Aidan Funny

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

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?

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!

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This little creature took up residence in our backyard recently.

Please Be Advised....

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

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

Are you ready for some football?!

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!