And Then There Were Two

Finally Not Totally Hating Tummy Time

2009-11-12T18:36:00.001-08:00

All Because Two People Met at This Place

2009-11-10T15:34:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the shirts, Poppy and Granny!!

Adam is Four Months Old!

2009-10-29T21:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my little boy is already four months old! I know people say that all the time but seriously, the time has flown by. Adam had his four month well-baby check-up today and he weighs 13 lbs. 9 oz. (25th percentile) and is 25 inches long (50th percentile). He is actually very similar to his brother when he was this age. I have been told by more than one person that it looks like I gave birth to the same child! Adam has subtle differences, though. I think he's going to have blonder hair, at least for now. His hair and eyebrows seem lighter than Aaron's were. Also, Adam's eyes are a darker blue than Aaron's are. I thought maybe Adam still had newborn eyes, but looking back on older pictures of Aaron, his eyes were a much lighter blue by now. Maybe you can tell a difference:

Aaron - 4 months, 12 days

Adam - 4 months, 7 days

Adam is such a joy to be around. When he was first born, I feared he had colic because he was so cranky but now, he only cries or whines when something is wrong, and more often than not, I know how to fix it. Whether it be time to eat, time to sleep, time to pick me up or time to get out of my face, lady!, we have our rhythm down.

Adam is "sleeping through the night" depending on what your definition of that is. He now goes to bed around 9:00 and will sleep until between 4:00 and 5:00. He'll wake for a bottle then go back to sleep until around 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning. So much better than the 1:00 and 5:00 feedings I used to have to do! Then wake up at 7:00 for the four-year-old! Augh! Now I remember why we're done having kids! Adam has made it until 6:00 or 6:30 a.m. before needing a feeding a few times but this is rare. I'll take what I can get, though! I have also started the "lay them down awake and walk away" thing when putting him to bed, which he has taken to very nicely. I rocked Aaron to sleep until he was seven months old, but I decided to try stopping this earlier with Adam. I'm not sure why; I guess the second time around, you have less time and energy for certain things and if I can get him to fall asleep on his own earlier, so be it!!

Adam is not rolling over yet but I think we're getting there. He positively hates tummy time (just like his brother did) so most of it is spent burying his face in the blanket and screaming instead of working on his flipping skills. He loves to back-scoot and has decide that this is a fun way to travel, like in this picture:

I had put him on that blue blanket and that's how far he got!

Adam has a couple of issues that Aaron didn't have that I am dealing with. When Adam was born, we had to worry about jaundice. Underneath bililights is not a fun way to spend the night in the hospital! That went away fairly quickly, luckily. Adam also has a blocked tear duct in one eye, so this eye is constantly gunky. I am told that should clear up on its own but we may need to see an ophthalmologist about it if it doesn't clear up in the next few months.

Here are some more pictures of our little boy!!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I need to post to this blog because I officially got in trouble today from my dad for not doing it in so long! Last weekend, Bill and I took the boys to an awesome pumpkin patch about an hour's drive from here. Aaron climbed on a giant haystack and a fire truck and we all got to ride a train through a cornfield filled with scarecrows. Aaron also picked out pumpkins for Daddy, Mommy, Adam, himself and even Reagan! Adam was just along for the ride but got his own little treat by getting to flip around in the Baby Bjorn. Much happier this way! Here are some pics.

What a Difference a Year Makes!

2009-08-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

This past week, Aaron participated in soccer camp. His coaches were British and were so much fun. It's always amazing to me how well certain twenty-somethings can do with three and four-year-olds. They must have infinite amounts of energy. Anyway, Aaron did so much better this year at the camp. Last year, we ended up quitting less than halfway through because all he wanted to do was climb on the bleachers. This year he participated everyday for the whole hour each day. They practiced a few soccer skills like dribbling the ball and keeping it away from the other players. They also played games like Duck, Duck, Goose. I was very proud of Aaron because this week showed me that he is getting so much better at participating in group activities and listening to other adults and doing what they ask. Here are some pictures from our week:

He's Here!

2009-07-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

Adam is here! Well, he's actually been here for five weeks. Adam James was born on June 22, 2009. He weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. The pregnancy and C-section were both very routine and uncomplicated. The recovery time has been much faster this time, I think. Mostly because I think it needed to be since I've got two to take care of now instead of just one.

We are still trying to figure out this newborn thing again, everything from having to pack a diaper bag again to dealing with the no-sleep thing. That's been the hardest, of course, but your body gets used to it. As of the past couple nights, we have been putting Adam down around 10:00. He wakes up once between 2:30 and 3:30 to eat, then will sleep until between 6:00 and 7:00 in the morning. Not too shabby.

Adam is sort of a fussy baby. O.K. there's no "sort of" about it. If he's awake, he's fussing. I took him to the doctor yesterday trying to find some answers. The word "colic" was thrown around along with "acid reflux." So the doctor gave me some Zantac for him to see if that would help along with some words of advice in case it is just colic. He also has a blocked tear duct in his left eye (left to him), so his eye is constantly full of gunk, but the doctor assures me that this will clear up on its own with time.

Aaron is the best big brother ever. I wasn't sure how this was going to go, but he is very gentle with him and very loving. There doesn't seem to be any jealousy. Actually, Aaron really doesn't like to hear Adam cry and is always reminding me when he does cry, so that I won't forget to do something about it!

Here are some pictures from our first five weeks.

My Kid's a Genius

2009-05-10T17:20:00.001-07:00

Aaron has been doing something very interesting as of late as he becomes more familiar with his letters and that these letters spell words. He loves anything with his name on it so he tries to create his name anywhere he can, sometimes using ordinary household objects. This reminded me of a Flickr application that a lot of you have probably seen, where you can spell your name using photographs that people have taken of single letters. Here's my name:

Here is how Aaron created his name, using things around the house:

Can you make out that it's supposed to be "Aaron"? Yeah, you have to use your imagination, but still! And I love how he couldn't figure out how to create an "n" so he just grabbed a notepad and wrote one. This kid cracks me up.

Easter 2009

2009-04-18T07:44:00.001-07:00

Finally! I got my Easter slideshow to work like I wanted it to! Here are some pictures from Easter last Sunday. During the week, Aaron attended a total of five Easter egg hunts plus Easter parties plus, oh yeah, a visit from the Easter Bunny at home too! He's really starting to understand this whole holiday thing and it's becoming so much fun! Enjoy! Click on a picture to make it bigger and to read the caption.

He Sings! He Dances!

2009-04-07T15:20:00.000-07:00

Today, at the end of preschool, Aaron's teacher invited the parents to watch a singing program that she and the kids had put together. It was so awesome because my son actually participated in the singing and the movements! I was quite impressed! And notice, he's the only one who bowed at the end! So cute! (He's the second one from the left, by the way; one of only two boys in the class!)

Future Pilot

2009-03-31T15:13:00.000-07:00

My dad got Aaron this pedal-powered airplane for Christmas and Aaron loves it! He got in it and the first thing he said was "Mommy, I can be a pilot!" You betcha! It's in your blood, after all!

Spoiler Alert!!

2009-03-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

Hi! Remember me? Yeah, it's been over a month since I've posted. I'm so lame. I'm just so bored with my blog. I need a new template or something. Anyone have any ideas?

Anyway, we found out about five weeks ago what the sex of the new baby is. Anyone who doesn't want to know, look away right now! I'm serious! O.K., here it goes:

Yes, another boy! We are excited! I think there was a slight twinge of disappointment at first, because we are definitely done after this one and I will never have a beautiful little girl named Lauren (I have loved that name since high school). But then we started thinking about all the stuff we're not going to have to buy (girl clothes, weddings, etc.) and we started feeling better about it. My only real major concern is behavioral issues. It has been no secret that I have struggled with Aaron for the past couple years (aggressiveness, stubbornness, just pure defiance) and I'm not sure if these are Aaron-specific behaviors or boy-specific and I just haven't handled them very well. I thought if I had a girl, things would calm down around here (even though I know that's not always the case; I'm sure those with girls would probably agree with me!). I think we finally have a name picked out, which adds to the excitement, but that's a secret until Birth Day!

So, here we go. My journey with two boys. I grew up surrounded by girls so I feel like everyday is a new learning experience for me. But honestly, I would much rather play cars than Barbies anyway. That's the way I've always been. Maybe this is just another one of God's ways of showing me what's best.

Playing with Their Toys...

2009-01-28T19:35:00.001-08:00

...ignoring me...

Future Rock Star

2009-01-27T18:30:00.001-08:00

Helping Dave and the boys (Foo Fighters) rock out...

P.S. Could there be any more crap on my coffee table? Ugh!

Being Pregnant Sucks Sometimes

2009-01-13T01:59:00.000-08:00

It's 2:00 in the morning. So sick. Can't sleep. Throat is on fire. Chest hurts so bad. Nose won't stop running. Still some nausea left over from the wonderful first trimester. And not a darn thing I can do about it. Going to go watch The Big Bang Theory on the DVR because my Sheldon makes me laugh.

Let the Real Fun Begin!

2009-01-04T14:51:00.000-08:00

As you can see from my new header picture, Aaron is getting a new brother or sister! I am due June 29th. So, yes, exactly twelve days after Aaron's birthday. Due to the fact that I will be having this one by C-section also (strictly no VBAC's allowed, thank you very much, my doctor says. And I am so totally O.K. with that.), their birthdays will mostly likely be even closer. This wasn't really what we had originally planned to do, but God has a way of making sure you know He's the one in control and you can only plan for so much. Anyway, we are thrilled. I am a little overwhelmed, I think, but I just keep thinking that people have more than one kid all the time and seem to come out of it relatively unscathed, so here we go. We will be finding out the sex in about five weeks or so, so stayed tuned! If you don't want to know, I will post a spoiler alert first. Wish us luck!!

Only 176 more days to go as an only child!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-06T08:32:00.000-08:00

A Christmas carol...

Shuttle Landing

2008-11-30T15:45:00.000-08:00

Today the space shuttle Endeavour landed here at Edwards and we were able to watch it from about a couple miles away. It was so awesome! What a treat!

Waiting...

and watching...

and fighting an evil bush while waiting some more...

And now, a digital flipbook of the landing, 'cause it's so cool!! (Click on the photos to make them bigger so you can see the shuttle better)

Whattup, Dudes

2008-11-13T12:41:00.000-08:00

Why Mommy Yells in the Evening

2008-11-06T21:45:00.000-08:00

Water, Water Everywhere!

20 Questions

2008-11-05T20:57:00.000-08:00

O.K., maybe just four...

Even Laundry Can Be Turned Into A Game

2008-11-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

Exciting Times!

2008-11-04T18:43:00.000-08:00

Election Day 2008

Seriously. We should have snacks.

He Would Totally Rock Paper Mache...

2008-11-03T18:08:00.000-08:00

One of the many reasons why I love preschool for Aaron is that he comes home and is magically able to do things. One of these things is cutting with scissors. He's so good at it now! I tried to teach him a couple months ago but was really afraid for his fingers so we stopped. Now, however, he cuts like a rock star. I guess it was probably a combination of Ms. Heather having better teaching skills than me (that's why I pay her, right?) plus the added benefit of watching his classmates do it.

Now if I could just make sure, when I send him off to kindergarten, that he's still not chanting, "open, close, open, close..."

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T21:24:00.000-07:00

Halloween is sooooooooo much more fun with a three-year-old. Last year, trick-or-treating had to be cut short due to Aaron's gigantic tantrum because he didn't understand why we were knocking on people's doors but not going inside! So this year, Bill and I actually "taught" him what trick-or-treating was all about and even held a few practice runs this week as well. And he did so well tonight, especially considering he filled the Halloween candy bowl back up with his own loot after I had just finished emptying it to all our trick-or-treaters. Halloween in the new neighborhood rocks!! Here are a few pictures from our night:

Spiderman costume without the Spiderman headpiece. There was no way we were getting that thing on him.

Aaron with his pumpkin. (There was a "Daddy Pumpkin" and a "Mommy Pumpkin" too but the Mommy Pumpkin died and molded under the 80+ degree heat! So wrong!).

Daddy even dressed up! Well, at least it made it easier to find him in the dark.

You'll Bawl. Trust Me.

2008-10-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

Handsome Boy

2008-10-22T15:33:00.000-07:00

Like Father, Like Son

2008-10-22T15:21:00.001-07:00

Daddy working on his "Master's Crap;" Aaron tagging along as usual.

Please ignore the Aaron hippie hair. It's been cut since then, trust me.

Ring Around the Rosies...

2008-10-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

Asses...Asses...We all fall down!

Rock Star Mommy

2008-09-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

I feel like such a rock star because, this weekend, I'm off on a jet plane by myself to run this:

Actually, I'm running the half marathon, not the full, but it's still all so very exciting. I'm very excited because 1) I love to run, 2) I love the Air Force and 3) I finally get to say that I've been to Dayton, Ohio. Why is that last one such a big deal? Well, I seem to be surrounded by people who have, at one point or another, been associated with Dayton or nearby Wright-Patterson AFB. Bill's parents met at the University of Dayton and were married there. Several of Bill's TPS classmates came from the AFIT (Air Force Institute of Technology) program at Wright-Patt. Bill has been there a few times for various reasons. And I want to go! So this should be a lot of fun. Wish me luck!!

Oh, So This is Why We Buy Those Big, Dumb Things

2008-09-14T16:15:00.001-07:00

If Only He Knew How "Cool" This Is

2008-09-14T16:10:00.001-07:00

I know. Mommy needs to buy him better fitting pants if he's not going to have diaper-butt anymore.

A Digital Flipbook

2008-08-30T21:51:00.001-07:00

Hey, Tracy, if you ever hear excited yelping coming from our backyard - this could be the reason. This is how Aaron swings on his swing set and he always does it with sound effects. It hurts my tummy just watching it.

Look What We Found in Our Backyard!

2008-08-30T21:36:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how well this Praying Mantis blended into our Gorillas in the Mist grass (Daddy's first job on his Honey-Do list when he gets back: mow the grass. I would do it but why? He's perfectly capable...and better at it, I might add.). It looked just like another blade of grass. I'm not sure how I even noticed it. It will probably meet it's death either by boy feet, pestering dog or aforementioned lawn mower blade, but it's still pretty cool looking.

Happy Birthday, Daddy

2008-08-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

We love and miss you. We hope you have a good birthday in North Carolina.

P.S. You're old.

The Gospel According to Kate

2008-08-21T15:20:00.001-07:00

Do any of you watch Jon & Kate Plus 8 on TLC? I do. Religiously. Mostly because it never fails to make me feel better about my own life. When I'm just about this close to ripping my hair out because of Aaron, I think "Hey, at least I don't have seven more just like him." That's right. The show follows Jon and Kate and their eight children - seven-year-old twin girls plus a set of four-year-old sextuplets (three girls and three boys).

I was watching an episode the other night and Kate said something so prophetic, so profound that I had to share it with the entire world:

"Boys are ridiculously disobedient."

Amen, sister. Amen.

This angel? Disobedient? Surely you jest.

Baby's First Day of Preschool

2008-08-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

Today Aaron started preschool. I have been taking him to the Child Development Center (CDC) here on base a few times a week since we moved here a year and a half ago, so you wouldn't think this would be a very big deal. But it was. Trust me. Aaron's teacher's name is Ms. Heather and she runs the preschool out of her home. Aaron will go Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30-11:30 each day. There are only five other kids besides Aaron and most of them are three years old, just like him, with maybe a couple of the kids being four. What's even better is two of Aaron's TPS friends, Delaney and Landon, are in the class with him as well! (Their daddies were in Bill's TPS class last year.)

I can report that Aaron had a very good day today. Ms. Heather called him a "bright kid" because he spouted out his letters and numbers like they were old news. He did get into a small scuffle with another kid (we had that problem a lot at the CDC) but Ms. Heather got on him immediately and told him to use his words instead of hitting. And he was fine after that. He also had an potty accident, but we're still working on that. I think Aaron had a great day and we can't wait for Thursday!

I have pictures but I was in such a hurry this morning (I'm never on time for anything), that I didn't have time to adjust important things like, you know, the settings and flash. So some pictures look orange and some are not quite in focus. Oh, well.

First day of preschool!

"Cheese!"
"You know I'm rockin' my new backpack and my combed hair!" Well, new backpack to him. Grandma Q sent it months ago but I've been saving it for just such a special occasion!

"I said 'cheese,' woman! Dang!"
Walking in like a big boy.
Aaron and his very own cubby!! Something else he didn't have at the CDC - his very own place in the world!! (Again, sorry about the flash.)

Where We've Been

2008-08-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

Can you guess?

Happy 10th Anniversary to us (8/8/08).

And Now, For Your Listening Pleasure...

2008-07-09T22:19:00.001-07:00

...a lullaby.

Good night and, as Aaron would say, have good sleeps!

My Sweet Water Baby

2008-07-09T16:44:00.000-07:00

This is how we spend most of our days because, good Lord, it's hot here.

Mommy says, "Keep the hat on or we're going inside!" Hey, that threat actually works! Who knew!

Practicing his kicking.

Hot dog.

Aaron's Birthday Party

2008-07-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

This year, Aaron had a Blue's Clues party for his birthday. Over the past few months, he has rediscovered Blue's Clues (I used to show it to him when he was very little, but he was having nothing to do with it unless it involved Little Einsteins) and since then he can't get enough of "Clues Clues." So, of course, Mommy had an excellent time running around finding favors (pencils, hi-bounce balls, tattoos, bubbles and even little, real life Handy Dandy Notebooks!), tablecloths, balloons that match Blue perfectly, etc., etc. etc. Yeah, I know. Aaron doesn't give a crap but it was fun for me!!

We had the party at the Jungle Zone here on base. The Jungle Zone is an indoor play area which gets used frequently because it's usually too flippin' hot to do anything outside after 9:00 a.m. We had pizza lunch with veggies and dip, my friend Lisa's Strawberry Salad (I make that all the time, dude! But I always give you credit!) and pretzels. For dessert, I had a gorgeous cake made from someone in town, even though it kind of embarrasses me to say that. My plan had been to make a cake myself that was a paw print (like the clues on the show) but my prototype did not turn out well at all. Oh well. The cake was very yummy (white cake with chocolate mousse layers) so that made up for it, I think. Here are some pictures from our day (only a few because I didn't really have time to take very many!):

'Cause He's Just That Freaking Cool...

2008-07-04T23:17:00.001-07:00

This is a video I took of a C-17 doing a fly-by over the Fourth of July celebration here on base today. Who was flying it, you may ask? That's right, dawg! My husband along with his friend Chris were the pilots. Yeah, they're so cool like that.

Sorry about the Aaron fit at the end. But really? Are you surprised?

Potty Training Update: Let the Reprogramming Begin

2008-07-04T15:40:00.000-07:00

I am very proud to say that, over the course of the past four days, Aaron has had only about 3 or 4 potty accidents. I am really feeling the Mommy Guilt right now because I realized that, during my potty training frustrations of the past couple weeks, I was losing my patience with him because I thought he was willfully not going in the toilet. Just because that's how he rolls with everything else. But then I realized, his little brain just needed to be reprogrammed! I mean, if I had been doing something as important as this the same exact way for the past three years, how can anyone expect me to suddenly do it differently in just a couple days time frame? So, over the past week or so, I have really been trying to keep my cool and be patient with him and it seems to be working because his accidents are getting fewer and far between. That and the fact that something seems to have clicked in his head as well because now it is a whole lot easier to even get him to do his business on the potty. This was the first big obstacle we had - just getting him to do anything on the toilet. However, now, he sees how happy it makes us, so he tries to at least do a little something most of the times we take him.

So, really, the only reason he has accidents anymore is if we don't take him often enough. He's not at the point yet where he will stop what he's doing and tell us he needs to go. We are still at the phase where we just have to take him every half hour or hour and then he makes sure he empties himself whenever we go. I'm not brave enough yet to take him out in public for long periods of time in big boy underpants, but he is managing to keep the Pull-up clean and dry when we're out and that's all that matters, right?

This is our new treat for going on the potty:

Birthday cake! With sprinkles! (The sprinkles are very important, you know.)

Soon, we are going to have to switch over to the whole surprise-at-the-end-of-the-day-if-you-keep-yourself-clean-and-dry strategy or else this kid is going to be eating birthday cake and M&M's all day long!

SO. FREAKING. FRUSTRATING.

2008-06-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I jinxed it. Aaron has not peed or pooped ONCE in the potty today. Everything, everything, everything has gone into his underwear/Pull-ups. Even after I took him to the potty FOUR TIMES during Speech today. Nope, he waited until we were back in the Speech room after the fourth trip and went in his Pull-up. Auugghhhh!

Big Boy Bike!

2008-06-24T14:58:00.001-07:00

For Aaron's 3rd birthday, Daddy and I bought him a big boy bike! He looks so cute on it with his little helmet and whatnot (thank you, Grandma and Grandpa Q!). Check out the sweetness in these photos:

He's really great on the downhill portion of our neighborhood; however, the uphill portion? Not so much. This is how Aaron "rides" on the way back to the house:

Yeah, Daddy was earning that t-shirt on this particular evening!

Potty Training Update

2008-06-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm not sure if I should write here what a good day we had today for fear of jinxing it, but my son has officially been clean and dry since sometime this morning. I say sometime this morning because he had his one and only accident at school this morning when I wasn't with him. Since then, he has peed in the potty five times and even pooped there once too!!

I'm not sure if maybe something has just clicked in his head or what. Today was the first day that he went to the three-year-old room at school, so I'm wondering if that had something to do with it. I say "three-year-old room" but, actually, these rooms house 3-5 year olds. Peer pressure is a wonderful thing (sometimes) so maybe it just took seeing big kids that he may look up to doing this potty thing on a regular basis? I'm not sure. Tomorrow could turn out to be a horrible day but at least I know he can do it!!

Future Golfer?

2008-06-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Aunt Pam and Uncle Brian!

The Tiny Breakthroughs That Make Up for the Gigantic Frustrations

2008-06-19T13:42:00.001-07:00

Do you see this boy right here?

This boy is having birthday cake for breakfast. Why, you may ask? Because I'm the best mommy in the world? Not quite. This boy is eating birthday cake for breakfast because he kept his Pull-up dry ALL NIGHT LONG, then went pee-pee in the potty when he got out of bed this morning. O.K., it wasn't as easy as I make it sound. He only went pee-pee after sitting on the potty for literally a half hour while subjecting me to the most pitiful wailing and crying you have every heard. At Minute 28, he had just finished telling me through tears and snot that he was "all done with potty" when the gusher came down below (all over the front of the toilet but that's O.K.).

Of course, since then, he has pooped in his Pull-ups twice but I blame that on myself. We had friends over this morning and Mommy did the exact wrong thing and put him in a Pull-up because it's just easier. Plus, getting him to sit on the potty was like pulling teeth while his friend Caleb was here to play with him, so I just let it go. So, after naptime, we start again.

Today My Boy is 3

2008-06-17T23:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it. He's three. I have so much more to write but, fittingly enough, it has been a long day of chasing a three-year-old around and I'm tired. Until tomorrow...

Happy Birthday, my sweet one.

Parenting Milestone #1456

2008-06-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

While his mother sits idly by, the kid blows his own bubbles.

Potty Training - Day 3

2008-06-09T16:25:00.001-07:00

Today's stats, not as ugly:

Pee-pees in potty: 2!!!!!!!!!!!
Poops in potty: 0
Pee-pees in big boy underwear: 3
Poops in big boy underwear: 1

O.K., I have a theory. I don't think the boy likes an audience when he's trying to do his business. Both times when he peed on the potty, I had just left the bathroom and could tell that he had peed while I was gone because, when I got back, there were droplets on his junk and the water was a slight yellowish color. So maybe I should just give him some privacy from now on?

I caved and put him in a Pull-up for the evening because he had been trying to poop literally all afternoon but he won't do it on the potty or now in his big boy underwear. I'm trying to be strong about all this, but not if it's going to lead to constipation. And it was back into big boy underwear after he did it.

Potty Training - Day 2

2008-06-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today's stats, still ugly:

Pee-pees in potty: 0
Poops in potty: 0
Pee-pees in big boy underwear: 3
Poops in big boy underwear: 0

Not as much trouble today for him to sit on the potty, except when he had just woken up from his nap and he was really cranky. That's when he gave us the most trouble.

Sooooo, very slow going. This will eventually be worth it, right?

Potty Training - Day 1

2008-06-07T19:04:00.000-07:00

The ugly stats:

Pee-pees in potty: 0
Poops in potty: 0
Pee-pees in big boy underwear: 2
Poops in big boy underwear: 1
Number of times he screamed when we made him go anywhere near the potty, like it made his cheeks sizzle or something: every thirty minutes since 9:00 this morning.

I DO NOT know what is up with that last one. He's been sitting on the potty on and off since I bought him the little potty seat a couple of months ago. I bought him one of those seats that you can use on the floor with the little cup or take off the top and put it on a regular potty. I think he just doesn't want to be there because he feels he has better things to do, but we're forcing the issue and that's SO not cool, Mommy and Daddy. Interestingly enough, we put him in a Pull-up for his nap this afternoon and it was dry when he woke up!! The cars didn't disappear or anything! So I know he's ready; it's just convincing him to make the effort. Pray for us that Day 2 goes better!!

Obama '08

2008-06-06T07:27:00.000-07:00

Why I want Barack to be the next President of the United States:

HE GAVE HIS WIFE POUNDS, DAWG!! I give my husband pounds all the time!! O.K., and how funny is it that the media called it a "fist bump"? Really?!? Cracks me up.

There are many, many other reasons why I'm all for Obama in '08, but this just added to his cool factor, I think. And that's how you win elections, dangit!!

T Minus Four Days...

2008-06-03T15:14:00.000-07:00

...until Potty Training Extravaganza 2008! That's right, Step Three of Operation Turning Three is getting this boy to use the potty. We start this Saturday, and I haven't been this nervous since the whole breastfeeding debacle of 2005. I guess I'm so nervous because everything always seems to go either really well with Aaron or really badly. I never know what's going to happen. I think he's ready, though, because here lately he has been walking up to me and asking me to change his diaper. That's a pretty good cue, right?

So, for those of you in the know, here is my potty training arsenal:

Do I have everything? Is there something that really worked for you that I'm missing?

Did I Mention He was a Big Helper?

2008-05-30T13:58:00.001-07:00

My Constant Companion

2008-05-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

Do any of you have one of these? You know, that thing that's always underneath your feet, following you throughout the house, even to the bathroom. Nope, I'm not talking about my kid. I'm talking about my sweet girl, Reagan. Actually, I don't really mind it. Even when she wants to sit in my lap on the couch, underneath the pillow which happens to be underneath my dinner.

Reagan's had a pretty rough week this week. Last Friday I took her to the vet for what I assume is the equivalent of a yeast infection in humans. Nice, right? The problem is, the vet blamed this on her being so fat! Apparently, fat rolls were preventing air from getting to certain places so things weren't drying out properly, which led to a painful, itchy infection. So, $280, daily antibiotics and one week later, I think it has cleared up. In addition, Bill and I have decided we have made it to third base with Reagan and have almost pretty much rounded to home because, oh yeah, we had to CLEAN IT three times a day and put ointment on it as well.

The moral of the story is, we now have Reagan on reduced calorie food, obtained from the vet no less, to try to get her weight down. I honestly didn't think her weight was that bad. Pugs generally should weigh between 14 and 18 pounds, and Reagan weighed in at 22 pounds last week at the appointment. I guess four pounds does matter, though, when you're talking about a small animal. I hate it that she's probably hungry all the time, but I'll do whatever it takes to keep her around for as long as possible. Even if I do find myself tripping over dog about forty times a day.

He's a Big Helper

2008-05-25T23:51:00.000-07:00

Necessities of Desert Living

2008-05-25T23:33:00.000-07:00

I finally broke down and bought Aaron a pair of sunglasses. I've always been against buying things for him just for the sake of cuteness (Stop laughing! I'm being serious!), but, holy crap, the sun here was giving me migraines after running because I had to be so squinty! So I finally broke down and bought myself some running sunglasses. After that, I figured I better get Aaron some sunglasses too!

How awesome does he look in them?!? The problem is, how do you keep him from taking them off after five seconds? Auugggghhhh!

Big Boy Bed!

2008-05-18T23:12:00.000-07:00

It's here!
It's pretty tall...
Now if he could just figure out how to sleep on it the proper way...

Why It's a Poo

2008-05-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

O.K., maybe the name of Aaron's pacifier requires an explanation. We call it a "poo" which is actually a derivation of "Pooh" as in Winnie the Pooh. My sister and I have called them this ever since my cousin Meghan was born back in 1986 and had pacifiers with Pooh Bear on them. That's how they got their name and it has stuck ever since. So hopefully we're not confusing him when we say "No more poo poo" because that could lead to constipation and that's never good.

Speaking of the pacifier situation, it's going pretty well actually. So far we have only had problems with naptime in the afternoon. It's hard to get him down and then he only sleeps for about an hour and a half. This is a boy who used to kick out three hour naps, no problem. So that's hard. However, it is now SUPER EASY for him to go to sleep at night due to the tiredness and he actually sleeps all night long. For the past couple weeks, Aaron has been waking up every night between 1:00 and 2:00 in the morning. Every single night without fail, needing comforting before he'll lay back down. He hasn't been doing this the past couple nights, though, so that's good. I fear this is the beginning of the end of afternoon naps but I figure it's got to happen eventually anyway, so it may as well start now. Hopefully my nerves will be able to take Constant Aaron all day long! Until bedtime, at least.

So When Exactly Does It Start Getting Easier?

2008-05-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of "Operation Turning Three." There are three huge tasks that I wanted to accomplish before Aaron turns three next month. They are:

No more sleeping with a pacifier.
Move to a big, BIG boy bed.
Potty training.

Daddy left today for a conference and will only be gone a few days, so I thought I would take this opportunity to tackle #1 up there. I know what a lot of you are saying to yourselves. "What are you thinking doing this by yourself? Misery loves company, baby! You need to let Daddy feel that pain too!" The fact is, I can't do that to him. I feel too guilty. If Aaron keeps me up all night, the truth is he has to sleep sometime and I can sleep when he does. Daddy has to go to work in the morning, though, no matter how much sleep he got the night before. So call me the best wife in the world, or the dumbest, but I just thought it would be better to do it this way.

So this afternoon I put Aaron down for his nap and it was traumatizing. We have always referred to his pacifier as his "poo" and he kept calling for it and BAWLING. "Poo poo! Poo poo!" I finally went into his room and rubbed his back until he was halfway asleep. He only slept for about an hour and is now awake again and acting like I'm forcing him to go through heroin detox or something.

Pray for me tonight. I'll let you know how it goes.

One hour of fitful poo-less sleep.

Did You Miss Us?

2008-05-06T15:13:00.000-07:00

Well, hopefully you have Regarding Aaron in a reader or you just care enough to check that I'm actually posting here again after a long absence. Life has been so crazy the past few months. We moved to a brand new house on base, then drove halfway across the country again to visit Daddy while he was in training in Arkansas. But now everyone is back under the same roof again! Yay! Well, Daddy actually left today for a conference but he'll be back on Friday. No biggie!

Stay tuned for more posts!

Hello, My Name is Stubborn

2008-03-04T15:27:00.000-08:00

No afternoon nap yesterday = frazzled Mommy nerves. Possibility of no afternoon nap again today = certain death for a little boy. But he wasn't going quietly. Oh no. "Silly woman. Get into bed and go to sleep? Riiiigggghhhtttt. I'll show you! Yeah, I'll go to sleep...on the floor."

Show Me Your Teeth!

2008-02-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

This is about as photogenic as I can get when it's forced. I tell Aaron to show me his teeth now because "Say cheese!" doesn't work anymore. And the flash doesn't help either, I'm sure. Oh well. He's still cute.

It seems like we always end up in Aaron's room after dinner to play until bathtime. His new phrase is "Sit here!" and he points to the exact spot on the floor where you must plant your behind. Daddy is out of town right now (he'll be back Friday), so I've been taking pictures during our playtimes for him. Here are some of the best:

Oh, How I Love Him

2008-02-08T14:57:00.000-08:00

As I'm sitting here blogging, my son has now been in his room for an hour and 45 minutes without falling asleep for his afternoon nap. However, he has not gotten off his bed. All those toys in there and the only thing he has been doing is talking to himself, with an occasional kick to the wall (not maliciously. I think he plays by putting his foot through the slats along the back of his bed and he occasionally hits the wall behind.). He does this every morning as well. I wake up to the sound of him talking, but he does not get up from the bed until I open his bedroom door to go get him.

I guess I should enjoy this while it lasts.

The Boy, He is Traumatized

2008-02-08T14:42:00.000-08:00

Daddy and I took Aaron into town last Saturday for a haircut and to run some other errands. The haircut lady asked us at the end of Aaron's cut if we would like her to just comb his hair or if we would like a spike 'do. I thought the spikes would be cute so I told her to go ahead and do that. She then stuck her comb into a vat of styling gel and came out with, to me, seemed like an abnormally large amount for his little nog. She ran the comb with the gel blob through his hair and his hair responded by spiking quite nicely.

I wasn't too sure about his new hairdo at first, it sort of made him look like a hoodlum, but as time wore on, it grew on me. I starting thinking about if we had just a regular old comb at home so that I could replicate what our stylist had done.

That's when all hell broke loose. All that hair gel started to dry and turn hard and flake and the boy realized something was a little different up there. He finally reached up and felt what was going on and started to wail. "No spikeys! No spikeys!" He did this all the way home. People, it takes us 45 minutes to get home from town, so you can imagine the frazzled nerves. Before we put him down for a nap, Daddy had to wipe his head down with a wet washcloth because it was bothering him so badly.

The weird thing now is, out of the blue, he'll turn and look at me with sad, expectant eyes and ask, "Spikeys?", as if, any minute now, I'm going to strap him down and do that to his hair again. So I reassuringly say, "No spikeys. Never, ever, ever again. No spikeys." And he'll ask at the craziest times - dinner, bathtime, grocery shopping, Reagan walks.

Very strange.

Laundry Day

2008-02-06T22:20:00.000-08:00

I think it's about time, don't you think?

I was playing with the settings on my camera again today with this shot. The above shot is my favorite. It was taken with a White Balance setting called "Shade." I also took the shots below:

Auto mode:

See how bright it is in the front with the shadow in the back? I hate that. And it so doesn't mimic the actual lighting situation that was occurring at the time.

Then there's the Incandescent mode:

I suppose there's a situation where this will look good but, so far, it just looks blue to me.

How Aaron Helps with Chef Salad Dinner

2008-01-31T19:38:00.001-08:00

What!?! He's the spinner!

Mmm... Chef salad dinner...

My One-Man Band

2008-01-31T14:55:00.000-08:00

For funsies today before lunch, I got a saucepan out of the cabinet for Aaron to beat on along with a wooden spoon to do the beating. Hey, this used to keep his attention when he was very little, why wouldn't it work now? Silly Mommy. I got distracted with something in another room and came back to find what you'll see in the video - about six pots and pans, all laid out perfectly like in his very own drum kit. Add a cutting board and a couple of glass (!) pots and you're on your way to some mad music skillz, yo!

I Can't Help It

2008-01-22T15:32:00.000-08:00

Bill makes fun of me for feeling sorrow for people that I don't even know, but this just breaks my heart:

Heath Ledger found dead in NYC at age 28

Step Two to Big Boy Bed

2008-01-22T14:54:00.001-08:00

Take the side rail off his crib and put the safety rail on. This essentially turns his bed into a daybed. A daybed that he can crawl out of. So far, between bedtime last time and naptime this afternoon, he has been really good about staying in the bed and going to sleep. We've only caught him out of bed and playing with his toys once, and he went right back to bed when Daddy told him to. Thankfully he doesn't know how to open the door to his room yet, so I don't think that we'll be getting midnight visitors anytime soon.

Aaron's crib is one of those convertible kind that changes from a crib to a daybed and then finally into a headboard and footboard for a full size bed (that he, in theory, could take to college with him, if it makes it through all the moves). We are waiting until we move to turn it into a full size bed (We're eventually going to be kicked out of the base house we're in right now so it can be demolished. We're hoping to move into a new base house later in the spring, if they don't run out first. If that happens, we will be buying off base.). Hopefully, our good luck with this transition holds out!

Folding AROUND the Dog

2008-01-21T07:50:00.000-08:00

What? You don't have to do this too?

Stupid Camera That's Smarter Than Me

2008-01-20T22:44:00.000-08:00

Well, this was my attempt at playing with the camera settings on my new Nikon, trying to get the pictures that I want. So far, the only setting that I like is No Flash. How lame is that? And they mostly come out blurry. I know, I know. I need to read the manual. My head just really hurts between the camera and trying to figure out all the bells and whistles on our new van.

I know, I'm so sad with all my new toys, right?

P.S. Isn't my little boy really starting to look like a little man? He's so handsome and growing up so fast. O.K., there's the brain trauma freeze I spoke of earlier.

Because Two Pugs Are Always Better Than One...

2008-01-20T22:33:00.000-08:00

This long holiday weekend, we are puppy-sitting for our friends while they are down having fun in L.A. Bauer is quite a bit younger than Reagan, and it's really weird for us to think about Reagan being the old lady in the house now. We're so used to her running circles around other dogs (like Bauer does to her), but you can definitely tell that Reagan has calmed down in the past couple years as she gets older. She's only six and a half years old, but it kind of makes me afraid for the future when she won't be around anymore. But then I get brain trauma freeze and everything is O.K. again.

Mommy and Daddy Go on a Date

2008-01-19T22:49:00.000-08:00

Johnny Depp + Helena Bonham Carter + Tim Burton = Pure, Wonderful, British-y Bliss. Fantastic movie.

And The Transition Begins...

2008-01-18T14:05:00.000-08:00

To a big boy bed, that is. First step: big boy pillow. O.K., don't laugh. We're talking tiny steps here, people. My heart can't handle more than that. The boy has never used a big person pillow before. Just wasn't ever one of those things I felt he needed until I actually started thinking about him all grown up and stuff and still sleeping without one. And that's just weird. And probably not good for his spine. So I decided to give him my extremely flat pillow and bought myself a very nice "Down Alternative" pillow at Wal-Mart yesterday. Not really sure what that means, but I know I like down feather pillows minus the end of the feathers poking through and sticking me in the head. But I digress. Look how cute he looked this afternoon during his nap:

And what else could be better than having Optimus Prime lull you to sleep every night? Nothing, I tell you! Transformers rule!!

This is What Sad Looks Like

2008-01-10T14:12:00.000-08:00

Maybe this whole talking thing isn't working out as well as I would have hoped. Aaron and I sat down to eat lunch today at about 11:45. I placed two chicken nuggets in front of him, each cut in half so he had four pieces. I also gave him some mandarin oranges and about four Pringles. O.K., duh, the Pringles were going in about half a second. I didn't have much hope for the oranges because he has really turned his nose up at oranges for a while now. It just makes me feel better that I'm at least offering it. Now, the chicken was a toss-up. I've seen him eat four Pringles then not eat anything until snack time after his afternoon nap. So I wasn't sure what to expect. However, this time, he gobbled down the chicken! Then it happened - he, plain as day, said, "More chicken." I thought, "Surely, you jest! More chicken, really?" And I even asked him several times as I was standing up and heading back into the kitchen, "Do you really want more?" And he kept repeating the same thing, "More chicken." So I made (read: microwaved) two more chicken nuggets and cut them each in half so he would have four. I then placed the new chicken in front of him, to which he promptly replied, "No chicken" and pushed the plate away. Oh, no, you didn't!! I told him that he wasn't getting up from the chair until he ate one more piece of chicken, that we don't ask for more then refuse it. People, he sat there for the next hour in that chair until it was time for his afternoon nap at 1:00. I couldn't believe how stubborn he was. All he had to do was take two bites and he could get everything he desired, which was to get down from the chair! One hour of perfectly good playtime wasted!! I have to say that I was pretty proud of myself for not backing down, even in the midst of so many tears that his face was starting to swell! Best mom ever!

Yeah, That Ain't Right

2008-01-10T14:07:00.001-08:00

Not really the use we had in mind for this particular Christmas gift, dude...

(He was watching TV.)

Our Christmas Vacation

2008-01-07T14:21:00.000-08:00

A breakdown:

Number of days away from home: 26
Number of states visited: 6 (California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and back again)
Number of grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and former college roommates visited: 3, 6, 6, 5, too many cousins to count, 1
Number of national parks visited: 3 (Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, White Sands National Monument in New Mexico and Saguaro National Park, also in Arizona)
Number of cities visited that win the Tackiest of Tacky Award: 2 (it's a tie between Tombstone, AZ and Roswell, NM)
Number of pairs of giant boots visited: 1 (outside San Antonio's North Star Mall)

Cousin Lilly and Aaron

More posts to come! Be sure to click on the Flickr link above to see pictures of our adventures!!

Finally...Some Peace and Quiet

2007-12-21T22:39:00.000-08:00

Thank You, Granny and Poppy!

2007-12-21T13:20:00.000-08:00

Aaron loves his Christmas present!

Me and My Babies

2007-12-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

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

Aaron, What's That You're Eating?

2007-11-29T20:55:00.001-08:00

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

2007-11-26T23:07:00.000-08:00

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!

2007-11-26T23:02:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-26T13:45:00.000-08:00

Taken from my backyard...

Bittersweet Fun

2007-11-25T14:54:00.000-08:00

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!

2007-11-25T14:10:00.000-08:00

How's this for an action shot, Erin?

More pictures of my sweet girl:

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

2007-11-24T13:21:00.000-08:00

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!

2007-11-19T22:47:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-19T22:43:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-18T19:25:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-18T19:19:00.000-08:00

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

I'll Do It Myself, Silly Woman

2007-11-17T21:46:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-17T21:40:00.001-08:00

"Book! Book!"

See, This is Why We Gotta Move Back to Washington

2007-11-16T01:31:00.000-08:00

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!!

2007-11-15T14:00:00.000-08:00

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.

Daddy is Crazy

2007-11-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

Do you remember that post down there about Aaron and the complete unrolling of a roll of toilet paper? Well, he did that in Daddy's potty. And guess who is using that toilet paper, right off the floor, little by little, until it's gone? Daddy! Why waste perfectly good toilet paper, he says! Whatever!

Halloween 2007

2007-11-01T22:28:00.000-07:00

This year for Halloween, Aaron was a football referee. Grandma Q (with a little help from Grandpa Q!) made the costume for him and I think it turned out really great! We did some trick-or-treating at Daddy's work, then came home and tried to so some more around our neighborhood, but Aaron wasn't having it. He's still not old enough to understand that you're not supposed to go into people's houses! Just take the candy and beat it, kid! So we had a pretty good meltdown after only a couple houses, but that's O.K., it was time for bath and bed anyway.

I'm sorry, Grandma, Aaron wouldn't cooperate enough for me to get a video with him doing his hand signals, so hopefully these pictures will do.

Think he's doing "Touchdown" there in that last photo? Nope, he's just really mad.

Aaron Was Here

2007-10-30T21:18:00.000-07:00