Stuck on You

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!

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!

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!!!

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

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

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!

"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.