It has been a whirlwind around here (I feel like I say that a lot!), and we're finally back home. Jared is scheduled to return tomorrow after three weeks in Tampa (that has felt like three months), so I'm crossing my fingers for an "up" jet tomorrow!
We left SC last Saturday and went down to Jacksonville for a few days. While there, we celebrated Aidan's birthday a little early and tried to get the kids in the pool. The weather didn't cooperate much, and they were only able to get in twice. On one of the visits in the pool, we had an extra visitor: a baby water moccasin. I was showing Aidan how to swim and take breaths, and I popped my head up and saw a snake right in front of me. I tried to go in to "Mom mode," but that didn't end up working out so well. I got the snake out of the pool, but then I dropped the bucket, and I started jumping up and down squealing as it slithered back in to the pool. My mom had to step in and take over. Hopefully next time (I can't believe I'm saying that!), I'll be able to keep a level head better!
After Jacksonville, the boys and I drove down to Tampa to visit with John & Courtney and their crew. Aidan had fun playing with Dylan, and Austin had fun chasing around their cats. When the weekend arrived, Jared was able to meet up with us, and we all drove down to Naples to meet up with Karl & Leslie and their crew. Six adults, six children under age four and a hyper dog made for a FUN weekend! Our husbands escaped for the day on Saturday for a golf game, and the women held down the fort. Right at the kids' witching hour, Leslie, Courtney and I made our escape for a nice, quiet dinner. ;-) What a fun, fun time it was reminiscing (and reliving - haha) some of our fun college times!
While in Naples, Aidan learned to swim! I think he learned a lot watching Ava swim around, and when we took his life jacket off, he really never looked back.
After Naples, the boys and I drove Jared back to Tampa and then continued on to Jacksonville. Now we're home, and it's good to be back! Traveling with Austin is NOT fun, but I got some great advice from my good friends on how to make that easier. Thank you John, Courtney, Karl and Leslie for a great time! It is wonderful knowing we have such great friends! :-)
31 July 2008
Happy Birthday, Aidan!
Aidan turned four a few days ago, and he has already had two birthday cakes with two more to come! My sister was right in saying he's not going to know what to do when we stop celebrating his birthday two or three times!
His first party was at Grandma & Grandpa's house. He was SO excited to open his presents, and I got some great video of it! Unfortunately, he still lacks in the "tact" department (I've been told some people never grow out of that. I have no idea who they could mean, though.) and he was very quick to go from one gift to the next. He was very good about saying, "Thank you" to everyone involved in the present process - including himself. His grandpa took him on a little shopping trip to Toys R Us, and Aidan definitely thought it was a joint shopping venture. When he opened one of the gifts that we wrapped, I asked him who got it for him. He answered, "Grandpa and me." I reminded him to say thank you to Grandpa. His response was, "Thank you, Grandpa. Thank you myself!" :-)
He also got to have birthday cake with his friend, Ava, who is also celebrating her fourth birthday. They got to decorate their cake themselves, and they did a really good job on it. As much as I was craving that chocolate cake, I didn't even mind that I saw them licking their fingers in between their decorations!
We're planning on making another cake tomorrow so Jared can help Aidan celebrate, and then Aidan has his birthday party with his friends next week. I'm coming up with every excuse possible to eat as much cake as I can! :-)
Happy Birthday, Aidan! This year has been wonderful - definitely my favorite so far. I've seen you develop quite the personality with a great sense of humor. You're so polite, too. Today, when I asked you to help me clean up you said, "No." I said, "Excuse me," and your response was, "I mean no, thank you." :-)
His first party was at Grandma & Grandpa's house. He was SO excited to open his presents, and I got some great video of it! Unfortunately, he still lacks in the "tact" department (I've been told some people never grow out of that. I have no idea who they could mean, though.) and he was very quick to go from one gift to the next. He was very good about saying, "Thank you" to everyone involved in the present process - including himself. His grandpa took him on a little shopping trip to Toys R Us, and Aidan definitely thought it was a joint shopping venture. When he opened one of the gifts that we wrapped, I asked him who got it for him. He answered, "Grandpa and me." I reminded him to say thank you to Grandpa. His response was, "Thank you, Grandpa. Thank you myself!" :-)
He also got to have birthday cake with his friend, Ava, who is also celebrating her fourth birthday. They got to decorate their cake themselves, and they did a really good job on it. As much as I was craving that chocolate cake, I didn't even mind that I saw them licking their fingers in between their decorations!
We're planning on making another cake tomorrow so Jared can help Aidan celebrate, and then Aidan has his birthday party with his friends next week. I'm coming up with every excuse possible to eat as much cake as I can! :-)
Happy Birthday, Aidan! This year has been wonderful - definitely my favorite so far. I've seen you develop quite the personality with a great sense of humor. You're so polite, too. Today, when I asked you to help me clean up you said, "No." I said, "Excuse me," and your response was, "I mean no, thank you." :-)
17 July 2008
Austin - 21 months
Austin turned 21 months old a few days ago. I cannot believe he's almost two years old!!! Here is a picture of Austin showing how old he is... not sure why so many, but he sees Aidan holding up several fingers, so he was giving it a shot, too!
Yikes
A rough day and a half here... Yesterday, we had a fun play date with some friends, and it caused Austin to miss his nap. At the end of the night, he was so overtired, that he just cried and cried (and cried). He finally fell asleep, after more than an hour, gripping my finger with his forehead pressed against mine. That part was pretty sweet, but my head was spinning at the end of the night.
LONG story short, Austin woke up in the middle of the night crying again, and then Aidan woke up at 6:20 AM. I am an exhausted Mom today!
Poor Austin had to endure a drive to Beaufort today as well. The drive there went ok, but the drive home was a 30 minute scream fest (him, not me - haha). I was more than ready, and so was he, for his nap today. Now, it is blissfully silent while he sleeps and Aidan plays. I'm sure things will be much better once he catches up on his sleep.
On a happier note, I sent out the invitations for Aidan's party today. I rented an inflatable water slide, and we're going to set it up with our inflatable pool and slip 'n slide. We decided on a party at home this year. I know Aidan will be so excited; he's been talking about his birthday for a while now.
LONG story short, Austin woke up in the middle of the night crying again, and then Aidan woke up at 6:20 AM. I am an exhausted Mom today!
Poor Austin had to endure a drive to Beaufort today as well. The drive there went ok, but the drive home was a 30 minute scream fest (him, not me - haha). I was more than ready, and so was he, for his nap today. Now, it is blissfully silent while he sleeps and Aidan plays. I'm sure things will be much better once he catches up on his sleep.
On a happier note, I sent out the invitations for Aidan's party today. I rented an inflatable water slide, and we're going to set it up with our inflatable pool and slip 'n slide. We decided on a party at home this year. I know Aidan will be so excited; he's been talking about his birthday for a while now.
13 July 2008
Diet "hint"
This morning, the boys and I are going to the pool to try to pass our first morning without Jared. I put my bathing suit on and came downstairs. Aidan said, "Mommy! You look like a BOAT!"
Hmmm.... He tried to explain it because of the color of my bathing suit, but I'm not buying it.
Hmmm.... He tried to explain it because of the color of my bathing suit, but I'm not buying it.
10 July 2008
Pictures
We've got lots of pictures to fill in some of the gaps of my story telling.
Aidan is our little fish now. He absolutely LOVES swimming, and he loves jumping in and going under water. In the inflatable pool, he was doing a great job of "swimming" underwater from one side to the other. It was really a great way for him to work on his swimming skills, and he is so close to being able to swim!
We made cupcakes during our visit to PTC, and the boys got to decorate their own. That turned in to QUITE the picture taking opportunity. They had a blast decorating their cupcakes, but they both eventually gave up and just ate the icing out of their bowls. I really had to put aside my urge to count their sugar grams that day! Kids will be kids! :-)
We took a great trip to a pond to feed the ducks, and there were so many ducks there! Austin was pretty stingy sharing the crackers we took for the ducks. For every bite he threw to the ducks, he probably ate two or three entire crackers. He didn't eat dinner that night because he was so full from the crackers!
Aidan has seen two movies in the theater this month: Kung Fu Panda and Wall-E. Kung Fu Panda has gotten him to a bit of trouble with him "practicing" his Kung Fu punches and hits. Jared and I both got to take him to see Wall-E, so that was a great treat for us. We let Aidan pick a spot for lunch, saw the movie and went out for ice cream. It was great getting to have a special day with Aidan like that.
The last pictures are from our Fourth of July fun. The boys had a great time, and Austin was so shocked to see all the big lights in the sky! I love his face in the pictures!
*If anyone knows how I can fix the slideshow so that my vertical pictures aren't so small, please let me know. Thanks! :-)
Aidan is our little fish now. He absolutely LOVES swimming, and he loves jumping in and going under water. In the inflatable pool, he was doing a great job of "swimming" underwater from one side to the other. It was really a great way for him to work on his swimming skills, and he is so close to being able to swim!
We made cupcakes during our visit to PTC, and the boys got to decorate their own. That turned in to QUITE the picture taking opportunity. They had a blast decorating their cupcakes, but they both eventually gave up and just ate the icing out of their bowls. I really had to put aside my urge to count their sugar grams that day! Kids will be kids! :-)
We took a great trip to a pond to feed the ducks, and there were so many ducks there! Austin was pretty stingy sharing the crackers we took for the ducks. For every bite he threw to the ducks, he probably ate two or three entire crackers. He didn't eat dinner that night because he was so full from the crackers!
Aidan has seen two movies in the theater this month: Kung Fu Panda and Wall-E. Kung Fu Panda has gotten him to a bit of trouble with him "practicing" his Kung Fu punches and hits. Jared and I both got to take him to see Wall-E, so that was a great treat for us. We let Aidan pick a spot for lunch, saw the movie and went out for ice cream. It was great getting to have a special day with Aidan like that.
The last pictures are from our Fourth of July fun. The boys had a great time, and Austin was so shocked to see all the big lights in the sky! I love his face in the pictures!
*If anyone knows how I can fix the slideshow so that my vertical pictures aren't so small, please let me know. Thanks! :-)
Whoops...
So, I'm a little behind. We've been busy with visitors and traveling, so it's been a whirlwind around here! It is a rare treat when we get visitors, but last month we had four different people come to stay with us on four separate occasions! The boys were thrilled to have visits from their Uncle Jordan, Aunt Lisa, Grandma and Grandpa! The visits were just too short, so you all have to come back!
After our visitors, we did a bit of traveling of our own. Jared took a week off, and we went to Atlanta to visit with Nana & Guka. While there, we went to White Water, and the boys had a great time! Aidan rode on a water slide (by himself!) where he rode down on his stomach on a mat down three hills. Jared and I took turns riding in the lane beside him, and when I rode down, I spent the whole time panicking because I was helpless to do anything if Aidan needed me. He had a huge grin on his face the whole time, so I worried for nothing! He wanted to go again and again, but Mommy & Daddy eventually tired out from carrying the mats up the hill each time.
The boys are definitely becoming best friends. We all know that with being best friends comes being best enemies, and they are no exception to that rule! I spend a lot of time each day breaking up fights over who hit whom or who pushed whom off the couch. If I'm cooking or cleaning, I can poke my head around the corner and see the boys playing so well together. If I watch long enough, I'll always get to glimpse a little shove or slap too! Neither of them do it any more often than the other; Austin is just much more brazen about it! Aidan will try to slyly shove Austin over (as I watched yesterday when I was watching them play so "cutely" together), but Austin will hit and shove right in front of me. He's gotten very familiar with time out lately. He will even hit Aidan sometimes and then run and sit on the stairs because he knows that where he's heading! :-) Austin is a HANDFUL, but that sweet face makes you forget it pretty easily!
Austin is really talking a lot now. He'll repeat almost any word we ask him to say, so we're happy he's finally decided to join in on all the conversation here! His legs are long enough to reach the pedals on his bike now, so we've been practicing that a lot more. He does ok with the pedals, but he has no clue when it comes to the steering. He definitely has not put it together that turning the handlebars affects the bike; we'll get there though! He wants to keep up with Aidan, so he'll catch on quickly!
For Fourth of July, we went to a festival on Hilton Head Island. It was both the boys first times staying awake for fireworks, and they handled it wonderfully! They ran around the big open field, jumped in the jump house and ate lots of pretzels from our friends' pretzel shop waiting for the fireworks to begin. It really could not have gone any better, and Jared and I just kept remarking to each other how great the boys were the whole night!
I'll update with pictures as soon as I upload all the new pictures we've taken!
After our visitors, we did a bit of traveling of our own. Jared took a week off, and we went to Atlanta to visit with Nana & Guka. While there, we went to White Water, and the boys had a great time! Aidan rode on a water slide (by himself!) where he rode down on his stomach on a mat down three hills. Jared and I took turns riding in the lane beside him, and when I rode down, I spent the whole time panicking because I was helpless to do anything if Aidan needed me. He had a huge grin on his face the whole time, so I worried for nothing! He wanted to go again and again, but Mommy & Daddy eventually tired out from carrying the mats up the hill each time.
The boys are definitely becoming best friends. We all know that with being best friends comes being best enemies, and they are no exception to that rule! I spend a lot of time each day breaking up fights over who hit whom or who pushed whom off the couch. If I'm cooking or cleaning, I can poke my head around the corner and see the boys playing so well together. If I watch long enough, I'll always get to glimpse a little shove or slap too! Neither of them do it any more often than the other; Austin is just much more brazen about it! Aidan will try to slyly shove Austin over (as I watched yesterday when I was watching them play so "cutely" together), but Austin will hit and shove right in front of me. He's gotten very familiar with time out lately. He will even hit Aidan sometimes and then run and sit on the stairs because he knows that where he's heading! :-) Austin is a HANDFUL, but that sweet face makes you forget it pretty easily!
Austin is really talking a lot now. He'll repeat almost any word we ask him to say, so we're happy he's finally decided to join in on all the conversation here! His legs are long enough to reach the pedals on his bike now, so we've been practicing that a lot more. He does ok with the pedals, but he has no clue when it comes to the steering. He definitely has not put it together that turning the handlebars affects the bike; we'll get there though! He wants to keep up with Aidan, so he'll catch on quickly!
For Fourth of July, we went to a festival on Hilton Head Island. It was both the boys first times staying awake for fireworks, and they handled it wonderfully! They ran around the big open field, jumped in the jump house and ate lots of pretzels from our friends' pretzel shop waiting for the fireworks to begin. It really could not have gone any better, and Jared and I just kept remarking to each other how great the boys were the whole night!
I'll update with pictures as soon as I upload all the new pictures we've taken!
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