Christmas 2010 Recap

I'm not even sure where to begin! We packed as much excitement and people-visiting into the holiday weekend as was humanly possible. Each day brought a new set of family or friends to visit with. Friday was Christmas Eve service, Saturday was Christmas with my family, Sunday was Christmas with my mom's side of the Family, Monday was a playdate with my friend, Nikki, and her two sons, and Tuesday was the car trip back to MN. As I write this, both kids are passed out in their beds. I don't blame them.

Highlights from the weekend include:
Aidan and Aubrey got in some hardcore playtime (and lots of shoveling) with Nana, Poppa, Kali, Kyle, and Reese
Santa brought Aidan a hockey stick, skates, and a puck
Aubrey's 1st tooth FINALLY came in on Christmas Day (closely followed by tooth #2, which came in today)
Aubrey is starting to crawl on her knees instead of army crawling
Both kids opened a mountain of presents---lots of new toys to play with and clothes to wear
Everyone ate over a million calories of delicious, delicious food on a daily basis

Christmas 2010 at Nana and Poppa's house can be broken into a few categories...
Playing outside in the fresh snow
Aubrey and Reese getting to know one another (and Aubrey trying to rip Reese's face off),
Aidan finding the "game closet" and getting out a new game or toy out every 20 minutes,
eating (lots of it),
present opening (lots of it)
family time (thankfully, lots of it)
In an effort to conserve time and energy, I'm consolidating all Christmas photos in to this one slide show. I managed to pare down over 200 photos into the Top 62.

Happy Birthday and Christmas 2010

First and foremost, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dad. He's turning the very young age of 57. :)
Aidan will be gracing him with a rousing, out-of-tune rendition of "Happy Birthday" later today.

Our Finn Christmas was very enjoyable. Aubrey's first foray into present opening went well and she stayed up a good two hours past her bedtime without any melt-downs. The magic of new toys to play with. Aidan was so excited to play with his presents this morning that he didn't even eat breakfast. Seriously, you know when Aidan doesn't want to eat he is REALLY into whatever he is doing. I think playing with toys instead of eating breakfast may be unprecedented. Favorites are the wooden construction trucks from Uncle BJ, the toy electric guitar, and the remote control police car, both from Grandpa Finn.

Grandpa Finn made a wonderfully delicious meal; Rock Cornish game hen, wild rice, and sauteed vegetables. Very tasty. I tried so hard to get a good picture of Aidan and Aubrey together, but after 139 photos snapped, not one of them is "Christmas Card" worthy. They are like oil and water when taking pictures together. Maybe someday they will both smile and look at the camera at the same time.

All I Want For Christmas

Dear Santa,
I would like money for Christmas. Daddy wants money, too. Aubrey wants toys. Mommy would like clothes.
Love, Aidan

That was Aidan's letter to Santa. Really? Money? What two-year-old says he wants money!?!? Clearly he is Kyle's child. When asked if he wanted anything besides money he replied, "I don't know." We visited Santa today (free at the YMCA) and he thankfully asked for a hockey stick, not money. I was going to be mortified if he asked for money. Aubrey responded like I expected; nervous and then upset that a stranger was holding her. After sitting on Santa's lap, the Y had two giant bounce houses for the kids to play in. Aidan enjoyed the slide that was attached to one of them.

Aidan at the top of the slide

Merry Christmas

Snapped within the first 2 seconds she was on his lap

Aidan and Santa. Buddies

Asking for a hockey stick

Snow Bunnies

8 Months Old!!!

Aidan refuses to take a nice picture anymore.

Look at that sibling love.

The holiday season is here, which means we (I) have been busy decorating and filling the house with Christmas cheer. Aidan's enthusiasm is contagious. He turns on the Christmas music and lights at every opportunity. Energy conservation is not in Aidan's vocabulary.

Today we made our annual trek to the tree lot to buy a cut Christmas tree. One of these years we'll get back to cutting our own. If it had been warmer, I would have insisted on it this year. However, carrying an 8 month old around in freezing temps didn't seem like the best idea. Pre-cut won.

We spent Thanksgiving here in the Twin Cities. Aunt Marsha was kind enough to host again, and as always, her food was delicious. Aidan enjoyed playing a dice game with "the big boys" aka: the adult males. Aubrey ate, napped, and played on the floor. Her usual day, just at a different house. Uncle BJ is in town for the weekend, much to Aidan's delight. I'm sure Aidan will insist we head up to Grandpa's house as soon as he wakes up from his nap today so he can see BJ.

Ice Time

Hockey is back in full-swing and I find myself short on patience lately. I thanked God every night this past week that I'm not a single mom, even though I felt like it during hockey try-outs. By Saturday morning I told Kyle that I needed two hours to myself and he was in charge. He graciously offered to take Aubrey to a JV hockey game with him, and Grandpa Finn took Aidan to run errands. Not two hours, but it was a nice, quiet 40 minutes. Hoping I can get out of the house today and buy some new work-out shoes. It's not looking good at the moment due to the freezing rain we got overnight. All the roads are covered in a sheet of ice. Maybe I'll just have to lock myself in the bathroom and turn my iPod up really loud. That counts as "me" time, right?

SNOW!

The first sign of winter dropped almost a foot snow on the Twin Cities. No light dusting or gradual cooling for us. It was 68 degrees on Wednesday and we got a foot of snow on Saturday. Only in Minnesota. Aidan could not have been more excited. Ever since we bought his snow boots back in early October, he has been asking, "Winter here yet?" I could finally answer YES! It was snowing before I went to bed on Friday night, so I knew what I would be waking up to. As soon as I heard Aidan rustling around I went into his room and asked him if he was ready to be excited. He was a little confused until I opened his curtains. The look of amazement on his face was priceless. "Winter coming down, Mommy! Get to wear my boots!" (yes, he calls the snow "winter") We played outside, built a snowman, dusted off the sled, and even walked up to Grandpa's house for some hot chocolate. It was the perfect first snow of the season.

Smiley

Aubrey has a lot of nicknames. I call her "Peanut", my dad is now calling her "Little Miss Puddle-Duck" (b/c of her Halloween costume) and Aidan and Kyle call her "Smiley".

Aidan is entering the phase where just about everything that comes out of his mouth is funny.
Case-in-point: Aidan wanted to watch Kyle's hockey video and he asked "Does Smiley want to watch hockey with me?"

Another funny question *because everything is a question with Aidan* "Where are Aubrey's teeth coming in? In the living room?" When I tried to explain that her teeth are coming in her mouth, he proceeded to ask if they were coming in her mouth while she was in the kitchen, in the living room, in the bathtub...he couldn't quite grasp the concept of teeth coming in. Even today in the car, randomly, "Is Aubrey getting new teeth today?" No. "Tomorrow?" Maybe. The questions never end. I think God made two-year-olds funny so you don't go crazy with all of their questions.

Picture Update

Aubrey's Pumpkin (carved by me)

Aidan's Pumpkin (carved by Kyle)

Finn Family Pumpkins
Owl on a branch (Courtney), Happy Face (Aubrey)
Scary Face (Aidan) Vampire biting a woman's neck (Kyle)

Ducky

Sporting a fireman's hat and balloon after a visit to the local fire station

This and That

"What that thing do, Mommy?" "What this thing?" "How was school today?" "You read books today?" "You have meeting today?" Over and over and over. Aidan has entered the questioning phase. Even when we answer his questions, he still continues to repeat them. I read somewhere that kids repeat questions, even though you answered them, because they have no frame of reference to attach your answer to. It's nice to know that he is a normal little kid, learning away...but, wow. Sometimes I just want to say "Shhhh, stop talking."

Aubrey slept the week away after catching some sort of virus. She had a fever Monday night, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Being sick knocked the wind right out of her. Kyle said that she wasn't awake for more than 45 minutes at a time. I think she's on the mend and will be ready to carve pumpkins, celebrate Grandpa Finn's birthday, and dress up for Halloween this weekend.

Last weekend we spent an enjoyable 4 days in IL with my family. Baby Reese was baptized on Sunday and I had the honor of being her godmother. She slept through the baptism, only waking up when the water was poured on her head. Aidan and Aubrey both got their "Reese Time" in and had fun holding her (Aidan) and chewing on her (Aubrey). I love watching them interact and can't wait until Christmas when we'll be together again!

J.O.B.

I've got a new job and it starts Nov 1. I am SO looking forward to this new opportunity. My sanity has been hanging on by an ever-unraveling thread, and it's questionable if it would have lasted through the year at my present job. There is only so much kicking/hitting/spitting/etc that one person should have to take in a lifetime. I've reached my quota.

Back to the new job, I will be teaching middle school students with learning disabilities (math, reading, writing). Six of them will be public school students, and nine will be private school students that will see me for about an hour a day. Oh, and did I mention it's part-time? Technically a .8, but I still get to be home by 2:00pm. That means no daycare costs for Aidan and Aubrey during hockey season and I don't have to attend boring staff meetings in the afternoon! Can't wait to get started!

6 Months

Not the best exposure, but here are Aidan and Aubrey
showing their love for the Twins

6 months old

Aubrey had her 6 month doctor's appointment this past Thursday, and she is not the gigantic baby we thought she was. Nope, Aubrey is just a normal sized little girl. We've decided that our perceptions have been forever skewed by Aidan's unnatural skinniness.

Stats:
Weight: 16lbs 1oz---44 %-ile
Height: 26 in---51 %-ile (the doctor thinks they measured her wrong, but I wasn't going to wait around for a nurse to come back, so Aubrey is probably longer than 26")
Head: 17 in---65 %-ile

As I write this, Aubrey is rolling all over the place, jabbering away in an attempt to gain my attention. She has become a little wiggle worm that is not content to just sit in my lap while I type. Besides rolling both ways, she can also sit by herself for increasingly longer periods of time. She started solid foods a few weeks ago. After phasing in rice cereal, we've moved on to green beans and sweet potatoes as mixers. She wasn't so sure of the sweet potatoes (maybe too thick?) but she inhaled the green beans. I'll probably make up some squash next weekend, and then start fruits in November. If she's anything like Aidan, she will love any and all fruits.

One area that she differs significantly from Aidan is her sleep schedule. He was a routine napper at this age. I knew that every morning he would take 2 short naps, with a longer one in the afternoon. I feel insanely lucky when Aubrey naps in the morning. What 6 month old only needs one nap a day?!? And why is it my child??? She's also waking up at night again. She needs to get this sleep thing figured out. However, since her sleep habits are my only complaint, I'll count myself lucky.

Apple Orchard

The pictures say it all. The kids loved the apple orchard, but didn't want to look at the camera. Too much other stuff going on. Oh well, at least we had a nice day.

Quick Update

Yes, I know the Finns have been MIA for most of September. I'm not sure I've had a moment to catch my breath, and here we are, it's October. Aubrey hit the six-month milestone last weekend. She has her appointment this coming Thursday, so I'll post more about her then. Aidan continues to be an active little boy. Never a dull moment when he's around. Kyle is mostly enjoying being at home with the kids, but would be happier if Aubrey was sleeping through the night. (she's been waking up at 2am for feedings) School is in full swing for me and I'm desperately trying to figure out how I can stay at home with the kids or find a different job that doesn't leave me wanting to scream or cry at the end of the day. And that folks, is my lunchtime update. Time to get back to work.

Here We Go

"Here We Go, Here We Go, Here We Go". That is the chant I heard all week long. Poppa took Aidan to the fire truck parade last weekend, and one of the antique fire trucks had chanting firemen. The next day I took Aidan to the community parade and we caught a bag full 'o candy plus a shirt full of political candidate stickers. Fun times had by all.



This weekend Kyle and I had our first childless weekend since Aidan was born. We attended the wedding of a college friend in Minocqua, WI. Kyle asked if it was too late to return the kids. I said that we probably appreciated the weekend so much BECAUSE we have kids. Forty-eight hours to only be responsible for yourself is unheard when you're a parent. That made the weekend that much more relaxing. A mental health weekend. Nana and Poppa were up again to watch the kids, with Grandpa and Aunt Marsha taking over on Sunday morning when my parents had to leave. The saying "it takes a village to raise kids" certainly applied this weekend.

Loss

Kyle's mom passed away on Labor Day, just six short weeks after finding out she had cancer. Five of those weeks were spent in the hospital and nursing home. We feel fortunate to have lived so close. We were able to see her several times each week and the kids also saw her when she was feeling up to it. I don't think words can express how much she will be missed.

Aubrey's baptism, Memorial Day weekend

Aidan and Grandma at the zoo, Sept 2008

The Great Minnesota Get Together

Aidan and I trekked out to the State Fair on Friday for some tasty (read: unhealthy) food, great people watching, and unlimited time spent playing on anything with an engine. Krista and Jackson met us there and we had a fabulous time. I just wish I had known it was going to be so chilly! Per my usual "wait until the last minute to buy needed supplies", Aidan did not have any shoes that fit him. He had to wear his flip flops. By the time we had eaten the food and seen the exhibits we wanted to, his lips were purplish and his teeth were chattering. That didn't mean he was ready to get off the John Deere tractors though. Oh no, he wanted to stay and play even though he was freezing. I put a "one more tractor" limit on him and then it was time to go. Know what we did yesterday? Yep, bought him some shoes.

5 months

Mommy's cozy arms have been replaced by

Tickle Me Elmo

Fast asleep after Elmo wore her out

Watching the sunlight bounce around on her blanket

Scrunchy faced smile

So Big!

Just for comparison, Aidan at 5 months

Aubrey hit the 5 month marker on Thursday and we celebrated by doing....nothing. We got groceries and that was the only time we made it out of the house that day. The weather has been gorgeous, but the mosquitoes. OYE! They are vicious little bloodsuckers. They have even invaded the house, sneaking in every time we (quickly) open and close the door to let Roxie in/out. Both Aidan and Aubrey have bug bites galore and we haven't even played outside. We met Aidan's friend, Adelyn, at a new park with a little splash pad area on Friday. Lest anyone get malaria or West Nile, I doused the kids in bug spray/sunscreen. (yes, I know we don't have malaria in MN) Thankfully the park must have sprayed because once we got to the playground we didn't see any more mosquitoes.

Besides that short outing, we spent most of our time indoors this week. I was trying to enjoy each day since it was my last week before works starts again on Monday. As each day passed I got a little more nauseous, to the point where I could hardly eat dinner on Thursday night. It's not that I mind leaving Aidan and Aubrey; I know they are in Kyle's capable hands. It's the thought of facing little hooligans that spit and bite and kick and don't listen for the majority of the day. To top it off, my school didn't make AYP (annual yearly progress in accordance with NCLB) for the third year in a row. What does that mean? It means lots more work and many more meetings in addition to already stressful days. I'm already taking deep breaths to relieve stress just thinking about it. I'm glad I can drink wine this year. The upside of going back to work? Clothes shopping.

We're back from The Land of Lincoln (aka: IL, for those of you that don't know state nicknames) ;) The trip down and back were marginally better than the trip to Madison in July. Aubrey screamed a little less and slept a little more, which allowed me to keep my sanity. You get pretty good at tuning out the high-pitched, maximum-volume scream of a 5 month old. Aidan was, again, very well behaved. Sesame Street dvd's are the key to a happy 2 year old.

Our visit to Nana and Poppa's house was jam-packed with fun. We spent Friday in the pool, relaxing, and getting to know Baby Reese. She is a "fiery little redhead" as Poppa likes to say. I think Kali is going to have her hands full with that one. I can't wait to hear the stories when she's a teenager! Aubrey has also been nicknamed. She is now known as "Smiley". We were fortunate enough to see lots of friends and family on this trip, and every single person commented on what a happy baby Aubrey is. The word everyone used was "content". Aubrey is a content little baby (minus car rides) and I am thankful every day that she is not high-strung. I already have a whirlwind of a 2-year-old to deal with, I'm not sure my poor brain could take a baby that screamed and demanded attention 24/7.

Other highlights from the trip included the riding lawnmower, swimming, and Kali's baby shower. Aidan would have stayed on the riding lawnmower night and day if we had let him. We had to pry him off of it by saying it needed to take naps and go to sleep at night because it was so tired from all of the rides it had been giving him. He accepted that and let it take "naps", but when he thought it had "slept" enough, he wanted to get right back on it. My parents probably went through at least two tanks of gas giving Aidan rides around the yard and up and down the street. Poppa also bought Aidan a life jacket so he could show off his new swimming skills. Unfortunately, Aidan's attention span in the pool can be measured in nanoseconds. Aidan would swim for a little bit, then get out, and you guessed it, play on the lawnmower. Aubrey was a much better companion in the pool. She was happy to just sit in the little car and float around the pool. (and chew on its steering wheel)

Kali's baby shower was a success, which Aidan will attest to. He ate at least 10 brownies. I am not exaggerating. I gave him one, and he "snuck" the rest. I put that in quotations because my mom's friends were watching him do it and they thought it was hilarious. Thankfully he did not throw up or have a sore tummy. Kali and Reese got lots of great presents and now have a well-stocked library of fantastic books to read as Reese gets older.

We'll see Nana and Poppa again in a few weeks when they come up to stay with the kids while Kyle and I attend a wedding in northern Wisconsin. I have a busy week planned for us, as it's my last week of stay-at-home-mommyhood. Back to work on Monday. :( We got our new fridge today, I've got a massage and facial tomorrow, we have a play date on Thursday at the splash park, and I think we'll hit the zoo on Friday, not to mention the MN State Fair begins this week. When am I going to find time to gorge myself on all that delicious fair food? Maybe Saturday or Sunday?

Work

I had my first job when I was 14. Fifteen years later, I'm still hard at work, just getting paid more. I started a slow re-introduction to work yesterday by teaching the first part of an eight hour training session in my district. I must say, it felt nice. I love teaching, but because of my clientele during the school year, (kids with emotional and behavioral disorders) I get precious little time to do the "traditional" teaching of academics. Most of the time I'm just trying to teach them how to behave so they can sit in a class for 15 minutes without disrupting everyone. Teaching 25 interested and motivated adults was invigorating. So many of them came up to me when the session was over to tell me how useful the information was, that it was exactly what they'd hoped it would be. I wish my kids at school would say that!

The second half of the training is on Thursday morning, then the kids and I are headed down to Nana and Poppa's house for the weekend. Kali and Reese's baby shower is on Saturday, and Aidan has been counting the weeks until we go. "See Baby Reese, twoooooo weeks!" "See Nana and Poppa, onnnnne week." "See Kali and Reese, threeeee days, Tuesday, Wednesday, THURSDAY!" In case you couldn't tell by how I was writing, he drags out the time to convey his excitement. I'm not sure if he's more excited by the fact that we're going to see everyone, or that he gets to watch movies on the way down. He's been talking about both equally. :) I've mentally prepared myself for six hours of a screaming infant. I was proactive by scheduling a massage for the Wednesday after we get back. Just because I know the screaming is going to happen, doesn't mean I'm going to like it. My back is going to be all knotted up with tension and I'm going to want to scream. I'll just tell myself "deep breaths, deep breaths" and hope we can get there without me losing my mind. I'll let you know how that works...

The Name Game

A few weeks ago at swimming lessons, the instructor was going over pool/water safety tips. One that I hadn't thought of was teaching your child mommy and daddy's first names, in case they get lost and need to tell the lifeguard. I thought to myself, "Aidan's 2, he won't understand that we have first names, we're just "Mommy and Daddy". Then I got to thinking, with his impulsivity and lightning speed, it's probably not a bad idea to teach him our names.

I told him that mommy's first name was Courtney and Daddy's first name was Kyle. He thought it was hilarious! All week long he has been saying "Mommy's name Courtney, Daddy's name Kyle" and giggling his head off.

After putting him in his car seat and starting the car on Monday, I hear "Turn on the fan, Courtney." That's Mommy to you little mister! He's also been heard saying things like "Need to clean up, Kyle". It makes me laugh every time he uses our first names, which he does at really random time. I think he gets a kick out of it, too.

Daddy's shoes, a dinosaur sticker for using the potty, and a purple broom.
That's quite the outfit!

4 Months Old

4 month stats:
height: 25.8 inches...92nd %-ile
weight: 14 lbs 9 oz...66th %-ile
head: 16.5 inches...72nd %-ile


Aubrey's outfit comes to us courtesy of Grandma Michele, who has been saving it for decades. It was made by her grandma, which means Aubrey is wearing a dress made by her great-great-grandma. Pretty cool. Unfortunately I didn't have any sleeveless white shirts to put under it, so you'll see the pink top she was wearing popping through. I'm going to try to find a white top to put under it and take some more pictures.

We made our way back to the doctor's office this week for Aubrey's 4 month check-up. All is well with Aubrey, although she does not handle her shots as well as Aidan did. I don't remember Aidan ever having a reaction, and Aubrey has a red welt on each leg plus she had a low-grade fever the day after her shots. Nothing major, just enough to make her feel a little "off", which led to a screaming meltdown while Aidan and I were at swimming lessons. The instructor was nice enough to swim with Aidan while I went to the childcare area to calm Aubrey down. When I got back everyone commented on what a good job he had done while I was gone. Maybe the "no whining in the pool" talk before swim lessons had a positive effect.

Note to self: Remember to have the "no whining" talk again next week before swim lessons.

Splash Park Celebration

We were joined at the splash park this week by my friends, Krista, Gayle, and Molly, and all of their respective children. Aidan had a great time playing with FIVE friends while listening to music and running around in the water. Key word in that sentence was "running". There is no more sitting and visiting with adult friends when the kids are around. It's constant vigilance, since the oldest (Charlotte) is only 3 1/2 and the youngest is Aubrey at 4 months. (for a little while, anyway. Krista is due with a baby boy in December)

We celebrated summer birthdays with a delicious ice cream cake, courtesy of Krista. YUM! Sunday will see me turning 29 years old. Honestly, it feels like 28...just with 30 looming on the horizon. I plan to spend the day by myself going to the farmer's market, doing a little shopping, and enjoying a cry-free environment for a few hours!

Aubrey, in her car seat, again
She has discovered her toes, and she loves them!

Aidan "sifting" the water

Grace, splashing like a wild woman

Jackson, practicing some dance moves

Charlotte (and her cousin, Sam, in the background)

Maggie, treading carefully

"The Gang"
L-R: Aidan, Grace, Jackson, Aubrey, Charlotte, Sam, Maggie

Mad Town

Aidan and Eli tooling around in their "cars"

Enjoying the pool on a hot, hot, hot day

Being entertained by Kali, while I try to snap a picture

Aunt Kali and the kids

Strike a pose

The kids and I took a road trip down to Madison this past weekend to visit Kali and Kyle. I hoped and prayed that Aubrey would be a good little traveler like Aidan...unfortunately, that is not the case. She does NOT like riding in her car seat. Period. She cried the whole way down and the whole way back, interrupted by short bouts of fitful sleep. Needless to say, the car ride was stress-inducing. However, our time with Kali and Kyle (and Nana and Poppa on Sunday) was tons of fun.

Aidan absolutely adores his Uncle Kyle, probably because Uncle Kyle is always willing to play with him. This weekend the favorite game was basketball. Luckily, Kali and Kyle have a screened in walkway, so Aidan could play out there with all of their sports balls even after the adults were worn out and wanted to sit in the air conditioning. I swear, that kid never slows down. I have no idea where he gets all that energy from.

Kali and I took the kids to the Madison Farmer's Market on Saturday morning. Within minutes of arriving, both Kali and I were drenched in sweat. It was a hot, humid morning, but fun people watching. Aidan was happy because he got a cookie, Aubrey was happy because she got a bottle, and Kali was happy because she found some gorgeous flowers and tasty raspberries. A good time had by all. We cooled off that afternoon with a visit to the swimming pool where my friend Nikki and her two boys met us. Her son, Weston, is three months older than Aubrey, and he just couldn't get enough of her. He was laughing and waving his arms at her. I was holding him, and could barely hang on as he tried to lunge and grab Aubrey. I think we'll have to watch those two as they get a little older. Maybe a budding romance??? :)

On Sunday, Nana and Poppa came up to see us. The last time we were together was Memorial Day weekend, so Aubrey has grown quite a bit since then. Aidan was delighted to see them, and he was even more excited when we all went to the park together. We grilled out for lunch, then packed up the car with plants that Nana donated to my "ugly garden" cause. (they were planted this morning...let's see if I can keep them alive)

A short, busy, fun-filled trip. Poor Kali is going to need to go to bed early every night this week to regain some of her energy! She's due in two weeks, so the next time we see her I'll be an aunt and Aidan and Aubrey will have a cousin to play with. We can't wait to meet little Baby Montgomery!

Potty Time

Potty training started this weekend and it's actually going pretty well. Almost every time Aidan has sat down on the potty he has managed to go, much to his delight! We started a "sticker page" and he gets a sticker if he goes pee in the potty. He L.O.V.E.S. stickers and tattoos, and so far they have been very rewarding for him. Meltdowns ensue if he doesn't go pee because then he doesn't get a sticker. I tried to explain that we don't always have to go potty, even when we try to go. He's not quite getting that part yet. There's also no way he's going poop in the potty (according to him). He very adamantly told me "no" over and over this morning when I asked him if he wanted to poop in the potty (as he was going in his diaper). That part may take a little longer.

Is it weird that I feel like an awesome mom when he goes pee in the potty? It's not like I'm doing anything. It's just so rewarding to have something go how it's supposed to, especially when I thought this whole potty training thing would be an awful experience.

*side note: I did wake up to Aidan, his pj's, and his bed covered in pee because he took off his diaper some time during the night. Point taken. Time to wear training pants day AND night*

Holy Hotness!

Pre-fireworks funnel cake

Stars and Stripes torte that Aidan could not wait to dig into

Aubrey showing her patriotism
(Aidan called her hat a hockey helmet!)

Fun in the pool

A rare moment when Aidan was actually keeping the hose IN the pool

We did our best this weekend to not melt into a puddle of sweat. The weatherman says we have one more day of this oppressive humidity, then by Thursday it should cool down a little bit. The heat couldn't keep us from having fun, though. We played in Aidan's pool, went out to dinner for our anniversary, grilled out with Grandpa and Grandma Finn, and watched fireworks that Aidan is still talking about two days later. Yes, I ignored my brain and went with my gut. My brain told me that 10pm was too late to keep Aidan up, and that I was just asking for a whiny, cranky, perhaps scene-causing toddler at the fireworks. I followed my gut, which was saying that Aidan would really enjoy the fireworks and whining be damned. There was no whining, he DID enjoy the fireworks, and he had his first carousel ride. (which he is calling a pony ride) A fantastic holiday weekend!

Happy Anniversary

Taken 5 years ago, on our honeymoon in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Five years ago, Kyle and I were married on a gorgeous Saturday. Oh, how life has changed! A dog, two kids, different jobs, not to mention the changes in our social life. (what's a social life?) As I was thinking back over the past five years, I realized how fast life is passing by. Next year we will both be 30. Yikes! We discussed taking a trip to celebrate, but we're not sure when that will happen. Hopefully early next summer. We also had the big "we need to save money" talk. So depressing and adult-like to be discussing buying a new house, saving for retirement and college for the kids, and,*deep breath*, sticking to a budget. Not my forte. :) Yes, I realize I just said we wanted to take a trip, and in the next sentence I said we need to save money. Life doesn't need to completely be devoid of fun in order to save money. We'll just plan for it and search for a good deal.

To celebrate five years of marriage, Kyle and I are going out to dinner at Osteria I Nonni while Grandpa and Grandma Finn watch the kids. Delicious Italian food and the best calamari I have ever tasted. I'm looking forward to having a reason to get dressed up and real, adult conversation with my husband! Happy Anniversary, Kyle!

3 Months Old

As promised, here are some new pictures of Aubrey. She loves to smile and jabber away at me, but I guess I'm a little scary with a big, black camera hiding my face. There wasn't a smile to be had while the camera was out.

At 3 months old Aubrey is sitting up well when propped by a pillow or in the Bumbo seat. She heartily dislikes laying down unless she is nursing or sleeping and lets us know it. She'll sit in the swing for short bits of time, but is much happier if she's sitting up on the couch.

I'm thinking she went through a growth spurt this week. Kyle came home one day to find Aubrey sprawled out on the couch with her blanket barely covering her. He made the comment that she looked like she had "that elephantism disease." HaHa! She did look rather large with her chubby legs hanging out of the blanket and her arms above her head. Another clue-in for the growth spurt was my lack of sleep this week. Aubrey was waking up every night at 2 am and again at 5 am for feedings, where as the last few weeks it was just one time around 5 am. Thankfully she slept for 7 1/2 hours last night, so I'm feeling a little more human today. (and have a lot more patience)