Aiden's Year Old Pictures

It was so warm today, Aiden thought he was at the beach

I have had a hard time getting good pictures of Aiden lately because every time I get out the camera he comes running to me (yes, he's running at 13 months!) and tries to put the lens cap back on the lens. See picture to left. I don't think he is being shy. I think he thinks its broken or has fallen off accidentally and he's trying to help me. He is in a major climbing phase right now so it is hard to go grab the camera most of the time because if you leave him for more than 1 second he will be on top of something-- most likely something really unsteady. Boys will be boys....

New outfit from Granma in our favorite colors.

Enjoying the warm weather out on the deck.

Relaxing with the beach toys.

Watching Boss run around the backyard.

Trying to grab Ace's tail before we head out for a stroller ride.

A typical happy Aiden face-- squealing in delight.

This week in pictures

Aiden was prepared for the cold weather thanks to his Aunt Roxanne who lives in Michigan. She sent him this nice, warm outfit for his birthday.

For some reason he decided he wanted to wear his sunglasses after dinner the other night.

Kicked back on the couch with the remote. The shot I was trying to get was of him pointing the remote at the TV, but of course I wasn't quick enough.

Playing out on the deck with Granma and Granpa on a warmer day.

Sleeping on Granpa after an exciting first day back to preschool.

Aiden Channels Willie Nelson

Aiden played dress-up at Memaw and Papaw's Wednesday. As Papaw said-- all he needs now is a beard and a guitar.

Aiden has a new second cousin

Aiden's cousin Kyna gave birth to a beautiful baby girl yesterday, Abigail Jean. This makes 9 great-grandchildren for my in-laws (with number 10 due next month)! We are all very excited about this new addition!

We had a busy weekend. Friday night and Saturday we went to a parenting seminar at our church. It was awesome and Andy and I received such a blessing! Sam and Debbie Wood have a wonderful ministry and such a heart for families. Check out their website for more information on making your marriage and family stronger-- www.familyfortress.org. They have lots of books that they recommend for different problems and issues. The difference with them recommending something though is that they have read them all and know how they would make a difference in your life. Aiden went back to school today after the Christmas/New Year's break. I think he enjoyed getting to play with everyone again. He is all boy and about as wide open as he can get. He has been "talking" and singing non-stop today.

Here are some pictures of Aiden in the pull-over his second cousin, Sian gave him for Christmas and playing on the deck Friday. Mom and Dad took some cute ones of him today, but I haven't had a chance to upload them yet.

Bath Tub Escapee

If you heard reports of a flasher in Grantville tonight, don't worry it was just Aiden running from the bathtub. It turns out it was the tub seat he didn't want to get into, not the tub itself. Once I put him in the open water he was fine (all over the place, but fine). Aiden is becoming very independent and trying to assert his independence whenever possible (read: throwing a fit whenever something doesn't go his way). He is also entering the climbing stage. He wants to climb everything-- the couch, the stroller, the kitchen chairs. He is definitely keeping us on our toes.

Aiden also had a childhood rite of passage yesterday with Memaw and Papaw-- a grilled cheese sandwich. By all accounts it was very well received.

Sorry for the absence...

But there was about a week there where you did NOT want to see a picture of my sweet boy. Aiden woke up with a rash the Sunday after Christmas that proceeded to get worse as the day went on. We think he probably had roseola or a virus like it, but there is an outside chance he had a reaction to his MMR vaccine. Fortunately he is now back to normal. I'll spare you the pictures of him at the height of the rash, because they are pretty bad. Andy and I enjoyed going to the Capital One Bowl in Orlando and especially enjoyed the second half of the game. Aiden enjoyed staying with Granma and Granpa. The past couple of weeks Aiden has been working on running. He has also learned to open doors that he has to pull out instead of just the ones that push in. Great! Thanks to my sister and brother-in-law (and my dad for the instillation) we finally have a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs to the bonus room. Long overdo! I hope 2009 will be a great year for you and your families! Happy New Year!

This is Aiden in his new vest before church Sunday.

He would still rather stand in his chair.

Aiden moved all these pillows so he could prop himself up to play this afternoon.