Whatcha Doin', Aaron?

"Checkin' my e-mail, Mommy." A.K.A. deleting files then restarting the computer.

We Have Rain!

It actually rained here on Saturday. I was so shocked that, of course, I ran and got the camera to document the moisture.

Why did it rain on Saturday? Because Bill did a rain dance on Friday (he washed his truck).

More Pictures on Flickr (Finally)

Now that things have settled down around here, I have been trying to pay more attention to my Blog and all Blog-related activities. I have uploaded another month of Aaron, so be sure and check it out! Use the Flickr badge to your right to get there. Also, look for more pictures that don't necessarily contain Aaron, i.e. the pictures from our trip to Europe that we took over TWO YEARS ago. It's shameful that I've allowed them to be stuck on this computer that long. I will be uploading them in the next few days. Enjoy!

Oh, Toothbrush Holder, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways.

Hopefully you won't mind my bastardization of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's famous poem, but I thought it fitting to describe my son's obsession with my toothbrush holder. I don't pretend to understand it. All I know is I now have to hide it everyday or we have some serious issues. He carries it around like a security blanket, people! Is that weird?

One day he got mad, and when he gets mad he throws things, usually whatever happens to be in his hands. This time it was my pretty ceramic toothbrush holder. Luckily he was standing on the rug at the time, so he didn't break it. From then on, though, I decided that it wasn't going to be yet another plaything for him (as in my hair dryer, makeup, broom, pots and pans, etc.), so I put it up to where he couldn't reach it:


Well, to where I thought he couldn't reach it. After finding him like this, the rule is now out of sight, out of mind. It is safely hidden away until he comes up with something else to obsess about.

Sigh...it was such a pretty toothbrush holder.

Look at Me Eating at the Table Like a Big Boy!

Bill and I have decided that we are done with the highchair to feed Aaron. Mostly because I'm tired of the yelling at 1) Reagan for begging for food and 2) Aaron for encouraging the begging by feeding her. So now we sit at the table to eat where it's easier to keep Reagan at bay since we are all together.

Of course, we love the family togetherness and all, but guess what we usually end up doing while we eat?

Heck, yeah! Bill hooked up the T.V. here so that I could watch it while I'm in the kitchen and we can also turn it around and watch while we're eating. I know, totally healthy environment for the boy, right?

Anyway, do you like how our dining room turned out? We worked hard on it this past weekend. And by "we," I mean about 20% me and 80% Bill. I actually did some of the painting (first time ever!), but Bill finished that up plus painted, cut and nailed the chair rail up. Pretty fancy considering we've been living in "Beigeland" for the past few years! Literally and metaphorically, of course.

He's Got Reagan Beat Hands Down at Fetch!

A big thanks to Molly-Girl W for leaving her green squeaky ball at our house so that we could continue to have fun times with it!

Check Me Out!

All Aaron's new tricks in a 27 second video! How efficient! Enjoy! (YouTube is giving me issues when I try to post the video like I normally do, so just click on the link below for now to view it.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzklmcdtqd4

Happy 10th Birthday, Emilie!

We love you, sweet girl!

Reagan Reflection #1

We've been here for exactly five weeks and she's still barking at the sonic booms, which occur on average about twice a day. It's a good thing she's pretty!

What Has My Husband Gotten Me Into?

This morning I attended the newbie orientation at Bill's school. I think it was supposed to be informative, which it kinda was, don't get me wrong. However, the only real purpose that these little info sessions seem to be having is to scare the bejesus out of me. Here are some examples, in bullet form of course:

• More wildlife horror stories - the Mojave Green Rattlesnake that will chase you if you make it angry, coyotes and bobcats that want to eat my Reagan for breakfast, and, oh yeah, the running mice count the other spouses have going (apparently it's some sort of badge of honor around here).

• The spouses of the previous class had little shirts made for their kids that read "Daddy Who?" on the front. It was made very clear to us that the students are going to be very busy this year and "family time" might just mean a pat on the head before bed.

• If you plan on having a baby while you're here, you have to drive the 40 minutes "into town" to the hospital there, complete with metal detectors, for prenatal care. The Tricare lady even had a wonderful guy-with-a-gun-in-the-waiting-room story for us. Nice!

There were a couple shining moments during the day, however. One being how the Base Chaplain started off his talk by saying how, being new to the area, he's still trying to get used to the desert, since he came from Washington State and the beautiful Puget Sound with the trees and the water and whatnot. Aaaahh, finally. Somebody who gets me!

The second shining moment, of course, came from my Aaron. The orientation was more of a grown-up thing, so the spouses from the previous class got together and looked after the kiddos while we were gone. I dropped Aaron off at 7:45 in the morning and wasn't able to pick him back up until 12:30. They said he did beautifully! He played and ate a snack then lunch without so much as a peep or whine! I was so elated! I really think that the drama we experienced at the YMCA in Washington was a phase that has run its course and now I think he just enjoys playing with other kids and their toys! O.K., maybe just their toys, but it's a start! Wednesday is our first day at the CDC, so wish us luck!

Finally, I really have to say how proud I am of my husband. Another point they made completely clear today at the orientation was that you had to be pretty darn good at what you do to make it into this school. Apparently this school is for the elite of the elite and, even though I've always had a pretty good idea of his capabilities, it was brought into sharp focus today. Also, in about eight months or so, you'll be able to call him Major Q! He just got word a couple weeks ago that he has been promoted from Captain to Major! Congratulations, babe!

The Boy's Got Rhythm!

Aaron showed off his mad dancing skills for the first time the other day in the middle of Kohl's while playing with a toy radio (which, by the way, you should be so proud of me. He was having great times with the radio but I did not buy it for him! How strong am I?). Anyhoo, check out this video of Aaron getting down to some of his daddy's scat.

Aaron Reflection #1

The rocking chair that I used to rock Aaron to sleep every night, when he was still so little that he needed swaddling, is the same chair in which I found him this afternoon, after having climbed up in it all by himself to look at his books. He's only eighteen months old and he already knows how to turn his mommy's heart into mush.

Now This is More Like Home

This week we finally got Aaron's room set up the way we wanted it. We ordered him an area rug and I love it so much, it makes me want to cry. It's chenille so it's very soft underneath his tootsies. Maybe hardwood floors aren't so bad because you get to pick out pretty rugs for each room!

Gee, what do you think his daddy does for a living?

I think he likes it!

More So Cal Craziness

Apparently, when you're in the desert, it's O.K. to hang stuff on the outside of your house. Weird!!