The Greatest Happinesses are Family Happinesses

First Grade Update

2008-11-12T19:35:00.002-05:00

Oh my, it has been a REALLY long time since I've updated but,.....you already know that. This year is flying by. Things are going so well. Aidan is doing amazing in first grade.

First grade has been in session for 2 1/2 months now and I can't believe the difference. Aidan is REALLY enjoying school. His teacher is really engaged and truly has the kids best interest at heart. School doesn't come easy for Aidan, but he is trying really hard and is doing really well. His reading is coming along at an alarming pace. His class is involved in the "Book It" program at the local pizza joint. If the children read the amount of books that the teacher pre-determines for a given month, they get a certificate for a personal sized pizza. Aidan, despite having a week shorter than the rest of his classmates, due to a vacation, worked really hard and completed his 15 books last month and triumphantly presented his pizza certificate! We went for pizza earlier this week and had the best experience. The waiter made a huge deal about Aidans reading efforts and Aidan was beaming! He gave him a "Readers Rule" button for his backpack and he wears it proudly. He is well on his way to another certificate for November!

For the first quarter of the school year, the first graders operated on a pass/fail scale. The second quarter just began and this is the first time that he will be graded on the letter scale. So, we cleaned off our refridgerator to make room for all of his efforts. It has only been a week and we are already well on our way to covering every space on the door with A's and B's! We couldn't be more proud of our little man!

Hurry Up Days!

2008-09-26T09:32:00.002-04:00

I can't believe that September is almost over - time just flies by! The days are busy and go by so quickly - but life has been good at our house. It has taken me a month, but I am finally learning to juggle the new school schedule. Aidan has settled into a good routine and I don't feel nearly as frazzled as I did those first couple of weeks. It was hard going from the "lazy days of summer camp" to the "wake-up-early, homework-filled days of the school year." Aidan is very happy with his teacher and so far is doing great!

Aidan really enjoys computer class and loves getting a new book out of the library on Thursdays. He is finally picking out chapter books, so as part of our routine at night, we read a couple of chapters from the book he picked out. He is on top of the world about picking out books himself.

He informed me the other day that Thursdays are "hurry up days." I asked him what that meant and he said, "we have to hurry and get to computers and then hurry and get to spanish and then hurry and get to the library.....first graders are busy, mom!" The way the first grade schedule worked out this year, they do seem to have alot of things scheduled for Thursdays, but luckily he likes everywhere he is hurrying to.

Today is the first school mass, dress up day and picture day. I thought Aidan would give me a hard time becuase I made him wear a tie to school. He was fine getting dressed, fine on the ride to school, fine walking into school. When we got to his classroom, he had a total melt down. He was going on and on about how ridiculous he looked in a tie. The teacher and I tried to console him, but he just wasn't having it. I thought I would get out of these conversations by having a boy.....ah, well. TGIF!!

First Grade Rockstar!

2008-09-18T13:30:00.003-04:00

The first day of school has come and gone and school has kicked into high gear. It is going MUCH better than anticipated. Everything that the kindergarten teacher told us would happen, has. Aidan has grown up more than we realized.

Aidan seems to be enjoying school. He learned his first espanol song, in Spanish class, of course. He likes his new teacher and is thrilled to see his friends again. We worked really hard on his reading skills over the summer and it seems to have paid off.

We attended welcome back night where we got to meet his teacher for some one-on-one time. She is an older teacher and seems to truly love her job and the children and the children seem to respond to her well.

Aidan has his first test today, so I am anxious to pick him up and hear all about it. Overall, first grade is going GREAT for my little Rockstar!

The End of Summer

2008-08-28T10:37:00.003-04:00

This is the final week of summer. I have been cleaning out closets and drawers, started my fall cleaning, and finished up the back to school shopping. This morning as I was driving Aidan to his final day of summer camp, I reminded him to have a great day, say goodbye to his friends and most of all, enjoy this final day at camp.

I spelled out for him that it was his final day of summer camp, he had four days off and then it was back to school....to which he replied, "Oh fiddlesticks!"

I couldn't have said it better myself!

I hope everyone enjoys these final days of summer bliss, the start of football season and all the BBQ one can stomach!!

Stay tuned for the First Grade Follies.....

Aidan Funny

2008-08-02T08:03:00.002-04:00

Aidan had been on a field trip on this particular day that I picked him up from summer camp. They had been on a boat ride down the river and then had a picnic in the park. On the way home from summer camp we had the following dialogue:

Jenny: So, how was your field trip today!
Aidan: It was great mom! Did you know there are fish in that river?
Jenny: Really? Did you like seeing those fish?
Aidan: Yes!

after a few minutes....

Aidan: Mom, Connor and I were hungry on that boat.
Jenny: They probably have rules about eating on the boat. Did you get to eat in the park afterwards?
Aidan: Yes, but we were hungry on the boat. (his tone getting angrier) They wouldn't give us anything to eat. All they gave us was grief!

It must be rough being six!

Aidan Funny

2008-07-23T20:41:00.003-04:00

I desperately need to update this blog and catch everyone up on kindergarten graduation, summer camp and everything in between, but I owe my cousin, Charles (probably my sole reader at this point), an update. Here are a couple of Aidan funnies from the past few days:

Tonight, we were driving home from dinner and Aidan was singing "put your hands in the air like you just don't care" in the backseat and......
Paul: Where did you learn that song, Aidan?
Aidan: A girl at school.
Paul: Which girl
Aidan: An older girl.
Paul: What is her name?
Aidan: I don't know her name.
Paul: Do you like her?
Aidan: Sure
Paul: Would you kiss her?
Aidan: Ewwwww...NO! I don't like kissing girls.
Paul: Why not? Moms a girl. Are you saying you don't like kissing mommy?
Aidan: Dad! We like kissing mommy. She's our wife!

Can you feel the love?

Earlier in the week, Aidan and I stopped at Meijer on the way home from summer camp/work. As we were loading our car with groceries, getting ready to leave, I could smell someone (not anywhere in sight) smoking a cigarette and....
Jenny: Shew! (not really conscious of what I was saying)
Aidan: Oh, that smell is that lady back there.
Jenny: (beamed back from the unconscious) Aidan!
Aidan: Mom, you said something stinks and it is that lady back there. She has one of those smoking sticks.
Jenny: Smoking sticks?
Aidan: Yeah, you know.....those smoking sticks that people are always sucking on?!

You gotta love the innocence!

My dad, Paul and Aidan went to the driving range this past weekend. My was told my dad that he (referring to himself) needed to practice and....
Aidan: I need to practice
My dad: Me too!
Aidan: But grandpa, your're good!
My dad: Well, if I practice, I can be even better
Aidan: Well, if I get better and you get better, together we can be really good!

I'd pick him for my team any day!

Well, there you go Charles (and anyone else who hung in there). I hope you enjoyed these. Just think, in a little over a month, you'll have your own funnies to tell about your own bundle of joy!! We can't wait to enjoy the ride with you!!

Aidan -- the next Yogi Berra?

2008-05-07T15:00:00.003-04:00

The other day Aidan and Paul were playing Aidan's deer hunting video game. (It's basically a toy gun that plugs into the TV and your character walks around to hunt deer.) Well, Aidan shot a deer and the game asked if he wanted to save it. Because it was small, he decided not to save it. Then, he turned to Paul and said, matter-of-factly, "Even if we don't keep it, it will be dead for the rest of its life!"

Happy Birthday, Aidan!

2008-04-18T21:50:00.002-04:00

6 Years ago today, we welcomed a perfect baby boy into our world. I have so many wishes for my baby boy, but tonight, I'm dedicating this song to him.

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,And each road leads you where you want to go,And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.And if one door opens to another door closed,I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,You never need to carry more than you can hold,And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,All the ones who love you, in the place you left,I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,And you help somebody every chance you get,Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,And you always give more than you take.

This is my wishI hope you know somebody loves you! May all your dreams stay big!

We love you.....Happy 6th Birthday, Pumpkin Pie!

Spring Cleaning

2008-03-27T20:23:00.002-04:00

From the time Aidan was born, Paul has taken him to his parents each Wednesday for a visit. Aidan LOVES visiting. It is just one of the many benefits of living close to family. We wanted Aidan to have a close relationship with his grandparents and in that, we have succeeded!

So, each Wednesday night they leave the house for a visit and I do one of many things.....veg on the couch, scrapbook, veg out on the couch, shop, veg out on the couch.....you get the idea! Last night, the weather was around 50 degrees and I had an extra spring in my step. I was so excited about the nice weather that I set out for a bit of shopping. It felt so great to go in and out of the stores without having to trudge through dirty snow. I went to several different stores before I decided I would stop into Bed, Bath and Beyond as my final stop before heading home. I figured I would buy a new flowery smelling candle, to ring in spring. I was side tracked by one of the many infomercials they have playing in that store. I ended up buying a steam mop.....a far cry from a flowery candle. Ah, well....I guess being cooped up in the house all winter does strange things to people. I also stocked up on the soft scrub, tilex, bleach, windex, etc. Spring cleaning here I come! Needless to say, our house is in tip top shape! The base boards are clean, every inch of dust has been washed away, the floors have been steamed clean (thanks to my new purchase) and the bathrooms have been scrubbed from floor to ceiling.

As I flopped onto the bed, relieved that the last dust bunny had been layed to rest, I flicked on the television. The news was forcasting the weather. Tonight we are expecting......6 FRIGGIN' INCHES OF SNOW!!!!!!! UNFREAKIN' BELIEVABLE!!!!! All of that spring cleaning and I don't even get spring!

Oh well, when spring does decide to visit us, I will be ready!!

Curse you snow!

Mrs. Liverty

2008-03-25T08:36:00.002-04:00

Mom: "Aidan, what did you do in school today?"

Aidan: "Nothing."

Mom: "Nothing?! You sat in your classroom all day and didn't talk about anything?"

Aidan: "OK (clearly annoyed at my pushing), we learned that Mrs. Liverty is from Yew Nork City."

I should have stopped at "Nothing."

The final countdown!

2008-03-25T08:19:00.003-04:00

Although kindergarten has been a rougher year than I had hoped for, we are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Kindergarten will be over on May 29th....but who's counting? We have noticed (and the teacher has reported) a difference in Aidan. He is now able to make it through a day without bouncing all over the place. He is able to sit still for "rug time" which seems like a small feat, but it is a REALLY big deal for us and he can make it through an entire week without a time out. WOO-HOO!!!! Gosh, I can't believe that this paragraph is about my child. It makes it sound like he is a really difficult kid. He is NOT. He is actually a great kid, it's just that kindergarten has been a real struggle. A traditional school setting has been a bigger adjustment than I really expected, but he seems to be getting the hang of it. Over the weekend, my sister-in-law asked me if he had a bad teacher. I explained that she is not a bad teacher at all, she is just not a good teacher for Aidan. However, the school is working with us and even though it has taken nearly the entire year, it is all working out.

Aidan is looking forward to summer camp where he will be able to swim twice a week and go on 1-2 field trips a week. The rest of his days will be spent outside running with his old preschool pals. This is a much easier environment for Aidan and his unending amounts of energy. We have the option of sending him for a reading and/or math tutor during the week as well. While he doesn't necessarily need to be tutored because, academically, he is right where he needs to be; we are considering signing him up just so we don't lose momentum from the great strides he has been making over the past several weeks. We have alot of work to do on being able to focus and we will do whatever is necessary to make this happen for Aidan. In the long run, it will make his life alot easier.

A (very delayed) update on the 100th day of school

2008-03-25T08:17:00.001-04:00

This one's for Maureen. Many of you have asked how the 100th day of school went and it went very well. When I picked Aidan up from school that afternoon, he was very excited. I asked him how counting to 100 was on the speaker and he proclaimed "Mom, I tried it and I liked it."

I was so very proud of him!

100 Days of School

2008-02-15T10:40:00.002-05:00

So today marks the 100th day of school. Apparently, this is a big deal in schools today. I've heard co-workers and friends discuss all of the many projects their children are completing for this milestone event.

Aidan doesn't often talk about school, so when he does, I am all ears. Last night, he was quite anxious about the 100 day of school event that the kindergarten class has planned. Today, the class will count to 100 over the "speaker", as Aidan calls it, to the entire school. This doesn't really seem like the type of thing that would bother Aidan, but he was really distraught about it last night. I played it up big, explaining it was like a radio and the whole school would think it was really cool and nobody else was going to get to do that, etc., etc., etc. He didn't say much after that, so I thought he was OK.

However, this morning, he complained of a stomach ache, feeling like he was going to throw up, etc. I told him he would be fine and sent him off to school. I warned his teacher that he was really anxious about it. However, I feel terrible about it. Mostly, because I know EXACTLY how he felt.

I was talking to Paul this morning about it. It was really hard for me to tell him it would be OK because that is exactly the sort of thing that WOULD have made me throw up when I was in school. Paul just laughed and said, "I can sympathize with him, as well....you're talking to the boy who purposely misspelled words in the spelling bee so I didn't have to go on." LOL....this kid is doomed!

New Year's Resolutions and other stuff

2008-01-22T20:45:00.000-05:00

OK, OK, I know. I just can't seem to get this blog thing together. No matter how I promise myself (or my readers, actually) I just can't seem to get myself to update regularly. For that, I sincerely apologize.

The truth is, my life just isn't that interesting....and I like it that way. Since the last time I updated this blog a little over a month ago, not much has really happened. We had a fabulous Christmas and a wonderful New Year. We are still trudging through the kindergarten year. Aidan is playing winter indoor football. As much as I say our life isn't that interesting, it sure manages to keep us busy.

Santa brought Paul the Nintendo Wii for Christmas and we have all been enjoying it. We recently picked up Madden Football '08 and Paul and Aidan are really getting into it. I refuse! I can handle bowling, tennis and even golf but I draw the line at football. I don't understand the sport in real life and I'm not gonna even try to bother understanding it in video game form. Needless to say, I find myself watching way to much TV. I'm not sure why, however, because TV is really bland right now considering the writer's strike. So, I've been doing alot of thinking. And, as usual, my thinking typically turns to scrapbooking.

I've been really bummed out about scrapbooking lately. I have not been very motivated at all. I've gone through periods of this before, but this is the worst it's ever been. The last several times that I've scrapbooked with my cousin, I really haven't scrapbooked at all. I use the excuse that I enjoy spending time with her new baby. And while there is alot of truth in this (I mean who can resist those chubby little cheeks!), it isn't the whole truth. The truth is, my pages are all starting to look the same. I am completely disorganized and am so far behind. I have great ideas in my head and when I sit down to scrapbook, my thoughts get so jumbled and my pages turn out a mess. So, in an effort to be the completely supportive husband that he is, Paul declared this the year to reclaim my scrapbook room (and our basement, but I'll leave that for another blog entry).

You see, when Aidan was old enough to move to his big boy bed a couple of years ago we moved him into the bigger bedroom and I took his nursery over as my scrapbook room (and it is still decorated as it was for the nursery, but it is nothing a little paint can't fix). While it was somewhat functional at the time, it has since turned into the local dump and has become a catch-all for, well....everything. Paul was determined to get my scrapbooking room back, as well as get rid of all of the clutter and crap that has piled up in that room. And now that I think about it, it is probably the latter that was his motivation, but I'll take it. So, this weekend, we purchased a bunch of organizing cubes and a nifty new craft desk and Paul went to work putting everything together. Bless his heart, he stayed up until midnight assembling everything on Sunday night, so that I could start organizing on Monday. I had Monday off of work for Martin Luther King Jr. day, so it was as good a time as any to get started. I sorted and cleaned and organized and threw out so much stuff that I didn't know if I would ever see an end to the daunting task. I have so much stuff that I even talked myself into creating a sort pile of stuff to sell on ebay. (yet another blog entry, I'm sure).
In the end, I got my scrapbook room back and am now more motivated than ever to start scrapbooking again! I LOVE my new space!! I am so thrilled that my tools are organized.

The organizational cubes are VERY cool! There are some with 4 smaller drawers for ribbons, brads, eyelets, embellishments, etc. There are some with 3 drawers for misc. tools. And there are a couple with shelves for paper, albums, idea books and so on. They even have a slot on the front to label what is in each drawer!! Now, I just have to start printing off my pictures. Luckily, my digital camara software has already organized those, so all I have to do is print them. I am SO THRILLED!!!!!!!

The desk is awesome!! It has an additional pull out work space if the current space isn't enough. The back wall of the desk has an area to hang scissors and misc. tools. It has a great light and additional plugs to plug in tools such as my heat tool for embossing! It is the perfect desk for a scrapbooker!! Well, gotta go....I've got about 2 years of scrappin' to catch up on!!

Dreaming No Longer Necessary

2007-12-17T12:30:00.000-05:00

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas......NOT ANY MORE!! The snow came yesterday, finally! Aidan has been dreaming and dreaming and his dreams finally came true! The white stuff fell from the sky in truckloads yesterday.

Yesterday morning, we were getting ready for church and the snow was falling. We headed out for mass and got stuck in the driveway. Paul jumped out of the car, threw a shovel in the back, rocked us back and forth and we were on our way. Needless to say, there were very few of us that made it to church.

We barely made it through the door after mass and Aidan was dressing in layers ready to be snow-bound. Paul and Aidan shoveled and played in the snow for 2 1/2 hours and had a blast. Then, at 4:30 in the afternoon, I received a call from the school announcing that school had already been closed for Monday. Ummmmm, OK? I don't get that, but whatever! For Aidan, it was the perfect ending for an already perfect day!

The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

2007-11-29T08:16:00.000-05:00

As you all probably know, ABC played "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" last night on television. At the start of the show Aidan got off of the couch and went wild dancing and just cracked us up. The video is not that great because it was taken with Paul's cell phone, but you'll get the idea.

Preparing My Heart

2007-11-27T08:43:00.000-05:00

Paul just left for a business trip and Aidan is at school. Even though Advent doesn't truly begin for another couple of days, I am making a point to give myself at least 10 minutes of silence each day this season. I am doing this as my advent gift to myself. I am doing this to truly savor the season. I am doing this for my own sanity.

This week I find myself holding on to the Thanksgiving holiday and gaining excitement for the upcoming Christmas season. I am making a promise to myself to prepare my heart for the advent season. I am cherishing this moment of silence and am thinking about the many things I have to be thankful for.

May you be truly full of thanksgiving...I know I am. In a kinda stream of consciousness sort of way.

For my hubby,
my child,
my extended family,
my neighborhood,
my parish,
for education,
the school my child attends,
and all of his teachers,
our work,
our recreation,
our dog,
our home,
our cars,
our favorite books,
our plants,
oil in the burner,
gas in the tanks,
food in the pantry,
our porch,
our friends,
Aidan’s sports teams,
the warm clothes on our backs,
the memories of sweet vacations,
the changing seasons,
beaches,
decent wine,
decadent desserts,
bagels,
good beans to grind for my coffee,
talk radio,
meaningful music,
a nearby parking space when it's raining,
finding money in a pocket,
a handwritten letter in the mail,
reading a good book,
finishing a task,
breathing easier after a check-up,
for blog comments,
hair-coloring,
a compliment,
unexpected surprises,
for fast shipping,
for free shipping,
dark chocolate,
raspberries,
ok, chocolate raspberry anything,
fires in the fireplace,
dinner on the grill,
birds at the feeder,
company on long drives,
a clean room,
a down comforter,
losing a few pounds,
lifting someone's spirits,
walking outside,
for Advil, and allergy drugs,
for doctors on call,
for quick recoveries,
for safe travel,
for forgiveness and second chances,
for gifts given and those received,
for police and fire and EMS personnel who work on holidays,
for our faithful military,
for our constitutional freedoms,
for the chance to try again,
for answered prayers,
for Jesus, Mary, the saints, the Church, the Sacraments.

Moving Along

2007-11-26T20:54:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving has come and gone. I can hardly believe it. The weekend was very relaxing. Aidan and I made different types of candy on Wednesday. Thursday, we celebrated Thanksgiving with my family at my uncle's home with lot of great food and an abundance of love. Black Friday is always a great time. I wasn't in the market for much, but I always love to go out anyway. It is the thrill of the hunt that draws me in every year. Saturday we spent the entire day at Paul's parents home. His younger sisters were in town for the holiday so we got to spend some quality time playing Wii and chit chatting. Sunday, we put our Christmas tree/decorations up.

Now that our Christmas decorations are up, I am so ready for the advent season. I have already started on a good note. Typically, I make it a point to get our Christmas cards out the day after Thanksgiving. Needless to say, I haven't even decided on or taken a picture for the card yet. And you know what? I"m not worried. I plan to fully embrace this advent season. I'm focusing on my time with Paul and Aidan. I don't want each and every night to be filled with a laundry list of things that need to get done in order to make the holiday a success. Afterall, there will always be things that need to be done. And they will get done.....eventually. And if they don't, our Christmas will be fabulous anyway.

Aidan is in the shower right now, which is why I am taking a second to update this blog. As soon as he is out, we'll be reading the next chapter of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" that we started last night. In fact, I think I just heard the shower turn off, so I must go now.

I just thought I'd do a quick update to let everyone know we are still here and that I haven't forgotten (totally) about this blog.

Until next time.....

Playing Catch Up

2007-11-03T21:04:00.000-04:00

First of all, I'm sorry about missing the last two Photo Fridays. I know, I know, two in a row. I had every intention of posting last night, but I put in a 13 hour day, for the second day in a row, at work yesterday and I just couldn't bring myself to turn the computer back on when I walked in the door.

Besides being ridiculously busy at work lately, things have been going pretty well. We had a new driveway poured because we were in desparate need. It was in pretty sad shape. So sad, that whenever we got out of the car Aidan would run down and ask if he could chuck a rock (aka. cement from the driveway) into the street. For some reason, he never got tired of asking that question even though he knew the answer before he asked it.

Aidan has a new cousin and she is darn cute!! Natalie Jean was born on October 30th to my cousins Kandi and Chuck. She is a truly beautiful baby and Aidan was thrilled to be able to visit her at the same hospital where he was born. He has been excited about her for several months now and was just in awe at how tiny she was. Congratulations to the happy family!!

Halloween was lots of fun. We had 3 trick-or-treating events before halloween, so by the time the actual holiday actually rolled around, Aidan was just as happy passing out the candy and playing catch in the front yard, as he was actually trick-or-treating. I volunteered to work the halloween party at Aidan's school this year. I took a half day off of work and thought it was going to be so much fun. Boy, was I wrong. There were so many parents there that I felt like I was more in the way than of any help. It was loud, the kids were beyond excited and I watched the clock the entire time wishing the day would come to an end! Part of the problem was that as soon as I walked in, Aidan thought it was time to go home and so he spent most of the party asking when he could leave. I couldn't be mad though, because I had to side with him on this one. It was just utter chaos and home sounded like a much happier place.

Football season officially ended for Aidan today when they were knocked out of the playoffs this morning. Aidan was sad, but we've signed him up for winter football that will start in January....and best of all, it is indoors!!!! He is going to play on the same team and have the same coach and we are so thankful. He really had a wonderful coach this year.

Special Note: I will continue to attempt posting Photo Fridays, but I'm not making any promises from now until the end of the year as to their frequency. I have been under an incredible amount of stress lately and it has caused me some minor health issues, so I've made a promise to myself to make this holiday season the season to say "no." I apologize that Photo Friday just started and I am alredy backing out, but it has to be done. I'm not making a ton of commitments, a ton of appointments or scheduling a ton of activities. We will do only the one's that I think I can handle with the minimum amount of stress and that is it! My rule of thumb is if I don't want to do it, I'm just not going to do it.....period! This season, which according to the Christmas music that is already being played on the radio, has officially begun, will be one focused on my health and spending quality time with my family.

I will update along the way, but just don't feel the need to check this blog weekly at least until the beginning of next year. I will definitely be updating, but not on a weekly basis. I've had to start saying no to commitments already and unfortunately, this is one that was at the top of the list.

See you in a week or so......

Photo Friday

2007-10-19T21:13:00.001-04:00

This little creature took up residence in our backyard recently.

Please Be Advised....

2007-10-09T12:07:00.001-04:00

Photo Friday will not take place this week. It will resume next Friday. Thanks to all of our readers and see you next week!

Lil' MVP

2007-10-06T12:00:00.000-04:00

Today was another great football Saturday! It was a beautiful day to be on the sidelines....sunny and 80 degrees. That is the way I like my football games. Rainy and cold is no way to go!

The boys played their hearts out! They were sweaty little balls of energy the whole game and it showed! It was their best game yet! I was so proud of every one of them, but one little guy stood out above the rest. After each game, the coach hands out a gold medal to the player who he considers that games Most Valuable Player. After 6 tackles and 2 touchdowns, I present todays MVP....

Aidan was thrilled to accept the medal today. Can you see the excitement in his eyes?! I have never screamed so loud for a football game in my life. By the end of the game, I was shaking like a leaf from the excitement. I don't know how I will ever survive this sport as the years go on. It is intense!!

Congratulations, Spartans! (By the way, the day the team chose their name, Paul shook his head in shame). Congratulations, Aidan! We are so proud of you, Spartan or not!!

Photo Friday

2007-10-05T20:04:00.001-04:00

Are you ready for some football?!

2007-10-02T20:18:00.000-04:00

Since Aidan was about two, we knew he would love organized sports. He enjoys playing any sport with anyone! He has played 3 season of soccer and this past summer he played his first season of t-ball. Now, he is playing flag football. Even though, football has always been Aidan's favorite, I didn't think that I would enjoy watching this sport, because I really thought he was too young....and I don't know a single thing about football. However, he is getting ready to play his fourth game of the season and I have to admit, it is my favorite sport to watch him play, so far. When I watch him, I can just tell that he is truly, truly happy. He bounces up and down with glee and runs like I've never seen him run before. He talks non-stop about football and NEVER tires of practicing at home. Even though I don't have a clue what is going on from a technical stand point, I do know that it is my little boy out there and I am incredibly proud of him. He is having the time of his life and I am really enjoying being a football mom!

In the above picture, Aidan is wearing the yellow pants and has the ball. Run, baby, run!

Homework Update

2007-10-02T20:12:00.000-04:00

After school was a little hectic today. Aidan was scheduled for a dentist appointment and I knew they were going to give him a flouride treatment. I also knew that he wasn't going to be able to eat for about an hour after that, so he had to eat right after school. This was fine with him because he is typically STARVING after school. So, we ate dinner and went to the dentist (no cavities, YAY!) Today being Tuesday, it was also homework day. When we arrived home from the dentist, I asked Aidan who he wanted to help him with his homework and guess what? He picked me! I was so thrilled, not because I wanted to do the homework, but because I knew that I was not stressing him out as much as I feared. My prayers have been answered!

Photo Friday

2007-09-28T17:53:00.001-04:00

This week marked alot of things in Aidan's kindergarten world. Today, was dress up day. This meant that 1) Aidan didn't have to wear his uniform and 2) he had his school pictures taken today. He wasn't really thrilled about the dress up day because, well....he's a 5 year old boy. He could care less about wearing preppy button up shirts and dress pants. He would have rather worn his school uniform because he can wear shorts (at least until the end of October). He doesn't care that he has to wear uniform shorts with dress shoes because, well...he's a 5 year old boy.

This was also the first week that he had homework. We were told at kindergarten orientation that once homework began, it would be sent home every Tuesday and Thursday. I thought this was fabulous. First of all, it was only 2 nights a week and second, we could plan around homework nights.

Last week, Paul was out of town on business and I was really nervous because I thought it would be the week that homework started. I was fretting about having to deal with the homework alone. I have "issues" with anything school related and that includes homework. I couldn't even imagine having to deal with the anxiety that homework brought. For me, it is really about the anxiety, not about the homework itself. I mean, come on, how hard can kindergarten homework really be? So, you can imagine the sigh of relief that came from our home when I frantically rifled through the yellow folder last Tuesday only to realize that I had been saved! No homework. I was safe for another week. Most of all, I was safe. Paul would be home next week and I had every intention of letting him handle the homework demons.

This Tuesday, I opened the folder and saw the homework page. I knew it was coming because on Friday, the teacher sent home a note telling us that this week started homework. I can hear my friend Trista saying, "you have got to get over your issues with school." I know she is right and I have tried really hard not to project any of my feelings on to Aidan when it comes to school. I had planned Aidan's favorite dinner Tuesday night to celebrate the first day of homework. I pulled the homework out of the folder and asked Aidan if he wanted to do the homework now or after dnner. I thought it would put a positive spin on it if I made it his choice. After we went round and round about homework, Aidan ended up in his room crying and I was slamming pots and pans around while trying to finish dinner. But, no matter how hard I thought I was trying, I obviously failed. I'm not even sure how we ended up in the argument about homework, but, we did. So, after I calmed down, I went to his room to find him hiding in the closet. I asked him why he was so upset and he said that he didn't think it was fair that he had to do homework when daddy never had to do any homework. Deep down, I felt sorry for him, but I calmly rationalized with him. Luckily, I had read a post by my friend, Josie, about a school related discussion she recently had with her daughter and used the same story with Aidan. Thank you Josie, for your calm, rational...wait, is that the same Josie I used to work with (just kidding)?!? Anyway, we marched right into the kitchen and finished the homework in about 10 minutes. We also got through Thursday evenings homework without fail. Although, I did leave that day for Paul to handle. Needless to say, I feel so much better that the first homework assignments are behind us and we stopped for a slurpee on the way home today, to celebrate....again!!

Charles, this one's for you!

2007-09-24T17:54:00.001-04:00

I know it's not Photo Friday, but I'm posting this for Charles. He specifically asked me about Photo Friday, so at least I know HE is reading my blog. This one's for you, pal! Thanks for reading!

Photo Friday

2007-09-21T19:47:00.000-04:00

Photo Friday

2007-09-14T14:00:00.000-04:00

Doggy....never leave home without him!

You Know You've Made The Right Decision When...

2007-09-09T08:37:00.001-04:00

On Friday night, Aidan and I were relaxing after getting ready for bed. We decided to play a couple games of Uno, which has quickly become his new favorite game. During the game he looked up at me and said:

Aidan: "Mom, I love you. You're the best mom ever."
Jenny: "Thanks, Aidan. Why do you think I'm the best mom ever?"
Aidan: "Because you let me go to [insert name here] school and I really love it there."
Jenny: "I'm so glad you like your new school. Daddy and I think you're going to do really well and we are so proud of you."

I was a little worried about Aidan starting kindergarten because his preschool teacher told us that she didn't think he was ready for full day kindergarten because he couldn't sit still. However, he seems to have adjusted just fine and this seems to be the perfect fit for him. I think the routine and structure is exactly what he needed.

We are so blessed to have been welcomed into this school/church community. As I write this post, I can't help but think of my favorite prayer. I have it hanging in our home, as well as at my office and look to it often:

"May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let his presence settle into our bones, and allow your souls the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of you."

Photo Friday

2007-09-07T09:58:00.000-04:00

In an effort to start using this blog more frequently, I've decided to try something new. I'm going to start something called Photo Friday. It is very simple....every Friday, I post a photo. It may or may not include an update or caption, but hey, at least you'll be promised a photo.

Today's photo is one of my favorite pictures of my guys from this summer!

Happy Photo Friday everyone!!

What Did You Do Today?

2007-09-05T20:20:00.000-04:00

When Aidan comes home
At the end of the day,
There's a question I ask
As he scurrys to play.
"Tell me, what did you do in school today?"

"Nothing. I did nothing today!"

Perhaps nothing means that he played with blocks,
Tied his own shoes, or found beautiful rocks.
Maybe the monarchs hatched today,
Or mabye he found a new friend to play.
Maybe today was the very first time
His scissors followed a very stright line,
He learned a new song, and sang all the words,
Or he touched a feather from the strangest of birds.
When you're five and your heart has wings,
"Nothing" can mean some wonderful things!

First Day of School

2007-09-05T16:55:00.000-04:00

This morning went very smoothly. Aidan woke up, got dressed and we were soon on our way to the first day of school. He was not happy about having to tuck his shirt in, but got over it very quickly when he found out that he got to wear his new shoes to school today.

The drive to school was very uneventful, but beautiful. When Paul and I got married almost 11 years ago, someone told me to take the time throughout the day to remember the little moments. That was such great advice and I've tried to do that with so many things in my life. As I drove Aidan to school I remided myself to take everything in. It was very foggy and the moon was still high in the sky trying to shine through, giving everything a frosty glow. Aidan was listening to "Land Before Time" so the music in the car was as dramatic as the sights.

By looking at Aidan, you would have never known he was nervous. I should have known something was up, though, when he refused to eat breakfast. (He gets that nervous stomach from me!) As we got closer to the school, we got stuck by a train. Aidan got a little frantic, insisting that school would be over by the time we got there. Mind you, we were only about 3 minutes away from the school at this point. Once I reassured him that mommy would never make him late for his first day of school, he seemed to recover quickly. We had to park a block away from the school and as we were walking up, Aidan sqeezed my hand and said, "mommy, I'm going to miss you." At that point, I wanted to turn around, buckle him safely back into the car and ride off into the rising sun....but thought better of it. Instead, I put on my bravest face and said, "You're going to have so much fun and the day will go by so fast, you won't have time to miss me." As we made it to the school grounds, the older kids were in "the pen," which is the gated area next to the school that the kids so eloquently named. Aidan's eyes got bigger as we got closer and I noticed his grip once again tightening. He looked up at me and said, "Do we have to go in THERE?" I assured him that we would not be going in there, proceeded to march right past the bigger kids, walked right through the front doors of his school and right into his classroom. Once inside his classroom, he let go of my hand and took control. He went right to his hook and hung his bag up, put his nametag on, and sat on the appropriate square on the rug. He was all smiles from that point forward.

In the meantime, I had taken control of my own destiny. I knew that I was not going to want to leave at 8:00 when the bell rang as we had been instructed to do the night before. So, I signed up to volunteer at the school from 8a.m. until 11a.m. This was the best move that I made and highly recommend it. I didn't feel like I was being shoved out the door right when the bell rang, for my child to fend for himself. I simply waved goodbye and walked down the hall to volunteer my time. I met two other moms who had the same idea that I did. While we were working in the lunchroom, the kindergarten class went on a tour of the school and Aidan's face lit up when he saw that I was still at the school. After my volunteer session, I marched right into the principal's office and spoke with her about creating a kindergarten directory. I thought it would be a great way to gain a sense of community within Aidan's class....afterall, we are going to be with most of these families for at least the next 9 years.

When 12:00 rolled around, I found myself lined up outside with the other parents waiting for the bell to ring. Aidan came strolling out as cool as a cucumber. We walked across the street with a classmate and her mom to check out the latch key center. The kids immediately took toys off of the shelf and started playing. They didn't want to leave. Aidan and I ended up going to lunch with this classmate and her mom, as well. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

I couldn't have asked for a better first day of school!! Aidan has already asked when he could go back to his new school!

Oh, by the way....I've now had the chance to go through the dreaded blue folder filled with papers. I've sorted them into two piles.....a reference pile and a "needs to be completed and returned to school" file. I've also created a calendar list with due dates and important happenings and feel completely at peace with my new role as a kindergarten mom. Isn't it amazing what a little organization can do? My mom says I have control issues. Call it what you want, but I am a much happier person when I have a LIST!!!! List....er, I mean, Life is definitely good!!

Orientation

2007-09-05T16:44:00.000-04:00

Last night was kindergarten orientation. To be truthful, I went there looking for peace. I thought after I was there, met some of Aidan's classmates, met some parents, met some teachers, saw how everything was going to be, I would feel better. However, I came out feeling completely overwhelmed. I had a folder full of due dates and papers that needed filled out. By the time we arrived at home it was going on 9 p.m. and Aidan was super hyper. I didn't have the energy to face the blue folder filled with papers. However, I knew that I had to at least get the emergency card filled out.

I crawled into bed at 11:30 feeling very anxious. At 1 a.m. I was still staring at the clock. I had this sick feeling inside of me. I was so nervous. I was nervous that our alarm clock wouldn't go off, nervous that Aidan would run out of time in the morning, nervous that I put the wrong paper in his backpack. I felt like I was the one going to school in the morning. I was so flustered that I had let my own emotions of school come flooding back. I want Aidan to feel differently about school than I did!!

Don't Blink

2007-08-31T11:39:00.000-04:00

For Aidan, this week marks the end of summer camp. He was really worried earlier in the week because we didn't have his school shoes yet. So, yesterday I surprised him by picking him up early from school to finish getting the few odds and ends that are needed for kindergarten next week, including school shoes. He has been really excited about starting "big kid" school and is thrilled with his new Transformer backpack and lunch bag.

Last night, as we were getting ready for bed, I was telling Aidan that I hoped he would have a great day at school tomorrow because it would be the last time he saw this set of teachers and alot of his friends until summer camp next year. He got this really serious look on his face and said to me, "Mom, I don't think I'm ready for kindergarten yet." At this point, I wasn't convinced that he was really concerned. I thought maybe he was using this as a stall tactic for going to bed. I explained that after his last day tomorrow, we would go for a bike ride in the Metro Park and go for ice cream to celebrate his last day of preschool. Then, I gently reminded him that he would have 4 days off to get ready for kindergarten and I was sure that he would be ready by next Wednesday.

However, after he fell asleep, I began thinking. Was I ready for this? I mean, I've been preparing myself all summer but this was it. We are in the final days of preschool. As I watched him sleep so peacefully, I was reminded of the new Kenny Chesney song, "Don't Blink".

Paul and I talked long into the night about how we were excited for Aidan to start kindergarten. We know he will do well. He enjoys learning new things. He strives to make us proud by making good decisions. But we are also afraid. These last 5 years went by so fast....in the blink of an eye. My fear is that once school starts, the next 13 are going to go by even faster.

"Don't Blink. You just might miss your babies growing like mine did."
-Kenny Chesney

I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend. I'll be spending quality time with my wonderful little boy whom I couldn't be more proud of. I truly am the luckiest mom in town!!

What's in a Name?

2007-08-03T15:03:00.000-04:00

Aidan: Mom, why do you call me Aidan?
Jenny: That's your name....Daddy and I chose it for you.
Aidan: Well, I wanted a different name.
Jenny: Really? Like what?
Aidan: Nevermind....it's too late now.

Never a dull moment around here.

How To Tell if a Car is a Dodge, or not

2007-08-03T14:58:00.000-04:00

On the way to Aidan's T-Ball picnic last night, I (apparently) looked in the rearview mirror.

Aidan: Mom, what were you looking at in the mirror?
Jenny: To see if there were any cars behind us.
Aidan: Well, did you see any?
Jenny: Yes.
Aidan: What kind?
Jenny: A large, white one. (It was some sort of SUV)
Aidan: (trying to maneuver himself in his carseat to see behind us) Oh, mom, that's a Dodge Dealer.
Jenny: How do you know?
Aidan: See that Big G-M-C on the front of the car? That means it's a dodge dealer.

Hmmmm....I guess I know now.

Just a Little Longer

2007-07-20T09:57:00.000-04:00

At the beginning of the summer, Paul and I cleaned out Aidan’s closets and drawers. He had so many clothes that didn’t fit him anymore and some clothes that fit him, but he wouldn’t wear because, well….he is picky.

Since then, I have been mulling around the idea of a garage sale. I don’t mind the work of the garage sale, but my heart just can’t get rid of all of the baby stuff. We have EVERYTHING. We haven’t rid ourselves of anything baby. We still have all of the big stuff, such as a crib, a high chair, a changing table, etc. We have all of the medium stuff, such as excer-saucers and bouncy seats. We have clothes coming out of everywhere and just as many, if not more, toys. Just when I convince myself that I am just wasting space in our basement with all of this stuff and go down to sort through and begin the garage sale process, I pull out a piece of clothing or a toy from when Aidan was an infant and I just can’t do it. I look at the outfit that we brought him home from the hospital in and I just can’t imagine people rifling through the stuff in my garage.

I recently had a conversation with a co-worker regarding garage sales. She just had one and was trying to talk me out of it because it was just way to much work. The conversation suddenly turned deeper as I explained the real reason I was avoiding the garage sale. She told me that I should wait until I was ready to let go of all of the stuff before having a garage sale. I have thought a lot about this conversation and decided that I WILL wait. Eventually, I will be ready to let go of it all. The reality of the situation is that we probably won’t have any more children, but we haven’t made any permanent decisions. But for now, I will just keep the stuff in my basement. It’s been there this long, it can wait a little longer.

This morning, Aidan wanted to wear these bright blue/fluorescent green buzz light year shorts to school. I knew he had a fluorescent green shirt that would match, but since he had previously refused to wear it, we put it in the basement with all of the clothes that didn’t fit him anymore. So, I went down to the basement to drag it out. Well, of course, I had to dig through so many memories (I mean, clothes) to find the thing and it just made me sad. I looked over at Aidan who was standing eagerly over the box waiting for the fluorescent green shirt to appear and he suddenly looked so tall. I can’t believe how much he has grown. I am so proud of the little boy he has become, but it seems like just yesterday when he fit so perfectly in my hands. I eventually found an equally bright blue buzz light year shirt that matched his shorts. I didn’t search any further for the fluorescent green shirt. I shut the box, turned off the lights and headed up the stairs, content in the fact that all of the baby supplies will remain in our basement for a little while longer.

My favorite part of summer...or is it?

2007-07-14T21:26:00.001-04:00

This weekend is a time that I look forward too all year. The Summer Festivals and Street Fairs have arrived! Usually, they are on two different weekends, but this year, they both took place this weekend. It is a time when you wander the streets looking at different arts and crafts, eat yummy fair foods and simply enjoy the good ol' summertime.

On Friday, we attended the Art Fair with my mom. I was looking forward to it all week long, but when we arrived, I was a little disappointed. For some reason I felt rushed and I was really nervous about having Aidan with us. This is the first year when he wasn't in a stroller and I was just paranoid about where he was at all times. He was really good and held our hand most of the time, but I was still really uneasy.

Today, Aidan had a birthday party to go to. It was for a three hour time span. After we dropped Aidan off at the party, Paul and I headed to the Mid-Summer Festival. I thought I would enjoy it more if I didn't have to worry about Aidan. Again, I was disappointed. I liked the vendors much better than the Friday night Fair, but still, my heart wasn't in it. Paul and I wandered around long enough to kill some time before we had to pick Aidan up at the party. Although, I will say, it was nice to wander hand-in hand with Paul for a couple of hours.

We arrived at the party to pick up Aidan. He had a fabulous time and, of course, didn't want to leave. A clown came to the party and painted the kids faces. There were hot dogs, macaroni and cheese and all of his summer camp friends.....a perfect combination for a 5 year old boy. All of the little girls chose to have their faces done up like little fairies or butterflies. When I saw Aidan, I just gasped! Ahhhh...the joy of little boys!

Later in the evening, we drove over to a local park to throw rocks in the river. Really, I used it as another opportunity to play with my camera....Paul and Aidan did the rock throwing. When we got to the park, there was a family feeding a ground hog. This thing was eating right out of their hands! I couldn't believe it. One of the boys offered Aidan some peanuts and he was able to feed it too. It was really cool....I had never seen anything like it before in my life. And, of course, I didn't miss this photo opportunity! I think I know why I was so disappointed in the summer fairs. I would rather be taking photos....

Happy Birthday To Me!

2007-07-14T21:17:00.000-04:00

Even though my birthday is not until the 23rd, I already got my present! Because Paul wanted to make sure that everthing was in working order, etc., he let me have my brand new Canon Digital Rebel XTi camera! This camera is SWEET!!!! I can't tell you how excited I am and have been taking pictures like crazy. Along with the camera, was a 4GM CF card, a telephoto lens and a case to hold all of my new toys. I've had the camera for about 3 days now and have taken almost 500 pictures. Hey, there is alot to learn on this new toy! I felt really special to have received such a generous gift!

The Pre-School Graduate

2007-06-12T11:42:00.001-04:00

You were six months old and full of fun

With a blink of an eye you were suddenly one.

There were so many things we were going to do,

But I turn my head and you were two.

At two you were still dependent on me,

But independence took over when you were three.

Your third birthday, another year I wished to ignore,

But as I lit the candles there weren't three but four.

Four was the year that you really strived,

Why, look at you now, you're already five.

Now you're ready for books and rules,

This is the year that you go to school.

The big day will come and you'll be anxious to go.

We'll walk through the doors, going oh so slow.

As I drive away and you wave good-bye

I'll feel that lump in my throat and a tear sting my eye.

For when you walk back through the doors and jump all around,

You'll be wearing your cap and graduation gown.

Time goes by so fast its hard to believe,

Why just yesterday you were home with me.

So I am holding these moments as hard as I can,
Because the next time I look I'll be seeing a man...

The Release

2007-06-07T18:11:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, Aidan received a Butterfly Garden for his birthday, from Paul's mom. It was a very cool gift. I never realized how quickly butterflies grew.

We sent away for our butterfly larvae. When they arrived, they guaranteed that 3 out of the 5 would make it to the butterly stage. We noticed a difference in the size of the caterpillars overnight. They grow very rapidly. After about a week in the caterpillar stage, they turn to chrysalids. After about a week in this phase, beautiful butterflies appeared. We are proud to say that we were able to transform all 5 of our larvae into butterflies.

Of course, the difficult part for Aidan was the release. He cried and cried. We were finally able to convince him that they would die if we didn't release them. When he was ready, he unzipped the lid of the observation habitat and the butterflies (affectionately named: Annie, Leo, June, Quincy and Rocket....after Disney's, Little Einsteins) flew free.

We learned alot about butterflies, but Aidan's favorites were:

They drink kool-aid (sugar water) just like him.
They taste with their feet.
They have 10,000 eyes each.
They breathe through their tummy.

The most wonderful man in the world

2007-06-01T14:31:00.000-04:00

On Thursdays, Paul doesn't get home until at least 8 p.m. due to his golf league. Aidan and I take this opportunity for some quality mommy/son bonding. Yesterday, for some reason, mommy just wasn't good enough.

As soon as I picked Aidan up from school he asked when Paul would be getting home. Paul and Aidan have always had a great relationship. Paul is a very hands-on dad and Aidan couldn't be happier about that. At first, I didn't think much about him asking for Paul, but when he started asking at regular intervals, I started to wonder what was going on. Aidan was excited to find out that we would be making our own pizza for dinner. This was a good distraction as he was starting to get whiny about Paul not being home. After dinner, he said that he, "wished daddy was home because he wanted to go out and toss the football." I said, "well, mommy can do that with you." Aidan was excited about the idea of teaching me how to play football. Again, I thought this was the distraction he needed. Aidan continued to ask for Paul throughout our game of catch. Finally, I said, "don't you like playing with mommy?" Aidan told me that he did like playing with me, but that he just missed his daddy. After about 40 minutes of playing football, I suggested that we go inside, take a bath and read some stories. During the bath, he again said that he missed his daddy. I asked, "what do you miss about daddy?" Aidan responded, "I miss him because he is the best daddy in the world."

After the bath, we read a little golden book. Right as we got to the last page, Paul came through the door. Aidan was thrilled. Paul took a shower and the two of them climbed into our bed to watch the basketball game. Aidan was so happy....falling asleep right next to daddy.

I guess sometimes, a boy just needs his daddy! I am so happy that Paul is so involved in Aidan's life and that Aidan treasures that relationship. I am so proud of both of them. THIS is just one reason that I am married to the most wonderful man in the world.

I love you, Paul!

The Orioles, Cardinals & BlueJays

2007-05-17T19:01:00.000-04:00

No....I'm not talking about baseball teams.

I'm talking about birds. I love when spring arrives. Summer is my favorite season, but there are many things I like about spring, as well. One of them is the birds. When I was home on maternity leave, Aidan and I spent alot of time watching the bluejays. He was facinated by the birds motion and I was facinated by their beauty. Since then, we've always fed the birds and it has become sort of an addiction for me. We have several feeders in our yard now and they attract ALOT of hungry birds.

One of our feeders is a hummingbird feeder. I was starting to get frustrated with it because it wasn't attracting any hummingbirds. Well, guess what started feeding at our hummingbird feeder?! A Baltimore Oriole. I was so excited that I went right out and bought an oriole feeder to add to the mix. Wouldn't you know, the very next day, hummingbirds started showing up.

Those darn little hummingbirds are just to fast to capture on film!

Pauls mom bought Aidan a butterfly garden for his birthday. We sent away for the catepillars. They grew and have formed chrysalides. We are currently waiting for the butterflies to emerge. We are excited to add them to our flying friends!

I'm Baaaaack

2007-05-17T18:38:00.000-04:00

So, I bet you thought I fell off the face of the earth. Nope. I've been here all along....just been too busy to update the blog. So sorry.

Since spring has arrived, we have been busy playing taxi to a very energetic little boy. Aidan is playing soccer and t-ball this spring/summer, so we've been busy with practices and games. It is just too cute for words to watch these games.

I didn't think I'd like to watch t-ball, because I figured I'd be bored stiff. Afterall, baseball is boring enough when grown men play. I'm telling you, it is like watching a comedy show. Some of the little girls are so small and petite that they cannot even lift the bat. One of the kids is a very young 4 and she is hysterical. She is either standing there with her mitt over her face or chewing on the lace to her mitt. Other times, the ball is hit to first base and you'll see the kid playing third base, dart across the field to chase after the ball.....along with all of the other kids on the team (including those that had recently bat and are standing on a base, waiting to run to the next base. It makes me laugh just thinking about it.

By the end of the night, most of the kids are more interested in playing in the gravel or picking dandelions, depending on their position at the time.

5th Birthday Celebration

2007-04-24T17:34:00.000-04:00

The week after my sisters wedding, Paul, Aidan and I went away on a mini vacation to an indoor waterpark to celebrate Aidan's birthday. Aidan requested this over a party and we thought it would be nice to get away after all of the wedding hoopla in addition to the birthday celebration.

We left for the waterpark the day before his birthday. When he woke up he asked if he was 5 yet. We explained that he wouldn't be 5 until the following day, but we were going to start the celebration early. The next morning when we woke up at the hotel, Aidan again asked, "Mom, am I 5?" After confirming that he was 5, he got the biggest smile on his face and exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe it!" It was so precious....I wish I would have gotten it on video. Priceless, I tell you. Priceless!

Then on Saturday, we celebrated with cake and ice cream with our parents and siblings. There were too many pictures to post, so I've created a video montage instead of posting individual pics. I hope you enjoy. We had an absolute blast!

April 14, 2007

2007-04-24T17:11:00.000-04:00

Sorry, I haven't updated in a while. April has been a whirlwind of activity for us. We have had a blast, but I'll be glad when I can call April history.

On April 14th, my sister got married and Aidan played ringbearer for the 5th time. I've gotta give him credit...he is 5 for 5 in making it down the aisle. What a trooper. This was the first wedding where he was old enough to really enjoy the reception and that he did!! He shook his little booty all night long. So much so that we had to give him motrin that night because he was crying that his feet hurt him so badly.

Happy Belated Easter!

2007-04-09T18:15:00.000-04:00

Aidan's enthusiasm started early on Saturday morning. He knew he was going to attend a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese, then he was going to color eggs with his aunts and uncles that evening. Early Saturday morning he complained of a sore throat and stomach ache so we gave him children's pepto bismol, tylenol and pushed forward with our day. He refused to miss the parties. He had a great time at the birthday party and an even greater time coloring eggs with grandma, grandpa, Aunt Denise and Uncle Randy. He even won the "best egg" contest and won a stuffed bunny which he named Thumper.

However, by the time he got home he was exhausted and running a fever. Paul gave him some tylenol and he was asleep within minutes. We woke up early Sunday morning, administered motrin for the fever that had come back overnight and went on to mass. I knew he was sick when he didn't ask for a single piece of candy after finding his Easter basket. He just went to our bedroom, crawled in and closed his eyes. We let him rest for a bit before heading over to Paul's parents for our Easter celebration. He played for about a half hour with Uncle Randy, we ate brunch and then he climbed in my lap and never left for the rest of the day. He kept falling in and out of sleep.

Needless to say, this morning the doctor diagnosed strep throat. Ughhh!! So, if anyone is in need of a chocolate fix....we've got tons of uneaten chocolate!! The Easter scrapbook pages will be skimpy this year, but I couldn't go without at least one. So here it is....the lonly Easter pic!!

Before You Turn 5

2007-04-06T09:57:00.000-04:00

Aidan has several friends at school who share an April birthday, so he's had lots of cupcakes this week. Each day he will come home and say, "it was [insert name here] birthday today, he's 5. Am I five?" So the final countdown has begun. He will turn 5 in 12 short days.

This morning, as we were getting ready for school, the following conversation took place:

Aidan: "Mom, what is your job?"
Jenny: "Well, one of my jobs is being a mom."
Aidan: "Do you like your job?"
Jenny: "Being a mom is the best job I could ever have."
Aidan: "Why do you and daddy kiss me so much?"
Jenny: "Because we love you so much we can never get enough. Do you know that we love you?"
Aidan: "I guess" then he looks at me out of the corner of his eye and errupts in laughter. Then we break into a ticklefest.

After I dropped him off at school, I played the conversation over and over in my head. Aidan, there is something that I want you to know right now. Right this very moment. Today. Before you turn 5.

I have learned more than I ever dreamed possible from you. You are the reason I get up in the morning. You put the most smiles on my face. You make me want to be better, all the time. You influence every choice I make; everything I do. I love you to the moon, Aidan Thomas!

In Loving Memory - Uncle Steve

2007-03-29T13:24:00.000-04:00

I come again to report another death in Paul's family. Pauls Uncle Steve passed away Tuesday evening, very peacefully. Uncle Steve is Great Grandma Olle's brother. I'm sure she was waiting at the gates of heaven to welcome him home.

I can remember having family gatherings at Uncle Steve's farm. We would BBQ, go on tractor rides, play baseball and just enjoy being a family. Paul has very fond memories of going to the farm as a child. When Paul and I were expecting Aidan, we picked out a cute overall outfit that had tractors and cows all over it, just so he could wear it on his first trip to Uncle Steve's farm.

Uncle Steve was a very simple and very happy man. What a treasure he was to our family. He will be greatly missed.

Spring has Sprung!!!

2007-03-13T20:05:00.000-04:00

Spring has sprung! Well, at least for today. The forcast calls for snow on Friday, but today we enjoyed 72 degrees and a glimpse of whats to come!!

At 3:15, I sent my boss a note saying that I was scooting out of work early to enjoy the weather. I am so greatful to have a job with such flexibility!! By 4pm, I had picked Aidan up from school and stopped at the local 7-11/gas station to fill the car up with gas and grab a small slurpee for a very giddy little boy.

Once at home, Aidan played on the monkey bars and showed off his swinging abilities (he doesn't require a "pusher" anymore....bonus!!) I listened to Paul and Aidan go on an "adventure" around the playscape as I cleaned up an entire winters worth of dog feces. This is not a very exciting job, but I was so excited to be outside that I was thrilled with even this task. I think this is the earliest that I've ever been able to clean the yard. 2 bags of feces later (this is the time when a dog lover could learn to love a cat!), I was ready to join the adventure. I couldn't believe that just two days ago there was snow on the ground and today spring flowers are starting to peer through the uglyness of winter.

We continued our fine spring day by grilling chicken outside and going for a walk. Paul and I enjoyed the fresh air and conversation, Java enjoyed the smells and marking many lawns and Aidan enjoyed his first (of many) bike rides of the year.

We ended the evening with a trip to the ice cream shop. Mmmmm, I'm a sucker for mint chocolate chip!! I'm sad with the prediction of tomorrows colder weather, but am so thankful for the wonderful today!!!

If The Shoe Fits

2007-02-28T18:27:00.000-05:00

I am a working mom. I work full-time (40+) hours a week. When I was growing up, I always thought I would be a stay-at-home mom. However, after Paul and I were married and decided to have children this idea was not a reality for us. The bottom line is Paul and I both have to work. Could we have a smaller home? Yes. Could we spend less here and there? Yes. Could we choose public schools over private schools? Yes. But the reality is that the answer to these and other questions wouldn’t change our situation.

When Aidan was born, I had the luxury of staying home with him for 7 ½ months. I was on disability for 6 weeks and took the remainder of the time under the Family Medical Leave Act. I was so blessed to be able to stay home for those months, but the guilt I felt when I had to return to work was almost unbearable. I felt guilty about EVERYTHING!! So much so, that I couldn’t enjoy the time I was home in the evenings because I felt like I always had to “make up” for lost time. This created stress and ultimately, more guilt. I was being consumed by the guilt.

In the beginning, I felt like I always had to defend my decision to return to work to my family, friends, peers and co-workers. I had a friend, who is a stay-at-home mom make the comment to me, “I am a single mom with a paycheck.” Her husband works long hours and is always out of town on business. When he is home, they are really leading two different lives. That truly is a main reason as to why Paul and I decided that I would work outside of the home. Right before Aidan was born, Paul had the opportunity for a job outside of the state, that paid enough where we would have been comfortable with me staying home and raising our child. However, Paul would have had to work many hours, be on call all of the time, and essentially put work first. That would mean leaving Aidan and I behind most of the time. That was not a sacrifice that we were willing to make. Paul wanted to be a hands-on dad. In addition, Paul and I didn’t want to sacrifice each other, and ultimately our marriage, either. Not only are the three of us growing as a family, but Paul and I are growing together not only as husband and wife, but as parents. When Aidan is grown and moves out into the world on his own, I want to know my husband. I don’t want to realize all of a sudden that I have to start our marriage over because Paul focused all of his energy on working so that I could focus all of my energy on raising our child. We want to share both of these experiences and responsibilities.

People, to this day, say to me, “I don’t know how working moms do it.” Just this week, I had someone say to me “I don’t know how you find time outside of work hours for anything more than dinner and getting the kids to bed.” Well, sometimes that is all we have time for in the evenings. But, it is not all of the time. It is not even the majority of the time. It takes a lot of time, energy and organization to make it work. We work together and it takes all three of us to make it happen. We have learned our steps of this dance in life together and we are a stronger family because of it. We didn’t make this decision for our family in one night. We put a lot of thought and discussion into it and I am confident in our decision. I no longer feel guilt about being a working mom because I have seen that it works for us. It took time for me to realize that this WAS the right decision for us. But the reality is, Paul and I have a wonderful marriage and Aidan is a well adjusted little boy. Really, I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Now, am I saying that if the opportunity presented itself that I wouldn't stay home and raise my child? No. Am I saying that anyone who can stay home and raise their children but chooses to go back to work is a bad person? No. Am I saying that a family who chooses for one parent to work while the other solely raises their children is a wrong decision? Definitely not. Honestly, how could I? I don’t walk in those shoes. I only walk in my shoes and I can say, without a doubt, that the shoes I am wearing fit well!! The decision that we made is right for OUR family.

My New Scrapbook Companion

2007-02-25T19:10:00.000-05:00

I'm always looking for a new scrapbook companion. I have my ol' faithful friend, Trista...but due to geography it is a little difficult. Trista and I try to attend a scrapbook weekend once a quarter. We make it a girls weekend.....scrapbook all weekend, stay up until some riduculous hour in the morning solving all of the world's problems and enjoy our wine and cheese. It makes for a fabulous time and allows us time to catch up.

However, if I only scrapbooked on these weekends, I would be further behind than I already am. I have scrapbooked with my cousin, aunt, co-workers, sister-in-law, etc. All are great scrapbook companions, but none of them quite the die hard that I am.

Last weekend, I was on one of my scrapbook weekends with Trista so this week I've been talking alot about scrapbooking. Aidan has looked through my pages and decided that on Friday night, after daddy left for bowling, he and I would scrapbook. I was thrilled (as I am with anyone who wants to scrapbook with me). We set up the card table, pulled out all of the supplies and got to work. Aidan was most excited with my mini paper cutter. In fact, he couldn't understand why I had two and thought I was pretty selfish not to give one to him. He has so much to learn! Anyway, he completed his entire 4*4 album kit (which I purchased for $0.75 at an after Christmas sale and was saving for an opportunity like this.) After he finished his album he decided that he was going to crop his pictures for next time. He proceeded to cut the pictures into several small pieces. When I told him to separate his pieces into a pile of trash and a pile to keep for next time, he swiftly swept the entire pile into the box for keeps.

Now he's ready for the big time! He told me that Ms. Trista would be surprised the next time I went scrapbooking because I would have my baby boy with me. I'm sure Ms. Trista would like to scrapbook with Aidan...he is definitely into quantity.

While I thoroughly enjoyed my evening with Aidan and will probably scrapbook with him again in the near future, I think I'll keep those weekends for me and my dear girlfriends!!

In Loving Memory

2007-02-10T20:03:00.000-05:00

It brings me great sadness to report that Paul's grandma passed away this evening. I consider myself incredibily lucky to have called her my grandma, too.

Picture taken: 7/9/2005

January 3, 1913 - February 10, 2007

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.

Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up...

2007-02-10T09:23:00.000-05:00

....To Be Cowboys!

Every week during the winter, Aidan's school has "Crazy Days." These are themed days to break up the winter months when they don't get to go outside as frequently. Last week it was so cold that there were many school closings in our area. Last weeks crazy day also happened to be cowboy day....one of Aidan's favorites. In the morning he was getting dressed and just couldn't believe that daddy wasn't dressing in his cowboy clothes for work. Hmmmm, maybe we should all take that up with our bosses. Cowboy day might just break up the work week, no matter the weather. Don't ya' think?!

I can see the look on my boss' face right now.....and that just made my week happier!

They Might Be Giants

2007-02-01T08:23:00.000-05:00

Last night we attended an open house at the school where Aidan will go to kindergarten. We are already enrolled, but the principal urged us to attend and we happily obliged. I think we talked it up a bit too much for Aidan, because he wasn't real thrilled to be there. He was a bit withdrawn and moody, to say the least.

His mood perked, however, when we got to the gym. He was a little disappointed that he wasn't able to play basketball, but gained his excitement back when he was choosing his new gym uniform. They have a choice between sweatpants (cuffed or straightleg) or wind pants. I thought for sure Aidan would choose the sweatpants. Against Pauls better judgement, Aidan has always been a fan of them. However, once he saw that the windpants had zippered legs, the decision was made. What is it with zippered legs that make little boys go wild?! So, windpants it is!

Even though Aidan wasn't in the best of moods, I was glad that we attended last night. I learned that one of the little girls that is currently in his preschool class will also go to the same kindergarten. What a relief....although more for me than for Aidan as he could have cared less at the time. We also got a peek at some of the other children who were scoping out the school and could possibly be his future classmates. HOLY COW!! All of the kids towered over Aidan. I never thought of him as short, but last night he looked so tiny. Gulp! After wandering through the school and checking out the cafeteria, gym, computer lab, etc. I calmed my fears. I have just come to the conclusion that those other children might be giants!

Look At Them Now

2007-01-29T12:28:00.000-05:00

When I was downloading the pictures that I took for the previous post, I couldn't believe how quickly Lacee and Hollee have grown.

Lacee and Hollee are my cousins, Tammi and Rodneys, girls. They were the flowergirls when Paul and I got married 10 years ago. They were so sweet then and are even sweeter now. They have grown up to be such beautiful girls. They are typical teenagers. They love boys and are always on their cellphones. They are so kind and sweet!!

After I downloaded the pictures from this past weekend, I pulled out my wedding album. You have to see it with your own eyes.

Hollee & Lacee - 1996

Hollee - 2007

Lacee - 2007

To Lacee & Hollee:

May the sun shine, all day long,

everything go right, and nothing wrong.

May those you love bring love back to you,

and may all the wishes you wish come true!

Crazy about Cousins

2007-01-29T12:09:00.000-05:00

We had a family gathering this past weekend, to celebrate my cousins upcoming wedding. Congratulations Timmy & Faith!

An amazing thing happened at the gathering....all of the youngest generation were in the same place at the same time. I couldn't miss this photo opportunity. It will probably NEVER happen again! So here they are.....

Back: Kaylea, Chelsea, Brittany, Aidan, Josh

Front: Hollee, Lacee

Cousins are cozy wherever they're from;

They feel like your family whenever they come.

Some people have many; most people have some.

Cousins are cozy wherever they're from.

Are they not the cutest bunch?!

Granola Moms....To Be or Not To Be

2007-01-24T13:09:00.000-05:00

We were just finishing up our evening....getting lunches packed for the next day, getting pajamas on, brushing teeth, etc. A TV commercial was playing in the background, for Cymbalta. It was a drug commerical. I could hear the commerical but I can honestly say that I really wasn't paying attention to it. Apparently, it had Aidan's full attention.

Television Commercial: (after rambling on about such and such side affects and who this particular drug was right for and who it wasn't) "Ask your doctor if Cymbalta is right for you."

Aidan: (in a very serious tone) "Mom, is Cymbalta right for me?"

Hmmmm, I wonder what other things he's picked up from television. Maybe those granola moms are on to something.....

Note: If you're not sure what a Granola Mom is, check out my friend, Tristas, blog.

Kindergarten Bound

2007-01-16T12:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a holiday for my company. I had an appointment to register Aidan for kindergarten at 9am. However, I woke to festival of school closings and the appointment had to be cancelled. Deep down, I was a little relieved. Naturally, I am excited for Aidan to start kindergarten, however, I am sad as well. We will forever be saying goodbye to the toddler stage of life and we are getting further and further from his baby days. Needless to say, Aidan and I cuddled a little closer last night.

This morning, however, the school called and asked if I could come in to register today. TODAY!? But, I wasn't prepared. I had all of my paperwork in order, immunization records, birth certificate, baptismal record, but I was not at all mentally prepared. I had prepared myself for the initial registration all weekend, but I was not prepared for this call and for the registration to proceed so quickly after I escaped yesterday. As I gathered my papers and headed out to the car, I thought to myself. How silly? How can you not be prepared? You were ready yesterday and it is simply registration. It is not as if he has his backpack strapped on and is walking out to the bus stop.

As I turned onto the street with the school, the big yellow bus was parked out front. As the bus got larger, my heart sank deeper. Ughhhh, I did not want to do this. I did not want Aidan to turn 5 so soon. I did not want him to go to kindergarten all ready. I did not want to admit that my baby is growing up. I was buzzed into the school and I opened the front door. The SMELL overtook me. It was THAT smell....that SAME smell that made me sick to my stomach for the first month of high school. There is something about schools that do me in, and this was no different.

I turned the corner and the principal was there to greet me. She was smiling and knew exactly who I was. (She should. She was expecting me, right?) She ran through EVERTYTHING with me. She answered almost all of my questions before I had a chance to ask them and was patient as I muddled through the remaining few that I had. She took me down to the kindergarten room to see their new gym uniforms. Apparently, today is gym day and she was really excited about the new uniforms. She gave me a schedule that would take me through the summer to the first day of school....when I will recieve a supply list, when I will receive uniform information, when I will receive whatever else it is that I am supposed to receive prior to the first day of school. She explained kindergarten round-up and how the first week of school would go. She was so confident about everything and made everything seem like it was under control. This woman must know me. She must know that she had to say everything I wanted to hear or I was going to lose my mind. Huh, you would think she has done this before?

So, here we are....the middle of January, not even 5 yet and already ready for kindergarten. I am happiest when I have all of my ducks in a row. I'm happy that all of the paperwork is submitted for registration. I'm happy that the confidence in the school we chose was confirmed today. I'm happy that we are not on a waiting list for kindergarten. I'm happy that everything is set in motion for the fall.

Hmmmm, how come I don't feel so happy then?

The Burning Question

2007-01-10T11:44:00.000-05:00

Last week, my skin was very oily. I decided that in addition to my normal face wash, I would try a face mask that claimed to produce a deep clean for extra oil control. Perfect!! Just what I need, right? You just put the stuff on, walk around looking like an alien for 10 minutes and VOILA...your skin is back to normal. Afterall, I typically have normal skin and I shouldn't require alot of product to get back to normal, right?

Well, after about 5 minutes after the mask application, my eyes were watering, skin was burning and I ran to the bathroom sink to wash it off. Everything looked fine. The next morning, as I washed my face I noticed little bumps everywhere on my face....and I mean everywhere! I couldn't see the bumps so I figured my skin was just going through a shock from the mask (and silently vowed never to use that mask product again.) A day or so later, the bumps didn't clear up and I thought it was acne. I had heard of adult onset acne, so I thought I would try to catch it early and lower the blow. So I borrowed a friends product (a television advertised product for acne). After one use, I thought my face was going to fall off. It was bright red, burning and itching. Paul said, "That is not acne, there is something wrong." and I panicked.

I ended up in the doctors office with all of the products that I used, so the doctor could see all of the ingredients involved. As soon as the doctor walked in, she asked, "what have you gotten into?". As she looked through my bag of product she just shook her head and said that I shouldn't be using any of those products....especially the Television advertised product. She told me that I have a chemical burn on my face. She banned all of my products, including my original face wash. I am applying hydrocortisone twice daily to treat the burn.

Will I ever get my skin back....that is the question?!?

Friday Fun

2007-01-05T18:40:00.000-05:00

Tonight, we had a hodge podge of appetizers for dinner, for two reasons. One, I didn't really feel like cooking anything and two, we had some leftover stuff from our New Years party that, if not eaten soon, was going to go bad.

Aidan was thrilled because, to him, it was like a mini-party. We let him leave the TV on during dinner and we kind of just ate off of the serving plates. We didn't have out traditional table setting.

Towards the end of "dinner," Aidan grabbed the last pig-in-a-blanket and, with a very devilish look said, "hmmm, who should I give this too?" and proceed with a game of Eenie Meenie Miney Mo. Except....here is Aidan's version:

Eenie-Meenie, Miney Mo. Catch A Tiny, Tiny Toe.

The New Year

2007-01-02T18:56:00.000-05:00

Today was back to work, back to school and back to life as we know it. It is sad that the vacation and Christmas season is over, but it was refreshing to start out 2007 with a bang!

For the first year since we've been married, Paul and I hosted a New Year's party. We celebrated with my mom and dad, Paul's mom, dad, brother, John & his wife and sister, Denise and her husband. Oh, and of course, Java and Dante (Randy and Denise's dog). It is nice to be able to begin a new year with family.

The boys started out rather aggressively with a game of "Finger Flingers." It is a nerf-type invention....rockets that you literally fling with your fingers. The boys were having a blast.

At one point, Aidan stopped playing Finger Flingers to play board games. However, the adult men (and I use this term loosely) decided to continue flinging! Hmmmm, I wonder who the bigger kids are?!?

Paul and I decided that we were going to surprise everyone with a midnight toast. It went over so well, that we've decided to make it our New Year's tradition. Each year, a different person will compose the toast.

Toast to 2007:

May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings, slow to make enemies, quick to make friends. But rich or poor, quick or slow, may you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.

History

2006-12-28T15:48:00.000-05:00

Wow, I can't believe a week ago we were giddy with the anticipation of Christmas. Now, it is written in the history books. I have so many pictures I don't know where to start. I desperately need a scrapbooking weekend just to catch up on this holiday season. They were darn good memories, but I feel a sigh of relief that they are over.

Aidan and I have been spending alot of time together, just playing with new toys and enjoying each others company. We even took in a movie yesterday morning....Charlotte's Web. We give it 5 stars!! I can tell a huge difference in our interactions now that Christmas is over. It is such a relaxing time with him now. I think the anticipation was a little much for both of us. We are in a period of recovery.

I enjoyed writing in the blog everyday, but I have to admit....that was hard, especially during the holiday season. I thought it would be easy because I would have so much to write about. Yeah, right! So much to write about, so little time. It has been nice to take the last couple of days off.

I thought you'd like to see some pictures of our Christmas, so here you go. I am off to cook dinner for just the three of us....and looking forward to the normalcy it brings!!

Aidan and Kaylea playing with the new Doodle Monster

Josh and Aidan show off their new fish....Thanks, Uncle Keith & Aunt Kathy!!

Hollee, Kaylea, Josh & Aidan make Christmas ornaments!

The littlest ones tackle Charles

Aidan plays with his new race track from Santa!

All of the toys he received and he had the most fun with the box....and Uncle Randy, of course!!

December 25, 2006

2006-12-25T21:33:00.000-05:00

‘Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the house,
Not a creature was still,
Especially at our house!
The stockings were hung
By the chimney with care
Our countdown to Christmas,
Almost too much to bear.
The family finally gathered
For games and good cheer,
One last joyous gathering
To end a good year.
While visions of presents
Filled the children’s heads.
We all headed home
For the anticipation ahead.
When from Aidan’s room
there arose such a din
Of “I’m thirsty, I’m hungry,”
And “Mom, tuck me in!”
Away to dreamland
He finally went,
He fought a good fight,
But that boy was spent.
With dreams of toys and candy
That would come the next day,
Aidan looked so peaceful,
In the bed as he lay.
And just when I thought
I got to sleep,
In flew Aidan,
Run, jump, bounce and leap
I knew in a moment,
Sleep was no longer ahead.
And so slowly I stirred
And got out of bed.
More rapid than eagles,
To the Christmas tree he flew.
And he whistled and shouted
And called out, “Ya-Hoo!”
“Oh Mama, Oh Daddy,
Oh Java, can it be?
Santa has come and left
All this for me!”
He bounced off the ceiling, and
He bounced off the wall.
We couldn’t contain his excitement--
No not at all!
As the boxes were opened,
The paper did fly,
We were met with the gleam
Of joy in his eye.
So, up to the challenge
Of assembling the toys
Daddy worked like an elf
Amid all the noise.
Daddy spoke not a word,
But went straight to work
He worked very quickly,
Then turned with a jerk
And laying down his tools,
Wiping the sweat from his nose
And then saying “I’m done,”
To the coffeepot dad rose.
To all his new toys,
For which he’d been wishin’
Away Aidan flew,
Like he was on a mission.
But, I heard him exclaim
In the dawn’s early light,
“Merry Christmas to all,
I hope Santa comes back tonight!”

December 24, 2006

2006-12-24T08:26:00.000-05:00

Well, this is it!! We've made it to Christmas Eve. The night of great anticipation. We are so excited and happy to be spending the next two days with our families. Aidan is bouncing (and I literally mean bouncing) off of the walls. It is going to be so exciting.

Last night we spent the evening with Denise and Randy (Paul's sister and husband). We started the evening out with a great Mexican feast and headed to a Holiday Night event. We strolled through 200 years of American holiday celebrations. There were homes to visit, staged musical perfomances, holiday vignettes, live reindeer and skilled artisan demonstrations. There was an outdoor skating rink, as well. However, we decided to sip our mulled cider and spiked cocoa and watch the skaters go round and round.

It was an amazing to spend one last night in such a calm and relaxing way. With warm hearts, we celebrated the simple delights and traditions of the season and enjoyed caroling and a fireworks display at the end. It was fabulous evening with a fabulous couple!

December 23, 2006

2006-12-23T14:44:00.000-05:00

Today, we've been doing last minute preparations for Christmas. However, it has been a very relaxing and enjoyable day.

We visited with our neighbor and took her a Christmas arrangement. She is a wonderful neighbor and we are so lucky to have her!!

Paul went to the movies with a couple of my cousins while I cooked my dish for Christmas Eve. I signed up for Keilbasa and Kraut and it is an all day process. Alot of work, but soooooo worth it!!

Aidan and I also made cookies for Santa. He thought Monster Cookies would be Santa's favorite this year. They are good, but I really don't think Santa was on his mind when they chose the delicious cookies with peanut butter, M&M's and butterscotch chips. Aidan is a sucker for M&M's with or without Santa!!

December 22, 2006

2006-12-22T21:59:00.000-05:00

In an effort to make Christmas Eve a little less chaotic, I've created a plan. Whether it works or not will be a fate determined in a few short days.

As part of my plan, I'm trying to prepare Aidan. Tonight, during dinner, the following conversation took place:

Jenny: "Aidan, on Christmas Eve the adults are going to play a couple of games and the kids are going to work on a craft project. THEN we will open gifts."

Aidan: "Is it Christmas Eve today?!"

Jenny: "No, not for a couple of more days, but I just wanted to let you know that we are not opening gifts until after dinner and after the games. I don't want you to keep asking when we are going to open presents. OK?"

Aidan: "OK mom."

after a few minutes later.

Aidan: "Mom?"

Jenny: "Yes, Aidan?"

Aidan: "When are the games gonna be over?"

December 21, 2006

2006-12-21T20:03:00.000-05:00

Tonight is another "Family" night for us. After dinner, we played games and are currently watching (it is a commericial break and this will be a quick entry) Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

Aidan has been really into dancing lately. Whenever a song comes on he starts dancing up a storm. One of his favorite dance songs righ now is "Shake Your Tail Feathers" by Ray Charles. He thinks he is Donald Duck. It is too cute....here are some pics. Enjoy. I'm going to get back to my family night....

December 20, 2006

2006-12-20T18:26:00.000-05:00

I have been so giddy at work the last couple of days in the anticipation of Christmas. I'm starting to get on my co-workers nerves. One of my co-workers asked, "This is the most excited that I have seen an adult about Christmas ever, what do you love about it? Not that I don't love it, but the magic is usually gone by the time you are an adult." Well, I have thought alot about her question. The thing that I really love about Christmas is Christmas Eve. I love to gather with my extended family on Christmas Eve. I love everything about it. I love what it means to our family, I love how excited the kids are, I love playing games and I love just being with everyone on that night. My cousin, Kandi, commented on a previous blog entry regarding a night with my cousins. In her comment she said, "We truly have a wonderful family!" I couldn't agree with her more! I don't know why this comment stuck in my head, but I haven't stopped thinking about it all day. Sure, we have our differences (and sometimes alot of them.), but that doesn't matter. In the end, we make it all work. Since it has been on my mind all day, I thought I should write about some things that I think make our family truly wonderful:

We like to laugh. No matter what we are doing, someone is always laughing. I could insert a story about my cousin and crabs, but I'll spare him tonight. Although, I'm sure he's expecting the story to appear on my blog somewhere, sometime....because it is one of my favorite stories about him. I'll consider it my Christmas gift to him and spare him for now. Laughing is part of who we are. I especially love it when my dad or any of his brothers laugh. Their laughter just takes over their entire body.

We are extremely close. The majority of us live within a 15 minute radius of each other. We see each other and do things with each other often. For instance, I get together to scrapbook with my aunt and cousin, just because. When I was little, I can remember loading our bikes in the car and driving over to the street where my grandparents and 3 of my cousins lived, just to ride our bikes and sit on the driveway and visit. Our two biggest celebrations of the year are Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. There are approximately 30 of us who gather at my uncle's house each year on these holidays. It is complete and utter chaos....but it is home and I wouldn't spend those holidays any other way.

We help each other out. It doesn't matter what differences we may have, if one of us needs help all we have to do is ask. When my moms brother died unexpectedly she was frantic about getting everything done. She was helping my aunt plan the funeral, helping her get her affairs in order, not to mention, her emotions. All she had to do was make one call to my dads brother and say, "can you handle the funeral luncheon?" Poof....it was done. None of us knew any details, we just went back home after the funeral and everything was handled. There was enough food to feed an army and everyone was there. It is nice that they do things like this, but the fact that we KNOW we can count of them is even nicer.

Speaking of food, you will never walk away hungry in our family and you are always, ALWAYS welcome. Paul remembers, one of his first gatherings with our family. Someone made the comment to him, "if you walk away hungry, it is your own fault." Likewise, it is not uncommon for a strange face to appear at Thanksgiving dinner or the Christmas Eve party and be told the same thing. When they do, no one bats an eye. We welcome anyone to join our family, no matter the reason. Hey, if you can handle us for the evening, you deserve to stuff your face!

Food Funny: It was one of the first years that my cousin Kandi's boyfriend (now husband) Chuck, ate Thanksgiving dinner with us. That evening, they went back to Kandi's mom and dads house. My uncle Keith starting pulling leftovers out of the refrigerator.

Uncle Keith: "Chuck, do you want to eat some leftovers."
Chuck: "Oh, no thanks. I'm not the least bit hungry."
Uncle Keith: (looking baffled and fully intending on eating no matter what Chucks response is) "Well, neither am I?"

I just had to tell that story because it makes me laugh so hard EVERY time I think of it...I can just picture the look on my uncles face as he says these words.

I know alot of people who don't have this kind of relationship in their family or that do not WANT this kind of relationship in their family. I know we are lucky to live so close to each other and that is part of what makes it work. In fact, the same co-worker that I mention in the beginning of this entry just shook her head as I told her about our cousins weekend. She stood there staring at me and said, "man, I just can't imagine seeing that many of my family at one time. It would be so stressful for me and I would definitely not look forward to any holiday like that." It makes me sad that she feels that way. I love my family and I don't know what I would do withouth them....I can't wait to see them all on Christmas Eve!!

December 19, 2006

2006-12-19T14:59:00.000-05:00

Last night was THE most relaxing advent evening we’ve had yet!! What did we do? NOTHING!!!!

After dinner, because Aidan had made some very good choices that day (see previous posts), I told him that he could open the packages that came in the mail from our cousins, Bruce and Therese, a couple of weeks ago. (Secretly, I knew they were ornaments and I knew he would be thrilled to hang them on the tree.) Along with the ornaments came the game, Hi-Ho! Cherry –O!

We made hot chocolate, turned on the Christmas music and played 20+ games of Hi-Ho! Cherry-O! After the games, we read several Christmas books, including the newest book that his teacher bought him for Christmas. It has been the first time in a long time that we didn’t have the television on.

Paul and I were talking after Aidan went to sleep about how nice it was to do absolutely nothing and spend quality time together, just the three of us. I can’t wait to do the same thing tonight! I’m also planning it, so that we can have a couple more of those nights this week. I can’t think of a more perfect way to spend our final nights of Advent!

December 18, 2006

2006-12-18T17:59:00.000-05:00

We spent yesterday afternoon celebrating Christmas with my moms sister and 2 of my cousins (and their families). It was a very relaxing afternoon. My aunt had lunch for us and then we sat around chit-chatting. After the kids opened their gifts, we played with some of their board games. It was great fun!

Aunt Sally helping Kaylee work with her new knitting kit.

Aidan and Kaylee doing gymnastics in the very spacious basement!

And here is the Christmas Miracle!! Uncle Jim and Aunt Sally bought Aidan a UofM football. This is amazing because Uncle Jim is the biggest State fan that I know! What a true gift of the heart!

December 17, 2006

2006-12-17T19:34:00.000-05:00

Last night was "Christmas with the Cousins." It has been the first time that, that many of us have been together in a very long time. We had a blast!! Most of us met up at my cousins, Chrissy and Scotts house. From there, we drove to the Whirlyball courts. The courts were about 45 minutes away and we laughed the entire trip....mostly at my expense and lack of knowledge of how a diesel engine works!!

Whirlyball was a hoot! I have played one other time, but everyone else was considered Whirlyball Virgins. It is a game played from electric bumber cars, where you try and toss a whiffle ball into a basketball type hoop with a plastic scoop. Because we had an even number, we played guys against girls. The girls got skunked, but we had an unbelievable time and made memories to last a life time.

After Whirlyball, we all went out to dinner and enjoyed an evening of good food, good drinks and even better company. It was our first "Christmas with the Cousins" outing and I hope it becomes an annual tradition.

Thanks to all of you for making this such a special night out!! By the way, I hope Todd and Lori remembered to plug their car in so they could make their 4 hour trek home this morning!! :-)

December 16, 2006

2006-12-16T15:00:00.000-05:00

Mom, is it time to go yet? Mom, are we going now? Mom when are we gonna go to grandma's? Mom, it is to looooooooong to wait.

This is what I heard all morning. Aidan is spending the night with my mom and dad tonight. It has been planned for several weeks....however, we just told Aidan at the end of last week for sanity purposes. However, I still think we told him too soon. He is spending the afternoon (and night) with my parents. They are going to decorate the Christmas tree, go to McDonalds and see "Happy Feet." He couldn't wait to get out the door. He had his suitcase packed since 8:30 this morning and ended up having to carry additional items because he couldn't fit everything in the suitcase. You would think that my parents have NO toys at their home.

Anyway, Paul and I enjoyed a kid-free lunch this afternoon and are off to "Christmas with the Cousins" tonight. I can't wait!! There are 17 cousins on my dads side of the family and 13 of us are getting together tonight for alot of Christmas cheer. With this clan, I'm sure I'll have plenty to update you on tomorrow and LOTS of pictures.

December 15, 2006

2006-12-15T18:06:00.000-05:00

Thank you to those of you who shared ideas for the teacher gifts. I ended up buying them beautiful Christmas jars with peppermint scented candles. Aidan was excited....I guess he wasn't too hung up on the dog and princess idea. I think next year I will make something....I just have to give myself more time. I'll start thinking now.

Things are moving right along here. I am officially, officially done with EVERYTHING. The teacher gifts are done and the annual Christmas calendars, that I make for my mom and mother-in-law, are completed....Finally!! I really enjoy doing those but I enjoy it even better when they are done!!

We have lots of Christmas activities planned for this weekend and we are excited about those.

Well, Paul is off to his bowling league tonight and Aidan has picked out "Polar Express" to watch for our Friday night movie (AGAIN!!!) I better get going before I miss it all. That is what Aidan is currently yelling to me from the bedroom!!

December 14, 2006

2006-12-14T19:16:00.000-05:00

I asked Aidan what he wanted to get for his teachers, for Christmas. He said, "a dog, a princess and a shiny gold necklace." Hmmmmm....I'm not sure where that came from. So the dilemma is, what DO you get for teachers? He has four of them. In one minute I have my mind made up not to stress over it, it is the thought that counts anyway, right? The next minute I'm plagued with guilt. How can I not think about a gift for four women who spend more awake time with my son than I do? Does anyone out there have any ideas or opinions on this? I'm getting desperate! I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be thrilled about a dog, I'm not sure where to buy a princess and I'm afraid a shiny gold necklace is a little out of our budget.

December 13, 2006

2006-12-13T17:02:00.000-05:00

At this time of year, people are usually thinking about New Year’s resolutions. Mostly, I hear people talk about weight loss. While I plan to embark on that as well, I wanted this year’s resolution to be something deeper….Something that will inspire me to WANT to fulfill my resolution. Something that will make me want to strive further than the second week of January. I’ve been thinking about this for awhile now. At this point, I’m still not sure what direction I want to go, as there are several things calling to me.

In my faith life, I want to be more involved in our church. I struggle where to fit in as we transition to a new church. We are confident in our decision on a new church, but our hearts still hold a place for our old church. I know it will help if I can get involved and so I intend to find my niche at our new church.

For my health, with the rest of America, I want to become a healthy mom and wife. I want to be around for a long time to continue raising Aidan and to enjoy my life with Paul after Aidan is grown.

In my family life I want to learn to “live in the moment.” I hear people talk about this all of the time and my conscious reminds me of it daily. However, I am constantly in a “just get it done” mode. I promise myself that I will live in the NEXT moment, if I can just get through this one. I feel like I’m going through the motions to get things done and not really enjoying all of my hard work in the end. I love doing things for my family and friends, but worry so much about making everything perfect, that I really don’t “enjoy that moment.”

As far as my professional life goes, I think that will come together with my other transformations. I really enjoy the work that I do right now. However, I don’t aspire to be at the top of the company. I am at peace with my current position in the company and I take pride in my work. I know that I do the best job that I know how to do. I’m not really worried about this aspect of my life because my goals are already set for me. I work with management and write and track those goals on an annual basis. Those are scheduled to be written and will be waiting to be achieved. I can check that off of my “to do” list. That being said, there is always room for improvement. Recently, I’ve been involved in an Employee Experience Initiative. There are many aspects to the initiative, but I am in a sub-group focused on Work-Life Balance. I am very passionate about this topic. I know that I am a better employee if I can balance my family life. So, my personal (professional) goal is to make strides with rolling out new opportunities for co-workers, with the tools that I have been given.

I am extremely happy with my life right now. However, I don’t want to settle. I want to have goals and purpose in life. I don’t have an actual goal for the New Year as of yet, and I still have a lot of thinking to do. However, I know that it will involve shaking off my inertia and transforming my life. I am looking forward to this ride in 2007!! Stay tuned…..

December 12, 2006

2006-12-13T16:58:00.000-05:00

Actually, it is December 13, 2006. I know some of you are thinking that I only made it 11 days. I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t write everyday in December, until Christmas. Well, in a way, I guess that is true. However, it is not what you think. I did not bail on my writing. I tried, I really did. The entire blog system was giving me grief. I tried commenting on a friends blog, but to no avail. I tried viewing multiple blogs, but it just wasn’t happening. So, I apologize for letting all of you down. However, I’m back up today and well…..keep reading!!

I've already rec'd grief about using this as a blog entry. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I will never know, but if the sole reason for me not being able to blog yesterday was so that I can use this pathetic excuse today, so be it.

December 11, 2006

2006-12-11T20:40:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, after church, we took Aidan to the museum. Of course, we all headed for a nap upon our return home. For some reason, I have been clenching my teeth lately, when I sleep. I must have done it alot during my nap on Sunday because when I woke up I had a major toothache. The pain continued throughout the day and night and this morning I called the dentist. After spending two hours in the dentist office, they are still not sure what the problem is. They have ruled out a cavity, a tooth fracture and a bunch of other dentist phrases and think that due to all of the clenching, that I have changed my bite, hence, the pain. He filed down some of my teeth to try and change my bite back. I can feel that my bite has changed but I am still in a ton of pain when I bite. He said I have to give the new bite about a week and the teeth a couple of days to get used to it and hopefully the pain will ease. I have to go back on Monday, to "see how things are progressing." Therefore, this blog entry is going to be really short because I am in alot of pain and have taken many pain killers.....and am headed straight to bed.

December 10, 2006

2006-12-10T19:13:00.000-05:00

Aunt Denise and Uncle Randy came over last night. Because Aunt Denise is currently in medical school, Aidan finds it appropriate to pull his doctors kit out so they can compare notes. Dr. Denise and Dr. Aidan got lots of practice on Uncle Randy....Poor Uncle Randy. At one point, Aunt Denise grew a mysterious growth on her head and needed an operation.

Sometimes Aidan pretends he is a veterinarian. When Aidan plays a vet, he either lines up his stuffed animals or he simply uses our ever patient Java!!

December 9, 2006

2006-12-09T21:36:00.000-05:00

This evening I hosted my first annual cookie exchange. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, but now that it is over, I will definitely make it a tradition. The evening started out with appetizers, then continued with a traditional Polish dinner. I am not Polish, but I LOVE their food! We exchanged our cookies and enjoyed good food and even better company and conversation.

You should see our cookie jar now....it is filled to the brim. Paul and Aidan are smiling from ear to ear!

Me, 2 treasured family friends, my sister-in-law,
my sister, my mom & my sister-in-laws dog, who may have eaten a cookie or two, so he made it into the picture too! Unfortunately, my neighbor had to leave early so she didn't make it into the picture.

December 8, 2006

2006-12-08T20:48:00.000-05:00

Lately, we've been trying to work with Aidan on good decision making skills. He has befriended a "bad boy" in school and for awhile was getting in trouble on a daily basis. We tried to talk him into choosing a different friend, but realized quickly that that wasn't an option for Aidan. So, Paul and I decided that we were going to focus on good decision making skills at home. Each time Aidan makes a good decision, we point it out to him and praise him.

Today, in Catholisism, is Immaculate Conception. Paul went to church during his lunch hour. I was going to go to mass by myself tonight, but Aidan was really clingy right before I left. So, I thought it would be nice for us to go together. Knowing that he wasn't going to want to leave the house (he usually isn't one for going out once we are settled in for the evening), I had a plan. I told him that it was going to be a special treat for just him and I. We would listen to Christmas carols in the car, go to mass, look at all of the Christmas lights that we pass on the way and then stop at McDonald's for a chocolate milk shake afterwards. Well, the evening pretty much went downhill from there. He was thilled at the idea of the chocolate milk shake, but didn't want to go to mass. He instead wanted me to go to mass by myself and then bring him a milk shake afterwards. It was such a struggle to talk him into going to mass that I felt guilty about making him go. I knew that, for him, it wasn't about NOT going to mass, but instead it was about leaving the house where his intentions to wrestle daddy were high.

I put my decision making activity into action. I explained his choices (which at this point came across more like bribery) and he chose mass and the milk shake. Even though I knew it was the chocolate milk shake he was after, I was really excited about spending the next hour or so with Aidan. Well when we got in the car, he wanted to watch his video instead of listening to Christmas carols. Since I just battled it out with him about going on the trip, I decided to let him watch the video instead of arguing all the way to church about the carols...which also meant that I was alone in my Christmas light watching as well. For when I pointed out the first fully loaded house, Aidan's response was (without removing his eyes from the screen), "Uh Huh." I thought, Oh Well, the important this is that we're going to mass together. I'll settle for that. I pull into a parking spot and turn off the car. Aidan starts crying immediately. When I ask him what was wrong, he answers, "I didn't want to go to this church." (We are in the middle of changing churches and Aidan is having a little trouble with the transition.) I convince him to stop crying and drag him into church with a tear stained face. Aidan doesn't really act badly in church, but he doesn't act his normal self either. He pretty much layed on the pew and was quiet. However, I expected him to say the prayers and participate. Afterall, Hail Mary is one of the prayers he is great at. Throughout the first three quarters of mass, I find myself lost in thought growing more aggravated by the minute at his behavior. It wasn't until the petitions when the reader says, "for all of the expectant parents, may they cherish this advent season and the anticipation...." It hit me like a ton of bricks. Although I am not an expectant parent, I needed to focus on the season and this hour that I am spending with my son, who I once waited in anticipation and prepared so long for. I look down at Aidan, who is laying sprawled out on the pew. It IS 7:45pm and he has had a long day, too. I am going to forget about the laying on the pew for now and thank God for giving me my son. I am so blessed to have Aidan in my life. He is TRULY a great little boy and I am proud to be his mom.

After mass, the elderly lady sitting behind me, who must have noticed my frustration during mass, leaned over to me and said, "Cherish every minute with your beautiful son. They are a treasure to raise." Tears welled up in my eyes as I muttered a Thank You....she was so right!

On the way out of mass:
Aidan: (looking up at me )"Was I a good boy, mom?"
Jenny: "Well, you weren't bad, but you knew those prayers, how come you didn't say them?"
Aidan: "I was tired mom....can we go for a milk shake now?"
Jenny: "you bet we can buddy. You bet we can!"
Aidan: (reaches up for my hand to cross the street) "I love you, mom."

As I sit here writing this, I can't help but think that the elderly lady sitting behind us was an angel.

December 7, 2006

2006-12-07T18:56:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, for those of you who don't know, was St. Nicholas' Day. Paul's mom started the tradition when her children were little and we've decided to continue it with Aidan! In fact, to this day my mother-in-law, er, I mean, St. Nicholas, delivers a small present to our house each year. Typically, it is an ornament or holiday decoration for the house. One year, when Paul was in college, and living in the dorms, St. Nicholas delivered a string of lights to decorate his room. I just love that!!

Yesterday, as anticipated, St. Nicholas arrived at our home. Aidan checked the door, in anticipation, until his arrival. After is magical appearance, he left a Power Rangers umbrella and a game along with a letter and star ornament. The star ornament was a perfect replication for the Star of Bethlehem. Aidan was thrilled to add it to the nativity.

December 6, 2006

2006-12-06T13:28:00.000-05:00

Since yesterdays post was so pathetic, I've decided to make up for it today. As part of a blog "chain letter" if you will, many of my blog friends created a list of "100 things about me." I started it a while ago, but couldn't finish it. It is NOT easy to come up with 100 things. So, I've decided to complete a list of "50 things about me." Perhaps someday, I will come up with the other 50, but for now I'm content with the 50.

50 Things About Me

1. I like to eat jelly on my french toast.

2. I got married when I was 20 years old. I’m still married to him.

3. I have at least 28 relatives (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents) that live within 15 minutes of me.

4. I have worked at the same company for 11 years.

5. I despise the words “panty” and “hanky panky.”

6. Neither of my grandmothers are still alive, but my great-grandmother is. She lives within 15 minutes of me. (See # 3.)

7. I am a perfectionist. It often prevents me from making decisions.

8. My high school years were not my best years. I hated high school.

9. I survived 13 years of catholic school, including kindergarten.

10. I regret that my labor story is not a positive one. I had definite ideas of how the labor would go….that was my first mistake. The second was accepting demerol as a pain reliever.

11. My husband was my rock through my labor. I would have never NEVER made it without him.

12. I love when my husband and I talk about growing old together. We talk about our 75th wedding anniversary….when we’re both 90-something.

13. If I could go anyplace in the world….I would choose HOME!

14. The open end of my pillowcase has to be facing the inside of the bed when I sleep.

15. I am obssesive about certain things.

16. No one loves their box more than me. I don’t like change.

17. I don’t like to go to the movies because I don’t like to sit in the dark with strangers. I also have a hard time sitting for that period of time doing nothing.

18. I like lists. I need a list for the grocery store. I usually have a list when placing a carry out order….even if it is for 2 items. It has to be written down. I always have a To Do list at work or when doing chores. I find creating this list very theraputic.

19. My mom wanted to name me Pollyanna when I was born. My dad said it sounded like a disease. My dad wanted to name me Michelle. My middle name is Michelle. I have no idea where Jennifer came from/

20. I hated sleepovers when I was younger…..I still do.

21. My maternal grandmother lived next door to me until she passed away. After that, my maternal great grandmother moved in next door.

22. I grew up in the house that my mom grew up in. My parents still live in that house.

23. I never finished college. I came home my sophomore year for Thanksgiving and never when back. I don’t regret that decision.

24. I played basketball in 8th grade. I told the coach I wanted to join the team and just practice with them. I didn’t really want to play any games. I don’t like competition. He made me play in a few games. I still don’t like competition.

25. I played hockey in 4th grade. I liked the skating part of it. I should have tried figure skating instead. That probably wouldn’t have worked out either as I hated dresses and toe-picks. I love to watch figure skating on TV.

26. I feel incredibly blessed in my life.

27. My roommate in college was a lesbian. She was an awesome roommate!

28. I have found that coming up with 50 things about me is hard.

29. The name of my best childhood friend was a red head named David. We called him Rusty. I am still in contact with Rusty today.

30. My dad says he wasn’t around a lot when I was a child. He worked a lot of hours so my mom could stay home with my sister and I. He tells m now that he is sad about not being around. When I think back to my childhood he is in all of my memories. He must have been there for all of the important things because my memories do not include an absent father.

31. I prefer blue pens over black.

32. My favorite TV show is 7th Heaven

33. At one time, my husband and I had a pet rabbit. We let her out of the cage to roam the house. She actually got along with our dog…..a chocolate lab.

34. I am afraid of boats.

35. I thought I would have trouble living in a new house after I was married because I don’t like to stay away from home (See #20). I always feel like I am at home in my married life.

36. I used to think that Parson Brown was a color. Why would anyone wish for a brown snowman?

37. My body does not absorb vitamin B12. I have to take B12 injections, monthly, for the rest of my life.

38. I have suffered from migraines since the 3rd grade.

39. I did not have a single migraine during my pregnancy.

40. I only had one boyfriend ever. I married him!!!

41. I have never smoked a cigarette or experimented with drugs.

42. I am currently on a seizure medication….for my migraines.

43. I love being a wife and mom more than anything in the world.

44. I am Catholic.

45. When I was young and fantasized about having children, I always thought I would have a girl…. I Love having a son.

46. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.

47. I love to cook/bake. I love watching cooking shows. I’ve met and received an autograph from Emeril Lagasse.

48. When I was first married, I couldn’t cook AT ALL.

49. I’ve never had stitches.

50. I love to host parties/gatherings!!

December 5, 2006

2006-12-05T20:09:00.000-05:00

I know it is only day 5, but I am exhausted. I had to work late tonight for a last minute urgent customer request and have been working on a special Christmas project for the entire evening. Poor Paul cleaned up the kitchen after dinner and is currently keeping Aidan busy so I can make some significant progress. However, I can hear his patience running low. So, unfortunately, I have to make it short tonight. However, I have included one of the "Christmas Card Photo Shoot" picture choices for your enjoyment. I REALLY love this one and the more I look at it, the more I think it should have come in first place. Oh well....

December 4, 2006

2006-12-04T17:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we spent the afternoon with some very good friends of ours, Mark, Heather, Rachael and Ethan. They live less than 10 minutes away from us, but we don't see them nearly enough. We had alot to catch up on!

We met at FantasyLand, a Christmas village, to visit Santa and look around at all of the displays. Then we ate at our favorite Mexican Restaurant and ended at our place to enjoy some wine (Jenny & Heather), some football (Mark and Paul) and some ornament making (Aidan, Rachael & Ethan). It was a very relaxing evening and the kids squealed with delight as they played their little hearts out.

December 3, 2006

2006-12-03T08:14:00.000-05:00

In October of 1996, soon after Paul and I were married, a gift came in the mail from a family friend that couldn't make it to our wedding. It was a gift card from JC Penney. We went to the store and bought a popcorn popper. I was so excited about the purchase....it was our "first" domestic purchase as a married couple! That night we picked out our movie, made our popcorn and settled on the couch to enjoy the rewards of our first purchase. Well, to say the least, the popcorn was horrible. Through the next weeks, we tried different variations of making the popcorn but to no avail. We soon came to the conclusion that this was a bad purchase, but the popcorn maker still held a special place in my heart....it was afterall, our FIRST purchase together! So, we pushed it to the back of the cupboards and forgot about it.

December rolled around and in an effort to put the popcorn popper to good use, we decided to create the tradition of stringing popcorn (made with the beloved little device) and cranberries for our Christmas tree. We would make our own garland and watch "It's a Wonderful Life." It was perfect! In the end, we watched a great
movie, created a new tradition AND saved the popcorn maker from uncertain death.

And so the tradition became. We continued it until Aidan was born. We have yet to string the popcorn since Aidan's birth and consequently our tree has been lacking the garland since our move to the new house.

Yesterday afternoon, Aidan asked my parents if he could stay the night. They, of course, said yes. Immediately, the popcorn maker drifted into my mind. This was going to be the night! Paul and I enjoyed a quiet dinner out and then headed home to string our garland. We had watched "It's a Wonderful Life" just last week, on a night that Aidan fell asleep early because he was ill. So we decided to watch "Grumpy Old Men" instead. It didn't matter, it was still fun to have our tradition back and enjoy the peaceful house, with only the dog snoring at our feet.

December 2, 2006

2006-12-02T20:57:00.000-05:00

I like to consider myself an organized person at this time of year. I make it my goal each year to have my shopping done early, my cards out no later than December 1st and our house decorated over Thanksgiving weekend. My friends are often sneering at me for this, but the truth is I simply love it. I love having my house decorated, I love shopping and I love taking pictures of my son. The Christmas newsletter is a bit chanllenging at times, but a small price to pay in the long run.

This year is no different. It is December 2nd and my cards are out, my house is decorated and my shopping is done AND my gifts are wrapped. I am thrilled to say the least! However, this year seems different. This year seems more peaceful. I've thought about it alot over the last couple of days and I think it is because I am simply doing what I told myself I was going to do. I am claiming this holiday/Advent season as my own.

Last year, at this time, Paul was remodeling our kitchen. We still decorated and celebrated Christmas, but it just wasn't the same. It was a vastly toned down version. Aidan and I did most of the celebrating on our own and Paul was absent from alot of things. This year, we are making up for it by truly enjoying everything about the Christmas season. In fact, we could open our own shop at this moment based solely on one of these joys....the Christmas cookie!

Our house is filled to the brim with Christmas cookies. We spent the day baking cookies and constructing a gingerbread house. It was a complete joy and even more of a joy now that we are eating the loot!! We made 3 different kinds of cookies and built our first gingerbread house.

In the evening, we enjoyed "Frosty the Snowman" on television. It was a truly relaxing day and an example of what I promised myself this season would bring to our family!

December 1, 2006

2006-12-01T18:32:00.000-05:00

I was cleaning out Aidan's bookshelf the other day, making room for any new books that come at Christmas time. During my sorting and organizing, I found that Aidan has over 30 Christmas books....some of which have never been read! I thought about it all day and how I could put the books to good use.

I soon came up with my grand plan. I talked it over with Paul and after he and Aidan left for his moms on Wednesday night, I went to the basement and pulled out one of our Christmas baskets and some wrapping paper. I chose 25 of the books and started wrapping. When complete, I had a beautiful basket with 25 "surprises."

Every night until Christmas, starting tonight, Aidan will open one of his books and we will read the Christmas stories. He knows they are all his books, but the fun part is guessing which one we will open on a given night. Tonights package reavealed a pop-up book, "The Night Before Christmas." Even though tonight was our first night, it went over really well. I think this will become a new tradition for us.

The 25 Nights of Christmas

2006-12-01T18:21:00.000-05:00

I've decided to succumb to the pressures of my friend, Trista. She commited herself to posting to her blog everyday for each day in November. She did it!!! And, I am so proud of her and inspired by her. I've decided to make a similiar commitment. I will write every night from now until Christmas. I am doing this for a couple of reasons.

1) Paul is complaining that I rarely update and that my viewers will stop reading.
2)I'm giving into the temptation of Trista.
3) I've advertised the website in our Christmas letter, so I thought I better make it worthwhile.

I am going to change the blog a little though. It was originally intended to keep the aunts, uncles and friends up to date on Aidan. However, I find it hard to write only about him. While I think he says or does something worthwhile everyday, I will admit my bias and the fact that people may not be interested in every little thing Aidan says or does. So, I am changing this blog to be writings about anything. It can be an event or feeling or whatever.

Wish me luck......

Said the little boy to the Mighty King

2006-11-28T08:58:00.000-05:00

Aidan and I are really enjoying the holiday music. They are already singing them in school, so he if familiar with them when they come on the radio. A couple of his favorites are:

Do You Hear What I Hear?
"Said the little lamb to the shepard boy, Do you hear what I know?"

Over the River and Through the Woods
"Over the woods and through the woods to grandmother's house we go."

The Twelve Days of Christmas
"On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me FIIIIIIIVE golden rings.
On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a house.
On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me FIIIIIIIVE golden rings."

My Knight in Shining Armor

2006-11-06T19:34:00.001-05:00

We hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

My Knight in Shining Armor

2006-11-06T19:34:00.000-05:00

We hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

Meet Jack!

2006-11-06T19:21:00.000-05:00

Meet Jack O. Lantern. Paul and Aidan had a great time carving the pumpkin this year. Aidan drew, on his magna doodle, what he wanted our pumpkin to look like. Paul, had the difficult task of duplicating the masterpiece. How did he do?

Once the drawing was approved by Aidan, Paul set to work carving while Aidan set to work smashing pieces of the pumpkin guts with a spoon.

In the end, it was pure joy, as Aidan became one with the pumpkin.

Corn Maze

2006-11-06T19:01:00.000-05:00

On October 21st, we spent the day with Pauls sister, Denise, and her husband Randy. We went to a UofM vs. OSU corn maze...how appropriate for this family, huh?!?

Here, Paul and Denise are trying to figure out the clue to get us to our next destination

Here, Randy and Aidan are, well....cheating. Instead of using the map and clues to figure out the corn maze, they chose a different strategy. Note to self, never play, for money, with Randy!!

After the corn maze, we went to the pumpkin patch to pick the perfect gourd. We found out that either Randy is a horrible pumpkin picker-outer or Denise is a PPP (picky pumpkin person). That's OK. Isn't that what the pumpkin patch is all about....picking the perfect pumpkin?!?

Here is my pick for the most perfect pumpkin in the patch:

That evening we feasted on a mexican dinner, watched football and (Denise and I) worked on some latch hook and quilting projects. It was a wonderful day with wonderful family.

Apologies

2006-11-06T18:48:00.000-05:00

My girlfriend, Trista, is participating in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) where she is posting a blog everyday for the entire month of November. While I applaud her for that, I am telling everyone right now that I am NOT participating in that. I do, however, apologize for not being very diligent in the blog updates. Now that I've made my apologies and am (quickly) over my guilt, I'll get on with my posts.

A Beautiful Sunday!

2006-10-01T19:12:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a total washout. It was a dreary, rainy day. We ran some errands and watched ALOT of football (UGH). We decided to go to a Saturday evening mass instead of our usual Sunday morning in case the weather forcast for Sunday was better. Saturday was, however, my brother-in-laws birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY, UNCLE JOHN!! Unfortunately, he lives several states away, so we didn't get to celebrate with him, but sent many good thoughts his way!!

When we woke this morning, the news channel boasted about the weather and Paul and I looked at each other and said, "Let's Go." We had been wanting to take Aidan to the Renaissance Festival, but time and weather never played in our favor. Aidan is really into Knights and Pirates right now (in fact, he is going to be a knight for halloween!!). We stopped by Kroger to snag our advance (and discounted!!) tickets and headed up north. It was a beautiful ride and we could barely contain Aidan's excitement. He had many questions and just couldn't believe that he might actually see a real knight! All the way there he kept asking, "are we going to see a real knight?" Even after we assured him many times, he still asked, "for real? We're really going to see a REAL knight?"

Once we arrived, we had to walk along a long foot path before reaching the entrance gates. Aidan called this foot path "the forest." I knew he was nervous for two reasons. 1) He kept saying "I'm not afraid, I am brave." and 2) every couple of steps he would say, "I love you, mama." This is something he does/says when he is nervous. I hate that he is afraid, but I LOVE how he reacts to fear. Once inside the gates, his eyes just lit up. He was glued to every stage filled with dragons. He stared at every "character" that walked by. We finally made it to the jousting event and he cheered for our section, "The East Shire" and our fearless knight, Sir Reynolds. We knew Aidan was having a good time but we didn't realize how good of a time until the jousting event ended. There were lots of bees around and at the end of the event Aidan started sobbing out of no where. We thought he had been stung, but through the sobs he explained that he wanted to see more knights. So, we made our way down to the knights and asked Sir Reynolds for a picture....and of course, he abliged.

The topping on the cake was when we were walking back through the festival, checking out all of the sights, Aidan looked up at me and said, "Am I dreaming?" It was truly a wonderful day, filled with wonderful memories!!!
A picture of my brave knights protecting me from any dragons we may have encountered on our way back through "the forest."

Aidan Fix

2006-09-27T18:39:00.000-04:00

I don't really have alot to say in this update. Nothing out of the ordinary is happening here. I'm super behind on my scrapbooking so I'm attempting a page here and a page there, instead of blogging. Four years ago I started giving scrapbooked calendars away for Christmas, to the grandma's. Needless to say, I have done ONE month for ONE of the calendars. I MUST make progress on them as they have come to expect them and I don't think they'd be too forgiving if they didn't show up under the tree this year. But, for those of you that need your Aidan fix, I was printing it off for the September calendar pages and thought you might enjoy it as well. It was taken at the apple orchard....oh, how I love the fall!!!!

Now, it's back to scrapbooking....

Laughter is the Best Medicine

2006-09-19T18:57:00.000-04:00

This evening as I took some time to catch up on my blogging friends, Paul folded laundry and Aidan watched a movie.....Madagascar. All of a sudden we heard this shrill scream. Paul went flying through the house and I just froze, waiting for a hint from Paul as to what was happening. Come to find out, Aidan was laughing hysterically at the movie. Paul came back through the house all smiles and said, "he is just happy." It's moments like this that make my heart melt. Boy do I love my guys!!! Well, I'm keeping this short, because I'm going to soak up some of that laughter.

Why?

2006-09-06T20:39:00.000-04:00

This summer, we lost several of our friends and loved ones. It has caused many questions from Aidan. He is very vocal and inquisitive about death. He talks candidly about it, especially after the death of Paul's uncle. We answered many questions after that, but they have died down as of late. However, with the death of Steve Irwin, the questions come flooding back. It is amazing how the mention of the death of a complete stranger brings Aidan right back to being at an Uncle's funeral.

Last night's conversation went like this:

As we were getting ready for bed,
Aidan: Why are you crying?
Jenny: I'm not crying.
Aidan: Why WERE you crying?
Jenny: (puzzled) I wasn't crying.
Aidan: You were crying at Uncle Franks funeral. Daddy was crying and Grandma and Grandpa were crying too.
Jenny: Because we were sad, honey.
Aidan: Why?
Jenny: Because, Uncle Frank is in heaven and we won't be able to see him anymore.
Aidan: Why?
Jenny: Because he had a heart attack
Aidan: What is a heart attack?
Jenny: It is when your heart gets really tired and can't beat anymore.
Aidan: Will your heart stop beating?
Jenny: (Oh, where is Paul when you need him?!?) Eventually, everyone's heart will stop beating some day. But, then you go to heaven and are reunited with the rest of your family who will be waiting there for you....you'll get to see Uncle Frank again and you will have lots of fun with him.

A long silence....(just when I thought I was safe)

Aidan: (crying) But I don't want you to die
Jenny: Oh, mommy and daddy are going to be around for a really long time, Aidan. You don't have to worry about that right now.
Aidan: But after daddy drops me off at school tomorrow, his heart will stop beating and your heart will stop beating and I won't have anywhere to live.
Jenny: PAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUL!!!!!!!!

We've always tried to be real with Aidan and answer his questions honestly. We hope and pray that he is smart and can think logically for himself. I don't know who said, "Be careful what you wish for" but boy, they weren't kidding!!