Photo Session

Well, we showed up at the wrong time for our appointment and we had to reschedule for the next day. After getting Aaron all duded up and dragging them to the mall...all for nothing! And it was my fault. Get it together, man! I was actually grateful, because it gave me a day to really contemplate what I wanted him to wear and stuff. We used the same original outfit, but remembered to add a pair of shoes to the mix and add a prop- his new rattle! So, the second day we went back and it all went rather well! The studio had been renovated and was even cooler. They did the session on the floor instead of up on a box, which was much better because he felt more free to be himself, and I was at ease because I knew he couldn't fall off anything! Here are our results!

My handsome Birthday Boy!

Bouncy Birthday Boy

On wednesday, September 17th, our little lad turned the ripe old age of one! We chose not to have a huge get-together. Instead, we had a quiet little evening over at G-ma & G-pa's house, just the 6 of us. We brought the little cake to celebrate- I believe it was supposed to be an apple with a worm on it. (I wish I could claim bragging rights, but as Jim and I both work everyday, well...no time.) It was actually very tasty! Here's the cake before anyone dug in:



Here's the birthday boy as we sang. A "before" shot, as it were.



Here's the damage about halfway through...



And this is the final outcome! Needless to say, we had a fun, splashy bath in the kitchen sink afterwards. Mmmmmm, tasty!



He really did this all himself! We did not smear it in ourselves just to get a good picture. We were still getting frosting out of his nose 24 hours later...And even Elena enjoyed her piece!



And not too much later it looked like THIS!--





And this!--





Then we opened presents, and Aaron's very thoughtful Grandparents got him a very traditional gift in some stainless steel heirloom pieces. They gave him a rattle, a cup and a spoon, both with the letter "A" engraved on them, and a tiny, beautiful gold ring.



Aaron's favorite game is the "Day-dtoo" game, where he reaches something out to you as if to hand it to you, and you say "Thank you!". He thinks it's hilarious, then he pulls his hand back and does it all over again. It's hilarity does not diminish with time. Here he is playing it with his new rattle. (That's grandma holding him.)



And then life is not complete unless every new thing is tasted.



Then on saturday we all went to dinner, this time Jim's brother and his wife joined us. They drove down from Pennsylvania and we went to Famous Dave's. Here's the jovial party:



The birthday boy and G-pa. (Sorry, Pops- think I surprised you!)



Jim, John & Cacilda. Love you guys!

So, the day after his birthday, Aaron took his first steps! Yay! He is also saying a few words. "Tickle, tickle", "Thank you", "Uh-oh", and "Oh, maaan!" We go to the doctor next week, since this week I couldn't find my car keys and had to reschedule. (Dangit!) So we'll give you growth updates then. TTFN.

Flashback!

So, today I went visiting teaching, and the sister I visit lives a bit away from me, so I am not too familiar with her town, even though my in-laws live in the same city limits. (Boy, that was a run-on sentence!) Anyway, my point is, I hadn't gone further up the road from her place before, which eventually leads you into Baltimore. I was asking her about the grocery store next to her apartment and whether the prices were cheap and so on. She said that they only went there for emergencies, but they usually shop at the Aldi up the road. Even cheaper than Wal-mart, she said. ALDI?? I said, I remember those in Germany! No way! Flashback!


Now, those of you who served European missions will remember these cute little stores with ultra-cheap food and stuff, and you'll appreciate my excitement! So, after our visit, we drove up the road on an adventure. We found it eventually, and then I realized my boo-boo. Just like in Europe, you have to have a coin to use a shopping cart. I never carry cash, let alone change. Hmmm, I'm thinking, what am I going to do with the kids? I was too excited to leave and just go to wal-mart, plus we had gone all that way, so I carried Aaron in my arms, and held Elena's hand through the tiny isles. Needless to say, that didn't work very well. She kept taking off to climb the pallets and sitting on all the food. I suppose that would be pretty fun from a 2-year old's viewpoint...Aggravating from mine! Next time I will definitely bring a quarter! As I was juggling the few things I had grabbed from the shelves and Aaron, and trying to check out, I remembered all those times as a missionary coming to these stores and doing my shopping. Fun memories! Luckily they take debit. I suppose I would have spent more if I had not had to limit it to what I could carry. You even have to pay for your bag! 6 cents. I don't mind though, I always bring my own bags to the store for my groceries! I am green like that. Here's our one bag!

I even grabbed something that looked tasty at the checkout- they'll be good with vanilla ice cream! Mmmmmm.

Good old Aldi...

Aaron vs. Daddy

Just a little slideshow of pictures of Aaron and his Daddy when he was a baby. So many similarities! Tell us what you think...

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Let's Hear it for the Boy!

I just wanted to share a few pictures of not so little Aaron James, who is nigh on 1 year old (UNBELIEVABLE!). He has 7 teeth now, and it seems like another one might be on the way the way he fusses- although it may also be his very impatient personality. He gets so frustrated at himself when he can't do something the way he wants to. It cracks me up, even though it seems I am always doing some comforting. Oh, well! That's a mommy's job! And I love to do it. He's such a cuddle-bug. A definite "mommy's boy".

He's standing longer on his own, but not quite walking yet. He's for sure a boy because he loves talking things apart and putting them back together, and figuring out how to make noise by hitting objects together. When he does accomplish it he gets so proud of himself and looks to me to see if I notice. Cute boy.

His one year appointment is coming up soon, and I do not hesitate to say that I expect his weight and height to be way off the charts. He's always been a sturdy boy. Jim is hoping he is interested in sports someday, as he would kill for someone to talk football and baseball with. (Especially relating to the college level.) Also, he was never allowed to play any high-contact sports growing up, even though he so badly wanted to (parents' perogative), so he hopes his son will want to someday, Anyway, I've rambled long enough about my boys!

I cannot, for the life of me, remember what he was eating...

Ooey, Gooey mess!

Where's Aaron.....?

Here he comes...!

There he is!!!!

Mazel Tov!

Jim's good friend Ian finally tied the knot yesterday. (They've known each other since they were 8 years old in 1984.) He's been dating his lovely Julie for 7 years, thus causing me to say finally. It was held in beautiful western Maryland, near Sugarloaf Mountain at the Strong Mansion. (www.sugarloafmd.com/strong_mansion.html) A beautiful and picturesque place with sweeping views of the valley below. We learned from Ian (who prides himself on informing you on all the trivia) that the mansion belonged originally to a friend of President Roosevelt, and before his death had decided that he did not want the Mansion to fall into the hands of the federal government, so he set up a trust that would keep it open to the public.







Here is the study just inside. the other end of the very large room was where the grand piano and organ stood- to play music while the others read at the other end I suppose, back in the day.






The grounds outside were stunningly gorgeous, as was the bride's Vera Wang gown.



The ceremony was held outside, with the bride and groom facing the back of the mansion and this fish pond.

The ceremony was very interesting at it was done in the traditional jewish style. The Chatan (groom) and Kallah (bride) are led by their parents to the chuppah, a wedding canopy that symbolizes the future home they will build together. Like their home, it is open on all sides to their family and friends. (It's kind of behind the speaker there, sort of hard to see.) It is customary to stand for the bride and groom as they enter. The bride and groom circle each other a total of 7 times representing the seven days it took to create the world, as they begin to build a life together. The rabbi then greets and welcomes everyone, and then they proceed with the Kiddushin, or sactification. A blessing is said over a cup of wine and the bride and groom drink the cup together.

Next, for the Erusin (Betrothal), the groom places the ring on the finger of the bride (left index finger, as it leads to the heart) while saying in Hebrew, "Be sanctified to me with this ring in accordance with the law of Moses and Isreal."

Then the Nisuin (nuptuals) is presented: The Ketubah (marriage contract that was accepted by the bride earlier in the day) is read aloud for everyone to hear what she is getting herself into. By accepting the ketubah earlier, she has agreed to be married under Jewish law (she, herself not being jewish). After the reading of the ketubah, the bride then places the ring on the groom's finger, saying (in hebrew), "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine." Then the sheva brakhos (seven blessings) are read by seven people close to the couple, and the bride and groom drink another glass of wine. Then, you better believe it!, the groom stomps on a glass reminding us of the fragility of life and the care we must take of each other, our friends and the world. It is traditional at this point to shout, "Mazel Tov!" They never kissed in front of us.

Then we all dispersed to eat from the hors d'euvres tables, which consisted of fresh sliced cumumbers, grapes, several types of cheese, pita bread and hummus. Delish! At that point the bride and groom separated from the guests for their "Yichud", where they spend their first few minutes of married life together alone before they come back out to celebrate with everyone.

I don't have many pics of the rest of the night. We pretty much just sat and ate, and talked. It was so enjoyable for Jim as he got to see a few old friends he grew up with and relive all the memories. I enjoyed myself as well, (except for the ants on my fig salad), by talking to Lisa, a friend of the family. She was fascinated by our being Mormon and asked a lot of questions. So, I was more than happy to explain things to her! It was so cool to share my mission and answer the other things she wondered about. It seemed the most unlikely place to have a "missionary moment", among a majority of very traditional Jewish people. We felt so accepted and never felt like outsiders. They didn't make Jim wear a Yamaka, although they provided them for those who wished to. It was also interesting to see how they had to have all their food separated from ours. They used the kitchen themselves to pack theirs separately in plastic containers with lids- to keep it "kosher". It seems like a lot of work to me, but I thought of all the things I do for my religion that may seem like a lot of work from the outside. I've always been fascinated with the Jewish faith, because of the many parallels it has to Mormonism.

Here's a group shot of the family as they were gathered. We left pretty soon after that, as it had already been 5 or 6 hours and we had to get back to the kids, (the only kids allowed were from the family.) They were just starting up the dancing inside- just in time for us to go!

It was a scary, windy road down the mountain, and we didn't want to have to worry about sharing the road with all the revellers and their inebriation. It was a very enjoyable, and educational evening, to say the least!

Mazel Tov to Ian and Julie!

End of Summer

You can feel the change in the weather now. The leaves are starting to turn brown and fall. Some people (like my husband) just love fall, and the change of season. I'll have to say that it's growing on me. Living in the desert for most of my life, it was never that much of a spectacle. To me it just meant that my freedom as I knew it was at an end, and it was going to start getting colder every day, and the days would get shorter. That used to depress me a little, I must admit. But living with someone who gets so excited about it, it is beginning to rub off. One time I asked Jim what he loved so much about the fall. He just said he loves the time of year, how alive he feels with the crispness of the air, the relief from the oppressive heat and humidity. Most of all, for him, it's the anticipation of all the holidays coming up. His favorite is Halloween (which I learned today has Christian roots referring to the resurrection). So, I am grateful to be married to someone who has helped me appreciate this time of year much more than I used to. Also, living around so many trees has helped me learn to love watching all the vibrant changes and colors which explode in the treetops. Each season has its beauty. But I digress. Here are the two young 'uns enjoying a bit of respite from the heat on a late summer afternoon. They were having such a good time, I had to get one snippit of the moment to freeze in time.
My waterbabies. She just cracks me up with her sunglasses. I think it helped her see through the water, though- like goggles. Smart kid! I hope everyone has had a great summer...

Saving a buck and the Environment!

It's time I made sure I told everyone about one of the greatest resources in your community! Freecycle.org is a website that you can go to and give things away that you don't need. What happens is, once you sign up you can post up things you want to get rid of. Everyone in the group who has signed up will get an email about it, including you! You'll also get emails of people in your community giving their stuff away! (You can opt to not receive any emails if you just want to just give away.) This community based webgroup has been invaluable to me over the past several years. When I was pregnant, I got tons of maternity clothes. And later tons of baby toys and clothes and whatever else popped up that I needed or could used. (You can also send an email asking for something specific, and if somebody has it they will give it to you.) I just can't say enough good about it. You declutter your house, and keep stuff out of the landfills, and save money too! For example, just this week, somebody posted they were giving away a bunch of formula samples. So I emailed that I could use them, and they picked me out of the people who responded! They gave me their address at that point, and I went and got them! This drive was about 5 miles from my house, and saved me a bundle on formula!! (Sounds almost like a Geico commercial!)



It's everywhere! Even overseas, my friends! So, I encourage everyone to sign up in their communities. You'll be glad you did! You get to know a lot of cool people that way too. (I also became better acquainted with the area.) Like I said, invaluable!

Great Neighborhood

We are so blessed to have such great neighbors. Every month or so we all gather at the island in our culdesac and have a block party. This last friday we ordered 9 pizzas from Papa John's (using the 3 for $20 deal!) and sat around on our lawn chairs talking whilst all the children played together. We are so lucky to have so many young families with children on our little street, and they are all very nice. There are a few middle aged married and younger single people with no kids, but they blend in very well with the rest of us! Here are a few pics:


Weee!
Here are the kiddos, borrowing someone's chairs because it has an umbrella! (One of Elena's fettishes). I suppose I should have gotten more group pics of the adults sitting around, but I was too busy talking. Oh, well. It's good to know you have neighbors who aren't afraid of each other and enjoy being a community. Some people don't even know who their neighbors are, and don't even care. We feel lucky, and aren't sure if we'll ever leave Maryland. All these kids will grow up together and walk to school together and so on. Plus it's so rich in culture and history here, with so many places to see and do going on around us. (Sesame Place is only a couple hours away too! We'll make it there in the next few years, when they're old enough to remember...Gotta meet Elmo sometime.) I can't even begin to list them all. Mom, I hope this doesn't make you too sad! (She wants us to live on the west coast with them, so she can "know her grandkids.") Valid complaint, mom. We'll see you soon at Christmas!

Such Timing

The timing today was perfect. We got back from the store, and I was thinking- "Gee, the grass sure looks brown. I should put out the sprinkler and let Elena play in it..." Lo and behold, our neighbors across the culdesac had the same idea! We're blessed to have a lot of families on our short little street with kids close in age. Elena and Aaron are currently the youngest, so the others love to hold them and carry them around (even though Elena can do it perfectly well on her own.) So they were begging for Elena to get on her swimsuit and play with them. So, we did!


They carried her through the sprinkler and all around the yard.


The funniest part is she does not mind one bit! She got cold pretty fast, so once she got free she ran away from the water!


Run Away!

Then we cuddled a little bit with a towel in the sunshine.





Aaron decided he didn't want to take a nap yet, so he cuddled with us too. Awwww!




My summer babies in the summer sun! But...right after we got inside the heavens opened and our grass got watered for a good hour. I didn't even need to turn on the hose! Such timing. And free grass watering by nature! That's the best.