Weekend Update

Whew! What a week. I have a feeling that this blog may only be updated on weekends for the next few weeks. (unless I get some free time at school, hehe!) I had full day trainings on Monday and Tuesday, then half day trainings on Wed and Thurs. After the half day trainings I went into my classroom, only to find there was absolutely nothing there except 4 desks, a table, and some big holes in the walls. Friday was spent shopping for my classroom. Needless to say, I haven't had any time to sit at the computer and blog.

Kyle and Aidan had a great week at home and I am completely confident that all will go well for them this year while I am at work. They played inside, outside, at the park, and even made a trip to the library.

The funniest part of my week was when I came home and got Aidan up from his nap on Wednesday. He was wearing his cute brown and orange plaid shorts, but didn't have a top on. It was warm, so he didn't need one, but when I looked over at his changing table, there was his red, yellow, and blue striped shirt. I asked Aidan, "Did Daddy make you wear that with these shorts?!?" Aidan looked at me with a solemn face and replied "Ya". Oh my, stripes and plaid. (and not even in the same color families!) Kyle and I had a discussion about what sorts of clothes go together. I told him he can put Aidan in whatever he wants if they're not going out in public, but if they are going to see other human beings, then Aidan needs to look decent. He requested that Aidan just has ready-made outfits. Um, no. That's part of being a parent.

The weekend has come and gone quickly. Saturday was gorgeous, so Aidan, Roxie, and I went to the dog park. It went well for about 30 minutes, then Roxie started barking at every person that walked in, like she was queen of the dog park or something. We made a hasty exit and Aidan played on the playground for a little bit before heading home for a nap.

Saturday night we went to the Twins game with some friends. Who can pass up free tickets?? Kyle's friend works for Pepsi and he got 14 free tickets from work. We had a great time watching the Twins lose to the Rangers (note sarcasm). It was a really boring game, but it was nice to be out and about with friends.

I think that wraps up my week in review. I start work full-time tomorrow. Kyle and Aidan might try to make it to the State Fair this week. I'm okay not going, but I wouldn't mind some Sweet Martha's chocolate chip cookies...

Dapper Dude

I was looking through pictures to make a summer photo book, and realized I never posted a picture of Aidan in his tux. Duh! He was super-cute, but I'm not sure that I got any pictures of him that day since I was so busy. He was in the actual tux for such a short amount of time due to the heat that most of that day's pictures are of him in just his shirt and brown shorts . Here he is when we got the tux in July. (I ordered it online)

Bye Bye Bottle

It was time. Technically, it was past time. Tonight we said "bye bye bottle" as Aidan sipped his last 4 oz. of formula. What a bittersweet moment! He clearly had no idea that it was his last bottle since he was just smiling at me while I told him all about tomorrow night, and how we would be starting a new routine. I got it though. No more cuddly baby in my arms, who isn't squirming while I hold him. Ahhh, I miss his bottle already. :)

The Sweet Life

My summer is coming to a close. This is technically my last week of vacation. Next week I've got 4 days of training, a day off, then it's back to school for teacher in-service week. Did I take full advantage of my year and a half at home with Aidan??? That was the question that kept running trough my mind last week as I sat in class. I think I did. I tried to. We took trips to the zoo, the library, and went to ECFE classes once a week. We met up with friends for play dates. We took daily walks and stopped at the park to play. I got to read to Aidan (sometimes over and over) and sing silly songs with him. In my mind I know I've given him a good start in life. I guess I'm just a little sad that things have to change.

Now, Kyle will be the one staying at home with Aidan, enjoying the sweet life. After last week, I'm anxious to see how things continue. Each day I came home there was another project finished. Kyle washed all the floors, cleaned each room from top to bottom, hung a mirror in the dining room, and cleaned the garage. I'm not sure where his burst of motivation came from, but I like it. Not to mention that Aidan and Kyle had a great time together. Aidan got lots of outdoor time, plus plenty of time with the hockey stick.

Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery

I finally had more than a few seconds to sit down and write about Kali and Kyle's wedding, which was last Saturday. It started off as a rainstorm and ended as a beautiful evening. In between, it got up to about 100 degrees and we all lost at least five pounds while standing at the altar. (the guys probably lost more since they were in full tuxes.) Instead of chronicling each moment, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...with a few added captions along the way. (and yes, Kali had 2 dresses since it was way too hot to wear her actual wedding dress all night long)

The Albers Family

Don't be deceived, there were over 300 people there.

Bridesmaid bouquet

The only thing Aidan wanted to do for the entire 9 hours
he was there was drive the golf cart.

Grooms' cake:
For some crazy reason Kyle likes the St. Louis teams

Are they going to be nice?

Nope

Kali definitely won that battle

My Grandma Albers and her (boy)friend, Joe

Father Daughter Dance

Wedded Bliss = Each having your own hurricane candle holder to drink beer from

And then the night got crazy...

Quick Update

I have a million pictures and lots to write about from our hectic wedding weekend, but I started 4 days of training today which means all I have time for is a quick update. The wedding was spectacular. (not to mention spectacularly hot) Fun was had by all, and to quote my new brother-in-law's Facebook post: "8 kegs, 156 bottles of wine, 10 gallons of martinis = shirts optional, drinking beer out of giant candle holders, great stories with awesome friends, and the craziest Oak Hill wedding ever, as told by the owner!!!!!!" It was truly a crazy fun time.

Here is one good pic that my mom sent me. I haven't had a chance to download ours yet.

Goin' To The Chapel...

This is it! Wedding Week has arrived and I'm slowly getting everything together that we need to haul down to IL for Kali's wedding this weekend. To say that I'm excited is an understatement! We've got Aidan's last ECFE class tomorrow morning and then we're hitting the road. Thursday should be moderately uneventful, but Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be a wedding bonanza. I tried on my dress last night; it still fits. Whew! In fact, the chest is a little bit looser than a few weeks ago. Hallelujah for double sided tape. A "Janet Jackson" moment in front of the congregation would be horrifying.

Aidan's tux pants are *almost* hemmed. Nothing like waiting until the last minute. I pinned them up yesterday, then gave Aidan the thread to play with while I was getting the sewing machine set up. I turn around to get the thread from him and it's nowhere to be found. I searched high and low. I even stuck my hand down the registers (which are disgusting). Nada. I ended up just going out and buying more thread. Then, lo and behold, when I went to bed last night, there was the thread sitting serenely on top the covers. It had a few teeth marks in it, which means Roxie was the culprit. Arghh. Mission for today...get those pants hemmed.

Celebrate!

Another year has come and gone for me, and another month has passed for Aidan. He turned 16 months old on Friday, and I had my birthday on Saturday. We did a lot of different little celebrations over the weekend. Aunt Marsha, Aidan, and I went to the MN Arboretum to have lunch and take in all the glorious flowers. Although Aidan doesn't really "get it" yet, he enjoys going for walks, so it was one big walk for him. He thoroughly enjoyed his lunch of cheese pizza and fruit salad.

After lunch, getting ready to hit the trails at the Arboretum

My favorite flower of the day
"Prairie Sun" Rudbeckia (the yellow flowers)

We also had dinner with Grandpa and Grandma Finn. We got Leann Chin's (Chinese food) and 2 pies! Peach and Key Lime. Yum! Of course, I'm watching what I eat now that the wedding is only a week away, (gotta fit in that dress, you know) so I tasted everything without actually pigging out. Hard to do when it's your birthday!

Then on Saturday, Kyle and Aidan treated me like a queen. Kyle took care of Aidan all day long and I was free to do whatever I wanted. I got my hair cut in the morning, took a nap, and just did little stuff around the house all day. I wasn't really in the mood to go out that night, so Aidan went up to Grandpa and Grandma's house while Kyle and I got Olive Garden take-out and watched Season 4, Disc 1 of Weeds. I'm almost caught up! I think Season 5 is on TV right now, so I've got one more disc to go and then that will be it. I'll have to probably wait a few months for the Season 5 DVD to come out.

So there you have it, folks. I'm now 28. It's going to be another exciting year with lots of new adventures. New school, new job, a toddler entering the terrible two's...who knows what the next year will bring?!?