It's Our Life

Meet Makenzie

2012-01-31T11:50:00.011-06:00

Wednesday, December 28, 2011 we welcomed Raelyn Makenzie Blair into our family. She was born via c-section at 7:47 a.m. Since this was a planned c-section, we had to be at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. They admitted me and all the paperwork was done by 6:00 so I had a little time to rest before surgery. The nurses came in to do blood work about 6:45 and then at about 7:00 we were ready to go!

This was such a different experience from Aiden's delivery. Instead of it all being a blur (after a day of labor) I was really aware of everything that was going on. They had me walk to the OR and then proceeded to do the spinal block. After two tries it was in. The first place she put the needle didn't work due to the position of the baby. I had a great anesthesiologist who talked me through the whole process and an awesome nurse who held my hand and kept me still (it's hard to bend forward when you're nine months pregnant!). Once Dr. Sarver arrived it was time for Makenzie to make her entrance into the world! I couldn't believe she was only 7 lbs and 9 oz! SO tiny compared to the 9 lb 2 oz chunk that was our first child. :)

Monty went with her to the nursery and then I went to recovery. At about 10 I went back to our room and then they brought Makenzie to us at 11. This picture was taken shortly after we got her. I love how alert she looks.

Grammy and Aiden came to visit that afternoon. Aiden didn't really want to have much to do with her but finally kissed her on the head. He was more interested with the airplane that Makenzie had given him.

We stayed in the hospital for two days and went home on Friday afternoon. I bought Makenzie an outfit with snowmen on it because I thought it would be appropriate for the winter weather. Funny enough, it was actually warmer the day we brought her home than the day we brought Aiden home in May. Go figure! Grammy made her hat and blanket.

Austin and Papa came back up on Saturday to meet our little one. What a sweet girl! We all loved cuddling and loving on her!

Happy 2nd Birthday!

2011-07-09T20:17:00.006-05:00

On Aiden's birthday we celebrated at home with presents and a homemade (by Mommy!) cake!We forgot to tell him the candle wasn't exactly edible. Oops! He dug right into the cake and really enjoyed getting the "frinkles" off the top.Not as messy as last year, but still just as cute. Can't believe how big he looks!And then onto the presents. He was so excited about the presents that it was hard to get a lot of good pics. He did sit still long enough to play with his new tracks and talking James engine.Still working on his form for t-ball! ha! Aiden and Daddy have a lot of practicing to do! He also got some animal "maggots" (magnets) and a big metal dump truck. What a great way to celebrate turning two!

Celebrating at School

2011-07-09T20:06:00.004-05:00

Aiden got really good at celebrating his birthday this year. He had three different parties! The first celebration (on April 28) was with his friends at Creation Corner. I made caterpillar cupcakes, which he thought were really cool. Diggin' into some yummy cupcakes!Aiden and Jacoby are only two days apart, so we celebrated together!All his little friends were just too cute. Gotta love how they ate the icing and left the cupcakes!
We are so thankful for our teachers and friends at school! Aiden has had a great year and has learned so much!

Easter

2011-05-11T17:29:00.000-05:00

Thank goodness we did our Easter pics a couple weeks before Easter! Easter Sunday was WET!!! The day Monty took these was perfect and Aiden was in a pretty cooperative mood. All day long I told him we were going to take pictures so he needed to sit real still and say, "Cheese!" for Daddy. He totally understood what was expected. We got to the park, he went and sat down by the flowers, looked at Monty, smiled, and said, "Cheese!". After that moment we were "chasing" him down trying to get good shots! LOL Next time, we'll talk about the fact that he has to be still for more than one picture. Oh well, such is the life of a two year old! As usual, Monty still got some great ones!Easter weekend Grammy came to visit so we made homemade rolls and monkey bread.Aiden enjoyed dying eggs. I was impressed at how easily the dye came off his hands. And believe me, there was a lot of dye on his little hands.We made rice krispy treats in the shape of eggs.As soon as we got one made, it was eaten! lol Look at the yummy eggs! We sent them home to Papa for egg salad sandwiches.The Easter Bunny came to visit while we were at church.Aiden was so excited about Cookie Monster. He immediately grabbed it said, "Give Elmo a hug!". Like they were long lost buddies that had finally been reunited. So sweet.Very seriously reading his new Toy Story 3 book.

We al had a wonderful weekend are so thankful we have the resurrection to celebrate - not just this Sunday, but every day!

Museum of Flight

2011-04-27T15:37:00.004-05:00

Friday morning we went to the Museum of Flight. We stayed there 2.5 hours and could have easily stayed 2.5 more. There were planes and aircraft from all genres along with interactive displays and a kids' play area. It was awesome! And also very educational.This was a simulated space station. Aiden walked through this several times.Here he is "looking down" to Earth.I knew this place would have planes, but it was beyond what I expected. Planes on the floor and covering almost every inch above us.There were a few that had cockpits open to the kids. Aiden would patiently in line and say, "Wait your turn! Wait your turn!". Usually this meant, "Kid in front of me please hurry up so I can have a turn!".The kids play area had some interactive displays that taught flight dynamics, etc. Aiden as just glad he could run and play!We decided to eat lunch in the cafe because we knew Aiden would start getting cranky and we didn't have time to leave and come back. He had the biggest, softest PB&J and ate almost the entire thing.There were also several planes on display outside. We were able to walk through a retired Air Force One.
The last part of the musuem was WWI and WWII planes. We pretty much had to ruch through this part as we had to catch a ferry to the peninsula. The main purpose of this trip was to see Andy and Lisa get married - and they did! Did I capture a single pic? Nope. Aiden slept through the ceremony (just like he did at Alex and Amber's wedding) and most of the reception. It was a pretty wedding and we're glad to have Lisa in our family!

A Waterfall and Some Trains

2011-04-27T15:26:00.003-05:00

Thursday morning the plan was to pick up Alex and Amber from the airport. However, Alex came down with a bad case of the flu and strep throat. That meant the best decision was for them to stay home. So, we decided to head to Snoqualmie. We visited Snoqalmie Falls and the Northwest Railway Museum. It was beautiful weather in the morning so we were able to enjoy the falls. After lunch it rained, so that kept us from walking around to all the trains. We did get to look at some though.Aiden loved this part of the trip and was quite proud of himself when he learned to blow his train whistle. The gift shop was full of Thomas the Train toys so he had a great time looking at those too!

To Market, To Market

2011-04-26T16:10:00.004-05:00

Wednesday after we picked my parents and Austin up at the airport we headed to Pike Place Market. It's another one of those places that you just have to visit while in Seattle. We've been here on each of our three three trips to the city. I could walk around all day and not get bored. So much fresh food, concessions, and unique one of a kind items. I picked up a beautiful Christmas ornament - one of my favorite souveniers to get on trips. I love decorating the tree every year and remembering all the fun places we've been.That afternoon we got on the ferry again and headed to Bremerton to meet Lisa's parents. Aiden thought he was driving the boat!We had planned to come back to Seattle via the same ferry so we could see the skyline all lit up. But, we visited too long and missed the boat. The city was magnificent in the daytime, I can only imagine what it would have looked like at night!
We enjoyed our visit at Lisa's house. I didn't get any pictures of Aiden exploring the barn and meeting all the animals. He couldn't get enough and wasn't scared of anything! There were goats, rabbits, chickens, a llama, and a miniature horse. He still can tell you all about Lisa's barn!

Olympic National Park - Day Two

2011-04-26T15:53:00.004-05:00

Day two in the ONP was rainy, rainy, rainy! However, we enjoyed our drive. Who wouldn't?!? Look at how gorgeous it was. We stopped at Ruby Beach because, well, it was a beach. I don't like driving by beaches and not stopping. This was not a walk barefoot in the warm sand kinda beach, but it was ocean and sand (and a lot of rocks) nonetheless. It was cold, but I didn't care! Maybe sometime soon we'll visit a beach in a more tropical location!

What kid doesn't enjoy collecting goodies and exploring at the beach? He'll really love it when he can actually get in the water.

The brochure at the Visitor Center said that during high tide the logs are thrown about and can be deadly. I'd believe it. During low tide they make the perfect jungle gym.

We skipped the Hoh Rain Forest because it was raining (ironic I know). We'll save that for another trip. We may not be back soon, but I'm sure we'll be back.

Olympic National Park - Day One

2011-04-26T12:13:00.005-05:00

Monday morning we headed across to the Washington peninsula. This included a ride on a ferry! How fun!! This was our first of several ferry rides for the week. It was a very cool and windy day so Aiden and I spent most of our time inside.He thought it was cool to watch the water go by.On our quest to hit all the National Parks, we visited Olympic National Park. The Visitor Center in Port Angeles was one of the best we'd been to. It had lots of displays and even a kids' play room. We had planned to visit Hurricane Ridge, but on the day we visited you had to have snow chains on your tires. There were drifts of snow up to 10 feet in some places! So we enjoyed a beautiful drive around Lake Crescent. Amazingly still water with majestic mountains in the background. God sure did create some amazing places!Outside of the park, we drove to Cape Flattery, the northwestern most point of the continental USA. The trail was about 3/4 mile long and looked nice and roomy at the trailhead. We had a jogging stroller for Aiden, so off we went. About halfway down the jogging stroller was no longer an option as the path narrowed. So, we ditched it and Aiden walked the rest of the way. Such a trooper! The view was breathtaking!
We headed to Forks, WA (home of the Twilight series) to spend the night. From there we toured the rest of the peninsula.

Downtown

2011-04-26T11:57:00.004-05:00

Our second day in Seattle we went downtown after Sunday morning worship. We ate lunch at Chipotle (yum!). And of course we had to do one of the most "touristy" things in Seattle - the Space Needle. It's one of those things you just have to do. Kinda like going up in the Washington Monument in D.C. or going to the top of the Arch in St. Louis. If you're in Seattle, you have to experience it. So we did.The view from the top was gorgeous, of course. I hear it's even better on the rare day there is no cloud cover and you can see the mountains.Inside the observatory deck there is a camera that you can pan around and see the city. Aiden had a little too much fun with that.By the time we headed back to Andy's it was 4:00 and in a matter of seconds, Aiden went from this ....to this!

On to Seattle

2011-03-30T15:00:00.003-05:00

The trip to Seattle was wonderful! Aiden traveled like a champ and even tolerated waking up at 6 to leave for the airport. The flights were not full, so we were able to bring Aiden's carseat on the plane. He loved sitting by the window and looking out. I brought lots of new stuff for him to play with so he was entertained (without technology!) the entire time. During our layover in Las Vegas we let him run off his energy so he was ready for a nap during the second flight. We told him it was time for a nap and he turned his head in his seat and went straight to sleep! The first morning he woke up at 4 with a messy diaper and then went back to sleep until 6 (which was 8 our time). By the end of the week he was sleeping until about 9!! It was great! These pics are at Kerry Park. We took them on our way to Andy's house from the airport. Great view of the city! More about our trip coming soon!

Some Stories

2011-03-17T14:37:00.003-05:00

Here are some of the fun things Aiden's been saying lately:

*** A couple weeks ago I picked him up from school and asked him what he had done that day.
A: Time out.
Me: Why did you have to go to time out?
A: Table climbing. (Not surprising!)

Fast forward a couple weeks and we are with my parents. My dad asked Aiden why he got in time out at school. Aiden gave him the most serious look and I know he was thinking, "How do you know about that?". But he answered and said, "Climbing tables." Kid has a serious memory.

*** He tells me all about what he does at school on Thursdays. On the way to school he names his teachers and nearly everyone in his class.

*** If we go in the Post Office to mail something he knows the lady will give him a sticker.

*** We went to my brother's wedding in Seattle last week. Wednesday of the week we ate dinner at his finance's parents' house. They had some old kid toys and some stuffed animals that Aiden enjoyed playing with. We went back over there on Saturday night and remembered almost every toy that he had played with. He asked for each one by name!

*** When he gets out of the bath he says, "Wrap a burrito!". (He wants to be wrapped in a towel like a burrito.)

*** He can sing some of the words to several songs. His current favorites are Itsy Bitsy Spider, My God is So Big, ABCs, The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock, Jesus Loves the Little Children, and Jesus Loves Me. He can say the alphabet A-G and then will fill in letters when I say it with him. He knows most of his colors (still confuses brown, black, and white) and can identify the majority of shapes.

*** We bought him a train whistle while we were on vacation. For a few minutes he couldn't quite get the hang of blowing it hard enough to make noise. Right after he made it whistle the first time he looked at all of us and said (with a big grin), "Take a picture!".

*** He saw cake at Andy and Lisa's wedding and said, "Happy da birthday!".

*** I woke him up at 8:15 this morning to get ready for school. I asked him if he was ready to eat breakfast and go see Mrs. Kim. He rolled back under the covers and said, "No. I take a nap." Kid loves his sleep!

He has really developed quite the vocabulary in the past few months!

The Big Snow

2011-02-17T22:10:00.009-06:00

February 9, 2011

The snow came in fast and furious and at times was falling a rate of 3 inches an hour. It was beautiful! The flakes were HUGE! I could honestly sit and stare at falling snow for hours. Alas, with a toddler, this is not possible. This pic was taken at about 9:00 am. The table had been clear the night before!!The day before we could actually see the driveway. Where had it gone?!

The snow continued to fall throughout the morning.After lunch we decided to bundle up and venture out. Who knew that the $3 snowsuit I bought Aiden at a garage sale in the spring would get so much use in one year?! He wasn't quite sure what to think at first. This was mainly due to the fact that he could barely even walk (between the bulky snowsuit and the snow that came up to his thighs!). Once we cleared a path in the driveway, he was more eager to go explore.

He attempted (in vain) to use the big snow shovel!Monty and Aiden testing the depth of the snow.The piles on the side of the driveway were two feet deep! Insane. Seriously, I have never seen this much snow in all my life!Shoveling was much easier with the dustpan. Note to self: get Aiden's buckets and shovels before the toybox gets buried in the backyard.By the afternoon the snow had stopped and the sun was shining. The driveway and our street were clear so Monty was able to go get some goodies from McDonalds. It was a good day!

So We Got Some Snow

2011-02-17T21:49:00.002-06:00

We have had some "great" winter weather the past couple weeks! I love the snow and am not complaining one bit. It was cold, but it was beautiful. Monty got to work from home a few days and Aiden and I had fun just sticking around the house and playing.

Tuesday, February 1 it snowed about 6-8 inches, depending on where you were. The counties directly above us in MO were under a blizzard warning, so we were pretty thankful to get as little as we did. The snow followed about 1/2" of sleet and ice. The roads were a mess for a couple days. The side roads never really got cleared at all. Fast forward three days and the weather man was calling for a dusting on Friday, February 4. Yeah, we ended up with about 4 more inches of the the fluffy stuff. The main roads that were once clear are now covered again and the side roads just got worse. We live on a main road so we did okay with being able to get out and about.

The next Tuesday the 10:00 forecast projected we'd get about 5" more snow. By this time the small rural schools had been out for 6 days because the plows had yet to clear all the back roads. Wednesday morning Monty got up to check on the snowfall totals. In my sleepy state (from under my warm covers) I asked if it was snowing. He said, "Yes. Quite a bit." This was at 6:30. By the time Aiden and I got up around 9:00 there was probably about a foot on the ground. And yes, it was still coming. All said, we got around twenty inches. That's almost two feet!! Crazy! However, since there was no ice, Monty was able to shovel the driveway that day. The plow came and cleared the road and we were able to get out that night.

It is still amazing to me just how much snow there was. A week later and it's in the 70s outside and the snow is gone. Aiden enjoyed the snow so much. Every time we went outside he wanted to wear his boots and walk in the snow. He loved walking across parking lots and stomping in the slushy mess. Such a boy! We are so thankful God gave us His beauty to enjoy.

He's a Mess

2011-01-25T21:14:00.004-06:00

So, a jar of sprinkles fell off the pantry door today and the bottom of the jar busted. When Aiden picked up the jar, sprinkles went everywhere! So, why not have a little fun?! Mmmmmm ...... they are so good!

It's these moments that make me so happy to be home all day with him. Love this kid!

Let It Snow

2011-01-25T20:50:00.004-06:00

Last Thursday we had our second "big" snow for the year. We had a snow day the week before, but it wasn't quite as much. Let me tell you, I love snow. I am a Florida girl at heart and was raised in a land where it hardly ever got below freezing, but I have always loved the white stuff. It's so clean and pretty and I can't get enough of it - especially when I can stay home.
Nothing starts a snow day better than cinnamon rolls - ahhhh, comfort food! Aiden enjoyed the icing! Then we bundled up and headed out to play. That just meant that we put our snow clothes on over our flannel pjs. A good snow day requires being in comfy clothes all day long.Ready to roll! It was BRIGHT out by lunchtime and had quit snowing.

It is hard to get back up once you've fallen. Poor kid!Must taste some! Love his mittens covered in snow! He has two pairs on each hand. His thick pair he got for Christmas were still a little big, so we just doubled up on the thin ones.He may be getting a little tired.
And what's a snow day without snow cream?!

My teacher friends may curse me for saying this, but I hope we get a few more of these wonderful white days this winter. This snow was not good snowman snow and we didn't get the chance to go sledding. :)

Christmas Day

2010-12-30T13:30:00.020-06:00

Christmas morning finally arrived (at a glorious 9:00!) in our house. Santa had come and left Aiden a talking Elmo. He moves, sings, and tells stories and jokes. He also filled Aiden's stocking with other Sesame Street goodies and lots of fun toys! The Elmo quickly became a favorite!

After we all opened our stockings we ate breakfast (yummy homemade monkey bread) and then opened the rest of our presents.Aiden got some more Elmo's World videos,a talking Thomas the Train phone, an Elmo play-doh set that cuts shapes (it also talks and tells you what each shape is),a magnetic Thomas and Friends book (sooooo great for church),
a large truck that holds all his cars,

and a Woody doll.

We had a great time playing with all our new stuff. We stayed in our pajamas all day! Last year Aiden wasn't quite crawling yet and could just sit and play with toys (well mostly paper and boxes). What a difference a year makes! He was so into Christmas and loved everything. A child after my own heart! And yes, technically, it was a white Christmas (barely!).

Now on to a new year and new adventures!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-30T13:30:00.011-06:00

Christmas Eve this year was wonderful! Monty was off and so we stayed home and made some family memories. After traveling the two previous weekends, it was nice to relax andjust be together as a family of three. No schedules to keep and no places to go - it. was. awesome. We love our extended family and have a great time with them, but there's something to be said for creating our own traditions. So ... first up we made cookies for Santa. Aiden found a great recipe for us! He was ready to cook! Anytime I am in the kitchen he gets his "big chair" and scoots it over to help (or make a mess or play in the sink ....). Mix all the ingredients together .... (If you don't have the petite wooden spoons from Pampered Chef, they are great for little helping hands.)And then comes the good part!He's just got to figure out how everything works ....A few hours (a trip to Walmart and a new shirt) later, and we are ready to cut those cookies. Glad there is room for error because he didn't quite get the whole process of cut one cookie then move your cookie cutter to a new spot before attempting to cut the second cookie.Can you tell who got to shake the sprinkles on the cookies?Being a big boy and helping clean up the MESS!Eating a cookie. Couldn't get him to unglue his eyes from whatever Christmas movie was on TV.Our yummy "dinner". We have fruit, meat, and bread - that's almost all the food groups. ha We snacked in front of the TV and watched a few Christmas movies. Then it was time to set out milk and cookies for Santa and head to bed.Decked out in Christmas pjs ready to dream about what Santa would bring!
I'm pretty sure this is close to what all Christmas Eves will look like for the Blairs. We would welcome any family or friends to join us! Love going and seeing everyone, but there's just something special about crawling in your own bed on Christmas Eve and walking into your own living room on Christmas morning to see what goodies Santa has left.

Christmas #2

2010-12-25T21:01:00.017-06:00

The weekend before Christmas we went to spend a few days with Monty's family in Montgomery. We left Friday afternoon at 4 and got to his parents' house at about 2:30 Saturday morning. I am so thankful that Aiden is an awesome traveler. He watched a couple movies once it got dark. At 10 we turned off the DVD player and told him it was time for bed. He went right to sleep and stayed that way until 1 when we stopped for gas outside Birmingham. At that point he didn't want to sleep, but rode quietly until we got to Montgomery. We finally got in bed around 3:30 and then he was up at 8 ready to go!

Saturday night we went to the zoo to see the lights. Aiden loved riding the train through the zoo looking at everything. After that we walked around and saw the light displays.We ended the night in the petting zoo.Sunday we went to Papaw and Memaw's house for lunch. We had a great time visiting and ate a wonderful lunch! Aiden enjoyed opening his presents. He got books, puzzles, and a Thomas train.Sunday night we opened presents with Monty's family. What a fun time we had! Aiden would open one present, play with it for a minute, and then want to open another one. He got some nice Alabama shirts from Aunt Crystal and lots of cool toys from Grandma and Grandpa. The hit toy was the ride on tractor complete with buttons, sounds, and a digging arm. He couldn't even wait until it was out of the box before trying it out!

What a fun time we had! Can't wait to see everybody again in May for Aiden's birthday. We are blessed to have such a wonderful family.

Christmas #1

2010-12-25T20:26:00.005-06:00

We split Christmas into three parts this year. Two weekends before Christmas we spent with my family in Hot Springs. It was during this weekend that Aiden acquired a most beloved new playmate. Enter the 62" stuffed dog into our lives. Thank you Uncle Austin! Aiden LOVES him and asks every morning to go,"Hug puppy." I have to say that even though he SHEDS like crazy, he is well behaved, quiet, and hasn't had any accidents in the house. I owe an even bigger thank you to Austin for not getting Aiden a real dog. Just remember Austin, paybacks are huge!Bringing Austin some doggy hair. Yep, he loves that dog!Choo-choos were also a big hit this year!Can you tell that he was the center of attention and our entertainer all weekend?!?Sitting in Pappaw's chair. It vibrates and is way fun!Chillin' with Papa before bedtime.He loves his Elmo chair at Grammy's!We ended a great weekend with a fever on Sunday morning. He has two more eye teeth popping through on the bottom and they are not agreeing with him. Poor baby! That's teeth #9 and #10 in the past four months! And yes, the cats think this dog is wonderful too! (Isn't it just huge?!?)

Oh What Fun

2010-12-08T12:30:00.004-06:00

Aiden has quickly become such a fun-loving toddler! I am constantly amazed by what he is learning and doing each day. He is such a fun kid to be around!

* I tried to write down all the words he can say, but quit around 100. This doesn't include all the names he knows. Most words are clear, but there are some that only we understand. For example, he says "noah" for snowman. "Poo-doh" can mean pillow, play-doh, or potato - we just have to look at the context to figure out what he means! lol

* He is LOVING Christmas. The lights, the tree, the ornaments, the presents, the movies, EVERYTHING!! When I get him up in the morning he immediately says, "Push! Push!". He wants to push the button to turn on the tree lights.

* He has done a great job looking at the ornaments and not taking them off the tree. He likes to name them - Woody, Buzz, Santa, "noah", Frosty, star, reindeer, ...... Can't get enough of them!

* He is really into watching TV, but only gets one show in the morning and sometimes one while I cook dinner. Current favorites are Elmo's World, Toy Story, Thomas the Train, and Barney. He is also really into Christmas movies.

* When we go to my parents, he knows that Grammy's computer has video clips of Austin's football games. He'll ask to watch them. The boy loves football (and Austin)! We went to three of Austin's games this season and he intently watched every one.

* He still loves books and will bring them to anyone to read. He is beginning to fill in words while we're reading, especially in his favorite books.

* Still has to have a blankie (or three or four) and Elmo when he goes to sleep.

* He has gotten so good about going to Bible class and Mother's Day Out. Usually no tears! When I pick him up, the first thing he says is, "Play! Play!". I guess he has fun!

* When we ask him what he learned in Bible class he'll usually say, "Noah .... ark .... animals."

* Loves playing with hats, choo-choos, cars, dinosaurs, and Mr. Potato Head.

* He will ask to listen to music. If I ask him what song, he always says, "ABCs."

* He can identify and name most of the "common" animals and can say what sound they make.

* We are trying to teach him to ride his tricycle. His legs are just a tad too short, but he loves to push it around!

We are thoroughly enjoying our little man!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-30T10:25:00.004-06:00

We had a super busy Thanksgiving week so of course I did not get a lot of pictures. Oh well! Mom and Dad came up to our house on Tuesday night. Andy and Lisa flew in from Seattle the next morning. Thursday we shared a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with our good friends, Josh, Tracie, and Addyson. We had TONS of food: homemade cornbread stuffing, rolls, ham, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn, carrots, hashbrown casserole and broccoli and rice. We ate until we were stuffed. After we let that settle, we jumped right into eating the yummy pies: chocolate pecan (thanks Tracie, it was AWESOME), apple, pumpkin, and pumpkin cheesecake.

Friday morning we were at Walmart by midnight to do some Black Friday shopping. Got some great deals! Then it was back home to sleep a few hours until going back to Walmart at 4:30. I had found a $50 gift card from when Aiden was born, so we decided to get him a portable DVD player. What a wonderful thing!! We'll get a lot of use from it on our trip to Alabama in a few weeks.

After Monty got off work, we headed to El Dorado watch Austin play in the 6A football semi-finals. They played a great game, but lost in the end by ONE point. :( We spent the night in El Dorado and then headed to Hot Springs on Saturday. We watched the LSU/Arkansas game at my grandparents that afternoon. Hogs won a great game!!

Saturday night we went to Garvan Gardens in Hot Springs. Aiden LOVED the lights. He is now obsessed with our Christmas tree! His favorite part of the night was the Choo-Choo. We went through it twice and he asked about it all. night. long.We had a great time having the entire family together, which doesn't happen very often. The next family reunion will be at Andy and Lisa's wedding in March.
So much to be thankful for! What a great way to start the holiday season!

18 months

2010-11-02T15:18:00.002-05:00

Aiden's 18 month check-up went well today. He has grown 3 inches and has put on 3.5 pounds in the last 6 months. He is now 33 inches (50th percentile) and 25 pounds, 8.5 ounces (65th percentile). His head circumfercance is still in the 95th percentile. No wonder we battle with some of his shirts to get them over his head!

We are enjoying our fall and are looking forward to the holidays!

The Carving of a Pumpkin

2010-10-17T22:40:00.006-05:00

This week we've been learning about the letter J, so making a Jack-o-lantern was the perfect activity! We picked out the perfect pumpkin during our Saturday outing to Right Choices Pumpkin Patch. Aiden loved the pumpkin shovel and was ready to get to work when we got home.My friend Tracie mentioned that Hobby Lobby had Elmo templates for pumpkin carving. Monty decided it would be easier to just make our own. Perfect for our Elmo loving boy!Aiden didn't know quite what to think of the pumpkin guts.So of course, tasting them seemed like the right thing to do. I think he actually liked it!Then was just ready to play with the pumpkin while Monty and I cleaned it out.He thought he was big stuff because he got to sit on the table and play. He had such a great time!He decided to go get his own shovel and help scoop out the inside.While Monty was carving the face, Aiden picked up all the scraps and threw them in the trash. Right now he is obsessed with throwing anything in the garbage. I am constantly finding spoons, toys, and cups in the kitchen trash can!Check out his hand! FILTHY!!! This shows me how much fun he had!Monty got Elmo all carved out and Aiden was so proud of it!! I was really impressed with how it turned out!After dinner and a much needed bath, we lit Elmo and let Aiden go outside and see it. He loved it!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Look How He's Grown

2010-10-16T22:23:00.002-05:00

We are making an annual tradition to go to the Right Choices Pumpkin Patch. Here's Aiden and his sweet friend Addyson last year. Fast forward one year and look how BIG he is! Definitely not a baby anymore!

He's still my baby though!

CampQuest

2010-10-07T16:59:00.004-05:00

We had a blast camping in Branson with our church family last weekend. The weather was perfect for tent sleeping at night and playing outside during the day. I packed the car Thursday and then when Monty got off work at lunch on Friday, we headed out. We got the tent set up and were ready to eat dinner before it got dark. This year we camped in an electric site which was nice, but it wsa really close to the road. I thought the cars going by at night might keep Aiden up, but he slept like a log!

Love the smile on his face! Being outside is his favorite place to be. He did sooooo good all weekend! Monty cooking our favorite camp dinner - fried potatoes and sausage!
Saturday morning we woke up to the sound of screeching tires as a car came down a hill, crossed traffic, and went off the road and into the ditch across the street from our tent. The people were okay, but they had to get someone to come tow them out of the ditch. I'm thinking next time we may try and get a site not so close to the road!

The playground at the campsite was perfect for little ones. Aiden really loved hanging out with the other kids and climbing all over the place.Saturday I went shopping with a friend while the guys took the kids to the fish hatchery and dam. Monty said Aiden loved watching the fish. They met us for lunch and then they went back to campsite for naptime. Aiden was worn out after a morning of playing hard.

Saturday night we roasted marshmallows for smores before the evening devo. Aiden was so interested in the fire and kept saying, "Hot! Hot!". He knew better than to get too close.
Sunday after church we packed up camp and headed home. Aiden was so tired that he kept laughing to himself until he fell asleep. It was too funny! We are looking forward camping again in about 2 weeks.

Ahhh....Fall!!!!

2010-09-29T15:51:00.005-05:00

We have had the windows open all week and it feels GRAND! We're under two quilts at night and can comfortably walk around barefoot during the day. Love this time of year! I got all the fall decorations out of the attic and spruced up the house a bit. The Yankee Candles are burning. I have all my favorites, including Mulling Spices, Red Apple Wreath, and Cinnamon Stick. Most of the time I burn them all together creating a lovely fall aroma. So yummy!The porch even got a few decorations this year! It's nice to drive up to the house and see a pretty porch. Makes it a little more homey!The pumpkins are all in place adorning window sills, tables, and tops of furniture. I love my new fall tray! It looks so cozy sitting on the dining room table. Aiden learned real quick that it is not to messed with. lol When we have company for Thanksgiving, I will fill the bowls with goodies to eat.The shelf in the dining room is my favorite. Love the leaves (which are also on the tops of all the kitchen cabinets) and small pumpkins and berries.Here are books from "G" week. Not many books about geese, but I found these at the library. Aiden is learning the sounds animals make, so the Down on the Farm book was a big hit!He really gets into art projects! Seriously painting his letter G.It is apparently a lot more fun to paint with two paintbrushes.Next day ... gluing feathers on his "G" goose
It's camping weather and we'll be headed to CampQuest with our church next weekend. Can't wait!!

D-elightful, E-xciting, and F-un

2010-09-13T23:50:00.008-05:00

I am finally getting around to updating our blog! The last few weeks have been busy with dentist appointments, a huge Rhea Lana consignment sale (which of course required my attendance several times over the course of a week!), Aiden starting Mother's Day out one day a week at church, Ladies Bible Class resuming, a visit from Monty's parents, and a trip to Hot Springs.

But, we are still having fun and trying to learn a little each day! I am amazed at how quickly he learns. I am constantly surprised by some of the stuff he comes up with. For example, last week I heard the sliding glass door open. I came around the corner to find that Aiden had pushed a dining room chair over to the door, unlocked the door, and opened it! He had decided it was time to go out and play. Such are the adventures of a curious and busy toddler! Reminder to self - Always keep the bar in the doorway so the glass door cannot be slid open.

We played Scrabble this weekend and Aiden kept getting in our laps and reaching for the letters. He'd say, "ABCDs!" as he was attempting to grab them. He may not know the difference between the letters, but at least he understands what a letter is.

Here he is doing one of his new favorite activities. He loves to take things in and out of containers. Whether it's taking things out of kitchen drawers and putting them in the garbage can or emptying and refilling his tub of cars, he is so entertained by moving objects. He so enjoyed burying the animals in the beans and taking them out again. We did it for 30 minutes and he never once took a single bean out of the container. We'd bury the animals and he'd find them. We talked about how dogs like to bury bones and go find them later.Coloring is also something he has recently come to enjoy. I found this great Sesame Street coloring book with all the letters of the alphabet. Anything with Elmo is a HUGE hit these days.Family and football week started with a visit from Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma got some good snuggles at night while Aiden had his milk before bedtime.Grandpa and Aiden sharing a book before bed.
We made a book with all of Aiden's family. Monty designed the pages. Here is an example of what one looks like:There are a lot of family members that we don't see on a regular basis and I want Aiden to begin to recognize their faces and be able to say their names.

Aiden colored cards for all of his grandparents and great-grandparents.He has gotten really good at putting stickers on paper. Had to share some Sesame Street stickers with the grandparents!Friday night we went to watch Austin play football.Aiden did GREAT!!! He sat the entire time and was mesmerized by the game. He sat with Uncle Perry the entire first quarter and then we just passed him around. Notice him holding on tight to the balloon. Everyone else let their balloons go when the team ran out on the field. He looked at the balloons in the air and then grabbed onto his with both hands!Still holding the balloon ....Still holding on ....Poor baby is SOOOO hot natured. It really was a nice enough night but he just sweats and sweats when he is outside.He just loves his uncles!Had to snap this shot of my lil gangsta baby!

Cars!

2010-08-25T13:29:00.005-05:00

Last week we had fun with cars (and trucks!). "Truck" is one of Aiden's newest words and he points them out everywhere! If he hears anything loud outside drive by, he stops, listens, and says, "Truck!". Here are some of the books we read this week. I loved Red, Stop! Green, Go! It was another one of my thrift store finds and is a companion book to Go, Dog. Go! It has flaps to lift, wheels to turn, and tabs to pull. A very fun book! What's a week about cars without a trip to the car wash? Aiden was a little enthralled at first...

Then he wasn't so keen on the idea! I let him get out of seat and he calmed down a little, but I don't think we'll make a return trip anytime soon!

I can't get over how much he loves play-doh. He loves to squish it and pull it apart. Then he wants me to flatten it out so he can push his cookie cutters in it.

He has lots of "little kid" cars that he enjoys playing with. For our week of car fun I pulled out the "real" cars and the car play mat. He had a ball! Now he likes them better than his Tonka cars! We practiced "stop" and "go" while he was driving the cars. Well, mostly he watched Mommy stop and go. He's pretty much just a go, go, go kinda kid! lol

And then there was the painting! Oh the painting ...... !!! He made a mess and tried to eat the paint at first, but once he realized he could put color on the plate, he was a very focused artist!

Here is our final product! It hangs on the fridge and we talk about the words and the colors every day.

We also rolled cars in paint and painted the letter C and had lots of races on the Tonka race tracks. I have a playlist of songs on the ipod for each week. A lot stay the same, but I change others each week. Aiden loves listening to music and now asks for me to turn it on. He's just so much fun!!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

2010-08-17T08:38:00.004-05:00

Last week we talked about bears and the color brown. One of Aiden's favorite books is Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? so I knew he would love reading it over and over (and over and over!). I found this copy of the book at a local thrift store for $0.75! The really cool thing is that is has sliding "windows" on each page that reveal the next animal. It is a great book for learning animals and colors. I try to read an ABC book each day too. Aiden's current favorites are Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Dr. Suess' ABCs. He'll bring me one of them and say, "A, B, C!". We also tried our hand at coloring. He did a pretty good job!

We made bear sandwiches for lunch one day!

One thing I love about toddlers is how they learn so much through play. You don't have to have a lot of scheduled activities or projects. They love to explore objects, textures, books, etc. He is really into putting objects into containers and taking them out again.

We made brown bears by dipping teddy bear snacks in chocolate pudding. I knew he would end up just playing in the pudding and that's exactly what happened! :) Who knew pudding would keep him entertained for 30 minutes?!?

Needless to say, a shower was our next stop!

A is for Apple

2010-08-07T17:48:00.005-05:00

It's back to school time!! I've always loved getting ready to go back to school and buying new school supplies. As a teacher I loved planning out a new school year, decorating my classroom, and welcoming new students. Every year when Walmart puts out the school supplies, I get a little excited. This year was no different. So, I decided that I would plan out a year of fun (and learning) for Aiden! Every week we'll focus on a different letter and color. Aiden LOVES to read, so I've found books to go with each week's theme. This week we read:
Aiden loved fingerpainting outside. The first thing he did was taste it (it was made of flour and water) and then he played in it.

Foam letters for the bathtub were a big hit. Right now we're learning 1-4. Each week I'll put new letters in to play with.

Play-doh fun with circle and "A" cookie cutters.

Practicing self-feeding skills while eating applesauce.

Making apple crisp with yummy homemade apple pie filling from Grammy's apple trees.

We're having lots of fun learning every day!!

Count Your Blessings

2010-08-03T12:15:00.007-05:00

We have had several unexpected expenses lately! It is taking a little bit out of our savings account, but it has reminded me of how blessed we are to have that little bit of money tucked away "just in case". I want our kids to learn early on how to be good stewards of the money God has given them.

Our journey together began four years ago. When Monty and I got married we agreed that we would do the best we could to stay out of debt. We both had good jobs and so there was no reason why we had to rack up a bunch of bills just so we could have more stuff.

Monty had done a great job saving during the two years he lived here before we got married. I have to give him lots of praise for that. Most grads get their first job and immediately go out and buy a nice, new, shiny car. Not Monty! He still drove his 1989 Mercry Grand Marquis. Was it pretty? Not really. Did it run? Yes. Did it cause Monty to have a car payment? NO! That was the most important thing. So .... he saved money (while living in a small apartment) and was able to purchase a 2005 Impala four months after we got married. Was it pretty? Oh yes! Did we have a car payment? NO!

I had bought a car during college in order to have a reliable vehicle to take me from Florida to Arkansas several times a year. We paid that car off the first week we were married! In 2008 we paid cash for my new (used) car.

From the time we got married we knew we wanted kids and we knew that I would quit my job to take care of them. So, we set out on a course to get our remaining debt taken care of. That included my student loan (thanks Harding!) and the second mortgage on the house. We would still have the remaining mortgage, but we would work on that later. Within a year we knocked out the second mortgage. Then we saved some more in order to pay the student loan. We waited a little while to pay that off for two reasons. 1) The government would pay $5,000 of my loan after I worked in a low-income school for 5 years. That happened in 2008. 2) For a while we were making over 5% in interest in our money market account and the student loan only had an interest rate of 2%. It made more sense to leave the money in the bank. Our money was actually working for us until the recession came.

That being said, we felt that God ws helping us prepare to be a single income household. We lived off Monty's income for well over a year before Aiden was born. We had 3-6 months income saved and we were ready to take the leap of faith.

In spring 2009 we were blessed to take the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University through our church. We learned to so much more about how to prepare for our future. It help affirm the fact that God has blessed us and that we are stewards of HIS money. There were no second thoughts as I quit my job because we knew that God would provide - and He has. In ways we never would have thought. Now, even when we have emergencies (big doctor bills, a new water line for the house, fixing the car) we have the resources to take care of it - STRESS FREE! Plus, we have gotten so many discounts because we've been able to pay CASH!

We have learned to be content with what we have. Sure, we dream about a bigger house and a roomier vehicle. But in that dreaming we are also planning and saving toward that end. We have no desire to have a car payment or a huge mortgage payment. We live on a budget and only spend after we give back to God, invest, buy stock, put in 401K, put in savings, pay extra on our mortgage, and pay what few utility bills we have. We have basic cable and internet, we don't pay for a land line, we don't have data or texting plans (GASP!). What we do have is a happy house with little stress. Aiden and I play all day. That is reward enough for me. I may not have all of what my friends have, but I have been blessed! Being with my baby every day is worth more than all the money in the world!

"We are living like no one else so that later we can live like no one else!" -- Dave Ramsey

Real Life

2010-07-14T09:00:00.006-05:00

Most of my blogs have been about specific events or milestones in our lives. They are filled with stories, good pics, and memorable moments. But what about everyday, ordinary events in our lives? Yesterday I decided to keep the camera close by and capture a day in Aiden's life. These pics aren't posed, they are perfect. His clothes may have milk on them, his nose may be running, he still has fever blisters on his lips, but let's face it - this is real life!

He found a box of Cheez-Its in the living room that had been left out the night before. He decided to help himself while I was in the kitchen fixing breakfast. He was quite proud of himself and didn't spill any! So much for a clean kitchen. Almost every morning he pulls all the Tupperware lids out of the cabinet. I think he just likes to make messes. Fortunately he is getting old enough to help me put them away.

In the midst of playing with the lids he realized that the cat was hiding in the laundry hamper. Poor cat didn't see Aiden coming and ends up cornered, but not for long.
The cat managed to escape and thankfully neither baby nor feline were harmed during the encounter! So then he just had an empty hamper to play with which was just as much fun.

Caught climbing! He has figured out how to climb up on anything that's low. Now that he can climb on the toy box he will do it anytime the door to the office has been left open.

He is a little less eager to get back down off things however.

It's the little things in life that mean the most. God has blessed us with the best little thing ever!

On Safari

2010-07-04T09:21:00.006-05:00

Monty's sister was in town this weekend so we decided to go have some fun at the Wild Wilderness Drive Through Safari. We were not disappointed. There are 5 miles of road that wind through various animal habitats.

Some animals keep their distance while others are right up in your face! Take this emu for instance! He wanted to know what was going on in our car. At one point Monty had the window rolled down and was taking some pics. Aiden was leaning out the back window and Crystal and I were supposed to be watching for animals (windows are supposed to be rolled up at all times!). Out of nowhere this emu comes up from the rear and gets pretty close to the car before we see him and get the windows up. They just look scary and mean! I am convinced they are only there as protectors of the animals. If you even think about getting out of your car, they'll change your mind real fast! The zebra wasn't shy and Aiden was trying to pet him and give him kisses through the window.

The camel greeted each car as it came along.There were so many animals! I was really impressed! After the drive through part there was an extensive petting zoo. Aiden was enthralled with the baby goats and tried hugging them all. He wanted to touch the chickens but they weren't so cooperative!

The calf and the water buffalo just walked along with us.The lemur just relaxed in the shade while everyone petted him. He was too cute!
The sweet baby tigers were down for a nap so we couldn't pet them. :(
Mr. Peacock struttin' his stuff!
What else did we get to pet? Bunnies, monkeys, turtles, donkeys, mama goats, a baby porcupine, and so much more! What a fun day!

Splish Splash

2010-06-25T21:57:00.001-05:00

DSCF1532, originally uploaded by HawgTide.

Aiden had the best time at Grammy and Papa's this weekend in Hot Springs. His new favorite thing to do is play in the outdoor sink. He would stand in front of it and say, "upeese!" (up please) until someone put him in it. He quickly figured out how to turn the water on and drink from the faucet. Saturday night we even gave him a bath in it. Monty posted pics of our weekend on Flickr.

2010 Vacation - Part 2

2010-06-14T11:06:00.010-05:00

Day 7 - Thursday, May 27

Today we did some driving through the Needles Highway and the Custer State Park Wildlife Loop. OOPS!! I forgot to put the memory card back in my camera so there are no pics from that part of the day! Monty took a lot, but I have to resize his to fit on Blogger and I just don't really feel like doing that right now! We did enjoy the drive though and saw a chipmunk, buffalo, pronghorn, and a donkey (not even kidding). You used to be able to ride donkeys through the park so when they stopped using them for tours they let them go in the park. Now they roam free. The one we saw was standing next to a car while the man inside was feeding him cookies. I don't think you're really supposed to feed them ......

You can feed wildlife of the human variety and boy does this kid LOVE to eat! He'll eat pretty much anything! Here he is enjoying BBQ and baked beans!

Our Rushmore pass is good for the rest of the year so we decided to go back and visit one more time before heading home. It amazes me every time how they were able to carve such perfect faces into the rock. It is such an awesome sight and I think it's something that everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime.

Aiden, as always, loved being outside and running around. Monty got some good shots of him that are so precious (just too big for Blogger).
We try and get a Christmas ornament each time we go on a trip. This family photo will go in the ornament we bought at Mt. Rushmore. Every December when we decorate the tree we remember the fun places we've visited together. We love to travel and have enjoyed seeing lots of new places! This trip we went to 4 new states (IA, SD, WY, and MN), 2 National Parks, 3 National Monuments/Memorials, and 1 National Historical Site. Day 8 - Friday, May 28

Time to head home! We got packed up and headed out of town at about 10:00. On our way our we stopped and bought some goodies from one of the downtown stores. I got rocky road fudge and Monty picked out a "pigtail" (a pretzel rod dipped in caramel and then white chocolate) and an orange creamsicle treat. It was all so good. I even managed to make my fudge last a couple days!

We saved Badlands National Park for the way home since it was basically just a drive through park. Monty got our at several of the pull over areas to take pics while I opted to stay in the car with Aiden. It was SO hot that day! We all got out at the visitor center to stretch our legs before hitting the road again.

Near the Badlands is the Minuteman Missile Site. This was a nuclear missile site. Unfortunately we missed the tour for the day and we really couldn't see anything from the visitor center. So that stop was pretty much wasted. However they had nice picnic tables so we were able to eat lunch and launch out again across the state of South Dakota.

Having never been to Minnesota before, we decided to cross the border and spend the night. We were soooo exhausted when we finally went to sleep that night.

Days 9 & 10 - Saturday and Sunday, May 29 & 30

After leaving MN Saturday morning we drove to Kansas City to spend the night. We have an atlas (that's a book form of a GPS system!) that has the locations of all Walmart and Sam's Club stores. We tend to choose an exit with one of these for two reasons 1) they usually have gas and 2) it's usually a decent part of town. All that said, we stayed in a nice part of KC in a super nice La Quinta hotel. When Monty walked in to check their prices they told him it would be $109. Yeah...no thanks! He started to leave and the desk clerk asked where he worked. Monty told him Walmart. Well, that made the price of the room $59. Yeah...that's more like it! The room was HUGE and we enjoyed the king size bed. Can't wait to move into a bigger house and buy one of those!

Sunday we headed straight home so we could be back in time for church services Sunday night. I was so glad to be HOME! No more sharing a room with a baby or living out of a suitcase!

I do love vacations though and have already started dreaming (I am such a plan ahead person) about where we might go next year. I'm thinking the beach......

2010 Vacation - Part 1

2010-06-02T13:21:00.023-05:00

This is going to be a loooong post, but I want to write down the details of our family vacation. I want to be able to remember how much fun we had!

Day 1 - May 21

Monty got off work early so we were able to leave town about 2:00We drove as far as Council Bluffs, IA (right near Omaha, NE). Not a bad drive considering it was all interstate. After checking into the hotel we ate dinner at Cracker Barrel, went to Walmart to pick up a few forgotten items, and then crashed for the night.

Day 2 - Saturday, May 22

Aiden let us sleep in a little but we were on the road again by about 9:00. It was raining a little, but nothing too bad. In Sioux Falls we stopped to see the USS South Dakota Battleship Memorial. The visitor center wasn't open but we were able to let Aiden get out and run around for a while. We arrived in Mitchell, SD at about 2:00 and found a hotel that had an indoor pool! Aiden had a blast in the kiddie pool. That day we toured the Corn Palace and did some walking downtown.

Day 3 - Sunday, May 23

After church we headed to Keystone, SD, our home for the next week. We stopped in at Wall, SD and walked around Wall Drug. Aiden got to get out and run around and we enjoyed delicious ice cream! The visitor center in Wall had lots of "stuffed" animals and Aiden was in awe of them all. He kept walking around pointing to everything saying, "ooh, oooh!!". When we got to Keystone we set up the tent and then went to Mt. Rushmore to eat dinner and watch the lighting ceremony. Aiden fell asleep shortly after the show started.

The first night in the tent was a rough one as storms blew through all night. Monty kept checking the radar every hour to make sure there were no tornadoes. We stayed mostly dry, but every time the rain cover hit the tent, big drops of water would fall on us. Aiden ended up sleeping with us after a huge drop of water hit him in the face. Thankfully, in between storms we managed to get a little sleep.

Day 4 - Monday, May 24

We knew it was going to rain later in the day, so we decided to get up and head to Crazy Horse as soon as we finished breakfast. Aiden fell asleep as soon as we got in the car and slept for two hours! It was about a 20 minute drive to the Memorial. We parked and Monty got out and took pics while I stayed in the car to let Aiden sleep. I got a lot of reading done on the latest series, Above the Line, by Karen Kingsbury! After Aiden woke up we all toured the museum.

Storms looked like they were rolling in so we decided it would be best to head back to the campground. We got back just in time for a HUGE hailstorm!! The campground had covered picnic tables, so we moved a table out of the way and parked under the canopy. I think we played in the car for an hour while the storm continued. When it appeared to be dying down, we headed into town for lunch. Unfortunately we ran right back into rain and hail AGAIN! It continued all afternoon. It finally did end and after a run to Walmart to get groceries we headed back to camp. This is what we found:Not only was the tent blown down, but some of the poles were broken! That meant moving into a cabin for the next four nights. Fortunately there were vacant cabins and we only had to pay the difference between the price of the campsite and the price of the cabin. It ended up being a blessing for several reasons:

1. Aiden's allergies started acting up and it was better for him to sleep indoors.

2. The second night had WINDS that were worse than the first night. There is NO WAY any sizeable tent would have stood against them.

3. The second night was COLD! Way cooler than any of the forecasters thought it would be.

4. We had a fridge, TV, microwave, and private bathroom.

Day 5 - Tuesday, May 25

We drove to Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument. We had a fun time looking for wildlife at WC.

We chose not to do any cave tours b/c they were long you had to walk down 300+ steps. Not something I wanted to attempt while carrying a wiggly one year old. We did take a short tour at JC. It was about 20 minutes which was about all Aiden could take. I carried him in the front carrier, but he did not like being confined for that long! No more cave tours until the kids are older!

Day 6 - Wednesday, May 26

This was mostly a driving day as we went to Wyoming to see Devils Tower. While we were driving we saw Reed from the TV show "Storm Chasers". Thankfully he was taking a day off to hike and wasn't chasing any storms in our area.

We hiked the trail around the base of the tower but didn't make it all the way around as Aiden's allergies were getting worse. Here is a shot of the prairie dogs on the way in:

On our way back to camp we bought a travel humidifier and some baby vapo-rub hoping that would help make him more comfortable. Someone really needs to come up with an OTC allergy medicine that kids under 2 can take!

Stay tuned for Part 2!

Look Who's Talking

2010-05-14T13:41:00.002-05:00

Here is a short clip of Aiden talking. He knows more words, but this is all I could get him to say (and usually he says "mama" better than he does here!). Enjoy!

What It's Like to Be One

2010-05-06T22:43:00.002-05:00

The following was inspired by an article in the most recent issue of American Baby magazine.

Aiden
Weight: 21 lbs, 9.5 oz.
One word to describe him: Busy
Tell us more: Aiden loves to be on the go! He is constantly crawling and playing. He loves to climb and has trouble sitting still for long periods of time.
How many teeth: Six
Drinks from a cup? Yes
Walking yet? Yes, but he loves to crawl because he can get where he wants to go faster. He can walk across a room if he wants something bad enough.
First words: "Daddy" (not "Dada"), "Mama", and "Kitty" (sounds like "Tid")
Favorite thing in the world: Mommy
Favorite food: Yogurt and Goldfish
What makes him laugh? Being tickled and playing Peek-a-boo
Favorite book: The Hungry Caterpillar and The Very Busy Spider
Favorite song: "The Itsy Bitsy Spider"
First reaction to new people: He'll usually smile but then he'll turn away and act shy.
It drives me crazy when: I'm trying to do something and he pulls on my leg and whines to be picked up.
Cutest thing he does: Scrunches his nose and smiles showing all of his teeth

He's One!

2010-05-04T08:11:00.002-05:00

Our precious Aiden turned one on Sunday! So hard to believe. We celebrated with a big birthday weekend full of family and friends. My mom came on Friday morning to help with Aiden while I finished up all the last minute cleaning and cooking. She brought him a red rocker for his birthday. Her and my dad bought it for me when I was 18 months old. Dad refinished it so it was as good as new for Aiden. He loves it and has already learned how to crawl in and out of it.

We went to Tulsa Friday afternoon to pick up my brother, Andy, from the airport. He flew in from Seattle to help us celebrate. We were so glad he got to come. Monty's mom, dad, and sister came in to town Friday afternoon. They were able to watch Aiden while we went to the airport. They enjoyed getting to spend so much time with him! Monty's grandparents also made the trip from Alabama for this special occasion. Aiden's party went great! My brother, Alex, his wife, Amber, and my grandparents came from Hot Springs. Aiden is such a happy kid. He had a great time visiting and playing with everyone!

Amber made his first birthday cake! She did a great job!!

He had a great time opening all his presents. On a side note, it's time for me to clean out his toys in order to make room for all his new cool stuff. Addyson and Hallie were a great help opening his new toys! They'll be two soon so they know what presents are all about!

Aiden was very particular about his cake. He took the snake off and ate that first. Then he carefully picked up handfuls of cake and ate it. He did not smash it or play in it. The green icing still made a mess so we got some good pics. (That's the purpose of cakes, right?!?)

My dad and brother, Austin were able to come up Saturday evening when Austin was done with his track meet in Hot Springs. It was good to have the whole family together. That doesn't happen too often. Did I get a picture? Of course not! We were too busy having fun for that I guess!

Here are some things I want to remember about Aiden as a one year old:

* He has started taking some steps - as many as six or seven at a time!

* His vocabulary is increasing. He can say mama, daddy, kitty, bye, out, and balloon (pronounced "ba-yoo"). Last week at church he saw his friend Addyson sitting behind us and he yelled out, "Addy!".

* He is OBSESSED with helium filled ballons. He will point them out at stores and get soooo excited. It's hilarious!

* We were very blessed during his first year of life. He only got sick (enough to go to the doctor) with allergies once and he had NO ear infections or other sicknesses!! I was also able to breast feed for the whole year! That was a prayer answered.

It's Tuesday now and everyone is back at home. Time for us to get back to life as we know it!

First Haircut

2010-04-26T10:54:00.004-05:00

The day finally came for my baby to have his first haircut. I was not dreading the day and I didn't put it off like some moms will. I knew he needed a haircut!! We just had to find a time when my sister-in-law could cut it. Saturday was the day! As you can see, the hair over his ears was ridiculously long. It looked like he had wings sprouting from the side of his head. lol

The hair in the back was long too and needed a good trim.

He did really well for the most part! We sang and looked at books to keep his mind off the lady with the scissors. A few times he tried to reach back and grab the comb and scissors our of her hand.
Now he looks MUCH better!! So handsome! Thanks Amber for doing such a great job!

11 Months

2010-04-01T20:41:00.005-05:00

It's hard to believe that a month from now we'll be celebrating Aiden's first birthday! It doesn't seem like he's been here that long. We have been blessed with such a wonderful little boy. Every day is a joy and I am thankful that I get to stay at home and enjoy every minute of it! Monty is such a great husband! He works so hard to provide us with what we need and realizes how important it is for me to be at home with Aiden. Kids only grow up once and I am glad that I am able to experience all the new things that Aiden is learning to do each day.

He is into EVERYTHING these days. His favorite places are in the cabinets and climbing onto the dishwasher door when I am trying to unload it.

He is eating almost everything we're eating and we haven't found anything that he doesn't like. This week his fourth tooth on the top finally broke through. So far I see no more teeth on the bottom or any sign of one year molars starting to come in. He is very proficient at using his front teeth to take bites of food. He still won't pick up anything that is too squishy.

Every day he stands alone and more and more but still hasn't taken any steps. Maybe he'll be walking soon!

We are so glad that the weather has warmed up because Aiden loves to go outside! The back patio is the perfect place to crawl and he actually stays on the concrete! The boy cannot stand to crawl in the grass. He'll sit in it all day long, but will not crawl in the yard. He'd rather be on the rough concrete. Go figure! Hopefully we'll be able to take lots of trips to the park this summer.

Aiden and I went to Alabama about 2 weeks ago to visit my grandmother. He got to meet another one of his second cousins, Bryce.

It's about to get real busy around here. Next week we are going on a mini vacation to St. Louis for two days with our good friends, Josh and Tracie. The next weekend we will be busy having a garage sale and building a fence (thanks in advance to my brothers, Alex and Austin). The first weekend in May we'll be partying with all our family to celebrate Aiden's birthday. Then we'll wrap up May with a week long camping trip to Mt. Rushmore. Can't wait!!

Here is Aiden and his Uncle Austin sporting their almost matching shirts before church on Sunday. And yes, Aiden does have a bruise on his head in almost every picture. It seems like each time he falls it's on the EXACT same spot. We joke that he's a little top heavy!

The Latest

2010-02-25T10:40:00.004-06:00

Aiden went to his 9 month check-up on Monday. He weighed 21 pounds, 1 ounce (51st percentile) and was 30 inches long (89th percentile). Tall and skinny! I tried some of his summer clothes on him and his shorts are too big around the waist! Hopefully he'll fill in a little in the next few months. Goodness knows we won't need shorts for while! Some of his 18 month one piece summer outfits are almost too short already! I'll be doing a lot of bargain hunting at the JBF consignment sale this week and the Rhea Lana sale next week.

His head circumference was in the 95th percentile! He has always had a big head, but he comes by it honestly. Monty and my dad have always had trouble finding ball caps that fit! A fifth tooth made its appearance last week. I think there's another one coming in on the top. Maybe it will be through soon.

On the Go

2010-02-09T10:55:00.002-06:00

Aiden is on the go! He has figured out how to walk behind his push toys and he does it all day. I guess that means we're one step closer to a walking toddler.

January

2010-02-01T16:06:00.008-06:00

January has been a quiet month and for that I am thankful. The holidays were so busy that it was nice to just spend some time at home not worrying about getting ready for the next big event. Monty's mom and dad came at the beginning of the month to share New Years with us. Aiden had a great time and even crawled for the first time while they were here. What a treat! It snowed the Sunday morning they left - not just a small snow, but a huge, cover everything kind of snow! Driving to church that morning the roads were completely covered and we could see NO asphalt, just WHITE! That snow caused school to be out for a week. For that (and so many other reasons) I am glad that I am not working this year!

Aiden and I went to Hot Springs in the middle of the month to celebrate my great aunt's 80th birthday. Monty had to stay home and work on an install at work :(. But, he did get Associate of the Month for December, so all the hard work he did getting ready for the install paid off!

Aiden is growing and changing every day. He is so fun to play with and is such a happy boy! His favorite toys right now are books, stuffed animals, and balls. He is really into chasing the cats around and they have quickly figured out that they need to stay off the floor as much as possible. Whenever he spots one he lights up and tries to get to it and touch it. It is too funny! Notice the HUGE grin on his face - he has just spotted a cat sitting on a dining room chair.

My favorite time of the day is right after bath time. I read a few stories to him and then rock him for a few minutes before laying him in his bed. It's one of the few times during the day that he is actually still and I just love it. He is growing up, but is still such a baby in so many ways.

He has gotten four teeth this month.

Aiden is pulling up on anything he can and is starting to "cruise" along the furniture. He has already had a couple bruises on his forhead, a knot on the back of his head, a busted top lip, and a busted bottom lip. Oh, the joys of being mobile!

He is crawling EVERYWHERE! He ends up all kinds of fun places. He can crawl up stairs and over small obstacles. He crawled through the bottom shelves at the library last week, from one aisle to the next.
We have entered the world of self-feeding. He really does a good job most of the time. Of course, there is always a mess at the end of each meal!
We ended the month as we began it - covered in snow. This time we got about 8 inches and it was really pretty. Aiden enjoyed playing outside in it. This time he could crawl through it and he thought that was great. There are more snow pics on our Flickr site. School was out for another two days with this storm. I do not envy my teacher friends!

Dinner Entertainment

2010-01-05T12:30:00.002-06:00

Here is Aiden at dinner last night. He has the funniest faces and has figured out that he can make us laugh. He constantly cracks us up!

8 months

2010-01-03T22:09:00.004-06:00

*Aiden has just started crawling! He's not that fast yet but he will crawl if there's something he wants.

*He's so good during church and is learning to sit on the pew and play quietly. Maybe this will keep up into his toddler years!

*We are slowly beginning the transition from mashed up food to "real" food. I try to give him at least one food that we are eating each meal. He is really good at feeding himself most things.

*My favorite thing these days are the funny faces he makes. He is starting to imitate what we do and it is hilarious! At meal times we can sit and watch him do the funniest things. I think he may be beginning to realize that he can entertain us!

*We are using the word "no" a lot more often, mostly during bath time. He insists on standing in the tub, I insist he sit in the tub. One of many battles that will come! ha

*Aiden's first two little teeth finally broke through! Teething causes him not to sleep well at night, so hopefully we'll be back to normal soon.

SNOW!

2010-01-02T14:47:00.002-06:00

Tuesday night it snowed a little so I decided to see what Aiden thought of the cold white stuff on the ground. While he found it interesting at first, he quickly grew tired of being cold and wet. Next winter will be more fun when he can actually walk around in it and play some. I think he looks so grown up. His wardrobe no longer has any "cutsie" outfits - just pants and shirts - such a big boy!

Baby's First Christmas

2010-01-01T11:48:00.003-06:00

We had a great Christmas this year! Having kids makes it so much fun. We went to Hot Springs and had Christmas with my parents and brothers. Aiden played with boxes and paper for two hours. Occasionally he played with his new toys (ha!). I think we had more fun watching him than we did opening our own presents.
I was a little sad that we missed the white Christmas at our house, but being with family was worth it. Monty's parents came this week and we are enjoying their company. Next week everything will be back to "normal". I need to get the Christmas decorations down, but it can wait. Right now we are just enjoying all being together!

Getting Mobile

2009-12-22T17:21:00.002-06:00

Aiden is trying soooo hard to crawl. He can get on all fours but just can't coordinated enough to really go anywhere. I'm sure he'll be fully mobile soon. I guess we better get the child locks installed!

Last week I sat him in his crib while I was putting his laundry away. I looked over and saw him standing up! Needless to say, it was time to lower the crib mattress. We had been meaning to for a while, but just hadn't gotten it done yet.

He can now go from laying on his belly to sitting up. I can't believe how fast he learning new things!

Tis the Season ....

2009-12-09T11:50:00.002-06:00

FOR FOOTBALL! Aiden celebrated with Monty as the Tide crushed Florida to claim the SEC Championship. Now on to the National Championship against Texas in January! ROLL TIDE!

We took Aiden to Chick-Fil-A on Saturday to meet Santa Cow. He may not look happy in the pic, but really he thought Santa Cow was pretty cool. He LOVES stuffed animals, so this was just a big toy to him.

We finally found a sippy cup that Aiden will drink more than one sip out of. Of course, he still won't drink a lot, but at least he likes it. He looks like such a big boy to me in this pic!

Seven Months

2009-12-04T12:02:00.003-06:00

Aiden was seven months old on Wednesday. Here's what I want to remember about this month ....

* He is eating three solid meals a day and nursing every four hours. I am still making all his baby food. He loves yogurt (I don't make that!) and fruit. Aiden is really doing well with finger foods. If it is solid, like a Gerber puff, then he will pick it up. If it is a little mushy, like bananas, then he just likes to smash it! We are trying to get him to drink juice from a sippy cup. He gets the concept, but still will only drink a few sips before he wants to play with the cup.

* This month he has really settled into a routine during the day. He wakes up between 8:30 and 9:00 and eats breakfast. Then he plays for a little while and is ready for a nap about 11:00. He'll sleep about an hour and then we play and/or run errands. After that he'll eat lunch then is ready for a nap. His afternoon nap is about 1.5 hours. I put him down for nap in his crib and he goes to sleep pretty quickly without fussing. Usually he'll roll over on his stomach and stretch out to sleep. Bathtime is at 8:00 and he's usually asleep by 9:15. Of course, when we are away from home then all bets are off. He doesn't sleep well in his pack-n-play.

* Still NO TEETH!

* Aiden is trying so hard to crawl. From a sitting position he can get into a semi-crawling position. Then he just flops on his belly and pushes himself backward. This gets him really frustrated because he just moves farther from his toys instead of closer. It's funny to us, but not to him!

* He can grab his toes and put them in his mouth.

* If he is sitting next to something short he can pull himself up and be on his knees. He's not quite able to pull himself all the way to a standing position.

* Overall he is a great baby! He loves to smile and giggle. We've discovered that he is very ticklish on his belly. His favorite toys are books and anything that makes noise. Honestly, if it crinkles or he can bang it, then he loves it.

Stats

2009-11-23T08:50:00.002-06:00

Aiden had his 6 month check-up last week. He weighed 19 lbs. 4 oz. (75th percentile) and was 28.5" long (93rd percentile). Everything checked out great. I am thankful for a healthy boy. Monty's sister has been here visiting and we are so glad to get to spend some time with her. We have a busy three days here before we leave for Hot Springs on Wednesday.

Big Boy Carseat

2009-11-16T16:44:00.003-06:00

Our little baby has moved up to a "big boy" carseat! We've been researching what carseat to get Aiden. He is about 19 pounds so we knew he didn't have much more time in his "baby" carseat. Last week we found what we were looking for at the Associate Store! The best part was that it was only $50. When we got home and looked it up online, we found that it retailed anywhere from $130-$150! What a deal! We put Aiden in it in the living room and he loved it. He sat and played in to for almost 20 minutes. Monty got it installed in the car the next day, so now Aiden's ridin' around in style!

Half a Year

2009-11-05T16:48:00.005-06:00

At 6 months old ....
* He still loves to be outside. I think he'd play out there all day if he could!

* Aiden is a pro at sitting on his own! He has been doing it for about a month now and this has made my life so much easier. I can set him down with his toys and get a few things done while he plays!

* Still no teeth, but is chewing on EVERYTHING!

* He can roll over both ways and is trying to get his knees up to crawl. My luck he'll figure out how to crawl when the Christmas tree gets put up.

* He loves solid foods. So far there has been nothing that he doesn't like or is allergic to, so that is great. His favorites are bananas, sweet potatoes, and peaches.

* We had to take him to the doctor for his first illness last week. Poor guy woke up Monday morning so stuffy and raspy. He wasn't so much having trouble breathing, but his breathing was loud and just not what I would consider normal, even for being sick. I tried to suction out his nose (that was fun!) but couldn't get anything out, so off to the doctor we went. I didn't want it to get any worse. I knew Aiden really didn't feel well when he fell asleep while playing in my lap at the doctor's office. This NEVER happens!! I am not a mom who worries about every little thing, but I was glad we had decided to see the doc. He started Aiden on steroids and decongestant and that did the trick. This week he went for his flu shot and didn't even cry! What a big boy! :)

* Sleeping at night is great again! I decided it was time for Aiden to cry it out when he woke up in the middle of the night. I knew that wanting him to sleep 5-6 hours was not unreasonable since he had been sleeping 7-9 hours at a time when he was 2 and 3 months old. The first night he woke up after 3 hours, cried for 45 minutes and then slept for 8 hours. Now he'll usually sleep 8-9 hours, get up and eat, and then sleep 3 more hours.

* At the end of the month we are off to Hot Springs for Aiden's first Thanksgiving. Should be fun!

Check out more Aiden pics on our Flickr site! He was an elephant for Halloween and was super cute!

Alex and Amber's Wedding

2009-11-03T14:32:00.004-06:00

We had a great time at Alex and Amber's wedding! The wedding was beautiful and went perfectly. The happy couple is now honeymooning in Hawaii. Almost all of our extended family was able to come, so we had a great time visiting. Aiden got to meet some new second cousins. He loved Ellie - he was all smiles and just wanted to look at her and touch her! She was a little less enthused at first. :)

Aiden was so tired by the time the wedding came so he wasn't really into smiling anymore. He does look so cute in his dress clothes though! :)

The boys had a great time with Aiden. He loves his uncles and I can only imagine the trouble they'll get him into when he gets older!

Times like these make me appreciate how wonderful my family is! We have a great time when we're together and I am glad that we have remained close even though we live far away from each other.

The Beginning of October

2009-10-13T15:03:00.009-05:00

Fall is here! I love this time of year when the weather cools, the leaves change color, and there is college football on tv again. The Hogs have not done as well as I had hoped so far this season, but I was completely impressed with their last win over Auburn. Monty's Crimson Tide are having another great season and if they stay on track, they'll be playing again in the SEC Championship Game!

Aiden is loving solid foods! So far he's eaten green beans, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and pears. He is not a huge fan of the green beans, but loves everything else. I am making his baby food and have enjoyed that task. I love to cook, so this is my way of cooking for my sweet baby! It's really not as time consuming as I expected it would be. I just took one day and made A LOT of food then froze it in ice cube trays. Now I have the cubes stored in the deep freeze in ziploc bags and can just pull out what I need for each day. When I find fresh fruits and veggies on sale I can just cook, puree, and freeze for later! Last week I found kiwis for $0.10 each and avacodo for $0.25 each.

Aiden is able to sit on his own now for pretty good chunks of time and can almost roll over from his back to his stomach. He loves to watch the cats and gets the biggest grin when he catches sight of one. They have been very patient with him and will sit next to him for a short time so he can pet them.

Sleeping has been horrible this month. He still goes to bed at his normal time but is up most nights every 3-4 hours. I am hoping this gets better soon. I was so used to him sleeping at least 6 (but usually 7-8) hours when he went to bed! He typically takes 2 naps a day, but they are only 45 minutes long. Whoever said babies this age need 12-15 hours of sleep each day forgot to tell Aiden! :) I have to say that thankfully his Sunday naps are 1.5-2 hours so we both get a good rest!

This has been a busy month already and we still have half a month to go. The first weekend we went camping with our church in Branson. It was cold at night, but the daytime was great. Aiden did well in the tent and besides being a little congested, had fun! Saturday my friend Tracie and I went shopping and we took the kids along with us. Tracie has a daughter, Addyson, that 16 months old, so she and Aiden entertained each other. He loves to watch other children!

Last weekend we went to a pumpkin patch in Missouri. Aiden loves to be outside so this was perfect for him. We took some pictures of him with the pumpkins. Of course he was more interested in trying to eat the pumpkins and play with the grass. He and Addyson had a fun time playing in the "corn box" - instead of sand there's dry corn kernels. Again, he just wanted to eat the kernels! :)

Next week we are headed to Hot Springs for my brother's wedding. Aiden and I will go down on Wednesday and Monty will come on Friday. The wedding is on Sunday, so we will stay through Monday.

Four Month Update

2009-09-23T09:06:00.003-05:00

Aiden had his four month appointment last week. He weighed 17 pounds and 7 ounces (83rd percentile) and was 26.5 inches long (87th percentile). Again he did well will his shots and only cried for a minute.

Here's what esle Aiden's been up to ....

* He has started eating rice cereal and oatmeal and loves it! We also give him baby rice cakes to eat and he gobbles them up like a big boy.

* New discoveries = toes and ears! Aiden loves to reach down and grab his toes and try to bring them to his mouth. So far he has been unsuccessful but he'll do it before too long.

* Still loves to take a bath!

* He can almost roll over from his back to his tummy.

* Loves to be tickled and have us blow on his belly! He is laughing a lot these days!

* Last Sunday was the first time he made it all the way through Bible class without getting upset. Yay!! We're making progress. I have to say that he is getting a lot more laid back about being away from his mama.

Our Big Vacation

2009-09-16T13:43:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful time on out first big family vacation! At 3:30 on Friday we picked Monty up from work and headed out (after a stop at Sonic!). We drove to Conway and ate dinner at Cracker Barrel and then stopped just south of Memphis to spend the night. Aiden was so ready to be out of his car seat. He travels pretty well, but likes to have me in the back seat to entertain him.

Saturday morning we continued to Montgomery where we spent three nights with Monty's family. This was the first time his mom's parents had seen Aiden and they had such a good time with him. He also got to meet his Great Aunt Sandra and Great Aunt Linda. Monty's other set of grandparents were in town from Kentucky and they enjoyed seeing Aiden again.

On Tuesday afternoon we headed to Huntsville to spend three nights with my grandmother. The first night we were there we had dinner with my Uncle Joe, Aunt Beth, cousin Joel, and his wife Ashley. They just had a baby girl a month ago so Aiden got to meet one of his second cousins. We did our best to take pictures of Aiden and Annsley together with my grandmother, but Aiden just wanted to grab Annsley's feet and try to put them in his mouth! We'll all be together next month at my brother's wedding, so we'll try more cousin pictures then.

On Friday morning we left Huntsville and headed to St. Louis. Saturday afternoon, on our quest to see all the major league baseball stadiums, we were able to to see the Braves play the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Braves won 7 to 6! Yeah! So now that's four ball parks down and about 26 to go! Aiden fell asleep before the game started and slept peacefully until about the 2nd inning when the crowd cheered a little too enthusiastically for his liking. He was so scared and stared screaming. He calmed down fairly quickly and was pretty good until the 5th inning. Then he and I got up and walked around. He fell asleep while we were walking so we just stood up and watched the game. No use tempting fate again by sitting back down! We also went to the Arch again and walked around downtown before the game started. A great day, but we were all exhausted!!

Sunday morning we left and were back at home in time for church Sunday night. I love vacations, but I miss going to church in Bentonville while we're gone. It was so great to be back home and get to visit with friends.

*** Monty is working on getting the pics from the trip uploaded to our Flickr site.

Such a Big Boy

2009-08-24T16:11:00.007-05:00

It is so amazing how much a baby can learn and change in such a short time. Every day it seems like there is something new that Aiden does or discovers. He is getting a little better about being happy in Bible class. The boy just loves his mama and daddy and doesn't like being away from us. As frustrating as this is at times, at least I know he loves us a lot. :)

His new trick is being able to pull the frog on his play mat to make the music come on.

I am excited that he is getting close to sitting up on his own. With just a little support he can do it!

He loves his new bath seat! Now bath time is even more fun!

Yeah! One of the few times he was actually happy on his tummy. Look at him hold his head up so well!

Three (and a half) Months

2009-08-11T11:35:00.009-05:00

Wow! Our little man is three and a half months old! What a blessing this precious little boy has been in our lives. Here's what we've been up to....

* At the beginning of the month, Aiden and I went to Hot Springs by ourselves. I was a little nervous because you never can tell how Aiden will do in the car. He did GREAT! He slept almost the whole way down and almost the entire trip home. He got a little fussy at the end, but I can't complain. I can handle 15 minutes of fussing after 7 hours and 45 minutes of quiet!

{Aiden was not quite sure what to think of Uncle Alex's dog.}

* He rolled over again. (That's only twice now.) He hates being on his stomach! I lay with him, put toys around him, set up his mirror so he can see himself, but still all I get is crying! I know this too shall pass but still it's frustrating.

* Favorite toys right now are his exersaucer, Johnny-Jump-Up, and his little seat. He can see everything and this makes him happy. He LOVES to look around and take in what's going on.

* Everything goes in his mouth!! He loves to chew on anything he can get his hands on, especially blankets, burp cloths, and stuffed animals. When there's nothing else to chew on, in go the fingers (and sometimes fists)! Drool is all over him all the time!!

* Our daytime routine is pretty consistent now. He nurses every three hours and stays awake between naps about two hours. Still no long naps, just 3-4 one hour naps. The bedtime routine starts about 8:30 with a bath, then eating, then rocking. Aiden is typically asleep by 9:30 and sleeps 7-9 hours. He wakes up to eat then is back asleep for 3-4 more hours. I am so thankful I am not going back to work. His sleeping schedule would not leave me very rested!

* We tried to let him sleep without being swaddled, but that didn't end very well. Poor thing is still a little uncoordinated and ends up hitting himself in the face and waking up. We'll try again soon.

* Coming next month ... a trip to Montgomery to see Monty's family and then up to Huntsville to visit with my grandmother, aunt, uncle, and cousins. Then over to St. Louis for Aiden's first baseball game! The day after we come back is his four month check-up and shots. :( I am guessing he'll weigh about 16 pounds.

Firsts

2009-07-26T21:36:00.002-05:00

We have had a week of "firsts" ....

* Tuesday Aiden actually laughed while I was talking to him! It was so sweet. I am loving that he is interacting more and engaging in "conversation".

* Wednesday he rolled over from his tummy to his back (and I missed it!). I laid him on his play mat and then left the room to go to the bathroom. When I came back to the living room he was on his back just looking around. He hasn't done it since, but nevertheless I am still careful about where I lay him!

* Thursday was his first time with a baby-sitter other than family. My good friend Lesley came and stayed with him while I went to the dentist. She said he did great. This is encouraging because he loves being with his mama and sometimes has trouble being with other people. He is going to Bible class now at church and is doing pretty good with that too.

Aiden's 3 month pictures are now on our Flickr site! Enjoy!

Great-Grandparents and More

2009-07-16T15:46:00.002-05:00

How busy we've been around here lately. Fourth of July weekend we went to Hot Springs for my mom's birthday. Aiden did great on his first road trip and slept nearly the whole way there and the whole way home. Monty had some vacation days to use so he was able to take off Friday through Tuesday! It's nice to have some days at home together.

Aiden is becoming more and more fun each day. His new favorite things to do are watch his mobile,
listen to books and look at the pictures,

and watch his musical glow worm.

My Pappaw had a great time with Aiden!

Monty's grandparents came to visit last weekend. Aiden had a good time meeting Pops and Freda for the first time. Unfortunately I was in a wedding the same weekend so our time with them was limited. Hopefully we will get to see them when we go to Alabama in September.

Two Months Old

2009-07-02T10:35:00.003-05:00

I can't believe Aiden is already two months old. Time is flying! He went for his two month check-up today. He did real good with his shots. He cried for only a second and then came home, ate, and went to sleep. Hopefully he'll have a good day today and won't be too fussy.

Here are his stats:
Weight: 14 pounds 1 ounce (93rd percentile)
Height: 24.25 inches (83rd percentile)

This is a random picture of him sleeping. He looked so cute when I got him up this morning! We are using his pack-n-play this week so he will be used to it when we go to Hot Springs tomorrow.

Sleep and Play

2009-06-27T08:19:00.003-05:00

Aiden is growing so fast! I can't believe he is 8 weeks old. There are some new pics of him on our Flickr site. Monty is having fun experimenting with different portrait options.

Aiden is continuing to sleep well at night. He goes to bed at 10 and typically sleeps 5-6 hours. Last night he actually slept 7.5 hours! Yea!! Sleep for mommy!! He eats and goes right back to bed. He doesn't wake up "for good" until about 9:30 or 10:00. We are still working on taking naps during the day. It is really hard to get him to go down. He will fall asleep and then cry when I put him in his crib. He usually will only sleep about 2-3 hours during the day. If I carry him in the baby sling then he will sleep, but I really don't want him to become dependent on that as his way to take naps.

Aiden is becoming increasingly aware of his surroundings and loves to sit in his bouncy seat and look around. He will just smile at the toys on the seat and "talk" to them! It is so funny to watch. He also enjoys listening to me to me read to him. I am still working on getting him to play on his tummy and on his back. He really doesn't like it when he is not being held. He prefers to be able to look around. He is getting better and is not crying when I put him on his tummy. It is now just a whimper. I know he will play more independently as he gets older, but I just don't want him to get used to being held all day.

Next week he will be two months old and we will go for shots and a check-up. I am curious to see how much he weighs. I am guessing about 12 pounds. We will spend the weekend of the 4th at my parents house. Aiden will ge to meet his great aunt and uncle and hopefully even his great great aunt.

All Smiles

2009-06-08T11:38:00.002-05:00

Aiden is now a smiling baby!! He started smiling last weekend when my parents were here and has been smiling ever since. Monty took some great one month pictures and managed to capture his sweet smile. Everything else is going well. Aiden is becoming more and more alert during his wake time and is so much fun to talk and play with. Monty got to stay by himself with Aiden for the first time yesterday while I went to a wedding shower at church. This weekend was the first time Aiden took a bottle and he did great.

Likes and Dislikes

2009-05-23T20:08:00.002-05:00

Aiden likes . . .

* eating (but who doesn't?!?)
* being carried in the baby sling
* talking with mama
* listening to music while I am on the computer
* being swaddled tight to sleep
* sleeping late

Aiden dislikes . . .

* car rides
* baths
* being by himself

Overall, Aiden is on a great schedule and is pretty predictable. He is sleeping much better at night and is able to put himself to sleep. All I have to do is wrap him tight in his swaddle and he is out! He is asleep by 10 (usually) and will continue to sleep until about 10 the next morning (with a few feedings thrown in). We are enjoying our little man!

The Last Week

2009-05-18T11:59:00.003-05:00

The last week has been a busy one! We have been able to get out more during the day which has been good for me! Aiden has been to Wal-Mart, Target, and the Associate Store - all very important places that he will learn to love as much as I do :). We went to church last night and then out to eat afterwards. It was so nice to be able to visit with friends! I was beginning to feel out of touch with the outside world.

Monty's parents and sister came for the weekend. Unfortunately Aiden had a very fussy two days and didn't seem to want anyone else but me. Hopefully the next visit they'll get to spend a little more time with him.

Aiden had his two week check-up on Friday. He weighed 9 pounds 10 ounces and was 22" long. He had gained 11 ounces and grown an inch since his 4 day old check-up. I think we're going to end up with a big boy!

New pictures have been uploaded to our Flickr account. Just click on the "Our Pictures" link on the side.

At Home

2009-05-08T09:53:00.002-05:00

We are all adjusting well to life at home. Aiden is doing a great job sleeping and eating and is getting into a somewhat regular schedule. He is letting us sleep at night for about three hours at a time so we are both staying pretty rested.

My grandparents came from Hot Springs yesterday to visit. Aiden slept the whole time and let them hug and love on him the whole time they were here.

I am slowly recovering but have had so much help from Mom and Monty!! Monty gets up with me at night while I feed Aiden since I can't get in and out of the rocker with him. He has been great to change diapers and do anything else I need him to do. He will be at home with me for another two weeks. Yeah for paternity leave! Mom has been cooking and cleaning and is enjoying being a grandma.

2009-05-02T07:11:00.001-05:00

Preping for C Time.

2009-05-02T05:31:00.002-05:00

So more naps and resting. Sitting between an 8.5/9 with one side being stubborn.
Ang and Aiden are still doing great.

2009-05-02T03:21:00.002-05:00

Mr. Aiden is still deciding which way to face and is taking his time. Ang and I have taken quick naps to get some rest.

Ang and Aiden are doing great.

2009-05-01T22:25:00.000-05:00

Catching up 8.5. Ang doing great.

2009-05-01T21:27:00.003-05:00

Ang is doing good around 8:30 she got an epi and was around 5.5 at station 0.

She's taking a nap now.

Thank you all for your concerns.

2009-05-01T18:34:00.001-05:00

Up to 4 and he's getting lower.

2009-05-01T17:58:00.002-05:00

About an hour ago Up to 3.5. Ang is being a trooper.

She got some of the hour long meds and are really helping with the Pitocin induced contractions.

She now sitting up and doing well.

We'll keep you all posted.

Still hanging in there.

2009-05-01T16:01:00.002-05:00

At 2.5 , still going with Potocin. Ang is doing really good.
Ang's Mom is now here and sharing stories to pass the time.

More to come.

Today's the day.

2009-05-01T08:37:00.003-05:00

Ang's water broke around 5:30 in the morning. When my alarm went off about 6 she said, "We're going to have a baby." So I got a shower and we gathered the rest of everything and headed to the hospital.

Interesting side note if you're ever going to have an emergency, have it around 6-7 AM as there wasn't anyone in the emergency room waiting area.

We're all setup in the room and waiting. Ang is doing great.

So now we wait...

Good Things In Life

2009-01-28T14:43:00.002-06:00

There are so many good things in life right now . . . .

* Monty got a promotion a work! He is now a Senior Programmer Analyst. He knew the promotion may be coming sometime soon but was surprised when his boss called him in the office on Monday to give him the good news. He has been working really hard on some big new projects, so he really deserves this. I am so proud of him!

* Due to all the snow and ice I have not had to go to work for two days. How nice to relax and enjoy sleeping in a little and getting some housework done. We will be out Thursday too. This has been a bad ice storm but thankfully we only lost power for about 1 1/2 hours. That was last night from about 10:00-11:30 so we were in bed and it didn't really matter! Monty has taken some great pics and you can see them on our Flickr page.

* As of tomorrow I am 27 weeks pregnant and everything is going great! Only one more week of the second trimester left. We have our nursery finished (for the most part) and have had lots of fun buying clothes and picking out stuff for our little guy. Thank goodness for the Associate Store where we have been able to buy large quantities of diapers and wipes. I love that place!

* We have decided our big home improvement project this year will be to put new siding and gutters on the house. The old siding in the back is beginning to rot, but after all, it is a composite wood and it's 16 years old. The new siding will also increase the selling value of our house. Not that we plan to sell soon, but we will in the next few years. I think it's funny that I now get so excited about buying things like appliances, furniture, and things for the house. I guess that's because I know purchases like that are an investment in our future.

It's a Boy

2008-12-08T19:42:00.002-06:00

Yeah! We're having a little baby boy! Everything looked good on the ultrasound - ten fingers, ten toes, everything was as it should be. (Check out the "Our Pictures" link to see the photos.) So he will have the same initials as me, his name will be Aiden Richard. Aiden because we just like it :) and Richard because that's a family name. We have Richards on both sides of the family.

Monty and his dad (both Richard Montgomery)
My dad (Anthony Richard)
My grandfather (Richard Donald)
My brother (Richard Alexander)
Not to mention that my mom's maiden name is Richardson.

We have the crib bedding ordered and have finished registering at Wal-Mart. So, we're pretty much done with baby stuff until after the holidays.

Next week we'll be going to Hot Springs and then on to Alabama. We will be going to spend Christmas in Montgomery with Monty's family. Then I'll still have a week off at home before going back to school in January.

It's Baby Time

2008-11-13T19:23:00.002-06:00

Actually, it's been "baby time" for 16 weeks now, but everything has been so uneventful that there really wasn't much to blog about. Not that I'm not thankful for the "uneventfulness"! I have not been sick one day and, other than being overly tired the first 10 weeks, I've felt great.

We have started getting the nursery ready. Since that was my scrapbooking room, we had to clear all that stuff out and rearrange it in the hall closet. That took some major cleaning out, but now I am down to a manageable amount of supplies. The smaller space was a bit of a challenge, but we made it work. We got our crib in last week and have that all put together. My dad is in the process of building a bookshelf for the room. He wanted to give a personal gift to his first grandbaby :).

Today we heard the heart beat for the first time! It was going strong at about 150 beats a minute. Only three more weeks until we find out if it's a girl or a boy. My gut says it's a boy, but we'll see! Either way, we are so excited!

Back to School

2008-08-18T19:43:00.002-05:00

It's that time again! Today was the first day back to school! What a change it is to have to get up at 6:00 instead of sleeping in till 9:00. Now it's back to kids, lesson plans, and grading papers at night. Every summer just seems to fly by and I get to August thinking, "Where did all my free time go?". I didn't get half the stuff done I wanted to this summer, but that's okay. I had a wonderful vacation and got to spend lots of time with my other girlfriends who have the luxury of having summers off.

Less free time aside, I do really love my job. I love being in Wal-Mart when they put the new school supplies out, I love working in my room getting things ready, I love getting my class list and seeing who I'll have each year, and I love meeting my new kids. This year I have 24 darlings and I know we will have a great year. They are a talkative bunch but they seem ready to learn. I can't wait to see how they grow this year!

The Last Week

2008-07-12T22:30:00.002-05:00

The past week has been busy but fun! Tuesday we went to Chocolate World in Hershey. Pretty fun tour and a gift shop with LOTS of chocolate and candy. There was a lot to see! That night we ate at Plain and Fancy Farm. We had the "family stlye" meal which was all you could eat food brought right to the table. It was a little weird that we had to eat with other people (there was a family from Dallas and a couple from Lancaster at the table with us), but there was plenty of good food ... fried chicken, sausage, roast beef, corn, mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, carrots, pie, ice cream ... YUM!!

Wednesday we dodged the rain as we did a walking tour of Philly. We toured the building where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed as well as several other historic buildings. We ended the day at the National Constitution Center. Thursday we went to a Phillies game and then drove through New Jersey and Delaware (to add two more states to the list of places we've traveled!).

Friday we had a "down" day in Lancaster. We did a lot of driving and shopping. There were some outlet stores and of course a lot of Amish stores. We ended the day by taking a buggy ride. The ride went through an Amish farm so we were able to see the men working in the fields making hay bales. The children were selling homeade cookies and pretzels. We went to a local pretzel factory but missed being able to take a tour and twist our own pretzels.

Today we left our nice little campsite and headed for Indiana. We figured if we could get that far then the drive to St. Louis on Sunday wouldn't be so bad. We stopped near Shanksville, PA to see the Flight 93 Memorial. This was the flight that crashed in the field on September 11th.

We are almost in Indiana. Unfortunately there was a HORRIBLE rainstorm and so we decided to stop and stay the night in Brookville, Ohio. We are only 20 miles from Indiana so tomorrow won't be too bad. We can get back on the road after church tomorrow.

We are planning on visiting the Arch in St. Louis and then we will be home on Monday!! We have had a great time but we are ready to be back. Monty is not looking forward to work on Wednesday. I'm sure the rest of my week will be doing laundry and unpacking! :)

You can check out our photos on our Flickr site!

Adventures in Gettysburg

2008-07-07T19:24:00.004-05:00

We had a great time in Gettysburg. After our two BUSY days in D.C. it was nice to just lay back and relax a little. The first day we were there (Saturday) it rained quite a bit. We got some laundry done and plugged in everything in the laundry room to charge. I was not really impressed with our campsite. Unlike our others with trees and a private site, this was just a big field with a bunch of tents. The sites were separated with spray paint lines and there were no trees!

Sunday we actually got to do some sight seeing. After church we went and ate at Boyds Bear Country. This is a big outlet with all kinds of Boyds Bears for sale. It also had a great restaurant with country style cookin'. It was basically like a three-story Cracker Barrel. Then we went and did a driving tour of the Battlefield. The total tour covered about 20 miles and took us step by step through the three day battle. I was amazed at all the monuments, plaques, and memorials. We found the Arkansas, Florida, and Alabama memorials. The Visitor Center at the park was really nice and had a very informative museum about the battle. Today we went to the Gettysburg National Cemetary where Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address. We are calling this our Lincoln Vacation as we have now seen his birthplace, where he died (in D.C.), and several other places that were significant in his life.

This is the memorial for Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

This memorial stands on the site where he actually gave his famous speech.

We are now in Lancaster, PA. It was only about an hour drive from Gettysburg. It took us a little longer because we had to stop at Sam's on the way and get a new car battery. Luckily we could tell that it was dying and we didn't get stranded anywhere! The car starts much better now!

The Lancaster campsite is much nicer! We are next to a stream and we can look out the tent window and see farms and cows. There are actually trees and we have electric and water at our site. The bathrooms are much cleaner too and they are air-conditioned!

Here is the view from our new campsite. You can't see it in the pic, but there were A LOT of fireflies glowing in the field.

Tomorrow we are going to Hershey to visit Chocolate World. Any place with that much chocolate is bound to be fun!

More Pictures

2008-07-05T20:18:00.003-05:00

We are now in Gettysburg, PA. Yesterday we enjoyed watching the fireworks in D.C. The weather was less than cooperative and we spent much of the afternoon and early evening under our ponchos. However, the rain cleared in time for the fireworks and they were awesome!! We'll post a video clip soon. We sat in the National Mall area between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. It was pretty cool to be in the capital for our nation's birthday!

Monty has updated our Flickr site so you can enjoy more pics of our vacation.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/monty-angela-blair

Tomorrow we are going to tour the Gettysburg battlefield after church and then we will tour the Boyds Bear Factory.

Driving and Walking

2008-07-04T08:56:00.003-05:00

Driving and walking are the best words to describe the activities of the last four days. We certainly have done a lot of both and honestly I have enjoyed every minute of it! Monday morning we left Monty's grandparents at about 5:30. We traveled through the eastern part of Kentucky, part of West Virginia, and then into Virginia and the Shenendoah National Park.

Our time in Shenendoah was peaceful and relaxing. There were hardly any other campers in our campground. Also, being in a national park made the nights quiet and still. Tuesday we did some hiking and driving within the park. In the morning we hiked two miles to see the highest waterfall in the park and then hiked two (uphill and steep) miles back to camp. We drove about 30 miles to see another waterfall and to enjoy some of the gorgeous overlooks. Monty was able to capture some breathtaking photos of Tuesday's sunset.

Wednesday we left our peaceful oasis to enter the craziness that is D.C. On our way to the next campsite we stopped off to visit Mt. Vernon, which was once George Washington's home. We both enjoyed touring the mansion and the surrounding buildings, farmland, gardens, and memorials. Our campsite is on the Maryland side of D.C. We chose this once because of its close proximity to the capital. However, the highways run right by our site and the people of D.C. apparently never sleep because we could hear traffic all night long. That didn't stop us from sleeping though. Our days are so busy that we are ready to go bed each night!! We drove to Baltimore Wednesday night to see an Orioles game.

Thursday morning Monty was so glad that he didn't have to get back out and drive on the crowded interstates! The Metro bus came right to our campground and we were then able to take the Metro Rail into D.C. All day we walked and saw monuments, buildings, and memorials. We stayed in D.C. From 8:00 to 5:30 and our feet were ready to come back to the campsite. We covered most of the major sites and are going back today to see some more!! Since it is the Fourth of July we are sleeping in a little and then staying in the city late to see fireworks.

Here's me at the WWII Memorial!

Monty got this cool shot at the Vietnam Memorial.

Mammoth Cave, Museums, and Monuments

2008-06-29T21:41:00.007-05:00

Mammoth Cave .....

To say the least we have had a busy two days. Saturday we got up around 7:00, ate breakfast, and then had to go get the oil changed in the car. About 9:00 we were on the road again. It took a little less than an hour to get to Mammoth Cave National Park. There were several tour options available, but we decided on the self-guided Discovery Tool. Most of the other ones were sold out, not to mention the fact that some of them took over four hours to complete. We were able to walk at our own pace and take our time looking around. The part of the cave we were in was wide and open. I was the most impressed with the Rotunda area. I have know idea how big it actually was, but massive is the only word that comes to mind to describe it!

Museums ....

After lunch we headed up to Louisville to the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum. I was excited to see how they made the bats and I knew that we would get to take a tour and see bat making in progress. Unfortunately, the production part of the factory was closed due to inventory. However, we still got to take the tour and it was FREE since they were not actually making bats that day. It was neat to see how quickly they can turn a round piece of wood into a perfect bat. The coolest part was getting to hold and see the types of bats that several of the Major Leauge players use. Several have contracts with the factory and can call and order bats anytime. Each one has a specific bat that they like to use. We held bats that had been ordered by Andruw Jones, Ken Griffey Jr., and Derek Jeter to name a few. How cool! The other section of the museum had baseballs on exhibit that had been signed by 18 different presidents.

Monuments ....

Sunday we visited the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. There is a section of the actual log cabin he was born in. They have built a nice building around it to protect it. The monument is on the actual land that his father owned called Sinking Springs. The spring is below the ground and they say that that is where Lincoln took his first drink of water! I always enjoy history and Monty enjoys taking pictures so it was a good place for both of us. There were also two statues in the town square that are monuments representing Lincoln as a boy and as an adult.

Tomorrow we head out bright (barely) and early for Virginia!!

We Made It To Kentucky

2008-06-27T21:37:00.002-05:00

We left this morning at 9:00 for our big trip! At about 9:30 Monty realized he had left his camera charger at home so we had to go all the way back to get it! So . . . at 10:00 we were really on our way. Lunch was in Little Rock at Corky's BBQ (yum!). We met Mom and dropped off Austin. After that it was pretty much straight driving and a quick stop for gas in Memphis. At about 9:00 we arrived in Franklin, KY where we had a hotel room reserved. Tomorrow we are off to the Louisville Bat Factory and Mammoth Cave National Park. We are already having a great time and we're just getting started!!

A Day In the Life of a 14 Year Old

2008-06-19T21:15:00.002-05:00

A typical day for Austin . . . .

1. Wake up late.

2. Eat breakfast.

3. Play video games.

4. Eat lunch.

5. Play video games.

6. Eat dinner.

7. Play video games.

8. Go to bed late.

Really, he has done a little more than that (he mowed the yard on Tuesday)! Austin is enjoying relaxing, sleeping late, and not having to go to football practice and do chores every day. I am enjoying having some company while Monty is at work. Monty is enjoying having a guy in the house to share movie quotes, funny videos on tv, and sports related conversations.

I've finally given in ....

2008-06-10T13:39:00.002-05:00

After trying Myspace annd Facebook and finding them way too "busy" and complicated, I've decided that plain old blogging is the way to go. Not that there's that much going on in our lives, but it will give us a way to keep up with friends and family.

I am currently enjoying my fourth day of summer vacation. So far I have been to the dentist and had a cavity filled and two cavities fixed. Yesterday I got one wisdom tooth removed. That's right, just one!! I was lucky enough to have just one that was growing in on the top. I can't say it was fun, but I today I finally feel like I am back to normal.

Friday we are heading to Hot Springs to pick up Austin, my youngest brother. He is finishing up football camp this week and then he will stay with us for two weeks. Most of the time he is here, Mom and Dad will be in Seattle visiting our other brother, Andy.

The 27th Monty and I are headed on our huge vacation!! Our goal is to visit every National Park, all 50 states, and every Major Leaugue Baseball Park together. (We hope to be done by our 50th wedding anniversary!) Last year we went Mount Ranier NP and to Safeco Field (home of the Seattle Marineers). This year we will add Mammoth Cave NP and Shenendoah NP. We plan to go watch the Philadelphia Phillies play at Citizens Bank Park and the Baltimore Orioles play at Camden Yards.

Our 18 day vacation will take us through about 11 states. Trip highlights will include Washington D.C., Gettysburg, Amish Country in Pennsylvania, Hershey, PA, and Historic Philadelphia. We will be blogging our trip and posting pics so everyone can see where we are each day.