Bean Museum Adventure

In answer to all of your questions: Yes, the Bean Museum is still standing and it is as glorious as ever.

For our weekly adventure with cute little Wade we headed over to BYU to look at all the dead stuffed animals from all over the world. It is pretty creepy, and after looking at the bug section I don't know if I want to go to Africa anymore, but we had a lot of fun.

Wade was pretty mesmerized by the bugs, and he was pretty good with their names.



I, on the other hand, was grossed out and kept contemplating how fast I would be able to run if there every came a day that I saw one of these nasty things alive.



Sam was pretty busy pretending to be a bear...



...and practicing his modeling poses.

Wade loved the cougar eating the bird: blood, guts and all.

Leave it to Sam to always try to get his head stuck in everything:)

It took a little coaxing, but we finally managed to get Wade to sit next to me to take this picture. If you can't tell by his face, he was a little alarmed by the rhinos.



And lastly, i'm not sure what Sam is looking at, but it must be very interesting.

I'll be honest, I am not a big animal lover. I don't care much for the dirty or the stinky. So thank goodness for a Sam and a Wade who kept me entertained and laughing.

How Serious is Frost Bite?

A few specs on Sam's vehicle:

Its name is yoshi
It is very fuel efficient
Its top speed is about 35 mph (38 with a strong tail wind)
It has free air conditioning, whether you want it or not
Parking is never a problem (usually)



Unfortunately for Sam we live in Utah, not California, so even though he bought it in the summer, its still his method of transportation in the winter.

A few specs on the outfit:

Hat: $1.00 at the lost and found sale
Blue Coat: $Free because someone left it at his house
Black Coat Underneath: $6.00 at the lost and found sale
Warm Ups: $Free from "work"
Moccasins: $10.00 at the mall
Gloves: $Free because he has a good friend Eric that cares
Sunglasses: $0.50 at the lost and found sale



The reason for this purchase was strictly economical:

The Moto Ped: $900.00
Gas: $1.57 for 100 miles
Insurance for the year: $80.00
Outfit so he doesn't die: $17.50
The look on Sam's face when he gets home from that 7 mile ride from school: Priceless

I think I'll stick with my car...

Another Merry Birthday Shout Out

Today's Birthday shout out goes to Cory Lynn Braden, or in Sam's words, Pops!

I think this picture is pretty good proof of where Sam gets his black hair and blue eyes.

This is a cute picture of little "scampers" sitting next to his Dad on what I am pretty sure is the same brown couch we had in my house in the late 80's.

Such cute little kids. Jana looks like a little doll.

A nice shot of the boys, pre quinner-binner of course.

I already mentioned the black hair and blue eyes, but it looks like I also found the source for his rugged beard :)

The annual Braden Christmas get together always involves delicious food and entertaining athletic competitions. From what I understand Quinn, Cody, and Sam still have not found a single sport they can beat their Pops at.

This must be where Quinn developed his strong work ethic that he is using now in the mission field.

Sam's told me a few fishing stories about Parkcenter Pond and Silver Creek Plunge, but he never mentioned catching anything this big!

A great Dad, and now, thanks to Jana (and Chuck), a great Grandpa.

We hope you have a wonderful Birthday. We love you!

Jana's Birthday Shout Out

As many of you know, today is a special day. It is Jana's Birthday!

Since we think she is so great we felt the need to share a small tribute of her life to the world, or at least the folks that frequent this site.
(disclaimer: any and all stories referenced earlier than 2006 are from the sole memory of Sam and may or may not be true)

Look at those beautiful baby blues.



When Jana was little and you needed to find her, all you would have to do was listen for the sweet sound of her singing. It didn't matter if she was playing with dolls, making young quinnton play school with her, or doing her chores, (Which Sam says she mostly got out of because she was the only girl) she would always carry a merry tune.

Jana was fortunate enough to have three brothers to tease, annoy, poke, and in those important instances, look out for and protect her.

We aren't sure what the camera man said right before this picture was snapped, but we are pretty sure it was not "cheese." Whatever it was, it had a drastic, yet opposite effect on Jana and Quinn.

It may be hard for you to see Jana in this next picture because she is camouflaged, but if you look carefully for a cute seven month pregnant lady, wearing blue ear muffs, and firing off a black revolver you might be able to spot her.

So my first trip to Boise to meet Sam's family fell on the Labor Day weekend when Clyde was born. I had a lot of fun getting to know Jana very well as I sat in her hospital room with her for six hours while Sam left us to go play soccer with Quinn and Curtis.

Fortunatley for both of us, this picture was not taken during those six hours.

One thing I know for sure is that there are three boys who are very lucky to have Jana in their lives, and we are pretty happy about it too.

Happy Birthday Jana!!!! We love you and hope you have a wonderful day!!!

I Hate the Cold

I am ready for it to be warm again.......



....and for a few oranges off the tree.

Is it Biological Springtime Already?!

To Whom it May Concern:

It has come to my attention that at some point in the past several days I must have inadvertently come into close proximity with cupid, and am now carrying some of his magical power. I know this because of the excessive amount of pda that I am encountering everywhere I go on campus. Each time I have sat down in a computer lab since Monday there has been a couple sitting across from me who have apparently never been more in love at any point in there relationship then they are right then. I don't know how cupid tolerates it, I'm sure he must throw up a lot, because I know I am about to(I seriously just witnessed an ear nibble between the two monitors behind mine, they are close enough that I could reach out and give either one of them a fearsome wet-willy). At least Cupid gets to shoot people with arrows, I only wish I had a few right now...

Identity Crisis

So on my wedding day I was pretty sure I married Samuel Taylor Braden.

It was a very happy day.

(the following is a serious conversation I had with my husband, with a little commentary by me)

But I was recently informed (by Sam) that I am in fact married to........

Special Agent Jack Bauer during the day...

...even though Sam detests pain and admits he would spill his deepest secrets to avoid a proper noogie.

Batman at night...



....although he's got the voice down, he would definitely have to find a way to stay awake, with the ability to function like a human being, past 10:30pm.

And the transporter when we are on vacation....



Because lets face it, he is one heck of a good driver, most of the time.

So looks like its a 3 for 1 package! Who would have ever guessed how lucky I would get?

(I give it three weeks till he sees a new super hero movie and changes his mind again.)