Magic Moments

With a baby in the house one kind of lays low one New Years Eve. Not that we've ever done anything wild on New Years anyway. Plus, I really like just being cozy...especially when it's sub zero outside. I must be honest and say that ringing in 2009 as a mother was WONDERFUL (and I know that Natalie would agree!) Speaking of Natalie, she and Nate and Baby Elyse came over for dinner...but of course had to leave by bedtime. Nonetheless, we had a lot of fun eating and playing games. Aiden had a GREAT time with baby Elyse. He basically won't stay away from her and screamed in her face all night. Good thing that baby Elyse is a good natured baby. She takes Aiden's forwardness in stride. Aiden just gets SO excited around other kids. Usually he's around older kids so he has learned to use his screaming voice to be heard. I guess he thinks that screaming is how you communicate with other kids. Hehe! It was pretty cute. Plus, I think he has a little crush on Elyse....

My silly little boy! Usually he laughs hysterically when we do this. I did manage to catch a few squeals of delight.

One of these days I'll post our Christmas pictures. For now, enjoy this video of my baby boy who thinks he isn't a baby anymore.

We've been so busy celebrating Christmas that I haven't had a chance to blog. We were able to spend a few days with my parents in Iowa and also spend a few days with Tom's family at his parent's house in Indiana. We haven't been to Indiana for 3 years, so it was really good to be at Tom's home for the holidays. We just arrived home today and I'm pretty tired out from the festivities, not to mention a 9 hour car ride (and I think we may have possibly brought home a flu bug with us :( ). I'll post pictures and get back to blogging this week. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas.

Tomorrow Tom and I will celebrate our 5th anniversary! I can't believe it's been five years. Our life looks nothing like I pictured it would be on our wedding day (God had plans of His own) but I have not been disappointed. As I reflect, it's been a bit of a busy 5 years. We both graduated from ISU, we moved to MN, I finished my master's degree and Tom started his master's (although that's on hold for now) and we had a baby. I do hope that the next five years is a little more uneventful, but only God knows that. Hopefully we'll add another little one to our family in the next half a decade. Beyond that, I really have no plans. Aside from the changes, I really do love Tom more and more each day. The "puppy love" has faded and been replaced by deep commitment, companionship, and a passion to see each other grow in faith, grow closer as a couple, and grow more as individuals. I was just thinking today of all the reasons that I love Tom. He...

I was rocking Aiden to sleep tonight and it was taking FOREVER. I can't blame him b/c I know that his sinus congestion was bothering him (something that I'm still getting to the bottom of). Anyway, I have to admit, I was getting a little frustrated. I LOVE rocking Aiden to sleep, but I also cherish my evenings. After Aiden goes to bed I just loaf. After a busy day it's my time to unwind and hang out with Tom. So, my selfishness gets the better of me when it has taken an hour to get my baby to sleep. Just as I was beginning to think Aiden would never go to sleep b/c he was being SO squirmy, he started kissing me! It was the cutest thing! He just looked up at me and planted a big slobbery kiss on my cheek three times. It was so endearing and my heart melted. His sweet kisses, his little expression of his love, refilled my patience tank and Aiden finally went to slumberland. I'm in mommy heaven and my heart is full. Such a sweet boy I have. To add a little hum...

I think that sometimes my mama gets bored because she doesn't have enough to do so it's my job to entertain her. I think it's fun to play Hide and Seek and my mama must think it's fun too because after she finds me she always laughs....most of the time. Sometimes when she finds me she says, "No, no!" I'm not sure what that means so I just keep finding hiding places. When she walks out of the room I always make sure to find a hiding spot real quick. Here is where she found me today. Was that a great spot or what? I can hide there all by myself and I can even get out of that spot all by myself. It's sort of like another tunnel to play in (I have another tunnel too that I just learned how to go through...it's fun!).

"Dada, can I have a bite of ice cream?" Aiden's favorite book Daddy finally let Aiden have a bite of ice cream. Aiden kept coming back for more!

Tom and I are a little (a lot) sleep deprived. All we're asking for for Christmas gifts is a nice, long nap! Aiden is a night owl and we have had some long nights at our house as of late. Aiden has got to start sleeping more soon, but having babies that don't sleep run on both sides of the family so we may be in for a long haul. I'm talking to the pediatrician about it tomorrow in hopes of finding a peaceful and successful solution. This is what Aiden learned to do at 12 AM last night. He was pretty proud of himself. At last! A sleeping daddy AND a sleeping baby...something that doesn't happen very much so I photographed it. A sleeping baby means that mama can finally go to sleep...for a little while at least.

"From the mountaintop I can see an eagle soar, but I've learned that in the valley I can hear a sparrow sing. On the mountain I see trees like canopies, but in the valley I can sit in their shade and eat their fruit. On the mountain I see lakes like small mirrors, but in the valley I can touch the reflections and ladle the water to my parched lips. On the summit I see people like walking sticks, but in the valley I can trace a child's face and dab away tears...." ~Patsy Clairmont from "Dancing Bones."

"Mama, I'm not too sure about this guy. His bright red suit is kind of weird!" "Seriously, Mama! Who is this guy? You want me to tell him what?" "Are we done talking to this guy yet?" "Is this guy for real? Mama, don't leave me!" "I told him that I wanted a guitar like Daddy. He said I've been good so he'll tell the elves to try and make me one. That wasn't so bad. Since I finally smiled for a picture can we go home now?" Aiden wasn't so sure about Santa. He warmed up after Santa hummed a little tune. I must admit, it was a little anti-climactic. And, what I thought was weird was that not many of the kids visiting Santa looked like the were having a good time. Is it something that crazy parents do because they just think their kids like it? I never believed in Santa so I'm just trying to figure this whole thing out. I almost said something to the kids in line that almost gave away the Santa myth....

So, I wasn't going to blog about this. But, I talked to my friend, Natalie, today and the story is kind of funny....24 hours after it happened anyway. I don't know if it's just us or if no one else talks about it, but Natalie brought up that about every 3rd post that I write has to do with poo. I'm sensing a theme here. Seriously, does anyone else have poo horror stories? Natalie told me I should write a book...."The Adventures of Poo." She definitely had me laughing. Anyway, I might not write a book, but I will write a short blog. It begins with Aiden eating more solid food. Solid food leads to more solid poo...you mommies out their know what I mean. The story gets more interesting when I remind you all that we cloth diaper. I'll spare you my soapbox rant on how everyone should cloth diaper. Anyway, newborn poo is no problem...right into the washer it can go. Solid food poo must be disposed of in the toilet. I don't know how it happened ...

It's finally beginning to be a little more festive at our house. Aiden has been a busy beaver with his Christmas preparations. He helped his mama wrap Christmas presents...as you can see from the pictures below he had ribbon detail. Aiden's stocking also came in the mail and he had fun checking it out. He'll hang it up at Grandmommy's house on Christmas Eve and hope that Santa brings lots of goodies. Speaking of Santa, tomorrow afternoon Aiden is going to pay him a visit. He's been a very good boy this year so I think that Santa will probably bring him exactly what he asks for. :) Everyone in our small group had babies within 7 months of each other. Here they all are in birth order! From left to right: Aiden Thomas, Willow Katherine, Mariana Joy, Elyse Irene, Mason John, and Jada Rae! Aiden is so blessed to have so many friends!

Saturday was not my day and it was no one's fault but my own. Getting out with a baby in the winter is usually more work than it's worth but I needed to make a quick trip to Toys R Us. So I changed Aiden's dipey and bundled him up. I didn't want to haul the diper bag along with Aiden's blankets and snow suit so I left it home since he was freshly changed and I wasn't going to be gone long. I pulled into Toys R Us and as I got Aiden out I discovered that he had another poopy dipey. AHH! Luckily, I had a disposable dipe in my purse so I bought some wipes and changed him in the car. Unfortunately I pulled the Velcro tabs off his disposable dipey as I was changing him so he had to wear an unfastened dipey....and yes he did pee out of his dipe and onto his clothes by the time we got home. The plot thickens....After our adventure at Toys R US I went to the grocery store to buy a couple things for dinner. After I paid for the grocery's I picked up Aiden and...

Since becoming a mother I've learned that I can function on much less sleep than my pre-mommy days. Before Aiden I would make sure that I slept a good 9 hours each night. Surprisingly, I've gone on 4 or 5 hours many times and made it through the day. Last night however, was a true test of my mommy endurance and patience. Aiden woke up at 11 PM and was awake until 4:30 AM. Yes, it was a marathon night. I have NO IDEA why he was up so much. For the first three hours I laid him in our bed, I rocked him, I paced with him and then I started the cycle over. Nothing would send that kid into slumber land. Finally, at around 2:30 I just let him play while I watched reruns of "Friends." I felt as if I was in a fog all night. The only smart thing I did was make a documentary of the night on video. I'll try to post the video later but I state on the video that I'm going to send the video to Aiden when he has his first all nighter with his children. I had to r...

I feel like The Grinch this year. Typically, by this time our Christmas Tree has been up for 2-3 weeks, my Christmas letters are almost in the mail, and my shopping is pretty much done with the gifts wrapped and under the tree. This year NOTHING is done. I don't even have my tree up....which by the way is a dilemma this year. What kind of a tree to put up with a very active 7 month old is the million dollar question. We've never done a big tree before....we just do a set of three Alpine trees (I call them my Charlie Brown trees). But, I want a tree for Aiden. I want very specific kind of tree and one that is NOT prelit thus my tree shopping has proven exhausting and unfruitful. Plus, I don't really want to shell out several hundred dollars on a tree this year. Today Tom will be home for awhile so I'm determined to solve the tree dilemma and at least have the decorating done by the end of today. I dug the decorations out of the closet yesterday. Aiden was eage...

I finally got Aiden's six month pictures online. To see them click here . The email address is jenny.kuphal@gmail.com and the password is aidenbaby. Uncle Erik says that Aiden will be a lady killer for sure...good looks run in the family. I have to admit, I agree. :) Here are a couple pictures from our day out with Natalie and Elyse. We went to Macy's downtown to see their yearly Christmas display. This year it was "A day in the life of an elf." It was very cute if I do say so myself. The displays portrayed everything an elf would do...wake up, make toys, it even had a flight school for the reindeer. Each part tells a bit of a story and is animated. If you're ever in Minneapolis over Christmas it is worth seeing. This was the candy and toy making part of "A day in the life of an elf." I wanted Aiden to sit by an elf for a photo, but he didn't want to get that close. He and Elyse were mesmerized by the lights. The display was very well d...

I once heard my Uncle Terry say "Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance." I'm not a procrastinator by nature and I live by this saying. I once quoted this saying to Tom who does his best work in the 11th hour and he said his mother used to say that exact same thing to him. However, she added a 6th "P" and I find it most fitting. So, the saying goes, "Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance and PANIC." I have been avoiding the fact that I must take the licensure exam for my counseling license. It is only offered 4 times per year and to be honest I really don't care to take it. However, I must make myself marketable so I'm trying to take the January exam. My avoidance and lack of planning has led to panic. I MUST be registered by Dec.5. I did NOT know that my transcripts were required to register and that payment must be made for my transcripts via mail or in person. Since time is running out, today I will have to drive to Bethel and...

Tom and I have so many things to be thankful for. Unfortunately, we were apart on Thanksgiving but we were both still able to spend the day with friends and family. On the top of our list of things to be thankful for are our friends and family. We cannot begin to explain how blessed we feel by our parents, our siblings, and our friends. To catch up, I'll just post a few pictures of our Thanksgiving week. What I'm most thankful for! My two lovies Starting the Journey Helping mama (un)pack and traveling to Pappy and Marme's house Playing at Pappy and Marme's (all worn out....napping with Uncle Will [my sister's fiance]) Aiden's maiden voyage brushing his teeth! He picked out his very own tooth brush! Aiden's First Thanksgiving Dinner (menu: mashed potatoes, swe et potatoes, applesauce) To Great Grandma's house we go We also went to my grandparents for Thanksgiving. Aiden got to play with my extended family and spend time with Great Grandpa and Great Gra...