although we loved Mexico, we can't wait to see where life will take us next!

Trip to Montana

The beautiful view of Flathead Lake

Us, Travis' mom, sister, boyfriend and son Tanner

Playing at the playground

On of the many rivers we passed in the car

Travis is happy driving as long as he has a Starbucks and some music

Peyton almost asleep!

Brayden loving the new DVD player, it was great!

This last weekend we took a road trip to Montana with Travis' family. We went to pay our last respects to Travis' grandma who passed away in January (she was 92!). We decided to break up the trip by stopping in Couer d' Alene on the way there and back which made it an easier drive for everyone. The drive there was quite uneventful (which is a good thing). We stopped at a rest stop and had a picnic and made it to Couer d' Alene in time for nap. Our hotel there was beautiful and right on the river. We were able to take a run along the river, let the kids play at the park, and walked across the street to dinner (Azteca!!!!). We had a good time hanging out with family and swimming with the kids.
Saturday we got up and drove the rest of the way to Montana. Beautiful drive! Lots of pretty rivers, lakes, and wildlife to see. We checked into our hotel and went to the memorial service. It wasn't what we were expecting, but I think it meant a lot to his mom that we were there. We finished the evening up with dinner at Travis' uncle's ranch. We were so tired that day and excited to go to bed. We were sleeping soundly when at 12:30 Brayden woke up crying in his bed. He had thrown up all over the bed!!! Yucky! That was a big hassle to clean up poor kid. Travis went and got him some medicine and he said he felt better. 5 minutes after he said that he threw up again. This time at least he made it to the bathroom. So not fun cleaning the hotel's dirty bathroom! Thankfully Brayden was fine after that and woke up his normal self. But what a crazy night.
On Sunday we had brunch with all of his family and hit the road again to go back to Couer d' Alene. We checked out the beautiful lake and boardwalk (the largest one in the world), and had a nice dinner. We finished off the night with me getting sick:( It was bound to happen. So, needless to say when we woke up on Monday mommy was ready to come home. I'm still recuperating from the stomach flu, but glad we had a family trip away. We saw how beautiful the northwest is, spent some time with family, paid our respects to grandma, and bonded as a family. Who knows where God will take the Metcalfe's next... Maybe somewhere tropical and hot?