House of Karrs

A Year Ago Today

2011-01-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

Happy First birthday, Brynley Kate!!!

We celebrated your special day with family and friends last weekend, but, Baby Girl, a year ago today was not your birthday. A year ago today your were four days old and we met you for the first time, brought you home and welcomed you to our family. A year ago today you became our little girl, and I still never tire of telling the story of how God brought you to us. A year ago today we had no idea what we had been missing before you came into our lives. Brynley Katherine, you are a delight and joy in our family and you are perfect for us! I can't imagine my day not starting with you jumping up and down in your crib like a baby monkey with your hair sticking out! I can't imagine not seeing your sweet face or hearing your sweet voice copy mine. You love to dance and clap to music, look at your books, eat banana bread, pet Harley-Dog, pull out your bows, and invade Brother's toys! You're such a Daddy's girl!! You light up when Daddy pulls into the driveway, and you find the fastest route to his arms. Your curious intelligent mind is a wonder to me and I love to sit and watch your tiny fingers intricately maneuver toys, food, books, and cabinet doors! You walked five steps on your birthday, and you walked across the playroom last night. You are transforming into a toddler right before my eyes, and I'm so proud of you, though part of me aches for how fast your babyhood has flown by. Sometimes I wish time would slow down, but I am excited for what adventures we'll have as you toddle your way into your second year. What a privilege it is to be your mommy! I pray for your health and safety. I pray that you always know how much we love you and want you. I pray we honor God in raising you, and that even now He starts to knock on the door of your beautiful heart.

All my love,

Mommy

January 26, 2010

Karr Christmas 2010

2011-01-17T20:26:00.000-08:00

Here's a little slideshow of some of our fave pics from December. Just mute the playlist below to hear the song. :)

Free slideshow design personalized with Smilebox

Gimme 5!!!

2010-12-22T23:02:00.000-08:00

Aidan turned 5 on December 22nd! I can't believe it...

Aidan, at 5 years old you:

Love STAR WARS and Super Heroes

Love to make everyone laugh -esp. Baby Sis

Love board games and especially love WINNING...

Love to hang out with Mimi and Aunt K

Love to sing, just not in front of me! :'(

Love to be the leader

Love to tell Bible stories :)

Love to sneak into Mommy and Daddy's bed at night

Love to help Mom choose and count out fruits and veggies at the grocery store

Love to help Daddy outside and run errands in his truck

Love to push Brynley's stroller

Are able to spend more time on art/Mommy School projects and are using scissors really well!

Can write your name, but not too interested in writing anything more yet...

Can tell you the sound each letter makes, AND the letter that goes with a given sound. (HUGE pre-reading and reading skills!)

Know many sight words and are reading some spelling patterns!

Don't really love to help Mom cook...

"Get" humor when I think it might be over your head

Are becoming a more adventurous eater: You now eat pasta, pomegranates (??), and salad (YAY!!!).

Want to know "the plan" for the day every morning so you can start negotiating out of a nap or quiet time ASAP.

Can dress yourself all except for socks :)

Are a little "Soccer Beast"! GO BLUE SHARKS!!!

Are kind of afraid of heights

Are starting to open your heart to Jesus :D

Five Year Faves: (in his own words)

Fave Food: nuggets, meat, kiwi, corn dogs

Fave Color: Blue Shark Blue

Fave Animal: Lions and Blue Sharks and ALL of the animals

Fave Time of Day: morning and playing my wii and jumping on my trampoline

Fave Christmas/b-day gifts: Bat Cave, car rug, and trampoline

Fave thing at church: playing outside and getting the blue shovel

Fave thing at Preschool: learning about God :)

Fave Song: the ones on the High Seas Adventure CD from VBS

Fave Show: Tweetie Bird

Fave Treat: candy

Fave Place: Disneyland

Funny thing you said today:

"Brynley, you're barking up the wrong tree!"

Aidan Michael, I can't imagine my life without your infectious laugh and soft brown eyes. I love the way your curious beautiful mind works, and you keep us all on our toes with the things you do, say, and the ideas you come up with. You are growing so fast! I can't believe what a big boy you are for 5 years. Your stature, vocabulary, and your "old soul" make you seem so much older than 5, but then I look back at your baby pictures, and it seems like just yesterday we were giving you bottles, and pushing you in the little red car that you take Brynley for rides in now! You're probably going to be bigger than me-sooner rather than later!- but you'll always be my little boy. I'm always going to be your mommy, and I'm always going to love you. No matter what.

Happy Birthday, little man!!! I'm SO proud of you!

Love,

~Momma :)

National Lampoon's Polish Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T11:23:00.000-08:00

Ok, YES, it's after New Year's but I started this in November and one of my resolutions is to blog more often! Enjoy!!!

My mom’s side of the family always celebrates Thanksgiving the Sunday before because my uncle goes hunting over the actual holiday. This year, we were all meeting at my grandma’s old house in Karnes City, TX where my aunt lives now.

Our family Thanksgiving was delayed a little this year…

My uncle’s turkey fryer broke so my cousin brought a new one, and after a brief welding job, it was able to fry some poultry. So when we arrived at my aunt’s house, the turkeys were still being fried 10 miles away at my uncle’s house. That was ok, because the house on the other side of my aunt’s field was on fire and we were watching the fire fighters, first locate the house that was on fire (umm…maybe the one on the main highway with the smoke billowing???--Keep in mind that this is Karnes City, TX.), and then fight the fire.

Still no turkeys.

But then the mariachis showed up and played for an hour. :) Finally the turkeys arrived but we were informed that on the way back to the feast two of them were lost because my uncle’s tailgate flew open, and they fell out…and were subsequently run over by an RV. I do not know what caused the tailgate to fly open on HWY 181, nor do I know why the birds were hanging out back there to begin with. We were very thankful to have the two remaining turkeys though, because we had children and hungry mariachis to feed.

We all ate, finally, and then the septic system decided to back up, which is a problem anyway, but especially when you have full children and mariachis. So of course, my mom, Barb, The Polish Tornado, was out there digging it all out. She ruined her festive blouse, and had to wear a camel cigarette T-shirt for the rest of her visit.

In spite of all this, everyone ate and had a good time, and arrived home in one piece and relatively sanitized.

I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.

PS: No people or animals were injured in the fire.

Rocktober!!!

2010-10-28T11:42:00.001-07:00

We're having a fun and busy October here at HOK! Here's a little slideshow of what we've been up to! Mute the playlist below to hear the song.

Happy Fall, Ya'll!!!

This free digital scrapbooking design created with Smilebox

Beach Trip!!!

2010-08-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

Here's a little slideshow of our annual family beach trip earlier this month. Mute the song on Playlist below to hear the music (or just mute both if they annoy!).

Photo (& Phunny) Phriday

2010-07-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

Brynley's Adoption Finalization, July 28, 2010

Happy Day!!!

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Patriotic Pirates!

Weekly Aidanisms:

*"Mommy, I fink you're right. Jesus IS better than Spiderman!" :D

* About 20 minutes after this, he walks in from the garage in his underwear, and says:
"Mommy, when I was out going tee tee in the front yard, I met a girl." (My neighbor's 8 year old niece is visiting.)

NICE.
He was supposed to just be getting dog food.
Welcome to New Braunfels, Mackenzie.

And A Half

2010-07-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

Wow!

It’s been a while since my last post! “Photo Phriday" didn’t really kick things off in April… We have had a really busy summer so far: swimming lessons, Schlitterbahn, soccer camp, camping, day trips, children’s museum, the lake, playdates, Bible Study, and Kindermusik. Baby Sister has been going along for the ride like a champ and loving it. She is a great little traveler, and is enamored of her big brother and everything he does!

Aidan Michael Karr- 4 and a half

Swim Lessons at Schlitterbahn

Soccer Camp!

Favorite Color: Red or Blue or Green or Pink(?!?)

Favorite Song: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Favorite Sport: Soccer

Favorite Food: Chicken Nuggets (will this EVER end???) and fruit. And dessert.

Favorite Super Hero: Batman (& "Robinson" hahaha!)

Favorite Animal: Dusty Dog

Favorite Star Wars Character: Princess Layla and C-Freaky-Oh tied. :)

Aidan-isms:

"chicken blower"- turkey baster

"grass dryer"- leaf blower

"microphone ears"- earphones

"shane of comb" ("cone of shame" from the movie Up)- lampshade pet collar

"kick stick"- kickstand

Brynley Katherine Karr- at (almost) half a year:

She LOVES her Daddy!

Prince and Princess of Quite A Lot

(He's holding her sword for her. She gets the RED one.)

Getting Lots of Sugar!

Perfecting the Pout

First Time at Schlitterbahn- LOVED it!

Brynley's New Stuff:

Rolling Over

Eating Solid Food- has tried and liked: rice cereal, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, green beans, peas, and pears

Moving objects from hand to hand

Swimming-Loves the water and starts kicking when I put her swimsuit on her. :)

Loves:

"talking" and "singing"

laughing at Big Brother

watching Dusty Dog

listening to Aidan sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"

eating

playing with her ball

music

chewing on books

her Jumparoo

watching butterflies outside

Mommy and Daddy!

Nicknames:

Sistie (Aidan), Brynley Kate (Aidan and Mommy), Sweetie Kate, Swimmy Kate, Roly Kate, Jumpy Kate, anything that ends with "Kate"..., Burnley (Daddy (?))

Super Power:

Super Drooling Power :)

Photo Phriday

2010-04-23T22:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm gonna try something new: "Photo Phriday" so I can at least post pics of the kiddos and fam, even if I don't have enough time to write what I want. I hope you enjoy them! AND...please leave a comment if you stop by. I love hearing from you!

~Brooke :)

They LOVE each other!

The Fam Easter Weekend

Brynley, 10 weeks old

Something Beautiful

2010-03-04T18:56:00.000-08:00

I can't even put into words the miracle that has happened in our family! I still can't get over it. I don't think I ever want to. Brynley Katherine Karr joined our family on January 26 at four days old. She was born on a Friday. We found out about her on Monday, and brought her home on Tuesday!

We had been waiting for over a year for our second child, and had signed with Generations Adoptions. We were (meaning I was...) doing our best to be patient and rest in God's timing and plan, but I honestly thought we'd have a baby before now, and the wait was getting hard. Little did I know (like we ever do...) the Lord's plan for our family, friends, and of course our new girl! I know He was just beaming up in Heaven, and said to everyone, "Watch this!!!"

On Monday, January 25, I was sitting in my Bible Study at church and my phone kept buzzing. Annoyed, I went to the hall to answer it. Our agency's director was on the other line telling me something about a birthmom who chose us (I was thinking that it was about a baby due in a few weeks whose birthmom was viewing our profile.) THEN I hear, "...and the baby was born on Friday. It's a little girl, and our 2 case workers are on their way to go get her and then you can come pick her up." I believe all I said up til now was, "What?...WHAT?!?" as I slid down the wall. I assured our director I wasn't driving, and that I would call and tell Aaron. Of course, then I ran back to class and told my girls, "We have a baby girl!!!" as I fell to my knees and they surrounded me with hugs and happy tears. Then we ran down the hall and pulled all our friends out of their classes and told them the news. Then I dashed home and got busy. My two sweet friends, Julie and Aleesa, came over and we got busy sorting through baby clothes and washing all the tiny stuff, fixing up the crib, cleaning the house, etc. The next morning our case worker came to update our home study. Shortly after she left, Aaron, Aidan, Mimi, and I drove to the agency in Waco where we met Brynley and signed papers, etc. We got home that evening to a house FULL of family and friends Such a whirlwind, but it's been wonderful.

Many ladies at the bible study had just learned about our hope to adopt at a large group prayer session the week before. Little did we or anyone know that God would answer this prayer in just a week's time! People who didn't even know us before were able to share in the joy. Many have shared with me how much Brynley's arrival touched them. Some have shared their own adoption stories. Our generous Savior had this planned all along. The Lord allowed this to happen at the perfect place at the perfect time, and SO much more amazing than anything I would have planned (if He'd let me!). He does tell us: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,"(Isaiah 55:8) We just have to trust in Him, even when it's hard, and offer a sacrifice of praise even when we don't feel like it. Sounds so simple, but why is this a lesson I must learn over and over again?

Praise you, Lord for Your provision and patience with me, though I'm so undeserving! Thank you for this blessing you've given our family!

Brynley Kate, it was love at first sight, sweet girl. How we have waited for you! You fit right into our family like the final piece of a puzzle. Your arrival has made us complete, and you are perfect for us. We were missing you and didn't even know it! You are a miracle and we pray that we honor God in raising you.

Aidan Michael, did you grow up overnight? You are an AMAZING big brother! I love to see you talking, playing, and singing to your baby sister when you don't know I'm watching. She loves you! You love her so much too, and are such a big helper. I'm so proud of you, little man!

Love,

Mommy

Guess What???!!!

2010-02-01T22:59:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

(Pause the music below so you can hear the song on the slideshow.)

Stats

2010-01-08T22:33:00.000-08:00

Aidan Michael Karr at 4 Year Old Check-up:

Height: 44 inches

Weight: 58lbs

Shoe: size 13 wide

Shots: 4 painful ones (poor baby!) :'(

Famous Quotes:

(in dr. office after injections)
"That's NOT very nice, hurting people..."

(on the night of his birthday, very tired and about to succumb to a sugar coma)
AIDAN: I don't WANT to be four! I want be THREE!!!
MOM: Ok, you can be three.
AIDAN: But am I still four?
MOM: Yes.
AIDAN: NOOOO!!! Let's pray to God so He can make me three again.
MOM: Dear God, Aidan doesn't want to be four anymore, so could You please make him three again? In Jesus' name, Amen.
AIDAN: So what did He say?

(the following morning)
AIDAN: Mommy, am I four?
MOM: Do you want to be four?
AIDAN: Yes.
MOM: Then yes, you're four.

:)

MOMMY (to Daddy as he walks out the door): Can you please take out the trash, Babe?
(Door closes)
AIDAN: Momma, Babe didn't hear you...
(story of my life...)

DADDY: What did you learn at school today?
AIDAN: about faith
DADDY: What about faith?
AIDAN: that it's in your heart

:D

Crazy FOUR You!

2009-12-22T21:20:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

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

2009-09-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

There are no words...

Summer So Far...

2009-07-29T10:18:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-06-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-24T21:31:00.000-07:00

(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!

2009-04-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-02-06T11:39:00.000-08:00

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. :}

Rockin' Around the Clock

2008-12-31T08:57:00.000-08:00

"One, two, three o'clock, four o' clock rock..."(four AM, that is)

This is the song that one of Aidan's new cars plays. I've heard it so much that it plays in my head even when the car isn't making a sound. It would be a little maddening if it wasn't the perfect theme song for our life right now. Aidan has RSV, and we've been up around the clock giving breathing treatments, and bringing fever down. He had it about the same time last year, and I thought we'd dodge it this year, but no such luck! At least we were home before he got sick.

We did have a wonderful Christmas with our family and friends. When your birthday is Dec. 22nd, birthday and Christmas seem to get blurred in a whirlwind together, but we did our best to make each one separate and special. Below are some pictures of the fun things we did. Enjoy! Also, enjoy the music, if I can get it to work. Just pause, switch songs or mute your speakers if it annoys!

Aidan's Airplane Birthday Party with his little friends

Birthday dinner with family

North Pole Flyer train ride in Austin

Christmas morning we all went to Mimi's in our Jammies for breakfast (we had to take Aidan's new train house, of course.) Then we headed to Helotes to see Nana & Dad-Dad.

Sea World Trip with cousins, Mason and Marin

Behind the scenes with Shamu! Thanks, Leslie!

*Funny Sidenote~ As we headed to the Budweiser Clydesdale house, I told Aidan that we were going to see the big horses that lived in the stable. He then asked, "Where Baby Jesus lives?"

We also had Christmas Eve with the Karr side, and Christmas with my extended family on Sunday. Whew!!! I can't believe all this happened in little more than a week! It's good to be home-even if we are sick! Just pray that none of our little cousins gets sick too!

Wishing you and yours good health and a very happy 2009!

~Brooke, Aaron, and Aidan

This Time of Year

2008-12-11T22:04:00.000-08:00

We love the Christmas season around here! Not only are we anticipating the celebration of our Savior's birth, but also Aidan's birthday on the 22nd. It's a busy time, but one we are enjoying even more with an almost 3-year-old running through the room in his red slippers nabbing candy canes off the tree when he thinks we aren't looking. We love rocking by our fireplace and reading all our Christmas books as we explain over and over how the love of God came down for the world in a tiny baby. Even though the three wisemen in our play Nativity set sometimes arrive by firetruck or airplane, Aidan's grasping the concept as much as a kid his age can!

I look at my son, and I can't imagine my life without him, and I'm so thankful to God for creating him just for our family. I'm also thankful for his wonderful birthmom, Mary, who chose us. (Yes, Aidan's birthmom is Mary too!) As he grows and understands what it means to be adopted, we share his story with him again and again and show him the pictures of how he came to us. Aidan now can answer who's tummy he grew in: "Mary's tummy!". He knows that God told her he was supposed to be our baby, and Mary listened to God, and that's how we became a family.

I remember how it felt on Dec. 14, 2005 boarding the plane to California, excited and nervous, unable to really grasp that I would have a baby, my baby, with me the next time I saw Texas. After serious illness, infertility, and a previous failed adoption, it seemed so surreal and UNreal that this was finally happening for us. But our Savior knows the desires of our hearts! He used all those things to bring us our son, and He constantly reminded us of His love and provision throughout. Our child could have been born in any state, but he was born in California where we have family. I was so honored to witness his birth, cut the cord, and feed him his first bottle. Mary invited me to share her room, and at night Aidan slept between the two people on earth who love him the most- one enough to choose life and then let him go. We were released from the hospital with Aidan on Christmas Eve and drove to my aunt's house where my whole tearful but joyful family was waiting on the driveway. We were granted permission to travel home to Texas on New Year's Eve where friends greeted us in the airport, and Aaron's whole family was waiting on our driveway!

The Lord brought this long-awaited child to our home so closely tied to the time another long-awaited Child came for the whole world. You see, two miracles happen for us this time of year, and for this we give God all the Glory and praise.

"For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given..." Isaiah 9:6

Christmas Morning 2005

Aidan Michael, God answered our prayers with you!

Mary, I am humbled by you. We love you.

Family and friends,

"Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." 2 Peter 1:2

Our Little Fireman...

2008-11-24T20:59:00.000-08:00

Aidan delighted in dressing as a fireman for our church's fall festival and Halloween! He even had his own "fire puppy"! We had a fun time with family and friends at church, and then with more friends and neighbors on a moonlit Halloween hayride as he trick-or-treated for the first time. We think Aidan may have taken his fire fighter status a little too seriously because the following Wednesday, he proceeded to set off the fire alarm in the children's building at church. Aaron went to pick him up while I taught children's choir, stepped in to the classroom to get his bag, and Aidan ran into the hall and pulled that nice shiny red lever (probably had been planning this awhile). Both father and son were mortified, and the fire department was called off in time. I don't think he'll do it again...very soon.

Number 1 Son

2008-11-11T22:18:00.000-08:00

Daddy: Aidan, next month you're going to be three years old!

Aidan: No Daddy, I'm NUMBER ONE!!!

Pumpkins and Polar Bears

2008-10-29T18:01:00.000-07:00

Aidan has attached himself to Cassie, the large white teddy bear that was mine as a child, a fact that warms my heart and makes me smile. He carries her and his other "animals" all over the house, and they all sleep with him too. The other morning, I was getting ready in my bathroom with Aidan and all his furry buddies, as he systematically balanced each one on the edge of the tub. He then exclaimed, "Mommy! Look at Cassie Bear!" I looked over at my old bear performing her gravity-defying feat across the rim of my tub, and said, "Wow! She's talented!" To which he informed me, "No, Mommy. She's a polar bear."

Below are some pics of our trip to the pumpkin patch and of Aidan being Aidan. Enjoy!

Beach Trip

2008-09-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

*As I was buckling Aidan into the car this morning, he told me: Mommy, you're a beautiful Bunny Rabbit!"

...and I knew it was going to be a good day! :)

In September, our family was finally able to go to the beach! Our trip was up in the air due first to Hurricane Dolly, and then Ike. We were able to skirt around Ike and have a great time! A cold front blew in while we were there and it made for some overcast, but eventually gorgeous cool days-a first for our beach trips that are usually hotter than blazes! Aidan had a blast with Nana, Dad-Dad, Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Trey, Uncle Justin, and his BFF Emmie.

His Favorites were:

1. Riding the BIG tube rides at Schlitterbahn S. Padre (This kid is FEARLESS.)

2. Playing hide and seek in the condo with Uncle Trey and Uncle Justin.

3. Eating fried fish at "Dirty Al's" (SO yummy!)

4. Racing his trucks and playing with Nana in the sand.

5. Hunting for shells (there were LOTS b/c of the weather)

6. Jumping waves (and wiping out) in the surf.

7. Eating shrimp and corn on the cob at our shrimp boil.

8. Visiting the sea turtle rescue center and feeding lettuce to "Merry Christmas" the Green Sea Turtle.

We always love our family beach trip, and look forward to continuing the tradition for years to come!

"A Good Three"

2008-08-25T22:39:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been awhile since my last post! We have been so busy around here lately. Here's what we're up to:

Aidan has started Mother's Day Out at our church on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'm teaching "Music with Brooke" there to the toddlers and 2 year olds on Tuesday mornings and Kindermusik classes on Thursday mornings. Then I get Aidan and we go home for nap! Wednesday mornings we attend a Kindermusik class taught by Ms. Kat who is teaching with my program this semester, and is wonderful! I'm really going to enjoy just being the parent in class with my little boy! Wednesday evenings we have dinner at church (thank you Lord!) and then I teach children's choir to the 4 year olds.

Holy frijoles. Someone please give me some O2!!! No, really. It sounds like a lot, and it is, but it's working out. Our crazy busy days are Tues.-Wed. and then we get a 4 day break!

Aidan continues to crack us up with the things he says and does. Here are some of his latest:

Aidan: Mommy, are you tired?

Me: Yes, I'm a little tired. Are you tired?

Aidan: No, I'm HAPPY!

Aidan: "Mommy, hide so I can go tee-tee."

"microphone ears" = earphones

*Aidan was playing a little too roughly with some roly polies the other day and one of them died. Seeing a teachable moment, I told him that it's heart stopped beating, it's body stopped working, and it died. He made a puzzled face and then lit up, looked at me and said, "Oh! I fink it needs some new batterwees!"

Here are Aidan's latest top 10:

1. Favorite food: Kozy Shack Rice Pudding w/Cinnamon on it

2. Favorite book: Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do You Hear?

3. Favorite Game: Twister

4. Favorite thing: riding tractors with Daddy and tackling Daddy tied

5. Favorite Impersonation: dinosaur (RAAAAWR!!)

6. Favorite Rhyme: "Hold on, wait a minute, let's put some GROOVE in it!" (taught by P. Daddy Karr...)

7. Favorite vehicle: tractor

8. Favorite Movie: Baby Bach (What in the WORLD??!!)

9. Favorite Show: Backyardigans

10. Favorite thing to wear: his new tennis shoes (size 11, HELP!)

Aaron and I were lying with Aidan in his bed after prayers the other night, and Aidan pointed to each of us and said, "Mommy. Daddy. Aidan. It's a good three!"

Aidan Michael, we are "A Good Three"!!! Your daddy and I are so thankful that you're our little boy. We love you so much, little man, and pray that you'll always turn to God, and come to us with everything. We also pray for a smooth transition when our "Good Three" becomes a "Good Four" someday soon. Yes, the other thing that's going on in our lives is that we are hoping to adopt our second child sometime in the next year or so. We are officially "pregnant with papers", but gestation will probably be over a year so please keep us in your prayers!

Guy Stuff

2008-08-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

Men at Work

Aidan & Sippy Cup Meet Army Truck

I'm loving watching Aidan and his daddy's relationship grow! Aidan is at the age where he wants to be just like Daddy, and Aaron is loving it too. They had a full morning today and picked up Daddy's BIG tractor at the mechanic's with the trailer (both a source of endless fascination), visited an Army truck on one of Daddy's trailers , went to the Summer Train Show, ate at Dairy Queen, rode on the Landa Park Train, and got haircuts!

Both of my guys are currently napping...

River Day!

2008-08-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness! We had SUCH a fun time at the river with our friends yesterday! It was the perfect summer Sunday afternoon. The kids played Huck Finn style making rafts and boats out of sticks and leaves. The grown-ups visited. The river was peaceful and beautiful (even with the occasional rowdy tuber floating by). Thank you God for making such beauty, and thank you, Laura and Todd, for inviting us!

Aidan had an absolute blast and some of his faves were:

1. Playing with all his buddies

2. "Helping" the big boys build their rock forts

3. Swimming in the "rabbits" (rapids) with Daddy

4. Sailing leaf boats through chanels in the rock

(He did NOT like going home!)

Funny/Not Funny

2008-08-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

Funny:

Me: Aidan, hurry up and get in your carseat!

Aidan: Yes, Captain!

NOT Funny:

Yes, folks, that is (most of) a sample spoon from Walmart, and the part that's missing went on a journey through my son's intestinal tract, after he accidentally swallowed it while he was sampling some banana pudding. I know these things generally "pass through", but being that the missing part was sharp, we called several nurses (including Nana) and were advised to go to the ER. The ER took X-rays (even though plastic doesn't show up on one (?!)), examined him, and basically agreed that it should pass. So no major treatments, and and least we slept better knowing we'd done all we could do. I'm also happy to report that we did get to reunite the spoon with it's long-lost piece (not really). Yes, everything "came out" ok, but when I envisioned motherhood, it never included me fishing through a Huggies Pull-Up with a stick.

Word to the wise from our unfortunate experience: Walmart sample spoons are NOT our friends.

Ok, maybe this part was a little funny. :)

New Stuff

2008-07-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

How do you like House of Karrs' new look? I've been having fun with different backgrounds and decided to give this one a try. It's called "Go Organic" which I think is very funny b/c I've never even been to a Whole Foods Market...
Here are some things we at HOK have been up to:
Last weekend I got to go on a girls' weekend at the coast with six precious friends. We were so excited that our friend, Allison, who has moved to Oklahoma (and who we miss terribly) flew down to surprise us! It was so nice just to visit and catch up with everyone. Thanks, Laura, for inviting us. I'm using my memory of floating in the pool in my new sunhat as my "happy place" when things get crazy! Speaking of crazy, while I was at the coast, Aaron called to inform me that "he was potty-training my son". Apparantly, when I left Aidan decided it was time to use the potty. Sooooo...I got armed with potty training advice, and headed home to the front lines. We are on day 2, and it's going ok, aside from the fact that I still have no clue what I'm doing and have never felt this out of control in my life!

Here are some things I've learned about potty training so far:

1. I will be doing at least 1 load of laundry a day.
2. When there is actual tee-tee or whatever IN or NEAR the potty, its a cause of great rejoicing.
3. I'm not above using bribery for #2 above to take place.
4. Little boys must be reminded to point "things" downward.
5. Little boys can pee across the bathroom if Mommy forgets #4.
6. A small child who has never seen his own poop before, might be alarmed the first time he does..."Mama, what IS it?!"
7. An Aqua-doodle flipped over makes an excellent under the potty mat. (Not sure if it will ever be used for actual art again...)
8. Clorox clean-up wipes are my new best friend.

That's about it this week. Any and all potty training advice is welcome!
~Brooke :)

Oh...BATS!!!

2008-07-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

Aidan watching the bats emerge

Bat Scouts

At the mouth of the cave.

On Saturday we had the special treat of visiting the largest bat colony in Texas with our friends: Todd, Laura, Chase, and Colton Thetford. Bracken Cave is home to 20 MILLION bats, and at sunset, they all fly out in a huge whirlwind to eat their weight in insects! Imagine how many more bugs there would be if these bats weren't there! The kids all loved watching the huge clouds of bats circle into the sky.

Here are some things we learned:

~Bats are our friends and need to be protected and respected.

~Bats are essential for keeping down flying insects, and protecting crops worldwide.

~Bats are mammals and 50% of the species in America are endangered or declining.

~Bats are not blind, do NOT attack humans, and seldom transmit diseases to other animals or humans. Less than 1/2 of 1 percent of bats contract rabies.

~Loss of bats increases the demand for chemical pesticides that can jeopardize whole ecosytems.

~Never touch a grounded bat.

We had a fun time and learned a lot about these amazing animals. Thank you, Thetfords, for inviting us!

~Aaron, Brooke, & Aidan

* To learn more about bat conservation, please visit: www.batcon.org.

10 Years!!!

2008-07-06T18:39:00.000-07:00

Aaron & Brooke Karr June 27, 1998

Aaron & Brooke Karr June 27, 2008

I look at the picture of Aaron and me on our wedding day and can't believe that was 10 years ago. It doesn't seem that long ago when we returned from our honeymoon, moved into our little 3rd floor apartment with paper-thin walls during one of the hottest summers in history, and lived on hamburger helper (still do sometimes...) and rice-a-roni.

We've been talking about our 10th anniversary for a few years, and wanted to make it really special, so we celebrated with a trip to Napa and San Francisco. We had a wonderful time laughing, going on dates, and visiting the wine country, Alcatraz, Stinson Beach, Fisherman's Warf, China Town, eating at bistros, etc! It was so nice to relax, reflect on our years together, and give thanks for how God has blessed us. The break was great, but we couldn't wait to get back to our boy! Thank you, Nana, Dad-Dad, Mimi, Aunt K, and Pop for taking such good care of Aidan while we were away. Aidan got to swim, play chase, go to the children's museum, visit cousin Gary's fire station, chase goats, and meet Aunt K's horse, "Ace", so he had a little vacation of his own!

Aaron Karr, I'm so thankful to belong to you! You are my best friend and love of my life. I thank God for creating someone so perfect for me in every way and for bringing us together at the perfect time. Thank you for loving me even when I'm not acting very lovable! Thank you for choosing me. I love you, Baby!

God Said...

2008-06-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

Aidan was having a hard time sharing his toys with a little friend who came to play today. We have been trying to help him have a more generous heart, and create an alternative for the"MINE!!!" that we hear often. I told him that his toys belong to God and since God had blessed him with the toys, he needed to share them with his friend. He replied with: "Mama, God says it Aidan's turn."

Dear Daddy...

2008-06-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Daddy,

I LOVE you because:

you give the best hugs

you are my favorite wrestling buddy

you play choo- choos with me

you let me ride my big tractor in high gear

you found my night-night

you let me splash (a lot) in the tub

you take me to Home Depot

you let me eat powdered sugar donuts in my church clothes

you let me feed corn to the deer

you play outside with me, Harley, and Griffin

you're patiently teaching me to hit a baseball even though I'm trying to use the bat as a golf club

you don't care if I get dirty

you make me waffles on Saturday mornings

you work with BIIIIG TRUUUUCKS

you don't care if we're noisy

you love my mommy

you pray with me

you work hard for our family

you make me laugh

you help me hide

you're my best buddy

and you love me!

Happy Father's Day!

Love,

Aidan

Classic...

2008-06-11T13:17:00.001-07:00

Not long after we'd put Aidan to bed on the night of my last post, Aaron heard the sounds of toy pots and pans softly clanging in the playroom. He went up and found Aidan very busy with his toys. Aaron told him that he needed to get back in bed and go to sleep. Aidan's reply was, "Not now, Daddy. I cooking!"

Oh dear.

Big Boy/Happy Heart

2008-06-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

Well, it's happened. Aidan is officially in his Big Boy Bed. We actually bought the headboard a few months ago when Pottery Barn Outlet had a 70% off furniture sale, but as of last night, we set it up, and Aidan slept in it for the first time in his own room. We had been waiting to move him to it because he sometimes still fights bedtime, and for safety, we didn't want him roaming around the house in the middle of the night if he woke up. This past week he'd been waking up around midnight asking for his "Big Bed", which was the bed in the guest room where we sleep when he's sick. We figured that a crib mattress wasn't made for a 42 lb. 2 year old, and he was probably waking up because he wasn't comfortable. So...last night was the trial run, and it went pretty well except for the first few minutes. Here's the dialogue that took place:

Aidan: (as he opens the door and walks to the stairs) I have a happy heart, Mommy!

Me: I'm glad you have a happy heart, but you're not in time-out. You need to stay in your bed and go night-night.

Aidan: Oh, OK!

Now it's naptime, and so far so good. I still have his crib up just in case! I'm giving up my control in baby steps!

Aidan Michael, its a bittersweet thing for me to see you all snuggled up in your Big Boy Bed with truck sheets. I love that you're so happy and sleeping well, but then I look at your crib and achingly realize that you won't be sleeping there anymore, the bed you've slept in since you were a tiny baby. I'm so proud of the big boy you are becoming, but looking at your baby bed, reminds me of how quickly two and a half years has gone by, and how I need to savor every minute. I love you, big boy, and I love being your Mommy. Don't grow up too fast!

Love,

Mommy :)

Fawns, Farmers, & Fins

2008-06-03T21:20:00.001-07:00

It's that time again! Baby fawns are showing up nestled in every patch of grass. Does are hanging out in broad daylight making sure that the evening corn ration hasn't turned into an all day buffet, and boy is it HOT!We have been loving sitting out in the evenings watching the sometimes up to 15 deer that come to snack on the corn we feed them (and sample a few of my plants...).

Aidan, Nana, and I also visited our local Farmer's Market for the first time on Friday. We bought okra, tomatoes, berries, fresh bread, and Aidan especially loved the peaches and peach cider! Depending on what you buy, it can be a little pricey, but we had a great time and bought some great food grown by local farmers. Our Farmer's Market meets every Friday 3pm-6pm in the parking lot behind 1st Protestant Church for anyone interested. We're going back for sure!

On Saturday, we went swimming at Aunt Aimee's pool with Mimi, Pop, Daddy, Aunt Aimee, Grandmom, and Grandad. Everyone enjoyed the cool (cold!) water and watching Aidan play in the waterfall, and swim back and forth to everyone.

Happy Summer from the House of Karrs!

Swimmy Karr

2008-05-17T13:41:00.001-07:00

Aidan and his instructor, Lynette

Aidan floated for 1 & 1/2 minutes in winter clothes!

Sorry if this sounds like a commercial, but I feel very strongly about water safety! Aidan just tested out of an amazing water safety and swim program called ISR (Infant Swim Resource). This program teaches kids 6 months-6 years how to flip on their backs, and swim-float-swim until they reach the side of the pool in case of an accidental fall into a pool or other body of water. It's amazing to see, and it saves lives. The skills Aidan has learned through this program are priceless. He's 2 years old and he's swimming! He has so much confidence in the water now. He can save himself in case he accidentally falls in, and also has so much fun showing off his new skills! Before this program, he was very fearful of the water, and now he LOVES swimming and doesn't want to get out of the pool! I'm so proud! Can you tell?

This is a frightening fact: Texas, along with California and Florida, is among the top ranking states where accidental drowning is the leading cause of death in young children. It's a silent death, and can happen when you turn your back for a minute. Living in an area with 2 rivers, a lake, a waterpark, and countless swimming pools and stock tanks, we want to make sure Aidan is as safe as he can be. The pics above show him during his final test: sustaining a back float for 90 seconds in full winter clothes and diaper. The day before, he tested in summer clothes. I'm so proud of him and thankful for this program that only recently came to this area. Below is Lynette Kitchen's contact information, as well as the ISR website in case you don't live nearby. You can enter your zipcode and they will match you with an instructor if there's one in your area. Lynette is the only ISR instructor in the South-Central Texas area. The next closest is in Houston or Dallas. There is also a link to a story our local news did on ISR that ran in December.

Happy swimming! Be safe this summer!

~Brooke :)

Contact Info:

Lynette Kitchen

Certified ISR Instructor

swimmingtexasbabies@gmail.com

210.289.0075

http://www.swimmingtexasbabies.com/

http://www.infantswim.com/

www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=4722bdf1-cc5a-4fc4-a297-380fe9b00f02

"Everyone needs to understand - no barriers, alarms, or locks you place between your baby and the water or any skills they learn will ever "drown proof" them. There is no such thing as "drown proof"! PLEASE WATCH YOUR CHILDREN CONSTANTLY AROUND THE WATER!" ~Lynette Kitchen

Scarlet Assassin

2008-05-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

What in the WORLD???!!! For the past week or 2, our house has been under attack by a kamakazi (sp?) cardinal. Aidan calls him our "crazy bird". This bird sits in the rafters on our front porch and attacks the same spot on the window every 10 seconds, beginning at about 7am and going until dark. It makes you feel kind of twitchy to hear a bird impaling himself all day long, and we were afraid that he was hurting himself. We have tried shooing him away, but he flies to the oak tree and bird-cusses us out, only to resume his pastime when we go back inside. He's obviously not hurting himself, but I'm sure his head meeting a plate glass window in mid-flight isn't helping his IQ...We wanted to make it clear that we loved him, just not his behavior... ;) So... last week, I taped paper over the whole window and that took care of it--until Will Scarlet started clinging to the screens of my bedroom window and squawking at us (Are you KIDDING me?). The recent storms here tore the paper off the window so yesterday I got back up on the ladder, took all the paper and tape off, and cleaned all the little beaky prints off. It looked beautiful and our assailant was nowhere in sight. YAY!!!! I was sure he had moved on.

7am this morning, Aaron and I hear the familiar "ATTACK! SMACK! REPEAT!". Our friend is back, so any advice any of you have would be welcome!

~Brooke, Aaron, and Aidan (who really do love birds)

Oh Happy Day!

2008-05-02T18:52:00.000-07:00

Aidan's Adoption Day, May 1, 2006

Aidan's Adoption Day, May 1, 2008 Aunt K and Aunt Aimee

With Nana and "Dad-Dad"

Grandmom, Grandad, Josh, & Mimi

May 1st is always a very special day for our family because it is the day that Aidan's adoption was finalized. Everything was settled before that, but May 1, 2006 is the date that the state recognized his adoption as final, and it was the day Aaron and I went before the judge and swore to love, care for, and protect Aidan Michael Karr.--Also known as "Gotcha Day"!

We celebrated this year with a family dinner and cake at Mimi's house. It's hard to space things out when your birthday is 3 days away from Christmas, so he also received a few surprises too!

Aidan Michael, child of my heart, God created you so perfectly for our family. I've loved you since your first breath, and even before that. We prayed for you for five years, and who knew that God was knitting together a child so beautifully matched to us in every way? You look like your Daddy, and are left-handed like me. You love to tease, and run, and make people laugh. You are such a gift to us, and we thank God for answering our prayers with you! Happy Adoption Day, buddy. I'm so honored to be your mommy. I love you!

Stuck on You

2008-04-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, I just couldn't resist this one. Aidan got in to my dresser drawers while I was getting ready on this particular morning. The the resulting ensemble was a pair of my Christmas socks, and the cover-up skirt from an old bathing suit--not forgetting our latest obsession with wallpapering our forearms with as many stickers as possible. He was very proud to pose for this pic, and I was glad to oblige!

Aidan's latest top 10:

1) Favorite vehicle: back-hoe and cement trucks tied

2) Favorite Food: any and all BERRIES

3) Favorite Book: Jamberry (go figure ^!)

4) Favorite Song: "Oh Happy Day!" (to be sung to the CD in the car, while playing his drum)

5) Favorite Movie: Nemo

6) Favorite Animal: Griffin, our new BIG dog...

7) Favorite Place: Mimi's House and Nana's House tied

8) Favorite Pass-time: Playing in the bathroom sink...and playing choo-choos with Daddy tied

9)Favorite Game: "You Can't Change My Diaper If You Can't Catch Me"

10) Favorite Thing: Stickers. All over.

Some things he is saying:

"Dinner's ready? Pass the beans!"

"I don't need dinner. I need a STICK!"

"That's MY Griffin."

"My Daddy drives a bobcat."

"Aidan swims like Nemo!"

Us: "Aidan, where is ______?" Aidan: "Rot dare." (right there)

"I hear music!"

"Oh, I LOVE you!"

Oh Aidan Michael, I love you too! You are such a ray of sunshine and ball of fire in our family, and you are perfect for us! You crack me up with your clowning and toothy grin--especially the cheesy-just-for-pictures one! You challenge me with your determination to live out loud. I never want to forget the truck books in my bed, the toy car I found carefully placed in my pajamas, the sippy cups and Cheerios on the floorboard of my car, and the stickers on the shower door this morning. Thank you for being my little boy. I love you!

Love,

Mommy

Happy Easter!

2008-04-13T22:38:00.000-07:00

Hunting for Eggs at an Easter Party

I LOVE these handsome guys!

More treats with Mommy!

At Church Easter Sunday

I dropped my candy!

Yes, It's a little after the fact, but Easter was early this year! Crazy how it just snuck up on us! Even so, we had a wonderful Easter Weekend with family and friends. Aidan has grown to be quite the egg-hunting pro. He even has his own method: empty the contents of each egg as it is found, and throw the plastic halves back on the grass to psych-out the other kids. This also allows for more room in the basket for more treats...We all watched and laughed hysterically at our little "hunter" as he did this over and over!

Happy Easter!!!

"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said!" Matthew 28:6

San Antonio Zoo!

2008-04-07T21:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the zoo! I LOVE this place!

In front of a Hippo Hiney

Jaguar Encounter

Chasing Butterflies with Emily at the "Catterpillar Flight School"

March 13 was a beautiful spring day, so we went to the San Antonio Zoo with our good friends Deb Ashcraft, and Ginger, Emily, and baby Claire Tapley. The kids had a great time running from exhibit to exhibit, and the moms were grateful for the extra set of hands. Thank you, Deb!

Here are some of our faves from the day:

~The new "Africa Live" exhibit-LOVED the hippos!

~The butterfly house

~ Watching a zoo animal puppet show

~ Being inches away from a Jaguar (Aidan kept calling him "Baby Jaguar" from the Diego cartoon "Raaw! Raaw!"-He was definitely not a baby!)

~ Feeding the ducks and fish

~ Finishing up the day with a trip to St. Joseph's Storehouse and Bakery. The moms loved the chicken salad, chocolate cake, and chilled cucumber water, and the kids loved the fruit, chips, and chocolate chip cookies! If you haven't been to this deli yet, go. It's like a block away from the zoo, on St. Mary's St., so yummy, and the perfect way to finish a zoo trip!

Aidan Michael, It's such an adventure seeing the world through your eyes. Something new is always around the bend, and I'm loving the ride! Thank you for being my little boy.

Love,

Mommy

Happy Birthday, Aunt Aimee!!!

2008-03-19T12:01:00.001-07:00

It's a gorgeous day for a birthday! Another one of Aidan's favorite people is his beautiful Aunt Aimee. Happy Birthday Aimee!!! We love you!

Love,

Aaron, Brooke, & Aidan :)

Grand

2008-03-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

Dancin' With Aunt K.

With "Dad-Dad"

Playing Choo-Choos With Grandmom

Riding the Train With Mimi

With Nana & "Dad-Dad"

Walkin' With Pop

Isn't it GRAND? We are so fortunate and thankful to have such a wonderful family with grandparents, great-grandparents, and honorary grandparents that love Aidan. The pictures above are all of Aidan with some of his favorite people, whose unconditional love for him is beyond measure. The only one missing is Great-grandad. Since I didn't have my camera (of course!), please humor me and picture Aidan and Aaron's sweet grandad, swinging on an old white porch swing. It was a photo I missed, but a precious memory I'll never forget. Here are some of Aidan's favorite things to with his "Grands":

Nana: Play with her dog, Cricket, and splash in her turtle pool.

Dad-Dad: Play chase! "Dad-Dad pay sace?!"

Mimi: Play at her house "Aidan go Mimi's house?"

Pop: Race his "takter" and "boo-dozer" (tractor and bulldozer)

Grandmom: Play hide and seek around her front yard trees, and run up and down her ramp

Grandad: Swing on his porch swing!

Aunt K: Dance the Soft Shoe!

Thank you, Lord, for these precious people in our family. Please bless them as they have blessed us, and help Aaron and me to always show our son how special and blessed he is to be loved by them. Amen.

"Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children." Proverbs 17:6

Travelin' Man

2008-02-09T20:23:00.000-08:00

Uncle Justin's Express Jet "Buddy Passes" really came in handy last week when Aidan, Nana, and I flew to CA to see Aunt Carolyn, Uncle Kirby, and Uncle Justin. We stayed at Aunt Carolyn's house which holds so many memories for me because it used to be my grandparents' house. It was also the first place we stayed when we got to bring Aidan home from the hospital on Christmas Eve 2005. Aidan settled into the Southern California setting like a pro (perhaps b/c he was born there?) and had a great time romping across the golf course, and had a special trip to Disneyland. He's a tall kid, so he was big enough enjoy some of the bigger rides. He loved his first mini-roller-coaster, but cried on the Winnie the Pooh ride! All in all it was a great trip! Here are some of our faves:

~Flying on the "Ah-pane"

~Taking a sunset walk on the golf course with Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Justin

~Playing with Great-Grandad's antique wooden blocks

~Disneyland! --especially "Goofy's Playhouse" and riding the Choo-choos

~Special time with Aunt Carolyn while Mommy and Nana went to see Wicked in LA

~Playing chase with Nana!

~Visiting the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace in Yorba Linda where there was a model train exhibit, and a real Airforce 1 helicopter! (This thrilled Aidan's soul!)

Looking back, I realized that my son has visited both the East and West Coasts within two months! Not bad for a kid who has just turned 2! I included a pic above of our family watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Times Square. We've been blessed with amazing experiences, and with a wonderful family to share them with.

Aidan Michael, you are a great little traveler! I'll forever remember the image of you buckled up in your airplane seat like such big boy! We've had some great times already, and it makes me excited for all the adventures we have yet to come!

Thank you for being my little boy!

Love,

Mommy

Train Me Up!

2008-01-24T21:19:00.000-08:00

"Choo Choo!" is a very common sound you hear at our house these days. Aidan is really into trains. I mean really. We hear them when we go outside. We see them when we drive around town, and get stopped by them at our numerous railroad crossings. Aidan's favorite thing to do inside is play with his new train set Nana and Grandad gave him for Christmas/birthday, and of course, his favorite movie is The Polar Express. Funny thing is, now I actually cheer with him when we are temporarily delayed in the car by a train--completely opposite from a few years ago when I used to race to get ahead of them! If we're far enough away from the train, I'll open up Aidan's door (on my big bad mini-van) so he can hear it too. Now he asks to do this every time! His birthday party, that finally took place (delayed due to RSV...), had a train theme, and we had the Jigglebug Express come to give everyone rides. This was a huge hit, and the "conductor", Mr. Steve Sands, was wonderful with the kids, and made everyone smile. I highly recommend his little train, and I have his number if anyone ever needs it!

With all these trains around, I'm reminded of the train-ing God asks of me for this awesome responsibility, I've been blessed with:

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6

Lord, I pray that in all we do, Aaron and I help train Aidan for a life of love for and obedience to You. Amen.

What a challenge, and what an amazing privilege!

Aidan Michael, I'm so blessed to be your mommy.

Happy Birthday 2 You!!!

2007-12-29T21:05:00.000-08:00

Hello there, everyone! Welcome 2 our house! I am attempting 2 start this family blog as a keepsake, and 2 keep in touch with family and friends by showing you what we're up 2!

In case you were wondering, Aidan turned 2 on Dec. 22, and we're enjoying/experiencing all the ups and downs that come along with that age. We had to postpone Aidan's birthday party because he was sick, but we had a wonderful birthday dinner and also enjoyed some fun family time on Christmas Eve and Day.

Aidan is growing by leaps and bounds and amazes us daily by the things he does, and by his growing vocabulary. His favorite things are trucks, cars, airplanes, and especially trains (choo-choos).

Some things he is saying:

"He-woe?" (while picking up a play phone, real phone, or remote control)

"Be careful, Daddy!"

"Giant Excavator" (!)

"Chooo-Choooo, where are you?"

"No barking, Harley."

Us: "New York City???" Aidan: "Get a rope!!!"

"I see the moon. Hi moon!

"Night-night, Christmas Tree!"

Some things he is doing:

Brushing his hair

Brushing Mommy's hair

Not wanting to brush his teeth...

Singing "Happy Birthday"

Dancing to his favorite songs

Eating frozen waffles (!)

Aidan Michael, you are perfect for this family, and we thank God for guiding us to you. You are our chosen child, and we love you, precious boy.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy