Magic Moments

Tom came home today to a dishwasher that needed to be unloaded, dishes stacked in the sink, an overall dirty house, and no dinner prepared. Aiden and I enjoyed bible study this morning, had fun with friends afterward, and by the time we came home Aiden wanted to nap. And I felt like I hadn't seen him all day. So what did I do? I did what any mother would have done. I let the house stay dirty and I sat on the couch and held him for his whole nap. I just soaked in his little self, listened to his breathing, smelled his hair, and kissed his soft cheeks. It's about savoring the everyday moments. This is real life, people! This is the stuff that makes life worth living! (Daddy captured the moment on camera when he came home. Yes, I am fake sleeping for the picture, but I did doze a little with Aiden. )

It's been quite awhile since I've had an edition of My Favorite Things. That isn't because I don't have any favorites (there are a lot of them) but it is because chasing Aiden gives me little time to enjoy my favorite things. In true Mom fashion, let me tell you about one of my Favorite Things that is more about Aiden than it is about me. Without further ado..... Need I say more? The most awesome toys EVER! We're slowly getting rid of much of the plastic junk and sticking to the wooden basics. If you aren't familiar with Melissa and Doug's brand of toys allow me to introduce to you... 1. Toys that are made out of wood 2. Classic Toys (Barns, Vehicles, Dramatic Play, Blocks, Puzzles, etc) 3. Toys that do not make noise 4. Toys that do not break (usually) 5. Toys that are simple, yet creative. They encourage imaginative play. Today Aiden cashed in a gift card and bought a couple more puzzles and the Cargo Carrier . And guess what? 2 minutes after open...

Pappy and Marme took care of Aiden and gave Tom and I the chance to sneak away for a night to celebrate our 7 years of wedded bliss. :) We brought Aiden up to the cabin where Pappy and Marme were staying and took advantage of the opportunity to do a little ice skating. Then we enjoyed a movie (my FIRST movie at the theater since being pregnant with Aiden), dinner, a night at a hotel, and breakfast in bed. It was like a little piece of heaven sleeping in until 9:30! Tom has been home for 4 days so I think that come tomorrow Aiden and I will be very lonely. Thank You, Pappy and Marme! Without you none of us would have had such a good time!

As a child, learning to swim and learning to play the piano were not a choice. They were mandated by my parents. We just had to do it. And, even though I should be better than I am, after taking 13+ years of piano lessons, I might be a little rusty but I can play. I can swim too. My coach would never tell you that I was fast or competitive, but he would tell you I was graceful. I guess that looking good while swimming was more important to me than beating anyone in a race. :) Anyway, as long as we swam and practiced the piano (which I'm SO glad that I can do those two things) we could choose just about whatever else we wanted to do. My parents believed in self development so they signed us up for lessons of any kind....even if they knew we wouldn't be the next world champion. So,there were many things I did on a whim...many interests that didn't last but were very fun for a time. Thankfully, aside from the school band, my parents would let us quit if we wanted to. ...

It's easy to get into a rut with dinner menus. Part of why I hate grocery shopping so much is that it requires me to figure out what we are going to eat for the next week...my least favorite task. How many times in one month can we eat some variation of chicken and rice? Seriously. This week I branched out and probably pushed my luck a tad and tried 3 (yes 3!) new recipes. The boys were gracious guinea pigs and I'm happy to report that all three recipes will probably be put into our rotation. I have to thank Stephanie for this recipe . Her Chicken Pot Pie was SO delish! It was probably my favorite of the three. I have Nealy to thank for the Chicken Gnocchi Soup which I also liked (and hopefully so did the company I made it for. :)). Lastly, I made the recipe below for Chicken Tortilla Cigars. To be honest, I thought this recipe sounded icky but I was seeing how long I could go before going to the grocery store. I was cleaning out the cupboards and had the weird comb...

Tom and I just spent the better part of an hour watching videos of Aiden. My, how fast time goes! I find myself wanting to remember everything but when seeing the videos I found there were a few things I had forgotten. Aiden made me laugh quite a few times today and so I wanted to hide away the conversations I had with him on my blog so I could re-read them and treasure the sweet stories in the years to come. Aiden: "Mama, what animal says, " Ready, set go?" Mama: "What animal do you think says, "Ready, set, go?" Aiden: "A parachute does." Mama: "Really? Is a parachute an animal?" Aiden: "Yes!" Mama: "What kind of an animal is a parachute?" Aiden: "A parachute is like a bird with funny wings." Mama: "Of course. " (chuckling to herself) That is pretty good deductive reasoning for a 2 year old. I'm not sure where he saw a parachute but I'm guessing that someone said, "ready, set, go...

The Great Pretender And this part of our morning routine just flat out makes my heart smile every single day (I even love the finger prints all over the door). Untitled from Jenny on Vimeo .