Finally...Some Peace and Quiet

Thank You, Granny and Poppy!

Aaron loves his Christmas present!

Me and My Babies

My favorite time of day. Nothing left to do but put him to bed.

Aaron, What's That You're Eating?

A TUNA FISH SANDWICH. Dudes. I'm not lying. I couldn't even handle tuna fish until I was all adult and stuff. Go figure!

'Cause That's The Lame-o Mommy That I Am

Here is Aaron tonight in his Christmas P.J.'s. The Christmas that is still over four weeks away. I had them all washed and folded neatly in his drawer, waiting to be put in our suitcase for our trip to Missouri and Texas next month. But see, Mommy needs to do laundry really bad. His backup P.J.'s (t-shirt and sweats) are even dirty. Oh, well. May as well get my money's worth, right?

I'm Finally Caught Up!

Every picture that I have on my computer of Aaron (and our Europe trip) is uploaded into Flickr now, so be sure and check them out! I made a new badge because I was bored with the old one. It is across the top and all you need to do is click on any of the photos and this will take you to my Flickr page and the rest of my photos. Happy looking!

The Moon Looks Really Cool Here

Taken from my backyard...

Bittersweet Fun

I have made a good friend here this year through TPS named Becky. We became friends because she is the first person I have ever met who is as passionate about running as I am. Her husband found out a couple months ago, though, that as soon as TPS is over they have to move to Florida. This royally sucks because, not only do I enjoy her company, she really kicks my butt into gear during our running too. My pace is a good 30 seconds faster when I run with her than when I run by myself. Anyway, in anticipation of their move across the country, they decided that they didn't want to move their totally awesome swing set too. So they gave it to us. For free. I know, right!?! Daddy wasn't going to put it together until next summer when we would hopefully be in a new house, but it became a safety hazard when Aaron kept climbing all over the parts in the backyard. So Daddy put it together this morning before he left for his trip. And it was a big hit too, judging by the tears we had when we had to drag Aaron inside for his nap!

Thanks so much, Massaro's! We are going to miss you!

Action Shot!

How's this for an action shot, Erin?


More pictures of my sweet girl:

Well, I Can't Say I'm Upset About This...

You Are 16% Texas

Damn Yankee! You think the sun comes up just to hear you crow.

How Texas Are You?

Thanks for this one, Pam!

Me Too! Me Too!

Lisa, my friend. The city, it is calling our names.

You Belong in London

A little old fashioned, and a little modern. A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock. A unique soul like you needs a city that offers everything. No wonder you and London will get along so well.

What City Do You Belong In?

The Q's New Ride

Well, not yet. But very, very soon.

I initially went into our whole minivan buying process screaming from the top of my lungs, "I'm a Toyota girl! And there's nothing you can do about it!" I LOVE my Camry. Love it, love it, love it. But with kids and strollers and dogs and kennels and portable DVD players that he insists on holding in his lap then he pushes all the buttons so it turns off and I have to reach back there and try to fix it while driving... Well, you get the picture. So I said, We need more room, let's go drive the Toyota Sienna because I know I won't want anything else. And we did. But it just didn't feel special. I don't know what it was. Maybe it's because they've had the same body style for the past few years. I don't know.

But, behold. The 2008 Chrysler Town & Country. Redesigned. Dual TV screens. Sirius Backseat TV with Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Disney Channel. 20 GB hard drive for pictures and songs. iPod? I don't need no stinking iPod! GPS Navigation. How in the heck do you get to Disneyland or any other place in this big freakin' state? Why here, let me show you!

Look how pretty:

These are pictures of our actual van (thanks for taking them, Bethanie!), but it is sitting in Missouri right now. My dad is a Chrysler salesman there and he ordered it for us. It was built an hour away at the plant in St. Louis and was delivered to his dealership last Friday. After Bill graduates from TPS on December 8th, he and I and dog and boy are all piling into the Camry and taking a road trip to Missouri. Once we get there, we will trade in the Camry and pick up the van.

It's all so very, very freakin' exciting.

Sunday Morning Brunch

This morning, Daddy and I decided to drive up to Tehachapi and eat at The Apple Shed Restaurant. They have an awesome Sunday brunch buffet (for me) and Stuffed French Toast (for Bill). They don't really have anything for Aaron except a train track, with a real working train, that is suspended from the ceiling and keeps him entranced so Mommy and Daddy can eat.

After we had yummy breakfast, we went to Central Park. Well, Tehachapi's version of it, that is. Aaron played in the playground for a while, then decided that he needed to wear Mommy and Daddy out by running around the park and touching every tree. Literally every tree. Here are some pictures from our day. Did I mention that I love my new camera? 'Cause I do. Love. It.

Climb all the way up there...

...to come all the way down here.
"Sing!" (Swing).

Daddy said I could get the new camera as long as I didn't make him hold it for me. I guess the camera bag is a different story, though.

Comin' at ya, Mommy.
"Side!" (Slide. We're still working on our two-letter sounds).
Oh, that's a good squeeze.
I love this picture.

And this one, too.
'Cause that's the rebel that he is.
Sick, dude. Did I mention that he's curious...about everything!
"Tee!"
"Tee!"

"Tee!"
"Daddy, tee!"

He was pointing at each letter and saying it. Gotta figure out if this camera takes video!!

In case you need help with the pronunciation...

Catching Up on His Reading

Yeah, that book in his lap would be Predator by Patricia Cornwell. Nice toddler reading for sure!

I'll Do It Myself, Silly Woman

Aaron now loves to do things himself, including brushing his teeth and washing his hands. Allowing him to do all these things himself makes Mommy's eye twitch a little, but I'm restraining myself because I know he needs to learn. Don't get me wrong, I always "help" him out in the end (read: do it over and do it right), but I'm trying.

I really like this picture. Sorry about the shmutz on his face, though.

Our New Favorite Pasttime

"Book! Book!"

See, This is Why We Gotta Move Back to Washington

So that I can see this girl more often. This is my best friend from high school, Athena, who lived just one measly hour away from me while we were in WA. I mean, how often does that happen? We got to visit during my trip up there last month.

This photo was taken by her awesome hubby, Tony, who also gave me a much-needed break by chasing Aaron all over their house and allowing me to sit and chat. I love you guys.

It's Here!!

My new camera, that is. No more excuses for the blog staying dormant! My old compact Sony (I say "old" but we got it, like, four years ago) was really starting to anger me because I was tired of getting pictures like this:

The boy never stops moving! Most especially not for Mommy, who just wants to get a good picture of him. So my darling husband decided to let me have an early Christmas present, which was the Nikon D40. I read several reviews and it was billed as "the beginner's digital SLR." That's definitely me since I'm still not exactly sure what SLR even means. All I know is, my friend Lisa has one as well as my father-in-law (thanks for all the help, Old Man!) and they both take really good pictures, really fast! I still need to read the big instruction manual that came with it (not just the "Quick-Start" guide) and I am also thinking of taking a photography class through the city of Lancaster or on base, if I can find one. Here are some pictures that I've taken so far:

Side note: If anyone has any suggestions for the excessively bright flash, let me know in the comments. I would really like to figure out how to take pictures that reflect the actual lighting situation in the room, but still stay in focus.