Magic Moments

Aiden is saying and doing so many things! He easily has at least 30 words that he says so I think I'm to the point where I can no longer video every time he says a new word. Tom and I often find him doing something and we wonder where he learned it. We have to be very careful as to what we say and do b/c Aiden is absorbing EVERYTHING! Aiden found a comb this morning and combed his hair...he must have watched me do this as we never taught him to comb his hair...nor have we ever combed his hair (he barely has any!). Also, Aiden is really into "cooking." When I'm in the kitchen he'll say "cook" and he drags out the pots and pans. I fill the pans with a bunch of tiny cookie cutters and he stirs with a wooden spoon and transfers the cookie cutters from one pan to the next. This video is a week or two old, but tonight he "cooked" for probably 15-20 minutes while I made dinner. He used measuring cups and filled them with cookie cutters and woul...

I had Aiden's 1 year pictures taken last Thursday by our friend and photographer, Heidi McDowell. She did an AMAZING job. I'm in love with the pictures! I'm posting just a couple for now.... We had an amazing weekend at our cabin! We worked so hard and the place is really beginning to feel like ours. I'll post more about that later...I'm beat!

We had a great time seeing our friends, Jesse, Julie, and Renae this weekend. We're excited to spend more time with them in February. I'll let the pictures do the talking. Aiden snoozed on the way there The first thing we did was take Aiden on a college visit. Mama showed him where she spent all her time as an undergrad. The famous Iowa State Tulips Aiden and his first walking stick The famous steps of Catt Hall Our beautiful Alma Mater....Aiden playing with Dada in central campus. Aiden got a kiss at the campanile so I guess that means he's already a true co-ed Walkin' down memory lane with Mama This is where Tom and I got engaged...classy, huh? :) We ran into Jesse and Julie on Saturday on Campus taking pictures for Julie's brother's wedding. This is Aiden meeting Renae for the first time. Swimming with Dada and enjoying the king size bed at the hotel. A king size bed is now at the top of our list of things to buy. Sunday we had brunch at Julie's mom...

1. Tomorrow is my last day of jury duty. WHEW! I made it 2 weeks without having to go in. Had I been called in I would NOT have been going. The lady was so rude to me last time. I've got summoned for jury duty 4 (yes, that's right, 4!) times over the past year. Of course, I can't go with a nursing baby and last time I had to postpone the lady told me that "next time I couldn't cry my way out!" She was so rude and discriminatory to nursing moms. Anyway, this time I decided to not try to get out of it unless I got called in. Thankfully, I never had to report so now my name is off the list for awhile. Thank the Lord! 2. Aiden is starting to talk so much! He says: kitty, duck (today EVERYTHING was a duck), ouch, yuck, out, up, mama, dada, book, boat, ball, bye, hi, done, head, hat and probably a lot more that I can't think of. It was so cute today b/c he has just started bringing me books when he wants to read. We've been reading "Mr. Br...

Home Sweet Home Yes...this is our new house. I was hesitant about posting a picture...I don't know why...it just seems like an invasion of privacy but I post Aiden's pictures all the time. I just don't want anyone to know where we live, but I don't think there is any identifying info in this picture. Anyway, can you see why I am bouncing off the wall excited? This is my dream home....it fits both Tom and I. It's modern but has a country and cozy feel to it. I don't know how long we'll live here, but it's the perfect home for a family. I'm looking at the time we spend here as a vacation...or a retreat of sorts. Each day here will be a gift. I always thought we'd have a "starter" home for our first house, but this is anything but that. I'm 27 and I am living in my dream home. Seriously, it's just like what I pictured...right down to the color. God amazes me everyday and I am so humbled. He gives us the desires of our hear...

I was faced with a dilemma today at work and I felt like no matter which route I chose I would be making a mistake. I was treading in murky water and was forced to fumble through the situation with as much grace and professionalism as possible. I think it ended up ok , but I was in a panic for a minute or two. Looking back the story is a little funny. I spent a ridiculously long time with a client today...4 1/2 hours to be exact...which is next to forever when your client is non verbal. Since I was there for so long it was inevitable that my time would overlap with mealtime....not a big deal to me...I was planning on just doing paper work while my client (I'll call him John) took a lunch break. So, 1:30 rolls around and my client's mom (I'll call her Ann) begins preparing lunch. Once she was finished she looked at me and said, "Would you like to try some Asian noodles?" And, my heart stopped. Here's why. John and Ann are Vietnamese. It would be offensiv...

Aiden just wanted to say..... (He did the coloring by himself)