Raising Aaron Michael

Some Videos

2012-01-02T21:11:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks before Christmas Aaron pulled 2 of the stockings off their hooks and did this for me a few times (caught it once on video):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjasQuwAx3c

Christmas morning...

"This one's for meee!!!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PFJ5B3DANo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymcBTGde7rQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_gbhNK1v-Q

We are borrowing Uncle Chad's guitar. Tonight we were taking turns playing songs while the others danced. I sneaked a video of one of Aaron's turns.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnPBQM-LTJA

Zoo Lights

2011-12-31T23:11:00.000-08:00

We went to the zoo today to see the lights and ride the train. There were a few animals awake.

Ben and Aaron had a blast together running all over the place.

I know I have a pic of Aaron and I on this trike the first time I took him to the zoo when he was about 10 months old. Time flies.

Aaron has been making gingerbread houses with Susie. This was a perfect thing to see!

It took 50 minutes waiting in line, but our train was finally ready. And it was worth it!

More Christmas Pics

2011-12-31T23:02:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning

2011-12-31T22:46:00.000-08:00

For Aaron, this was the first year that was full of anticipation of Santa's arrival. So we thought it was funny when he didn't burst into our room on Christmas morning ready to head downstairs. Leland and Aaron had been tracking Santa's progress the night before on the NORAD site. After awhile in our bed he said, "we should go check the map". Leland told him that Santa would have already been here. It took a minute to sink in. "What do you think we should do?" I asked him."I think we should go downstairs", he said slowly.

And so we did. It was a very nice Christmas morning.

Later that day, Gaga, Papa, Uncle Chad, Aunt Kristin, and Uncle Kevin came over to open presents and have dinner.

The kids and kids-in-law and grandsons.

The 5 of us.

They Haven't Taken Him Away From Me Yet...

2011-12-19T20:24:00.000-08:00

Well, Winter Break is not off to a good start. Aaron and I were getting ready for his 1st dentist appointment this morning when he tripped (and couldn't catch himself because I wrapped him in a towel after the tub) and smashed his face into a pile of plastic toys. There was lots and lots of blood from both lips and his top gums. His top right tooth was at a 45 degree angle pointed into his mouth. So our routine dental appointment turned into an emergency dental appointment. I highly recommend pre-scheduling all your emergency dental visits---they got us right in. I started to call the dentist as we drove and Aaron said (through the blood and crying), “no! don’t call a DENTIST!!! Call my Gaga. She is SMART. SHE will know what to do!!!!”

Aaron was amazing at the dentist. He had never been there before (obviously) and took xrays like a champ---even with the bum tooth. His dentist was absolutely wonderful with him. He had to use nitrous oxide (Aaron picked bubble gum-scented), numbing jelly and an injection of numbing medicine. Then the dentist realigned his tooth. It’s not as perfect as it was, but it’s not at a 45 degree angle either. As we headed back to the lobby Aaron was singing, “M-I-C-K-E-Y… M-O-U-S-E… It’s the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse! Come inside, it’s fun inside!” I think he was a little high from huffin’ the gas.

When we finished up at the dentist we went straight to Gaga’s house (Aaron’s request….plus that’s where the liquor is and Mommy needed a drink!  ). We both felt much better after our visit.

So now he has two fat lips and purple gums on the top. He is on soft foods and a mouth rinse for the next 2 weeks. We have to wait to see if the tooth will tighten back into place or if it will have to be pulled. He gets checked in 3 weeks. His dentist said there may be damage to his adult tooth down the line, but there is no way to tell yet and nothing we can do for it at this point.

Fourteen days left of Winter Break. Stay tuned!

In Orbit

2011-12-08T17:37:00.000-08:00

"You know... I was thinking about something", Aaron began as we drove home from school today.

"What's that, buddy?" I asked.

"Can you believe the moon is only a satellite?"

"It's interesting, isn't it?" I said.

"Yes, because the Earth orbits the sun. It goes around and around and around. But the moon only orbits the Earth. Why doesn't the Earth and moon fly away from the sun?"

"Because.... ummm.... because the sun keeps the Earth in its orbital path with the pull of its gravity."

"Why doesn't the sun just pull the moon to itself so it will orbit the sun and be a planet too?"

SERIOUSLY?!?!?! I can't keep up with this kid. It went on from there, but I will stick to the short version.

Thank you Jen, for Earth and Sky---the book you gave Aaron last Christmas. Next time we have a solar system question I am having him call you rather than having him google with me! :)

Holiday Fun

2011-12-03T23:04:00.000-08:00

Last night Aaron and I went to the annual tree lighting event at WOU. He scored a red and green light stick, we watched a parade featuring Santa on a fire truck, and then we helped the crowd count down to the tree lighting on the darkened campus. Aaron was thoroughly impressed.

Today we headed to the annual Labor Council holiday event at the Elsinore Theatre in Salem. We stopped for a cupcake at a neighboring cupcake shop and then Aaron had his turn with Santa. On the way to Salem he had practiced what he was going to say to the Big Guy in Red. On Aaron's list this year: Hello Kitty with a yellow hat, an automatic toothbrush featuring Hello Kitty, a ride-on car with a steering wheel and gear shift, and a Buzz Lightyear with wings that move. Santa heard it all. When Aaron was done they shook hands and wished one another a Merry Christmas.

His shirt,"I'm a Union Kid",was a big hit. Mrs. Claus was impressed. :) Thanks, Papa!

N17

2011-11-17T20:22:00.000-08:00

After work today Aaron and I participated in the OWS N17 day of action with Occupy Salem. We gathered at the capitol steps and marched down town with a few hundred people. It was small, but it was a show of solidarity.

As we were approaching the capitol a couple of the bike cops started chatting with Aaron. One policeman asked Aaron if he had ever seen the golden pioneer before. "Yes", Aaron said, "that's my Papa's golden man because this is my Papa's capitol". They asked him if we was out for a walk with his mom. He said, "no, we are going to stand with the people. For salad". The two police officers gave me an odd look. I told them that "solidarity" was a new word for him.

Aaron walked (ran) and stayed with the crowd for much of the march. After awhile he asked to be carried and was fascinated by watching the crowd behind him. He saw his first bubble-blowing gum-chewer and he was sure he spotted Santa.

A photographer from the Statesman Journal took a lot of photos of Aaron, at times even running ahead so he could stop and take Aaron's pic as he ran with the crowd (his legs are small!). I imagine he IS the most adorable Occupier in the nation... :)

I've included a "video" below. You can't see anything but feet----I had a 3 year old on my hip at that point. But I wanted to capture the chanting. On the video it sounds so much smaller. In real life it was loud and powerful and moving.

The police were friendly and helped our crowd cross streets safely during busy down town traffic. The marchers were civil and respectful. It was a positive experience.

On the way home in the car we were drenched and cold and chatty. Aaron told me the chanting was loud on his ears and he asked if the people were mad. I told him they were upset about the way things are going in our country. He asked, "well which way do they want the things to go? Left? Or right?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCbpIMDto6k&feature=youtu.be

Someone Call the Authorities

2011-11-06T17:47:00.000-08:00

Today was a nice, crisp, dry, fall day. Aaron and Leland used the new leaf blower. Aaron was set in his fall gear and safety goggles.

Then he figured out a super fun (and safe) game to play with the lawn mower. This kid needs some snow and a sled REAL BAD. He's into The Incredibles lately. He alternates pretending to be Elastagirl and Mr. Incredible.

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

At the end of the first video he sees I am taking his picture. He starts to say, "I'm NOT going to have my picture taken!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTlqyjT9Y1w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO1cdgcpvi0

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-30T23:13:00.000-07:00

We have lots of frogs living near and on our house. This one seemed to appreciate the extra warmth.

Two weeks ago we went to Airlie Farms Pumpkin Patch. We had a great time.

Aaron went down the big slide many many many times.

The small slide was ok too.

Last Weekend

2011-10-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Pouncer came to stay with us. Aaron and Pouncer were best buds.

Aaron and I also went to Seattle last weekend for my cousin Becky's wedding. He did a great job on the 4 hour drive, he was fabulous for the hour I lost us in Seattle (I don't want to talk about it), and he was reasonably well-behaved at the wedding. He was the star of the show on the dance floor, if I may say so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGBKe1pVBi4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-BsLg2eVNw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eARZOGi9IaM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9mtp4RLY1M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEOyBTdXr98

Aaron fell in love with Ellie, my cousin Kyle's girlfriend. She had a sequined top on that Aaron followed all over the dance floor like a moth to a flame. She was wonderful with him.

Accessorizing

2011-09-30T21:48:00.001-07:00

After weeks of thinking I was noticing "something" going on with Aaron's eyes, we found out from his eye doctor that he is farsighted and needs glasses for close up work.

He was thrilled to choose his frames, and we picked up his glasses the other night. These pics are from when we were first home. He has been wearing them consistently since we got them. He says his eyes "see so much better now!". :)

He was being a nut because he didn't want me taking his picture. And I can't get any better ones yet. Oh well. :)

The First First Day

2011-09-26T17:58:00.000-07:00

Today was Aaron's first day of preschool. He is going to the Teaching Research Child Development Center on campus at Western Oregon University.

We chose this preschool after carefully weighing several options. We like the awareness and use of current best practices, the attention paid to what is developmentally appropriate, the partnership with Willamette ESD Special Education, and the steady flow of eager college students in the beginning stages of their education careers who lend a hand to the lead teachers.

Aaron was not overly thrilled to start school today. We went to his Open House last week in the evening and for part of it we went to a parent meeting while he stayed in his classroom. He thought we were lost and the teachers wouldn't let him find us and they wouldn't let him play on the playground when he wanted to (his perspective). We walked back in to a very sorrowful boy. He told us he didn't want to go back there and that he had already learned enough things.

Admittedly, I've felt the same way during various stages of my own education.

This morning started out okay, but when it came time for Leland, Susie and I to leave he was really upset. It took a REALLY LONG TIME for 3 hours to go by. When we picked him up we heard from his teacher all about the great job he did. He was only sad for a few minutes and then engaged in the activities and played with the kids. Oh, and they let him go out on the playground. ;)

He had plenty to tell us about and he was EXHAUSTED. He still says he's not going back there. :)

3

2011-09-18T19:42:00.001-07:00

This is a video from the day after Aaron's birthday. I've been wanting to get these on video for a couple months now but by the time I grab the camera he is out of the singing mood. So I grabbed it quick when he was saying rhymes and singing songs the entire way home from Susie's---before he could escape his car seat. Finally!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo6i3SZKlE0

Aaron turned "sree" on Thursday the 15th. He received an early birthday present from Grandma May and Grandpa Bob. He and Daddy synced their computers.

Today we had Aaron's birthday party. It was a Mickey/Minnie theme. He was a very happy boy, and a very lucky one too. He wore his special Mickey shirt which Jen made him.

Thanks to Uncle Chad and Auntie Kristin he is going to handle all of the ironing from now on. "Now I can iron all day long!" he said. Yes you can. :)

Ben and Addilyn gave Aaron a 4000 piece Lego set. And Jen gave Aaron a promise to come over every weekend and help him build his set. :)

Susie and Sheridan gave Aaron roller skates (which he has secretly been practicing on) and a Playdo kitchen set.

After this point things got a little hectic, so I didn't keep up with the picture-taking too well. Aaron received many wonderful gifts. Thanks to Gaga and Papa for the new Thomas add-ons, and to Uncle Kevin for the kitchen scale and Duck goods, and to Heidi, Mia and Matt for the bat books---perfect because we have bats who favor our porch at night.

And the cake! Oh my, the cake. Over the summer Aaron and I started discussing what kind of a birthday party he would like and what he'd like for dessert. He asked specifically for Mickey and Minnie but made it clear that Minnie should be the star of the show. We started looking online for ideas and came across some really amazing cakes. We found one he loved of a round cake with a red car on top that had Mickey and Minnie in it. He said it was perfect except Minnie was wearing red and he wanted her to wear pink. This was far beyond my dessert making abilities. So I asked Jen (AKA Cake Boss) if she would make him a Mickey/Minnie cake with Minnie wearing pink.

Isn't it amazing?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqcJPWGK5mU

The entire thing was completely edible except for Minnie who was stuffed. And wearing pink! The star of the show. Aaron was very happy. And a little nervous about me cutting it up. I was nervous too.

Thanks Jen! It was perfect.

After cake Ben, Addilyn, and Aaron went back to playing. Now that Addy is crawling she is right in there with those boys. She kept going through the tunnel with them.

Yes, this is a picture of my son pushing an adorable BABY out of his tunnel. I'm keeping this picture forever.

After our guests left Daddy and Aaron headed to the Playdo kitchen. By the way, Aaron never napped today so he was exhausted by this point. But they made lots of yummy sounding food. Playdo is not gluten free. ;)

A chef always takes his work seriously.

But he will pause for paparazzi.

Just Some Things

2011-09-10T22:19:00.001-07:00

Hangin' out playin' with Thomas and friends.

Beading... He's saying,"not yet", and then "now go, go" so I will start the video at the right time. Mr. Director.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAmLwwfmG2k

Portland Children's Museum

2011-08-15T21:53:00.000-07:00

Today Aaron and I visited the Portland Children's Museum for the first time. We spent a REALLY long time in the Water Works room. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNOjZw7hezo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvIQ38HRWN4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvCbE-nDNwk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehsiTLdCk2E

He practiced for his first dentist appointment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHluIXY1Ifg

He transported a hurt Mommy multiple times to the hospital. I AM very clumsy... I didn't quite fit on the stretcher in the back of the ambulance, so I got away with sitting and leaning, but he insisted on trying to carry me into the hospital. And back out. Aaron's ambulance service offers a ride back home after your hospital visit with no additional co-pay!

He found himself on camera.

And he called Daddy from the grocery store to see what he wanted for dinner. He wanted rice.

He also climbed a rock wall (with a helmet), checked the weight of many pets at the vet hospital and locked them in their kennels, used magnetic gears, bought all the produce in the grocery store, and wore a hard hat in the construction site.

He said he thought the whole thing was "great"!

Oregon Coast

2011-07-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium and South Beach. This was Aaron's third trip to the aquarium, but his first trip onto the sand.

He had fun at the touch pool.

And all over the aquarium.

But his favorite part was the beach.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dHO_VFxwJc

He got to help Daddy fly the kite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1XEda0z6lQ

And did a great job flying it on his own.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61AjERlFv_s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIk88fm5X5Q

The foggy 60 degrees did not stop him from checking out the water. He IS an Oregonian after all.

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A02mCeQQolM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ8o2RhIVZo

And he brought home a new friend from the aquarium. A sea turtle named Sea Turtle.

Pirates

2011-07-24T20:06:00.001-07:00

Aaron has a new favorite show called Jake and the Neverland Pirates. The characters solve pirate problems and earn gold coins---called something that sounds like "gold deblunes" and put them in their team treasure chest which pops out of the sand when they move their magic shovel.

Last Wednesday I was getting dressed and he came to me and said, "Mommy, do you have anything I can use for my gold deblunes?"

Sure I do...

So we pulled out the yellow coins from his Connect Four box. "Sanks Mommy!" he said.

A few minutes later he came back and said, "Mommy, do you have anything I can use for my team treasure chest?"

Sure I do...

So we emptied out his Home Depot tool box. "Sanks Mommy! This is perfect!" he said.

A few minutes later he came back and said, "Mommy, do you have anything I can use for my shovel that opens my team treasure box?"

Sure I do...

So we pulled out part of one of his musical instruments that sort of stands up like a handle-ish thing. "Hmmm... sanks Mommy. This will work for today, but could you please go to Lowes and buy my a real shovel that can open my team treasure chest?"

Ummm... Probably not.

He took his gold deblunes and treasure chest and shovel to Susie's that day. When I picked him up his treasure chest was filled with all kinds of treasure.

The next morning he modeled it all for me.

Tears on My Pillow

2011-07-17T12:27:00.000-07:00

He learns so much from Susie, I often wonder if I have taught him anything at all! Remember this song from Grease? He just spontaneously starts singing it everywhere---while digging in the yard, in the checkout line, in the car, in the tub. I finally convinced him to let me get a video of it. He'll thank me one day. :)

At the end he says "push" because he wants me to push the button to turn off the camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkVL3CtoyqI

The Enchanted Forest

2011-07-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, Aaron and I went to The Enchanted Forest. It was his first time. He wasn't sure what it would all be about, but he loved it as soon as he got the idea.

Snow White is his very favorite movie, so we had to spend some extra time checking out the dwarfs' cottage and mine. No pics of that though.

Contemplating the entrance.

Much to my amazement and a little to my dismay, Aaron did not have one moment of hesitation about anything at The Enchanted Forest. He dove right into everything---from the rabbit hole to the shoe slide---he never looked back.

We had just had a serious talk about what this rabbit hole was all about and how that I would not be able to come in and get him once he was in---he would have to see it through to the end. So when I took his picture he was still making his, "yes, I am taking you very seriously" face.

In this video he comes back to check on me because he knows I am worried. You may have to copy and paste the links.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0DaDkUbQg0

Here he goes again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4rPBJnSFGA

Here he is checking out the crooked house.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtkXa0Mn3Uk

He really doesn't like "that mean old witch" in Snow White, but he LOVED the witch's mouth and the slide that came out of her. In this picture he is saying, "don't eat me!"

Here he is going down the shoe slide.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZWThEGoF4I

My scariest moment was when he was in the Indian Caves for what seemed like WAY too long for everything to be fine. He finally popped out on the other end under the tee-pee very proud of himself. I asked him what he had been doing in there for so long and he said, "I was exploring! It goes around and around and around!" So he went again and again and again. I got over being nervous.

Coming out of the caves.

He drove a bumper boat twice. Once with other kids to bump into and once when he was the only one. He didn't mind either way. He said, "I am driving a boat like my Papa!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl48h_fEN8U

He got to be the engineer on the railroad.

And he rode a Ferris wheel all by himself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OE8y08zvaQ

We stopped by the water show, which he liked a lot. Afterward he wanted to know how it worked so we took a look at all the pipes. "Oh like sprinklers", he said. He looked up and said, "I think it is the lights that change the color of the water". No magic for this one I guess. :)

On our way out he decided he wanted to start at the beginning and go through it all again. Hilarious. So he picked three things he HAD to do again: the dwarfs' mine, the witch slide and the shoe slide. Unfortunately that meant hiking through half the forest again. Oh well.

We finished with a lovely picnic lunch and a nap in the car. A perfect summer day!

OCD and Randomness

2011-06-29T20:32:00.001-07:00

I am waiting on the arrival of a few new pics to put in frames, so in the meantime I put the frames out where they will go. The pic for this white frame will be horizontal, so I keep putting the frame horizontally on the table----that way it matches the other end table that already has a horizontal pic in the white frame. This calms my OCD.

Aaron is very much bothered by the fake people laying on their sides. So every time he comes in the room he flips the frame over. This calms his OCD.

Every time I walk back in I flip the frame over. It has continued this way for about a week and a half. He doesn't ask any questions. He just rights the wrong. And so do I.

Aaron's way:

My way:

Leland and Aaron did not plan their outfits, but it made for a cute photo op.

Aaron always comes home from Susie's with artwork. It is one of the many things we love about "our Susie". He has been using scissors for about a year and he is really becoming more accurate. The other day Susie traced his hands and cut out the two that are on the right side of the paper. Aaron cut out the one on the left all on his own! And he did ALL the taping, of course! :)

He likes to practice his capital and lowercase A. His strokes are getting stronger. He says, "down, down, and across" as he makes his capital A, and "a little circle, and a tail" as he makes his lowercase A.

He can recognize A, B, C, D, E, F, I, J, K, M, O, S, V, and Z out of sequence, as well as numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10 out of sequence. He still says his ABC's and now he can count to 20 with the exception of missing 15 every time. :)

His letters are the very bottom row.

He has a new pool. And swimsuits of course, it's just that the sun hasn't been lasting long enough lately to risk changing into a suit and getting back outside before it goes away.

I need to find out if 3 year old soccer is offered around us. He loves it and he is getting pretty good at aiming his kicks and passes.

Papa Owns the World and Some Extra Pics

2011-06-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

Aaron has become an expert precision driver on his big wheel over the past couple of weeks that he has owned it. Although it is low to the ground we want to begin the routine of bike=helmet now.

I may have mentioned before that Aaron's head is.... larger.... than 99.9% of kids his age (I actually have a growth chart----several growth charts to prove that----I'm not exaggerating). So after much searching we found a helmet that fits Aaron properly, is rated well be consumer reports, and is comfortable. It is a Bell Trigger in case anyone else is in the youth bike helmet market. Yes, youth size, not toddler size. Oh boy.

A pretty sunset from our patio the other night.

Aaron affectionately calls the capitol building in Salem, "Papa's Capitol". Since Papa works there, he clearly owns the place. And also the golden man at the top of it, according to Aaron. Whenever we come into Salem over the bridge Aaron spots the golden man and says, "there's my Papa's capitol! And there is his golden man!"

So today Papa took us all the way to the top of his capitol to see his golden man up close. Minnie Mouse came along (of course) and Aaron did a great job going all the way up and all the way down on his own. On the way there he assured Minnie that he would hold Papa's hand in case Papa started to fall. Minnie thought that was smart.

Samurai

2011-06-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

Aaron always wants to do anything daddy does. The other day he wanted to wear daddy's workout shorts. They were a bit big, so I clipped them at the back.

Leland decided Aaron looked just a BIT like a Samurai.

The sword completed the look!

Baby Add-o-lyn

2011-06-15T18:40:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday Aaron and I got to play with Addilyn (Ben's little sister). We had so much fun!

Aaron put a lot of energy into discussing what Addilyn may or may not like to play with. The criteria were fuzzy and soft. Toys that did not meet the criteria were deemed "not for Add-o-lyn" by Aaron.

He also checked out his old infant seat to make sure Addilyn would like it.

When Addilyn arrived Aaron wasted no time getting her acquainted with his house.

Check out the video. Isn't she such a happy baby?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lTnQ5nS320

Minnie Mouse Herself

2011-06-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

About a week and a half ago, Aaron became a victim of gender stereotyping. We were shopping for new, bigger underwear when he spotted a package of adorable pink and purple underwear featuring Minnie Mouse. He wanted THOSE underwear and no other ones. It took some explaining to get him to understand that Minnie and pink and purple weren't the problem, it was the way the underwear were made that wouldn't suit him.

He settled, and I do mean settled, for some "boy" underwear featuring Mickey. I suggested we find a stuffed Minnie in the store to take home along with the disappointing Mickey underwear. "Minnie Mouse Herself?!", he asked. "Yes, buddy, Minnie Mouse Herself", I said. Unfortunately, Minnie was nowhere to be found.

That night I ordered a stuffed Minnie to match his Mickey and Goofy that he already has. Tonight she arrived.

"Minnie Mouse Herself!", he shouted. "Where did you find her?!" I told him I ordered her on the computer and that she came in the mail. "You should order Donald on the computer too!" he said as he pointed to the computer. :)

The car seat in the living room is another story.

A Very Good Weekend

2011-05-30T22:34:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we went to the Gilbert House for the first time since Aaron was 9 months old. What a different experience with a 32 month old!

His favorite part was the submarine, which he called his "rocket ship". Perhaps an addition to the Harry Potter closet?

Today Gaga and Papa surprised Aaron with his very first big wheel. He needs a bit of padding to reach his wheels, but otherwise he's got it. He rode to the park, played, rode through an empty parking lot and along trails in the park, and then rode back home again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9u5awdTfyA

When we got home from the park Papa let Aaron sit in his boat. They discussed throttles and port and starboard.

They checked to be sure the motor was responding properly.

It was good conversation.

We got home pretty late and drove through an incredible downpour to get there. But when we finally made it we found a frog in our garage and another on our porch. The rain drove them to dry land. They were about as big as the pad of my thumb. Aaron and I brought them inside and had a great time watching them hop all over our living room. He squealed with delight. A perfect end to a great weekend!

Mr. Fix It

2011-05-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

After seeing the men who installed the central air open up the thermostat and do.... SOMETHING... Aaron has been fixing it just like they did. Handy Manny's tools have been very helpful.

The videos are a bit longer than usual. Fair warning. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkS_fU1szNg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS5zF0hZ0qg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XleQu0ujhuI

Rent

2011-05-19T20:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiFERv9yKVo

Utah, Here I Come!

2011-03-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Utah, especially the plane ride, had been a much-talked about topic for Aaron. He had told us over and over again how HE would be piloting the plane, "Utah, here I come!" he planned to shout from the cockpit. The trip was a huge success. Aaron did an amazing job on the plane both ways. This was his third trip via plane, but surely his first memorable one. In the Portland airport he pioneered every escalator and moving walkway. He rolled the carry-on bag most of the way until he finally proclaimed, "I'm tired of this!" and we had to take over. Our first couple of days were spent getting settled and visiting Heidi, Matt, and Mia while Leland was out with Andrew, Allen and Dave. We also went to Liberty Park and lunch with Grandma Loretta. Aaron went down every slide. Even the very tall ones that made me nervous.

Mia and Aaron were delightful together. After 2 and a 1/2 play dates it was clear these two should really live in the same state. Time to move, Heidi and Matt!! :)

Sunday evening we headed to Uncle Kevin and Aunt Beth's house in Hooper. We saw Anna and her new baby brother, Charlie.

Grandma May was there.

And Grandpa Bob.

We met Uncle Allen's daughter, Cousin Brylee.

And Uncle Andrew's daughter, Cousin Ashlynn.

Somehow Kevin, Beth and Charlie managed to escape photos. Hmmm...

On Monday the three of us went to Discovery Gateway, a children's museum that is new to the area since we left Utah. Aaron was in his element for sure. He turned knobs and cranked levers.

Mowed.

Vaccuumed.

Rode a horse. Okay---this isn't his element I suppose. But he did it. :)

One of Aaron's favorite things about Utah is that you can pump your own gas. He knew exactly what to do.

He did a bit of shopping---but mostly just for apples, which he is always wanting me to buy MORE of at the store. I'm constantly having to convince him that we have ENOUGH apples. As it turned out "enough" when Aaron is in charge of the cart is precisely one cart-full.

The Life Flight helicopter on the terrace was a big hit.

He even tried to play with the big boys upstairs.

But what he loved most, I would guess, was the water play area. He pumped the pump no less than 100 times.

Later that day we headed to Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Cody's house in Clearfield. There were a lot of people, but Aaron made fast friends with Cousin Ryan (who he insisted upon calling Uncle Ryan---at this point everyone was an Uncle, male or female) over some chips.

Aunt Jennifer came through with the refill.

We saw Grandpa Lee and Uncle Allen and Cousin Brylee.

There's Uncle Cody!

GREAT Uncle Eric and GREAT Aunt Lisa were there with Cousin Jessica.

Uncle Andrew was there too.

Cousin Ryan gave Aaron a model motorcycle to take home, which made his night. And his morning. And his trip!

We also saw Zach, Angela, Desiree, Anne, and Erica, but they escaped my camera. :)

On Tuesday we headed home. Both airports had convenient play spaces we used while waiting to board.

By this point Aaron was an old pro at the flying thing. So much so that he fell asleep during landing and slept through the airport, through baggage claim, and all the way home to Independence.

On Thursday we found out he had double ear infections. We appreciate him conveniently saving that problem until after we were home. Good work, Aaron!

Thank you Utah friends and family for making time to see us. We enjoyed visiting you all.

Recovering

2011-02-25T19:20:00.000-08:00

Aaron's adenoidectomy was a huge success. The nurses and doctors were wonderful with him. Well... except for the nurse in the recovery room, but that's another blog post. :)

The monkey in the picture came home with Aaron because Carolyn, the nurse who prepped us all for surgery, noticed Aaron had monkeys on his pajamas. She came back with his oral medicine and had 3 monkeys in her scrub top. She told Aaron that after he took his medicine he could choose any monkey he wanted to take with him to surgery and then home. He was thrilled. He swallowed his medicine like a champ and chose what Leland and I considered to be the most disturbing looking of the three monkeys. Plus it howls and screeches like a monkey. Oh boy! Later Carolyn brought a scrub cap for Aaron and one for his new monkey, which he named Elephant.

He didn't even look back when it was time to be driven away down the hall on the big bed. He was too excited to go for the ride.

The procedure was estimated to take 20-30 minutes. After an hour in the waiting room I was nervous. Aaron's surgeon came out to tell us the surgery had been very successful and that anesthesia had also gone well. Dr. Cave said the procedure took so long because Aaron's adenoids were "HUGE" and that they were actually growing into his nasal passages. No wonder the poor kid can't pass air through there. Dr. Cave said his nasal passages are "wide open" now. Woo hoo!

Aaron slept the hour and a half ride home and woke up just in time to see that Mommy and Daddy were ordering lunch at a drive-thru. Our cupboards are stocked with soft slurpy foods for him, but what did he want when we got home with the regular food? Mommy's fries and sandwich. The discharge paperwork recommends soft foods but also says that whatever the patient wants is pretty much ok. So we gave the kid some fries and half a sandwich. He devoured it all.

We thought/hoped he would be sleepy today from the events and also the codeine in his tylenol. Nope. We ended up napping in shifts (we were up at 3:30 and mentally stressed) while he played at full energy level all day. He had a lot of fun mixing different colors of gatorade with sprite and tasting his concoctions.

For dinner he had leftover pork tacos with rice and bok choy. I think it's safe to say he's on the mend. In a couple days the internal swelling should be down and that is when we will know how beneficial this surgery has been. Knowing that Aaron can sleep through the night while being fully oxygenated will be... well... words cannot describe.

Snow Day

2011-02-24T10:52:00.000-08:00

We had some fun in the snow today. We love a good snow day!

Aaron tried to catch some snow on his tongue.

He had a blast making footprints.

He dusted off the flowers because they were shouting, "help me! help me!" according to him.

We built a snow man and named him "snow man".

Aaron showed snow man all around.

Then he wanted to "clean up this mess".

He ended up sitting down on the job though.

Direct Action

2011-02-21T15:07:00.001-08:00

Aaron attended his first rally today. Stand for Children, OEA, OSEA, SEIU, and other public unions were represented on the steps of Salem's capitol. The rally was in support of funding education and adjusting the state kicker for a rainy day fund. We wore red to show solidarity for the workers of Wisconsin as they fight to maintain their rights.

Before the rally, Papa took Aaron on a tour of the capitol where he rode many elevators and met lots of nice people. He even got to see the House in action. Oh and a state trooper friend of Papa's gave Aaron a junior trooper badge.

When the rally began Aaron did a great job clapping and hollering at all the right times. His favorite part was when dozens of people opened their blue umbrellas on cue to signify their desire for a rainy day fund being used to fund education. He really wanted a blue umbrella.

We got lots of comments on the black cat on Aaron's shirt, but I don't think many people knew what the cat represents. The cat is from the IWW---the International Workers of the World. Their motto is "an injury to one is an injury to all". Aaron's shirt is tweaked for a toddler and says, "an owie to one is an owie to all".

These pics were taken before the rally started.

Getting Ready

2011-02-21T15:05:00.000-08:00

Aaron is prepping for his upcoming surgery---just 4 days away. Gaga brought him a mask to practice with.

Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T17:08:00.000-08:00

Aaron came home today and found a package from Gaga and Papa waiting for him. He loves his pillow pet and his Mickey Mouse sucker. "It tastes like strawberries!" he said.

Today I found out that Aaron has been working hard for days at Susie's house to make Mommy and Daddy a valentine too. He cut and tore and glued most of the papers all over the heart box himself. Then he painted the lid today. Inside he put a valentine for Mommy and Daddy and one for Gaga and Papa. I LOVE this box! And he kept the secret for so long!

The Bus

2011-01-18T19:59:00.000-08:00

This weekend Aaron figured out that if he turned the glider on its side the bottom looked like a bus steering wheel. Hours of fun. Apparently, Daddy is a much more desirable passenger than Mommy. I was offered a brief ride and promptly asked to leave. "I stop the bus now. Mommy get off. Daddy get on." he said. "You got it!" I said. Surely Star Wars Legos are in my near future? :)

Here is some bus fun:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgLS5we3pnQ

GO DUCKS!

2011-01-13T22:06:00.000-08:00

Aaron doesn't necessarilly know who the Ducks are, or why we care if they win. But he does know they are Uncle Kevin's team, Uncle Kevin gave him his Ducks chair and his two shirts, and most importantly, that Guinness is wearing one!

He wants to drss Guinness in "jerseys" all the time now.

Thomas

2011-01-13T22:03:00.000-08:00

Gaga and Papa gave Aaron a Thomas the Tank Engine set for Christmas. He LOVES it. He plays with it constantly. And WE love it too---he plays with it constantly! :)

Sullivans, Shumways, Perreaults Oh My!

2011-01-13T21:58:00.000-08:00

Christmas dinner was at our house this year. Yes, that's me in the background with a glass of wine like a yetty in some hunter's grainy photo.

Couldn't share just a BIT of the height genes with me, could he?

By the end of it all, a very tired Aaron had everyone on the couch for a special viewing of The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Christmas Morning

2011-01-13T21:50:00.001-08:00

It took a bit of work to convince Aaron that there might be a special reason to head down the stairs on Christmas morning. He had gotten up at his usual time---5:45ish and was content to wake up slowly with us once he'd climbed into our bed. We were definitely more excited than he was.

He was a little hesitant to come around the corner. Too much build-up I suppose.

I love this picture. His little face says it all. He was SHOCKED by what he saw under the tree. "Oh boy! Look at all these presents-es-es-es!", he said.

He didn't quite know where to begin.

Sugar Cookies!

2010-12-22T21:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we made sugar cookies. Aaron was very excited to find out what that meant!

He was sold as soon as he saw the mixer would be involved.

He did very well measuring.

He counted each scoop.

He also cut out the cookies and then we frosted them and decorated them with sprinkles today. They were pretty good.

A Beautiful Thing

2010-12-22T21:06:00.000-08:00

I took this picture after Aaron and I organized his bookshelves. I took it because I never thought it would last. It has lasted over 2 weeks! It's a beautiful thing. Turns out, if you never read with your kid, he won't mess up his books. No, I'm kidding. That's not funny.

Aaron Being Aaron

2010-12-22T21:00:00.000-08:00

With school and college it has been difficult to post on Aaron's blog regularly, so I am playing a bit of catch-up over winter break.

Here are some random pics of Aaron being Aaron.

These two are from Thanksgiving. A pic of Aaron taking his own picture.

And taking a picture of Aunt Kristin taking a picture of him.

I don't know what he was up to here. I was making dinner and turned around to see him like this. He was laughing and laughing. I don't know how he managed to do that to himself!

Christmas Tree

2010-12-22T20:54:00.001-08:00

This year is our very first year with a full-sized Christmas tree. I am allergic to trees, so ours is artificial. We put it up the weekend after Thanksgiving and we all had a great time decorating the tree.

Aaron chose to focus on one particular area:

His favorite ornament is the one that looks like a toaster. But he kept trying to eat the toast, so that ornament has been relocated to the top.

We thought it turned out very pretty.

Beep! Beep!

2010-12-22T20:47:00.000-08:00

About 6 weeks ago Aaron and I turned a box into a car. We decorated it with Mickey and Goofy and made a steering wheel too. Aaron found a key to start his engine.

And of course he had a license plate and tail lights as per his request!

Don't Eat the Baby

2010-11-07T21:21:00.001-08:00

I brought a cupcake home for Aaron today from Jen's baby shower. It was adorable---it looked like a baby. He was so excited to have a cupcake for dessert. He hadn't seen one quite like that before. I said, "look buddy! It's a baby!".

He just stared at it for a minute.

Then he pulled off each decoration---marshmallows, licorice, cheerio, teddy graham---one by one and said, "what that for?".

Each time I said, "it's for decoration, to make the cupcake pretty. you should eat it".

"No", he said and put the item on his plate.

It had to have been the longest amount of time a cupcake has ever lasted on a kid's plate. In the end he took a couple bites and said they were good.

Next time I won't suggest he eat a baby.

Imagination

2010-11-07T21:04:00.000-08:00

Aaron has a strong imagination.

For many months now he has imagined and told me what Papa would say or do in certain situations.

About 5 months ago Aaron started watching the trees as we drove and telling me he saw toddlers in them sitting on the branches. That they had climbed high and that they had better be careful so they wouldn't fall.

Tonight when picking out his pajamas he chose the ones with bulldogs and frogs on them. He pretended to catch a frog in his hand. He kept it carefully closed in his fist and then caught another one. So with his two hands occupied he could not choose his books for story time. He gestured at his choices, "no open uh hands uh frogs hop away!".

By the time daddy and Aaron were done with stories Aaron had added two blue birds to his hands. He couldn't hold his milk or the remote to turn off his light (a nightly routine). We suggested he put the creatures to sleep in the closet. Which he did. Very carefully.

A strong imagination.

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T18:41:00.000-07:00

This afternoon Aaron decorated his "funkin" like a pirate. We went to the pumpkin patch earlier this month, but we left our pumpkins whole because... I can get away with it this year.

He did all the pirate parts himself except the hat and ears---which needed a knife to poke holes.

Later we got ready to trick-or-treat before dinner time. Dr. Aaron was very excited.

After the first house he said "home now!". He happily kept trick-or-treating though and soon discovered that LOTS of houses had candy for him. We went to about 10. Aaron said, "trick-or-treat and thank you" at each one.

When we got home he got to eat ONE treat.

It was a good one.

2010-09-21T21:52:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we had a party to celebrate Aaron's 2nd birthday.

He received many thoughtful gifts.

A tool kit.

A Ducks chair for watching the games.

A lawn mower just like Papa's.

An I Spy pouch.

A soccer ball and an Elmo backpack.

And many other items that just aren't in the pics. He is a lucky boy. Then he blew out his 2 candles and we had chocolate chip cupcakes and ice cream. He calls his chocolate chips "beans".

2

2010-09-15T20:54:00.000-07:00

Today is Aaron's 2nd birthday. We had a mini celebration, just the three of us, featuring his favorite dinner, cookies for dessert (with two candles in mom's hand), and a gift from Uncle Kevin and Aunt Beth.

His party is on Sunday. He is very excited for his guests to arrive and sing to him. We have reviewed the guest list daily for nearly a week.

He sings "happy birthday" very nicely. We'll try to catch a video. ;)

2 Year Check Up

2010-08-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

We went to see Dr. Xu last week for Aaron's 2 year check up. He won't officially be 2 for a couple more weeks, but we wanted to get in before school starts again.

Aaron is 35 inches long and weighs 25 pounds---still tall and thin. :) He is still in the 95th percentile for his head size. :)

He says 3, 4, and 5 word sentences consistently, he can count to 10 alone and has pretty consistent 1:1 correspondence. He repeats the ABC's and their sounds. And he adorably sings "The Wheels on the Bus" and "Row Row Row Your Boat". He can run, jump with two feet and go up and down stairs on his own. He loves to blow bubbles, fingerpaint, and paint with watercolors.

He is still signing a lot, but he definitely talks more than he signs---partially my fault because my signs are limited. When he sees me do a sign he doesn't know, he stops and asks me to show him with his hands. Sometimes he asks me for signs that I don't know. Then we look it up online or ask our friend Jen. When I sign to him without talking, he understands what I am saying but sometimes he covers his eyes so I will talk at the same time as I sign. :)

We are very excited that he is now saying his own name correctly. At the start of the summer he only would sign his name. Midway through he started calling himself "Nannan" as he signed. Just this last week he has started calling himself "Aaron" as he signs his name.

Leland and I are now working hard to STOP talking in the 3rd person. Apparently talking in the 1st person is a developmental benchmark... better start modeling for Aaron. It is shockingly hard for us not to start sentences, "Mommy is going to...." or "Daddy wants to...." etc. We have some work to do!

Aaron is still doing well in the potty department. Usually 1 diaper a day---at night time. Although lately he has chosen diapers over underwear even though he will still potty in the toilet. I think he is slowing down a bit in that department because of the progress he has made in the nursing department. And that is the most exciting news of all----Aaron is weaned! Just 3 and a half weeks shy of his 2nd birthday. There were no tears. He was totally ready.

Birthday pics to come in a few weeks!

Aaron Counts to 10

2010-08-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

I told Aaron I needed him to push the button on the food processor 10 times. He promptly counted 1 through 10 perfectly on his own. I grabbed the camera and asked him to do it again. Of course, with the camera ready, he kept missing his 2. But it is still adorable!

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI3F1fcOKbk

Zoo Videos

2010-08-23T21:35:00.000-07:00

Aaron drumming at the zoo today...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVAY3noF3fE

Aaron's very favorite part of the zoo---the waterfall with the fish...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg0EF2gVocE

Zoo.2

2010-08-23T20:13:00.001-07:00

We had a great time with Gaga, Papa, and Guncle at the zoo today.

Aaron loved exploring, climbing and petting.

Aaron chose Gorilla as his latest addition to the stuffed friends collection. He walked around the zoo for nearly 4 hours. He ALMOST made it to the exit on foot.

At the Park

2010-08-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Saturday at Bush Park.

Videos

2010-08-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

Here are some links to videos of Aaron being cute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY3PEqUTmhg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9AMCJYrmuY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg_9MJl_w6k

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

Aquarium

2010-08-14T23:04:00.001-07:00

Today we decided to escape the 95+ heat by heading to Newport to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. It was nice and cool there---64 degrees! Aaron even needed a jacket.

Aaron loved the Aquarium right away. He saw seals and sea lions.

He was mesmerized by the walk-through tunnels filled with fish, sharks, sting rays and eels.

But it was quickly decided that the otter was his favorite attraction. He liked how the otter could float on his back so well---something Aaron practices in swim class. We found the perfect stuffed otter in the gift shop. Otter and Aaron made fast friends, and Otter went everywhere with Aaron for the rest of the day.

He found a fish sculpture.

And kissed him on the lips.

After some inital concern over being bitten...

He touched sea stars and sea anemones. But he did not appreciate the anemones touching him back.

We checked on the otter again before we left. He was still floating on his back.

It was a fun day! And Otter is fast asleep with Aaron as I type.

Photographer's Apprentice

2010-08-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

Aaron snatched my hem ha (camera) out of my purse when he was in a shopping cart the other day. He figured out how to turn it on and take some pics. He's working on his craft.

Misery and Art

2010-08-06T18:03:00.000-07:00

We think it's allergies bothering Aaron. He can't breathe through his nose, or SLEEP, and he has a cough, runny eyes and a runny nose. He is already on Zyrtec once a day for previous nighttime breathing problems. This is additional. He is so miserable. Which means WE are so miserable. :)

Here is Aaron two days ago before he was feeling so crummy. He had just discovered the vegetable steamer. He picked it up, opened it and said "raining" and held it over his head.

Then the allergies attacked and I found myself... alone... all day... with a sleep-deprived, CRANKY toddler. So we headed out to the store (an adventure in itself) and we bought new art supplies. Once home, we had a lovely peaceful 90 minutes of art time. We played with PlayDo, used watercolors for the first time, glued shapes onto a paper and decorated it (something he does with Susie), and drank wine. Well... the wine part was just me. Aaron had LOTS of fruit juice laced with an herbal antihistamine (thanks Susie and Tina).

To be clear...he is having FUN in these pics. He kept saying "fun today!" and "rinse your brush" and "fresh water please". It's the allergies making him look so miserable. I swear.

Wedding

2010-08-01T12:43:00.001-07:00

Uh Tad (Uncle Chad) and Aunt Kristin got married last night at their house in North Portland. Aaron was the ring bearer. We were on "keep the toddler clean and happy" duty, so we didn't take many pics. Gaga took these two practice shots before the photographer did the family photos. We will post more pics when we get them from Chad and Kristin.

Aaron did a great job getting the rings to the best man.

Here are two links to Aaron dancing at the reception. In the first one he is dancing with his two uncles. In the second one he is dancing with Guncle (Uncle Kevin) and apparently doing the worm. Not sure where that came from...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nMASPgE_5w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wld4XPmf1Hc

Swimming

2010-07-29T12:10:00.001-07:00

July

2010-07-20T08:02:00.001-07:00

July 15th marked 22 months for Aaron.

He is talking up a storm these days. He speaks in 2 and 3 word phrases for the most part. He amazes us when words like "xylophone" and "bulldozer" and phrases like "buckle him in" and "take it away" come out of his mouth. He has some experience with mom and dad "taking it away". :) He also signs and says his colors. Including traffic signals. He is sure to tell us when the light is red that we should stop, when it is yellow we should slow down and shouts "geen! go!" at us when it is green. I have never been a safer driver. We have to explain to him that it is ok that we turn right on a red light.

Aaron can repeat his ABC's and numbers to 10. He can also repeat most sounds each letter makes. He will say some in couplets on his own---A, B... 1, 2... and 9, 10.

He has also been wearing big boy underwear most of the time for the past few weeks. He has a diaper at night and during his nap, but most of the time he wakes up from his nap dry. He can tell us he has to go, pull down his pants, and climb on and off the toilet on his own. He can almost get everything back on again too. We are thrilled!

A couple weeks ago our good friends Heidi, Matt and Mia came to visit for a weekend. Aaron and Mia were adorable together. Mia is almost a year and a half older than Aaron and I think he just loved having a KID around. If you ask Aaron whether or not he is a kid he tells you no. He will tell you he is a toddler. :) Since Mia left, everything is about Mia. Mia would like whatever Aaron is eating. She would think whatever Aaron is doing is cool. Aaron signs "Mia" and says "Me-Me" all the time. It's really cute.

Since I am on summer vacation now, we are back to taking swim lessons at the pool. Once a week we go and each week Aaron wants less and less help from me. Last week he wanted me to let go of him completely. I'm working on it. His favorite part is sitting on the edge and jumping in. I am supposed to hug him and help him jump in. But he signs his name, signs and says "all done" and pushes me away. Then he jumps in on his own. This explains the gray hair I think I found on my head the other day.

We enjoy our morning breakfast routine. Another thing he prefers me not to help with. :)

And we anxiously await the arrival of Daddy after work each day. Sometimes by hiding in the laundry basket and tricking him.

Aaron is becoming quite the artist as well. he loves to finger paint.

June

2010-07-20T07:50:00.000-07:00

June was a busy month.

Uncle Kevin graduated from high school. He will be off to the UofO in the fall. Go Ducks!

True summer weather arrived, along with Aaron's first backyard pool.

Gaga, Papa, and Guncle went to Chicago for a couple weeks. We dogsat Pouncer while they were away. Despite the "black" eye, Aaron and Pouncer got along quite well.

Aaron thought Pouncer was chewing on Frog. It was just Pouncer's dog toy.

Frog Takes a Ride

2010-06-02T19:51:00.000-07:00

Aaron has never been a baby who forms attachments to items. He doesn't have a blankie. He never wanted a pacifier. He is happy with whatever is in front of him and doesn't concern himself too much with what might be missing.

So we were surprised when last week at his babysitter's house he took his stuffed frog he got over a year ago from Heidi, Matt, and Mia and set it by the front door. "Mome! (home) Mama!" He told Susie. "You want to take frog home when mama comes?" she asked. "Kay", said Aaron.

Sure enough, I came to pick him up and he came running, grabbed frog, and said, "mome! mama!".

We got to the car and Aaron told me, "gog (frog) guckle (buckle)". So we buckled frog into the seat next to Aaron----for safety, of course.

Since that day, I wouldn't say that Aaron and frog have been INSEPARABLE---frog was inadvertantly left at Susie's over the long weekend and Aaron didn't mind----but he has shown way more long-term interest in frog than he ever has in any other thing in his nearly 2 years. We have been "guckling" him into the car to and from Susie's all week long.

Tonight he was running his usual laps around the house and driving his train around when he stopped, picked up frog, and set him on the train.

"Gog. Go!" he said. And Frog did go. Around and around the house. Sometimes chasing Guinness, sometimes chasing mom or dad.

And when frog fell off, Aaron picked him up and gave him a kiss. Because we don't want our friends to get hurt. :)

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T20:14:00.001-07:00

Today Aaron said the word "touch" perfectly for the first time. Maybe because of all the airplanes he got to touch...

Play Date

2010-05-31T20:06:00.000-07:00

Ben came over to play with Aaron the other day.

They discussed proper use of the bouncing zebra.

Ben avoided Aaron's attempts to hug him for as long as he could.

But in the end, Aaron got one in!

Arf!

2010-05-05T19:44:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Ben's house. We fed some goats and some chickens. We met a horse named Frank and a dog named Otis.

Aaron embarrassed his city-dwelling parents by telling us that each of the farm animals said, "arf". He knows what they really say! Thanks Aaron!

Wor-Wo!

2010-04-27T21:16:00.001-07:00

Aaron calls the screwdriver the "wor-wo".

He loves that potentially deadly thing!

Crosstraining

2010-04-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

Before a well-known athlete goes out in public, it is important to put on a disguise.

Here, Aaron is the fashion designer from The Incredibles.

Here he is Elton John.

Finally. Ready to train without the paparazzi being the wiser.

He practiced dribbling.

And slide-tackling.

It is important to cross-train.

And to train on several different terrains.

Saturday

2010-04-11T14:39:00.000-07:00

We spent all day working outside. Guinness was helpful.

Then Daddy put Aaron's shoes on and the boys went to get Daddy a drink. Aaron checked to be sure the cup was empty.

The Easter Bunny Was Here!

2010-04-04T09:05:00.001-07:00

Aaron hunted for Elmo-head and soccer ball Easter eggs bright and early this morning.

He found "nunny" (money) in some.

And raisins in others.

He even got a little chocolate!

Easter Eggs

2010-04-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

Aaron tried his hand at coloring eggs tonight.

We think he thought it was ok.

Yoga

2010-04-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

Aaron loves to practice his yoga poses.

This downward facing dog puts Guinness to shame!

Yoga is intense!

Harry Potter

2010-04-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

Aaron loves our Harry Potter closet.

"Iss! Iss! Mum! (Guinness! Guinness! Come!) Iss! Iss! Go! (Guinness! Guinness! Go!)" he shouts.

He also demands that Mama sits in the closet with him and that she brings her "Yine! (Wine!)".

With pleasure my dear. With pleasure.

Mom's Glasses

2010-03-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

For St. Patrick's Day we wore green, ate corned beef and potatoes (Aaron loved the corned beef), and drank green milk and green beer.

Aaron painted his shamrock at his babysitter's house.

Family

2010-03-09T20:40:00.000-08:00

Chilly!

2010-03-08T19:51:00.000-08:00

It seems as though we will be outside everyday now. Even when it's cold.

Today we fed the birds. And ate some bread.

We touched interesting things.

We practiced going up and down the step. And up and down. And up and down.

We practiced being gentle with Mama's flowers. We need some more practice in that department.

And we saw cars and a bus drive down our street.

It was a fun afternoon!

Fun in the Sun!

2010-03-06T16:18:00.001-08:00

We did some much-needed yard work today. Lawn mowing and weeding---which is when I yank out anything I don't recognize or anything I deem to be aesthetically unpleasing, some of which may actually be intentionally-planted flowers and shrubs...

In any case, Aaron was a big help. He threw rocks in that hideous flower planter thing that was left behind by the previous owners (see picture) and is now probably perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes (on the list of things to junk).

A snake did try to kill him though. The snakes in our backyard are deeply disturbing to me. It is the drawback of being backyard neighboors with wildlife. Leland would say that the snake today did NOT try to kill Aaron, that it did infact just lay in the grass feet away from Aaron until I threw a fit causing Leland to chuck it over the fence into the wildlands. But I know otherwise, as the creature had NO LEGS!

It's Been A While

2010-02-28T20:05:00.000-08:00

We are busy! Here are some photos of Aaron lately. I wish I could get my blog to upload my videos. I have the cutest ones of Aaron dancing!

I used to have a "junk drawer". Now Aaron has another play space.

I love this pic. I wish it was centered better.

Sesame Street

2010-01-23T13:40:00.000-08:00

Aaron has been sick with a stomach bug. But Sesame Street made him feel a little better. He loves Bemo, Groger and Bee, (Elmo, Grover and Abby).

Although we have many comfy places to sit, Aaron prefers the coffee table.

Iron Chef

2010-01-15T20:04:00.000-08:00

I can't say I have ever seen Rachael Ray do this...

Words

2010-01-09T19:31:00.000-08:00

Aaron can sign and say lots of words now. I have tried really hard to get videos, but no luck.

He can sign:

thank you
bath
more
eat
yes
daddy
water
milk
all done
fan
light
and our version of "cool dude", which is two thumbs up and a smile
and he shakes his head for "no"

He can say:

thank you (tah tah)
daddy (dada)
football (buh ball)
up (bup)
vaccuum (cah coo)
garbage can (gah cah)
laundry (gah kee)
uncle (guncle)
grandma (ga ga)
moo (moo)
arf (arf)
off (off)
on (off)
popcorn (pop cah)

But our favorite is when he sings along to the Coldplay song Viva La Vida. He sings one part everytime. And he actually sounds just like Coldplay!

I need a video!

Notice how he neither signs nor says any version of mom?!

Cute

2010-01-09T19:22:00.000-08:00

This was before the Eagles lost their playoff game.

Wearing Daddy's glasses.

SNOW!

2009-12-29T17:29:00.000-08:00

Completely unexpectedly, we got some snow this afternoon. Sick or not, we were headed out. This may be our only day of snow for the season!

Aaron enjoyed himself, but he was concerned by the footprints he was leaving behind him. He also seemed slightly more interested in all our neighbors' garbage cans at the curbs than the snow on the ground. He loves anything with a handle.

Aaron's Second Christmas

2009-12-27T10:36:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to stick with our apartment-sized artificial tree (I am allergic) and wait to buy a full-sized one until Aaron is more likely to leave it standing. So our tiny tree was way up high.

But he was ready Christmas morning to get those gifts down.

He is very careful about opening gifts an gives each scrap to me or Dad.

He loved his Zoobie Panda from Grandma and Grandpa Shumway.

He was not about to share it with Guinness.

A bit overwhelming I guess.

He is signing "all done" to this present. I think it was all the tissue paper.

Aaron loved the box from Aunt Beth and Uncle Kevin.... and Daddy loved the train. :)

Blocks in a wagon. Perfect for our little guy!

Dress Up

2009-12-24T16:11:00.001-08:00

To my great pleasure, Aaron loves to play dress up----much like Ian Falconer's "Olivia".

Somedays he is an Oregon Duck. Uncle Kevin knows which one...

Other days he is Aunt Kristin.

Some days he tries on Daddy's shoes for size.

Sometimes he's in the mood for Mom's fancy scarf.

But he always loves to play "Rachael Ray".

Santa

2009-12-06T21:40:00.000-08:00

This did not go well.

He signed "all done" and waved bye to Santa the whole time. The "whole time" was about 20 seconds. I didn't want to scar him. Aaron really did like the sleigh though. Poor little guy.

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out, Kid!

2009-12-05T19:27:00.000-08:00

It is cold! Yes, Utahns... cold. It has been 24 degrees in the mornings when Aaron and I are on our way to work and school. The hooded sweatshirts we usually use as a coat for him aren't cutting it anymore.

We went out today and bought Aaron his first winter coat. He looks a little bit like Ralphie's younger brother in it as he can't really put his arms down by his side without trying pretty hard, but he is WARM.

I'm a GOOSE! Not a TURKEY!

2009-11-28T09:48:00.000-08:00

We took Aaron to feed some geese the day after Thanksgiving. Most of them were as tall as Aaron, and probably a little heavier.

He wasn't quite sure why Daddy kept throwing the bread at the birds. We gave Aaron some to throw, but he just wanted to eat it.

Big Man

2009-11-15T19:51:00.000-08:00

Aaron loves wearing Daddy's jacket around the house.

The Great Pumpkin

2009-11-15T16:52:00.000-08:00

Although our living room is not a pumpkin patch, Aaron had a lot of fun with his pumpkin. He followed the rule of "only as big as you can carry".

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T16:29:00.000-08:00

We took Aaron to 4 houses for his first trick-or-treating experience. He loved it! Afterward we let him sample some of his loot. And then we ate the rest for him.

Go Eagles!

2009-10-20T08:25:00.001-07:00

Daddy and Aaron have matching Eagles jerseys now. Is there a cuter fan club anywhere?

Play Date

2009-10-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

Ben came over to check out Aaron's new toys.

Aaron's First Birthday Party (video version)

2009-10-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

Aaron's First Birthday Party (picture version)

2009-10-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Aaron's first birthday on the 12th of September. He turned 1 officially on the 15th.

Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Kevin, Uncle Chad, Aunt Kristin, Susie, Tina, Sheridan, Indy, Jen, and Ben all came to the party.

There were friends.

There were gifts.

And ice cream cake!

Walking-ish

2009-09-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

The Emperor's New Throne

2009-09-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

A bit early (and illegally) we decided it was time for Aaron to be forward-facing in the car.

He helped us unpackage his seat and learn all about it.

Then we took a family trip in the car.

Aaron was in stunned disbelief.

Aquarium

2009-08-24T21:49:00.001-07:00

Leland took the day off today and we took Aaron to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport.

We are inside a small aquarium here, but the fish Aaron is looking at is hard to see in the pic.

Aaron's favorite parts were the undersea tunnels and the touch pool. He touched star fish, sea anemones, and a shark.

Evolution

2009-08-21T17:48:00.000-07:00