What Were You Doing?

I stayed home with Aiden today as he is recovering from the flu. He got sick Wednesday night so Rob and I split the duties. Rob stayed home with him on Thursday and I took today. While Rob's sick day included a motionless boy on the couch and a 3 and 1/2 hour nap, mine has been the complete opposite. Aiden was pretty much back in business last night and was up raring to go at 6:30 this morning. He has been on one all day. First, a minor but important detail: Aiden has a large body pillow on his bed that runs all the way down one bed rail. We were downstairs and he was not being very pleasant. I asked him to please go to his room until he was ready to be nicer. He stomped up the stairs as hard as he could. I followed shortly after and asked him to please not stomp up the stairs. As I walked back down the stairs I heard him mumble "goodbye" under his breath and then he closed his door. And although he would have liked me to be saddened I was excited to catch some of the Ellen Show. Sometime later I thought that I heard him crying. I headed up the stairs and soon realized that he was pretty hysterical. I opened the door and he was sitting up on his bed, trapped inside the large body pillow's case from his bed. The case is about two feet longer than him and somehow he had gotten all the way inside of it and was laying on the closed end. He really could not get out. I could not help but burst into laughter. He heard me and started screaming "Help me mom, I'm trapped!" I could barely contain myself while getting him out. After I had freed him I asked him what he was doing? He said that he was trying to put it on like a "hop sack" and then he got trapped. He told me that he had yelled and yelled for help, but that I didn't come and so he started crying. Again I laughed. He adamantly said, "It's not funny mommy, that was a very dangerous situation." I still cannot stop laughing! Bless his little heart.....

The Things I Will One Day Miss

As a speech pathologist, I have always been quite critical of the sound errors that Aiden has. I know that they are developmentally appropriate but I can't help but try to correct him. At three, it's more than common for him to not have his /th/'s. So one of our favorites is that the word something - becomes "somepin". Everyday at least ten times he says, "Hey mom, I need to tell you somepin." And though I've thought a thousand times about how wonderful it will be when he acquires that sound, today Rob and I found ourselves thinking about how sad it will be the day that he actually says "something". Our children grow up way too fast and the little moments that we cherish are gone too soon. New moments come of course and maybe that is the true joy of being a parent. Just a little "SOMEPIN" to think about, ha-ha.

Aiden's Version Of The Story

Aiden continues to report on an event that took place the day after Christmas. We had all gone to Grandma Yorgi's house so that she could see all the great grand kids that were in town. We were then all headed up to Grandma Janie and Grandpa Darrell's house. I asked my mom if she could take Aiden with her. I didn't get them his car seat, as the distance is not great. On the way a police officer just so happened to pull out behind them. While Kemmerer is still a very small town they are cracking down on kids not being in car seats, as they should. My mom slipped Aiden onto the floor to potentially avoid him being seen "unsecured". No biggie right? Well this is Aiden's version of story, that he tells EVERYONE!

"Me, and my grandma and grandpa had to run from the cops in my grandpa's truck. Because they were chasing us and trying to get us. My grandma had to hide me from the cops so they couldn't get me."

First off, my husband and I do not refer to the police as "cops" so we don't even know where that part came from. Actually, now that I think about it I do know where he got it. There is a "Backyardigans" episode called "Can't Stop the Cops". And it is a pretty wholesome show, I swear. And second, my parents are like the most "live right" people you could ever know. All we can do is laugh and laugh about it, because it's his story and he is sticking to it! Kids will be kids I suppose and we love him to death for it.

Happy Birthday Grandpa

January 26th comes every year, and it's a day that makes me stop, think, and remember. January 26th is my late Grandpa Trent's birthday. I remember him every year with both sadness and joy. He played such a large role in my life and was a man of many talents. All of the time, laughs, fun, hugs, kisses, advice, and discipline are things that I will cherish for the rest of my life. The more time that passes without him the more I wonder about what he would think about what I'm doing with my life now. Would he be disappointed or would he be proud? I'll never know. But what I can always be sure of is how much he loved me and the impact that he had on my life that has truly and surely molded me into the person that I am today.

Christmas 2009

We had a great Christmas! We continued a tradition that my mom and dad did for us; which was opening one present on Christmas Eve (Christmas Pajamas). Aiden was adamant about leaving out some cookies for Santa and some oatmeal for the reindeer and was ecstatic that they had all eaten every crumb. Santa spoiled all of us but the greatest gift was spending time with each other. We let Aiden wreak havoc all day long. And Rob admired the new truck that he got for Christmas. Not really new, but new to us. My parents had been gracious enough to loan us one of their vehicles for a more than extended amount of time. It was time for us to purchase an additional vehicle for Rob to get back and forth to work. The day after Christmas we went to my parents house for dinner with my sister Rhiannon and my sister Mandi's families. It was so nice to hang out with everyone. We missed my sister Angi and her family but enjoyed spending time with them at Thanksgiving. We also got to visit with Great Grandma Yorgi. She always enjoys our company and loves that we are closer to her now so she too can watch Aiden change and grow. We did get some really sad news from our mom Suzy on Christmas Eve. Her beloved horse, Truly, had come down with colic and had to be put to sleep. Our hearts were broken for her, as her animals are her life. We shed some tears for her that evening and Aiden asked me why I was crying. I explained to him that Granny Suzy's horse had died and that I was very sad for her. Aiden spoke to her a few days later on the phone and asked her if she was still sad. She told him that she missed Truly but that she was doing okay. Aiden told her not to worry, that his Grandma Janie would buy her a new horse. We all had to laugh. Maybe the one bad thing about us moving to Wyoming is the increased distance that we put between us and Rob's momma. We have not been able to see her for a little while and we all miss her sooooo very much. She inspires us daily with her perseverance and her ongoing optimistic outlook on life. Rob and I are both truly blessed to have such wonderful parents. Where would we be without them? And better yet, where would our son be without the examples and love that we have had?

A Visit From Riley, Jess, & Chayzlee

Before Christmas my little brother Riley and his girlfriend Jess stopped by with my youngest niece Chayzlee. She was born in June and is getting big in a hurry. Funny how we can't stop that from happening. Aiden spent the evening smothering her to death. He is a pretty big fan of babies, but just doesn't quite yet understand the meaning of personal space. It was good to see them. We were excited they stopped by!

Aiden's Special Christmas Events

We have been extremely fortunate in finding a child care provider in this area that is absolutely amazing. She's a saint who puts so much time and energy into the kids she has in her home, and has been a licenced provider for over 20 years. She is also a mom of six, which like triples her potential as a daycare provider. I'm pretty darn sure that there is nothing that our little guy can dish up that she hasn't seen a thousand times before. He really enjoys going to her house and frequently asks on weekends if he can go to "Christy's". She is very involved with the local library and takes the kids in weekly. In December her daycare was asked to put on a library Christmas program. To our surprise, Aiden fully participated and new every song and action. Somehow Christy also managed to get Santa to come to her house to surprise all the kiddos. She has BIG, BIG connections. Very exciting!!

Getting Prepared For The Big Day

Okay, so I am now seriously going to try to commit to blogging. My sister printed off her entire blog from last year and it's such a great way to capture memories and moments. We have been living in Rock Springs, WY for about 6 months, which is very hard to believe. This Christmas was our first Christmas alone as a family. Aiden's entire existence up to this point was in the presence of a roommate, good ole "Uncle Don". Our privacy and our ability to "just be" has been more than we could have ever hoped for. We had a ton of fun getting ready for Christmas. Aiden truly understood the meaning behind it all this year. Okay, maybe not the TRUE meaning of Christmas but definitely the decorating, baking, Santa, and presents part.