Christmas

Zander loved his stocking that my mom made. She followed Erik's mom's stocking pattern. It was exciting for other reasons too--Zander got three teeth. Sing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!"

We all wore orange to support Bobby's hometown team of Clemson. What a fun football game!!!

We had Meredith, Bobby, and Gregg here.

Let it Snow

Had snow in Portland...it only lasted two days, but wow driving because crazy!!! Aiden had a great time playing in it!

Aiden & Zander see Santa

Took Aiden and Zander to see Santa...Aiden even had about 5 minutes to really talk to him and ask questions (e.g. Where do you live?). This was our first year seeing Santa without tears. Granted, I didn't put Aiden on Santa's lap this year (that would have caused different results).

New Table

Erik refinished a table we bought on the cheap. We purchased new chairs to go with it. It is wonderful to have furniture in our dining room and living room now!

Christmas Tree Selection

We cut down our own tree this year! What fun!

Thanksgiving

My parents and niece were here for Thanksgiving. We made Turkey hats (see my mom modeling).

Fall Party

Erik and I had a shopping extravaganza today; we shopped for fall decorations and Aiden's birthday. We came home ready to celebrate the autumn season. We made an apple crisp, drank hot apple cider, and made decorations for the house (we made these with the help of Keli and her 3 boys). We decided it was a good time to try on Halloween costumes. Aiden really likes his Spiderman costume! The fake muscles are really funny. Aiden told us that his peck muscles are like breasts--I'm still laughing!

A Real Pumpkin Patch

Being from an area where going to the pumpkin patch involves looking at picked pumpkins on hay bales, I was excited to go to a real pumpkin patch and actually "pick which pumpkin to pick." We went to a place that you rode a train to the pumpkin patch and took a boat ride home. It was great! After, we went to lunch. All of this happened with a bunch of women and their children who I've met through my neighbor, Keli. It was a great day!

Zander Smiles! A video!

Aiden growing-up!

Aiden started preschool. Here is a picture of him on his first day. He loves school and his new friends. He has also started setting the table! This was his first attempt. He's starting to put the silverware in the correct spots. He also seems to know "right" and "left" now. He's amazing us daily!

Zander turning over

Z-man decided that he was no typical baby...none of this turning onto his back from his tummy first. He decided, repeatedly, that he wanted to roll from his back to his tummy. A day or two later he decided to roll from tummy to back. I talked to my doctor about this--I was feeling like a proud Mama. I proceeded to admit that Zander does not get much tummy-time. She told me that was fairly typical for second kids as the moms are running around more. I explained that my reason for not putting Z down on his tummy was that he spits up a lot, even if it has been an hour or more after eating. Since Zander is gaining weight very slowly and dropping in weight percentiles (he was at 15 and is now at 4), we are now exploring the possibility that Zander has a problem with acid reflux. We're hoping that we'll see better weight gain in him now.

Spelling

We're beginning to find that Aiden knows the words we're spelling (you know those times when you don't want to be understood by little ears). The first time it happened was in early August. Granted, the word we were spelling sounds a lot like the letters...OREO...try spelling it outloud. Aiden knew exactly what were saying. In the past week, we spelled MOVIE. I think we were trying to decide if we were going to let him see one. Aiden immediately wanted to know why we were talking about a "movie."

Visit with Grandparents

We were visiting my parents and had a chance to visit Erik's Dad as well. We had a great time. Our visit included Aiden's potty trained party (he called it his "Poop Party"), some of guitar time (my Dad played for Aiden), a visit to see the new house that Erik's Dad is purchasing, and Zander's baptism.

Zander & Asha

Zander and I went to go see Michelle and her kids. Zander and Asha were born a month apart, but they are incredibly different weightwise...Asha weighed 16 pounds here (4 months) while Zander was 10 (3 months). I know that Z-man is going to catch-up; just wait until his first birthday!

Potty Trained

Aiden completed a month of potty training. I love it. Some days are full of accidents, but generally things are going well! We celebrated with a party!

Meeting the Neighbors

We organized a block party to try to meet more neighbors. We had a nice turnout...the fire dept even came (they were invited).

Swimming in the Rain

Went into our huge spa while it was raining. Aiden had a great time motorboating

Whizpoppers & Poops!

Ahh, to be a parent. Today, I taught Aiden the word, "Whizpopper" from Roal Dahl's book, The BFG. Whizpopper refers to toots and as he was tooting right and left, the word was being repeated over and over. Aiden couldn't stop laughing each time. His laughter is so contagious--we were practically rolling on the ground.

He also pooped in the potty. He was so proud of himself he kept smiling and pointing his thumbs at his face like the child does in his potty book. Even though it was time to take naps, we went out for ice cream to celebrate (I know you're not supposed to give food rewards for this, but heck it was exciting and we needed to do something!).

Smiles!

Lot's to smile about! Aiden after a bath on his tricycle, then walking with Bella, Aiden showing a raspberry that we found growing in our yard, and Z-man giving a gummy grin!

Poppy's Visit

Had a great visit with Erik's dad this past week.

We went fruit picking at a nearby orchard. We picked FIFTY-TWO (yes 52 pounds of peaches), and about 4 pounds of raspberries and blackberries.

We also drove by one of Erik's childhood houses (it was painted the same/same landscaping/etc) that is nearby and explored the surrounding area. We went on a ferry ride across a river and found an orchard with a train. Aiden, Erik, and Poppy went on a ride. The ride included a brief stop at a petting zoo. Aiden fed chickens and petted bunnies and a goat.