kicking off the beach season

I could look at this picture for hours. I feel like this picture gives us a sneak peak into what Aiden will look like when he's older.

He's such a cool little guy.


I like to call him "Spidy" when he wears this shirt...he totally eats it up.


My little flower-child.

She likes to pick flowers for me. She comes to me with big grin on her face, one hand behind her back then, "i have a surprise for youuuuuuu" and voila she presents the flowers to me, her face glowing with pride.


Her face is looking less and less like a baby and more like a little girl. Sigh. Kind of makes me sad.


"Come on, Aiden. Come on, Aiden."

Sky follows Aiden everywhere. And if by chance she has to go somewhere, she asks Aiden to go with her.

These days they even go to the bathroom together. They sit across from each other in the bathroom, Aiden on the toilet and Sky on the potty and they joke around and giggle as they relieve themselves.

By the way, we haven't had a poopy diaper on Sky in over three weeks! : )


My little beach bum...

Aiden LOVES the beach. Every morning he wakes up and asks when we're going to beach again.


Aiden teaching Sky how to march.


"Sky, this is my boat, okay? I'll let you ride on it though."



Aiden running"SUPA FAST!!!"

The last two summers Adam and I would look at each other exhausted and ask the question - do you think next year the kids will be easier to handle at the beach?

Well, I think this summer might be that relaxing summer we've been dreaming of. We went to the beach for the weekend and we all enjoyed ourselves. The kids are getting to that age were you can sit back on the deck and watch them play in the front year or sit on the beach and watch them play in the sand. Last year, Aiden wouldn't stay in the front yard, he'd head straight for the street and down to the beach. Sky on the other hand didn't start walking until July (when she turned one) so she required a lot of holding. She'd also get frustrated watching her brother run around when she couldn't. Letting her crawl wasn't much of an option since the deck is so splintered.

a good-guy pirate

Aiden learned a song and dance at preschool. It goes something like this:

if you see a pirate
if you see a pirate
put your arms like this



The dance actually ends with Aiden doing the pose above with "put your arms like this".

As soon as he realized that Adam and I were excited about his new song and dance, he refused to do it anymore. Adam has begged him to do the dance again but he's being shy and won't do it.


These days he's really into pirates and Spiderman.

aiden and sky visit colonial williamsburg

On our way down to Va Beach we stopped at colonial Williamsburg for lunch. Here's Sky walking through the gardens. While the kids had a lot of fun, I don't think they were ready for the 93 degree weather. Little Sky's face was very flushed and she kept asking to be carried.


As long as she's following her brother, Sky will go anywhere with little regard to anyone else. Aiden on the other hand, loves it when Sky follows him. I often hear him say, "come on, Sky" when he notices she's falling behind.


"Aiden, where are you?", calls Sky.


We met this bull on one of the side streets of Williamsburg. He was very nice and let us pet him, feed him, and pose with him. I actually think he's a trained actor-bull.


This was also Bobba and Grandma's first visit to Williamsburg so they enjoyed themselves too.


Aiden contemplating a rodeo career.

"So I ride bulls for a living, big deal."



Bulls eye!

Having come eye-to-eye with the bull, Aiden soothed the beast and so that he could later climb on to his back for a ride.


The first thing Sky noticed about the horse was it's poop.

"Horsey poopy on the ground, that funny!"


Adam and Aiden in trouble again.


Sky thinking, "Ummm, no Daddy, that doesn't look like much fun to me."



There's one hot baby. Little Sky was not only not ready for the sudden summer heat (93 degrees) and scorching sun, but was also feeling a little under the weather. Regardless, she had a lot of fun discovering historic Williamsburg, Virginia.

By the way, all of the pictures taken above were taken with my iPhone so the image quality is not so good. I had not taken my camera because the stop at Williamsburg was to be just a lunch pit-stop. After the short detour through Williamsburg, Adam and I went to Keith and Jean's wedding while the kids road on to Virgina Beach with Bobba, Grandma, Uncle Dullah and Natalie.

heeeeere's Aiden!

One of those mornings...

He woke up insisting on wearing his snow boots with his Superman pajamas.

torture at the grocery store

Why do grocery stores insist on torturing kids with the candy and gum at the check out counter?

Aiden looking for the best deals on cupcakes.

Sometimes we stop by the grocery store after I pick him up from pre-school to pickup dinner. Tonight we're have rotisserie chicken, broccoli, and salad for dinner.

nakalie take dullah to bed?

Photo taken by Uncle Dullah.


Natalie and Dullah came over last night right before the Aiden and Sky's bedtime.

As I was putting Sky down to bed, she always asks what everyone else is doing.

Sky: Daddy take Aiden to bed?

Me: Yes, Daddy took Aiden to bed.

Sky: Nakalie take Dullah to bed?

Me: Yes, I guess Nakalie puts Uncle Dullah to bed.

a replica of the island of sodor

Aiden is a Thomas the Tank Engine fan. He can name all of the characters, he talks about the various episodes, and tries to recreate what he sees in Thomas videos at his own train table.


My little creative genius.

goodbye to lynx and jasper

It was heartbreaking but we had to give Lynxie and Jasper away to another family. We were not able to give them the attention they deserved so we gave them to a family with adult children.

I will miss them for the rest of my life. Lynx (also known as Lynxie and Woonxie) is the most hugable, loving, sweetheart of a cat. He is just like a teddy bear when I hold him. Jasper (also known as J-Dog, Jizzy, Jeffery, and sometimes Jason) is a sweet, gentle, cautious, and dainty little cat.


Laila holding Jasper in a towel. You see he had needle like claws at this age so holding him was a risk.


Adam and Jasper - September 2001

Jasper and Lynx hanging out in the torn down kitchen cabinets of our 10465 White Granite home. Adam and I remodeled the kitchen shortly before selling the house in 2003.

bonkers....due to the rainy weather

Aiden said as he turned the pages of the book he's holding above, "Mommy, when Sky gets big like me, she will be able to read books with no pictures too."

Staying indoors because of the weather has not been easy on Aiden and Sky. Several times Aiden stared out of the window and whined about the rain not going away. We finally resorted to just playing in the garage but that always lead to them sneaking out into the rain in the driveway.

While cooped up in the house they've both gone to their polar extremes. Aiden has become highly sensitive and Sky has become very aggressive and physical. So all day long I hear this:

"Mommy, Sky pulled my ear."

"Mommy, Sky pinched my cheek."

"Mommy, Sky pushed me."

"Mommy, Sky said no to me."

Immediately after I hear a complaint from Aiden I hear Sky running away and giggling. The little devil.



When things get really chaotic in the house we go back to the basics...books. Both Aiden and Sky love reading time. It calms them down and brings them together. Of course they do argue over which book we read first but that usually works itself out.

the Easter Bunny was here!

Aiden - when he first realized that the Easter Bunny had hidden Easter eggs throughout Nana Beth and Bobba Steve's backyard.


CHECK IT OUT BOBBA STEVE!

I SCORED SOME CANDY FROM THE EASTER BUNNY!!!


As soon as he found an egg, he'd open it, take out the treat inside, and stuff it in his mouth or in his pocked. He reminded me of a chipmunk finding and hording nuts.


Sky didn't really care much for the egg hunt. She'd simply go to Aiden for a bite of whatever candy treat he had just taken out of a found egg and then she'd go back to playing with something else.

When Aiden noticed that Sky only had one egg in her basket, he immediately started to collect eggs for her. At the end, he had collected more eggs in her basket than his own....that gives me a lump in my throat.


Aiden's basket...as you can see, he collected far less eggs in his own basket.

the backyardigans

Aiden and Sky swinging in Nana Beth and Bobba Steve's neighbor's playground. What can be more fun than playing in a new (to them) playground? This playground was located in a neighbor's backyard. The kids that lived at the house were out of town so Aiden and Sky got the whole place to themselves.


Aiden has learned the "pirate dance" at school. It is just adorable when he does it because he takes himself so seriously as if the moves are all so carefully executed.


Aiden and Sky just chillin' with Nana Beth.


I didn't think Aiden would attempt to cross the creek but he proved me wrong within the first 10 seconds. He crossed the creek and started to climb up the bank.

Check out his dirtly little jeans....that's my rough and tough boy!


Aiden playing the creek that Daddy, Uncle Ben, Uncle Caleb and Aunt Meghan played in probably 25 years ago. Creeks can be an endless source of fun kids. I remember when I was little I could be occupied at the creek for an entire day - pretending I was fishing, throwing/skipping rocks, catching crayfish, horsing around in the water, testing my hand crafted toy boats, etc etc.

Playing with Daddy’s Trucks

Aiden you came to visit Bobba Steve and me for Easter. You remembered we had lots of Tonka construction trucks in the shed so you helped me get them out. I sat in the sand with you near the swing set and we lined them all up. I asked you what we should build and immediately you knew.

“A road.”

“Where will the road go?”

“From here to over there,” you pointed toward the cow pasture.

“What can I do to help?”

“You need to pick up the sticks and nuts (acorns) and put them in the dump truck to make it smooth.”

“Good idea.” I got to my work and you got to yours.

“So why do we have to build this road?”

“It’s a new faster road to get here from my house.”

“Great idea because the old road take about four hours and that’s a long time.”

“It’s too far, that’s why. Now we have a fast road.”

“How long will it take to drive on this new fast road?”

“Watch this.” You pushed her scraper very fast across the length of the sand and proudly said, “This fast.”

“Great, so you can come more often to visit me, right?”

“Yes I can. When I’m bigger I will drive myself.”

“Will you have your own car?”

“I will have a motorcycle and Sky will ride on back.”

“Oh please don’t come on a motorcycle. I like cars better.”

“You want me to drive a COW?” You made a funny face and started to laugh.

“No, I want you drive a CAR.” Then I laughed

“I can’t drive a car yet, I can only drive a scooter.”

I’m so glad we got THAT settled!

- Nana Beth

Driving the Backhoe

We went to visit the site of the new house Bobba Steve and I are building. It was very muddy and you got a little bored walking around having to hold someone’s hand. There were many hazardous places where a three-year-old could get hurt. I led you up to the backhoe that was parked near the road away from danger at the top of the hill.

You climbed up into the cab, like the agile monkey-boy you are, and immediately sat in the seat. I climbed into the cab from the other side.

“Well, Mr. Backhoe operator what work do you have to do today?”

“I have to dig more holes for your house to plant trees.”

That was a great idea! You took the wheel and turned to the left and turned to the right. In your mind we were moving.

“See the bucket there is full of water.” It had rained the night before, thus all the mud and the full bucket. “It has water in it because I was digging water.”

“Why were you digging water?”

“When Sky and me come in the summer we will swim in your water (the creek). I want to dig the water so everyone will fit in there.”

(From all the way up at our house the creek looks smaller than it is.)

“I am glad you thought to dig it out some more. You are very kind to think of fitting us all in there. We will splash and go fishing and have great fun.”

You pressed some buttons and tried to move some levers. Nothing actually worked, except in your mind.

“See this black tube, that’s where you put in the gas and it goes to the engine back there.”

“Why is the engine in the back? Most engines are in the front.”

“Because it’s a backhoe, that means the engine is back there.”

That makes sense to me.

Just then a big black crow landed on the bucket, frightening you for a second. You didn’t miss a beat with your story.

“See this button here?” You pointed to a random button.

“When you press this button a cracker comes of here,” and you pointed to the ashtray. “Then you feed the bird with it and it flies away.”

I asked if we could try it and you explained that it was broken and had run out of crackers. In a few moments the crow flew off.

“I guess the bird wasn’t very hungry,” I said. “Tell me how does a boy like you know how to drive a backhoe, where the engine, where the gas goes and that it has a cracker button. Does Sky know these things too?”

You turned the wheel and I know the little wheel was turning in your head too.

“Sky doesn’t know yet. I will show her how to do everything. When she’s three she will be very smart too.”

You are always thinking of others and want to include your sister in all you do. There can be no better brother and no better backhoe operator that you my dear, sweet Aiden!

- Nana Beth

roanoke farmers' market

On Saturday morning we to the farmers' market in downtown Roanoke. We browsed through the selection of fruit, vegetables, home made baked goods, flowers, and crafts.


Sky always makes a point to stop and smell the flowers.


While Aiden and Sky listened to a story read by "the rabbit lady" under Nana Beth and Bobba Steve's watch, Adam and I slipped away to Mill Mountain Coffee for a little treat and caffeine pick-me-up. If you haven't been to Mill Mountain, I highly recommend you stop in when you're in Roanoke or Blacksburg,Virginia.

Aiden: Mommy, mommy, the rabbit lady gave me candy too.

Me: Wow. What a nice Easter rabbit.

Aiden: No, no. She was just a lady, a rabbit lady. She's not the Easter rabbit.

Me: Oh, right. Okay, she was just the rabbit lady.

Aiden: Yeah she read a book and I didn't sit on the ground 'cause my pants will get dirty. I sat on the mat. The rabbit lady had lots and lots of mats.



Check out this car. The entire car was covered with marbles, bottle caps, and button. Aiden asked the most appropriate question "why'd they do that?".