Friday Vs Monday

Mondays...Mondays...Mondays...

Don't you wish sometimes that we could just skip Mondays and go straight to Fridays?

This is how I feel about the whole thing...! LOL!

Pumpkin Carving and Toasted Marshmallows

The other night, we carved our pumpkin, took out our chiminea and roasted marshmallows! It was such a great night! Sipping mulled wine and watching Aidan catch his marshmallows on fire! It was a hoot! I was so proud of Ted because he didn't even get ONE power tool out to carve the pumpkin! He did it all with steak knives! He definitely was the only one getting into it though. Aidan was to busy learning how to blow bubbles with his Nana!







I however, was able to enjoy a nice hot cup of mulled wine as I sat by the roasty-toasty chiminea watching my family!

"HERE'S LOOKIN' AT YOU...KID!"

Ahhhh...I love this time of the year!

Fall Leaves with Nana!

Aidan and his Nana enjoyed the crinkling of the fall leaves on the ground the other day! It was so awesome to see the two of them enjoy one another!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

No one to dress up with? Why not a pumpkin?

Since it is just Aidan and me hanging around the house all day long...we got tired of dressing each other up, so we dressed up our pumpkin who will be carved by this weekend, I'm sure!

Doesn't he look great? His name is "CHARLIE"...from the movie...Great Pumpkin...Charlie...Brown...get it? LOL! We raided our closet to find funny things to dress him up as!

I love this picture! You can see Aidan's intent face while he is trying to color in the pumpkin's smile in the reflection of the sunglasses! It's is AWESOME! Just thought I'd share!

Gettin' Crafty!

I love seasons! I love all seasons...actually! But the fall or autumn season seems to get my crafty veins-a-pumpin'...that and having kiddos!

Aidan told his first joke the other day. He said, "Mommy, they call it FALL because the leaves FALL off the trees! HAA HAA!" Well, in a 3-year-old way, it was VERY funny!

With that in mind, we made a picture of a tree with leaves falling off of it. I gave him brown construction paper and had him rip strips and asked him to put them on the glue lines that I secretly put down in the shape of the tree. He was amazed at himself that he made a tree! Next, I brought out red, yellow, green and orange stamp pads and had him dab his finger on the pads and touch the paper to make leaves. He had a ball! First, it started with one finger, then two, fingers, then three fingers, and the next thing you know all 10 fingers are in the ink and making trees! AHHH!

Then, with the pumpkin holiday just around the corner, we decided to take the same idea with fingerprints and make a pumpkin! It turned out SOOOO cute!

Because my Fall decorations are few-and-far-between, I decided to head over the the local Good Will and find some cheap picture frames ($0.50 to $1.00 each), and frame them to be forever memorialized! They will now and forever will be a part of my Fall decorations!

Man! I'm feelin' crafty! Any ideas out there from you "crafty-type", of things to do with kiddos this season? I'm up for it!

Just Random Rants...

I found this video on a friend's facebook page...Judge for yourself...what do you think?

Leaves are falling...time to rake

A few days ago, Aidan and I went out to play in the leaves! There was a slight breeze outside where just a few leaves fluttered to the ground...a perfect autumn day. So I bundled us up, got out 2 rakes and we raked up the leaves together...for one reason only...to jump and roll in them. Granted, there were not a lot of leaves on the ground yet, but there were just enough for Aidan.









My favorite Super Man dive!








After doing this, we came in and had some hot chocolate and snuggled together reading a good book! Doing this got me thinking about what other mommies do with their kiddos during this season. Got anything you'd like to share? I'd love to hear about them!

SCARY spooky or SILLY spooky?

Doesn't the word, "SPOOKY" have a confusing meaning to a 3-year-old? Aidan has been saying it a lot lately and relating it to so many different things! Recently, spiders have been SPOOKY! So spooky that they are waking him up in the middle of the night "crawling on him." So, to remedy my sleep deprivation, I decided to do something about it. We made our friend, SPOOKY the SPIDER. We talked about how some things are SCARY spooky and how other things are SILLY spooky! SPOOKY the SPIDER is definitely SILLY! We even made a web for him to hang on!



So now, Aidan talks to SPOOKY the SPIDER all day, every day! He tells him about his day, what he ate, what he is thinking and now, I have to talk to him like his new best friend! What have I done! LOL! I will say this though, he no longer is scared of spiders because his new friend is SILLY not SCARY.

Hugs, Loves and Snugglebugs...

That is a saying that Aidan and I say when we just want to snuggle with each other. Today after his nap, which I might add was not a very peaceful one, he came into the office where I was working and climbed into my lap and said, "Hugs, Loves and Snugglebugs" to me. Then he proceeded to sit there while I chatted with a friend on IM. Then we sat in the chair, rocked and snuggled with one another. I was so tempted to keep on working, typing with one hand, but I had to stop myself and enjoy the moment because I knew that these moments would be few and far between in the coming years.

We stayed there for a good 20 minutes like that, when he slowly began to drift into sleep. But then, of course, something woke him up and now we are getting ready to go out into the yard to rake the leaves and then roll in them! I don't want my baby to grow up, but I'm glad that I took the time to enjoy him growing up!

"I Wish"

by Susan Tuggy

I wish I could keep you from getting hurt...
no cuts,
no bruises,
no tears.
I can't.
But I CAN...
give you a neon orange bandage,
or put some nice cold ice on your owie,
or hug you tight enough to squeeze the tears out.

I wish I could make every day sunny and warm...
no storm clouds,
no cold winds,
no smoggy air.
I can't.
But I CAN...
give you an umbrella,
or find your warmest jacket,
or do something fun with you inside our home.

I wish I could cook only your most favorite foods every day...
no spices,
no squish squash,
no funny fish.
I can't.
But I CAN...
have you try one very small bite,
or put ketchup on it,
or serve it on your favorite plate.

Oh, how I wish I could keep you from getting sick...
no runny nose,
no chicken pox,
no tummy ache.
I can't.
But I CAN...
help you blow,
or rub lotion on your spots,
or rock you in my arms till you feel better.

I wish I could say everything just right...
no cranky words,
no hurt feelings,
no bad days.
I can't.
But I CAN say...
"I'm sorry,"
or "Please forgive me,"
or "Will you ask Jesus to help Mommy?"

No THAT I can do!

A Little Family Fun

Last night was a perfect end to a perfect day. After going to the pumpkin patch and then having dinner on the outside patio, the family decided to make "pumpkin bats." Aidan was so excited and I've got to admit, I really didn't think that Ted was going to be all that pumped about doing something "crafty." If any of you know Ted, it is power tools or nothing!

So, I gave him a can of black spray paint to appeal to his "Tim The Tool Man" side...



Next, we proceeded to cut out the wings and glue them on with a hot glue gun, which Aidan was pretty adamant about no one touching because it is "TOO HOT!" After gluing on the bat's wings and the bat's eyes...





I was able to catch the photo of Aidan's excitement and amazement of his mommy and daddy's pumpkin bat creation...



Ahhh...the end to a perfect day...Nothin' like good ol' fashion family fun!

Puzzles...They puzzle me...

Lately, Aidan has been so enthralled with puzzles. To me, they are relaxing and I enjoy doing them...WITHOUT A 3-YEAR-OLD! So, I have found cheap, dollar store puzzles of 25 pieces that Aidan can't go a day without doing. He loves them! They are almost better then books in my "time-fillers" bag. He had to go to the doctor the other day to get a flu shot and I brought one of the puzzles! He was so good waiting for the doctor to come...sometimes I think that Docs make you wait just to see how frazzled mommies will react to out-of-control kiddos...but I digress...

ANYWAYS! He did so well! I was so proud of him! I think I have finally found a "trick" that helps him to calm down, to slow down and to help stimulate his brain! WHOO HOO!

From now on, this is one thing that will be in my "Mommy Bag" from now on!

The Hawaiian Chair!

If this is what it takes to get my abs in shape...SIGN ME UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Walk-About

Lately, it has been cold, rainy and just miserable outside...BUT!!!!!! If you have an active child like mine, that won't stop you from playing out in it! On Friday, we decided that since it wasn't too bad yet, weather-wise, we would go for a "hike"...which really wasn't a hike...but to a 3-year-old, it was AMAZING!

Make a Smilebox photobook

In the Stillness

This morning, God gave me the best gift ever! The sound of stillness! At precisely 6:18 a.m.!...Ted left with Aidan to go to Greeley to see his Grammy! To give you a better picture, imagine a mommy...all alone...in the stillness of her own home...without ANYONE ELSE! I did the happy dance in silent that only a fly on the wall could appreciate! What joy I experienced that I don't think I have experienced in quite some time...

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH......

ROUND 3!

Okay...last video today........I couldn't pass this one up! Ted had to get me up off of the floor!

WHOO! Who's Up for Round 2?

OKAY! So throughout my day, I kept watching the video that was posted below, and low and behold I found one from the David Crowder Band...Ohhh too funny!

Jesus is my Friend...Jesus is a friend of mine!

I found this video on a friends blog...www.buildingstrongerfamilies.net! What an inspirational...er...song?...and to think...Christian music started here! Thanks Joel!

TWINKLE, TWINKLE...

Oh my goodness...kids will sometimes just bless your heart, just by being kids! Last night after a wild bath and pajama-puttin-on...Aidan finally settled down into bed. As Ted and I laid in bed in the next room having our "talk-time", we suddenly heard the sweetest sound...Aidan was singing, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" to himself! This went on for what seemed like 5 minutes! It was the cutest thing we ever heard. We couldn't stop giggling! Oh my...what it would be like to be a kid again!

Aidan Turned 3!

We had a great birthday party on Saturday with friends and family! My oh my! Aidan is 3! Where has the time gone?

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

I Wonder Why...

Ever have those days where you just wonder? Wonder why things seem to be so tough? Why decisions that need to be made just are too big to comprehend to make? Or you are so tired that even getting up out the chair or bed seems to be the biggest task? Or you wonder when things are going to get better? Or you'll have enough energy to make it through the day? Or enough patience with others to get through the day? The saying goes, "HE MAKES ALL THINGS GOOD"...and God does...but during the midst of trials, it is human to wonder and question as to WHEN...guess...I'm in the WHEN part of my pressures and trials...This song encourages me to calm down and to be peaceful in the storm while my answers come...

Okay...so a second laugh....

I saw this after I posted the MomSense Video...

Ted...needless to say...agreed with it because, of course...he says that Dads get yelled at if they don't do this! ;) Ahhh...baby...I still love you!

Sometimes, you just need a laugh...

I have seen this clip many times and still refer to it when I just need a laugh! I had to watch it again this morning before Aidan and the house got up, just so I would have a sense of humor before this long day began!

Enjoy!