Crazy FOUR You!

Oh my little boy, where did the time go? Was it really four years ago that we met you? Fed you your first bottle? Spent our first Christmas as a family? Flew home with you on New Year's Eve? Everyone told us how fast that time flies by, and they were right! (Although during 3am feedings, it seemed the nights lasted forever!)

We are so proud of you, precious boy, and are thankful that God chose our family for you! You stand out with your stature and infectious personality. You thrive in your relationships and are more interested in the friends who will be at an activity than the activity itself. In a group of children you can be seen (and heard!) organizing games, and the kids listen to you!

We know that God has big plans for you, little man, and we are so thankful, and excited to be able to travel this journey with you. You were prayed for by many before you were born--even before we knew about you. You are prayed for every day, and we'll pray for you the rest of our lives. My son, you are wanted, you were longingly waited for, you are loved. You are perfect for our family, and we rejoice in the miracle of you on this day, and all that follow. We ask God to bless you in this coming year, to keep you healthy, safe, and to knock on the door of your heart.

All our Love,

Mommy & Daddy

At Three & Five-Sixths

Aidan Michael, at almost four you:

love dinosaurs

have 2 imaginary friends named "Shadow" and "T-Rex" (Shadow is a girl and T-Rex is a T-Rex)

are 44 inches tall, and 55 pounds

wear a size 13 shoe

feed the dog and cat by yourself

can add and subtract to 10

can read some sight words

have an amazing imagination!

make up games

thrive in large groups of friends and family

love bugs

are memorizing scripture verses

love trains

carry your Hotwheels cars around in a bag

leave your "just add water" growing dinosaurs in sinks all over the house

want to be the boss!

are still working on writing your name

don't really love to color...

want to eat chicken nuggets at every meal! (this, however, doesn't happen)

love brocolli, winter squash, and sweet potatoes (might make up for the nuggets a little...)

love ALL fruit

love your Mimi, Pop, Aunt K, Uncle Mel, Nana, and Dad-Dad

are getting into wearing costumes (King and Pirate are faves right now)

are Mommy's big helper

love to play tackle with Daddy

want to be the center of attention at all times

don't ever want the fun to end

sleep with your night-night and (all) your animals

are starting to grow out of your naps....*sigh*

go with Daddy to the big barber shop every 3 weeks

LOVE popcorn!

are a persistant little negotiator...

are working on your "L" and "S" speech sounds

are really enjoying singing to your favorite songs (fave: "I Will Not Be Afraid" & "I Get Down" on VBS cd). You're even on pitch most of the time!

want to "go somewhere" every day!

always want to know "what's next?"

are a sweet little shepherd to the little girls in your life (Baby Claire and Autumn)

will be four in about 40 days

grasping what it means to be adopted

are growing by leaps and bounds every day

are my precious Aidan Michael!!!

Winding Down Summer

Well, who says summer has to end when school supplies show up in stores? (which was seriously the day after July 4th. No lie.) We weren't going to let summer end without a fight, so while enjoying Schlitterbahn all summer, we managed to squeeze in a last minute Disneyland trip with Ginger and Emmie before our annual family beach trip. So please enjoy pics from Schlitterbahn, Disneyland, and South Padre:

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

3 Year Old Basketball

There are no words...

Summer So Far...

We have been having a whirlwind of a summer here at HoK! I was so looking forward to this summer as a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of the school year, and extra church activities. We seem to be on the go even more, but it’s with the relaxed go-with-the-flow (laziness???) that comes with the heat and cicada song of the season.

Here are a few highlights:

Butterfly House at the Wildseed Farms-Fredericksburg, TX

SO amazing! They let you hold the newly-hatched butterflies while their wings dry. If you've never been, go!

Cowboy Baths- a summer ritual

This is the summer evening scene at our house. Our water main runs the length of our driveway, and by evening the water is as warm or even warmer than the bathtub. Aidan plays, we feed the deer and do a little yard/garage work while it's (a little) cooler, and then water the grass with the bathwater (since baby shampoo is safe for plants. Don't get any ideas. This is the extent of our "Green-ness". Sad but true.) So we save water & electricity, and get the kid bathed while we spend a little time outside. Sometimes ice cream is even involved. A win/win situation all around!

Karr Family Reunion at Mo Ranch-4th of July Weekend

Aaron's dad is the youngest of six so we had quite the get-together! We were missing a few families, but we had members from Amarillo, Arizona, Colorado, and Oklahoma.

4th of July~ Guadalupe River Fun at Mo Ranch!

I LOVE the river!!! We had so much fun playing here during the reunion. I could have stayed all day.

11 Years!

On June 27th, Aaron and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary! Mimi kept Aidan, and here we are before we went out to dinner. I think it turned out pretty well for a self-portrait. I'm dealing with the crow's feet...

Aaron Karr, I'm so grateful to be married to you! Thank you for asking me on October 17th, 1997. I love you so much! I'm proud of who you are in the eyes of God and men. I love your tender heart, your loyalty, generosity, determination, and love for those around you. I'm so proud to walk into a room on your arm. I'm so proud to belong to you! Thank you for encouraging me in my relationships with friends and family. Thank you for being by earthly provider and shepherd. Thank you for seeking God and being faithful to the plans He has for your life. I'm proud of you for your efforts to become more healthy because I want you around for a long, long time! Aside from God's, your opinion and respect matter most to me. I want to always make you proud. Your hand is the one I never tire of holding. You are the one I want to always walk beside. Your face is the last thing I want to see before God calls me Home. You are the one my soul loves. You are the love of my life!
You and no other.
~B

Rocky Mountain Road Trip '09!

The Whole Posse

(including the 3 month old strapped to her mama, drinking a bottle)

You are HERE!

Aidan's First Horseback Ride!

Creede, CO

Palo Duro Canyon, TX

Headwaters of the Rio Grande South Fork, CO

We got a jump-start on summer with a camping trip to New Mexico and Colorado last month. It was a little slow-going because we were pulling our camper, but we had a wonderful time! We spent the first night in Palo Duro Canyon just south of Amarillo, and it was cool and beautiful there. It didn't even feel like Texas! Aidan was a champ in the car (of course Mom's "bag of tricks" helped...) and surprisingly, even napped well as we were driving.

The next day we got up early and drove to Alamosa, Colorado where we met our good friends the Knights, switched cars so that the girls and guys could visit, and then drove on to Creede, Co, one of the most beautiful places I've EVER been to. It did rain every day, but not all day, and we were able to do everything we planned and more. The little lodge where we stayed is owned by a sweet Christian family, and we felt like family too! We parked our camper by a mountain stream, and the kids enjoyed riding bikes, playing on the playground and romping with the resident dog, while the grown-ups visited by the fire. It was chilly! (but we from south TX welcomed that..). We also explored the surrounding area -which is all national forest- on hikes, a trailride, and fishing in the headwaters of the Rio Grande River. We didn't catch a thing, but it was beautiful just being there and being with friends we love so much!

Evenings were spent making s'mores by the campfire. We also visited the little town of Creede a few times, and loved it too. The restaurants were great, and the shops very cute. The people were friendly, and most have lived there their whole lives. It's the perfect little mountain town. One day there was a little street festival, complete with face-painting, ice cream, cotton candy, and local artisans. Aidan was shocked by the stilt-walker at first, but then he was mesmerized and wouldn't walk on until the guy on the stilts showed him where his legs were!

We headed home through Ruidoso, NM where we dropped our trailer for Mimi and Pop's vacation this month. They'll bring it home this weekend! We enjoyed our trip, but it was good to get home. 2400 miles in a week (w/a 3 year old) is a long haul!

Sowing Seeds

(A conversation that took place in the car with Daddy)

AIDAN: Daddy, where is Jesus right now?

DADDY: Jesus is in Heaven, but He can also live in your heart.

AIDAN: I want to see Him right now! (Aside by me: Seriously, how does a parent respond to this one???)

DADDY: You will see Him someday, but right now you're Mommy and Daddy's little boy. (Aside by me: GO DADDY!!!)

AIDAN: Ok. I'll just see Him after we get donuts and go to the lake.

:)

Aidan Michael, you are such an amazing boy! Daddy and I are so thankful that you're ours. We know though, that first you are God's and we love witnessing your little heart stirring in response to Him. We have prayed for your salvation even before we knew about you, and ask God for wisdom in raising you. We love you so much, and joyously look forward to the day our Savior writes His name in your heart.

Happy Spring!

On a whim, Aidan and I stopped by one of my favorite places, the Antique Rose Emporium, on the way home from Nana's house last week. I'm SO glad we did because everything was in bloom, and it was simply breathtaking. It was so fun just following Aidan around the gardens as he pulled our wagon of flowers. Amazing place. Hope you enjoy our pictures! (Easter camping trip pics coming soon!)

The poppies were as tall as him!

Yes, those are lettuces in front. We kept expecting to see Peter Rabbit any minute.

Just b/c I was feeling artsy...

This one is my fave!

Happy Easter! Happy Spring! Happy Happy Everything!

From The House of Karrs

Skuuter

We have been enjoying our Spring Break around here! Technically, Aidan isn't in "real school", but his MDO is having a break, and I'm not teaching this week. It's SO nice to get to spend more time at home and not rush anywhere. I'm really loving spending some great one-on-one time with Aidan. Since we are still waiting for our next child, and don't know when we'll be matched, I'm trying to soak up this time while Aidan is still my only. We do still have our power struggles, but we're making progress (Thanks, Growing Kids God's Way!), and I'm amazed and more in love with my little boy every day. We've been planting flowerbeds, collecting bugs, learning letters and sight words, counting, painting, swimming, making banana bread, and planning a big camping trip that's coming up very soon!

Aidan's latest fave thing to do is to ride his Skuut Bike. As you can see in the pics, it's a little wooden 2 wheeler w/o pedals for toddlers that teaches them how to balance so they'll never need training wheels. We've had it since Christmas (Thanks, Mimi and Pop!), but about 2 weeks ago, he started just walking along "Flintstone-style" as he sat on it. Then, he started lifting his feet for short periods of time, and now he can ride the length of the driveway with both feet up. It's amazing to see! He got so fearless that we started making him wear a helmet when he rides! Apparantly, some avidly-cycling European countries give these bikes to their toddlers so that they can make the transition to breaks and pedals easier, after already learning the hardest part: balancing. All we know is that at age 3, this kid is FLYING on two wheels! I'm going to try and post a video of his riding. He's so proud! If you haven't already gotten your preschooler a bike, we highly recommend this one!

Happy Spring Everyone!!!

~Aaron, Brooke, & Aidan :)

Frogs, Snails, and Dino-Burgers

Our 3 year old has been really cracking us up lately with the things he says and does. Here are a few gems:

*Aidan was trying to play underfoot in our bathroom before church one morning, so we asked him to please take his toys to another room. He walked out and said, "Good-BYE, Your Highness!" Then shut the door.

*Aidan loves to look at his big dinosaur book in the car. We've learned that the ones with teeth ate meat, and the ones with no teeth ate plants. I pointed to a particularly toothy dinosaur and asked Aidan what it ate.
He shouted, "A BURGER!"

*Aidan loves to play in the backyard with his big dog, Griffin, or "Giff-bo" as he calls him. Sometimes their games carry on until after the sun goes down and we can only keeps tabs on them by Aidan's light-up shoes. One evening, our motion-sensitive light clicked on, and standing there in the spotlight, Aidan raised his arms and yelled, "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!..."

We about passed out at that ^^^one.

*Last but not least-New house rule: No snails allowed in the refrigerator.

Here are his latest faves:

Favorite book: Stellaluna and anything I Spy
Favorite game: Zingo
Favorite color: green
Favorite treat: Sonic Slush, a GREEN one.
Favorite animal: Dinosaur
Favorite song: Jesus, You're My Lighthouse
Favorite Bible Story: Goliath (Go-WY-uff), and Daniel in the Lions' (Wyons') Den tied
Favorite Letters: O and S
Favorite thing to wear: his new light-up tennis shoes (Size 12, aaahhh!!!)
Favorite thing to debate: Bedtime and wearing a jacket, tied
Favorite foods: Chicken Nuggets and Corndogs (has no idea Mommy buys the veggie ones which are actually very yummy!)
Favorite instrument: DRUMS. :}