Aiden and his computer

Yup, you heard, or rather, read that correctly. Last Christmas, I got a new computer. One of my friends suggested that I keep the old one for Aiden to use as he got older. Well, I found some computer software called "Giggles for Baby". It's a computer game for babies to play. All they have to do is bang on the computer and the screen will have objects bounce around at them. He loves it. He will come over to it and start playing. He did have to learn not to pull the keyboard off the table though. It fell over on him. He's fine. He also likes to stand on the keyboard after he pulls it down. Some day he'll figure out how it all works.

Angel vs. Devil

I had a complaint that I hadn't posted any Aiden pictures. (Here you go!) Lately, he's been driving me a little crazy. Yes, the little angel. He acts sweet and angelic when he's around his grandma or anyone else for that matter. The second they turn their back, he starts his little screams or annoyed grunts. I'll give you an example. The other day, my mom called me. The baby knows that it's usually Daddy or Grandma on the phone. I always let him listen to them talk to him. He'd been doing his "I'm annoyed with you" grunts. The phone rings and he grunts to let me know that he wants to hear who's on the phone. I tell him that it's his grandma and there's excited sounds as he crawls to me and the phone. I let his grandma talk to him for a moment. She has to put us on hold for just a moment. The second we go on hold he lets out one of his loud scream/squeals. She comes back on the line and all is sweetness again. Hmmph....I swear he knows...The same goes when she comes over. He'll be screaming, grandma walks in and all that's here is the sweet and precious baby. Now, don't get me wrong, most of the time he really is an angel. He just has moments when his halo slips, a lot....It's a good thing that he's cute...It's a good thing that I love him even when he's being a de--not so angelic.

Friendship Cemetery

While Olen and I were on our road trip the other day, we saw a sign that said "Friendship Cemetery". We both took a double look. At first, we thought it might be a joke. But yes, it was a real sign for a real cemetery. A lot of thoughts went through my head instantly. The first was that this was where you buried all your friends after you killed them. Yes, I have a dark sense of humor, but then that is why you love me. I would tell you a story about my Great-Aunt Maxine and Switzerland, but my mom reads this and may not want everyone to hear the story!! (so, ask me the next time you see me ;-) ) Anyway, Olen and I got a laugh out of the sign and went on our way. I started thinking about that sign later though. I began to ponder all the friendships that I have had in my life. There are more than a few that are dead and buried. The friendships, not the friends, well, a few friends too...Some of those friends moved away. Some just went in different directions in life. I started to think about the friendships that have died along the way in my life. If I could, would I go dig them up and resurrect them? Some, I have to say honestly, I don't miss at all. Some I helped bury. Some just kind of got left behind in the business of life. Some I might get a shovel for. There are not many of those, truthfully. The absolute best friendships are the ones that have withstood the test of time and busyness. Those are the ones who when they hear you're too sick to move come get your baby, so that you can rest. Those are the ones who send a million emails about when the next time you'll get together. Then, spend the whole time making you laugh so hard that you wonder when the last time was that you had that much fun. There are the friends who call and say they miss you when they haven't seen you. There are the ones who drop everything and plan vacation time when they hear you'll be in town. They are the ones who don't think you're weird when you burst out singing (out loud, really loud) to your favorite song. Instead, they're too busy singing along. And most of all, they're the ones who read your blogs whether you're pondering the mysteries of life or just making up nonsense. So, to all of you, thanks for not landing in the cemetery.

Everyday America

Olen and I went out on a day trip on Sunday. My mom watched Aiden while we drove around the countryside. Olen loves to just drive looking for photo opportunities. He got really lucky this trip. We found three different spots with old gasoline pumps that were really cool. I had the radio on as we pulled up to the first set. (see photos above) It was playing "Everyday America" by Sugarland. For some reason, the song just seemed to fit for me. I love riding around with no agenda, just discovering new things. I was exhausted by the end of the day though. The good news is that Aiden was too! He really enjoyed having his grandma around. He's learned to wave "bye-bye". He got upset as he realized that bye-bye meant Grandma was going away though! Poor baby! Lucky for him, Grandma took Monday off too.

Withdrawal Pains

I admit it. I miss Csi Miami. It won't have its season premiere until the end of September. That is a whole two months away. What will I do with my time?! Luckily I have all of the previous seasons to watch, as well as the reruns on A&E. I guess I can go watch the CSI New Yorks that I haven't seen, but it doesn't seem the same somehow. I once took a survey that said that I have an addictive personality. It's a good thing that I'm only addicted to some tv shows instead of anything else. I did laugh when I took the survey. It told me that I could get addicted to exercise. It hasn't happened yet!! I somehow think that it won't! I do claim a mild addiction to chocolate, but then who doesn't.

Jake and the cat

One day I went to let our dog, Jake, outside. I glanced outside as I was opening the door and noticed a big cat sitting on our back patio. Now, normally, I'm a live-and-let-live person when it comes to cats. However, we have had stray cats tearing up our garbage and generally being a big nuisance. So, I took one look at Jake and one look at the cat. I then opened the door and told Jake to get the cat! The cat immediately made a run for our back fence with Jake chasing happily behind. The cat hit the back fence and then began to run for the side fence. Jake was getting closer and closer. The cat then began to run back towards the house. Then, Jake stopped. Yes, I said stopped. I watched in bewilderment for a moment. Then, Jake began to chase the cat again. The cat seeing the dog still behind him ran for the fence that is next to the back patio. Jake happily came running behind. Now, I pondered this for a few moments. I finally figured out that Jake was just enjoying the chase! When he got too close, he stopped to let the cat get ahead again. How funny! Well, I hope you enjoy the chase today!

Saturday Night

Saturday night was a rare night for Olen and I. We got out of the house. Yeah, I know that for some of you that is not a rare occurance. For us, however, it is. I had an invitation to May's Annual Slumber Party. For those of you who don't know, this is the event of the year. It's filled with good food(mostly home cooked), good friends, great prizes, and loads of fun. Now, I could tell you what this event is like, but I'd have to kill ya...The only thing I will share is that no men or children are allowed on the premises. We girls have a blast.
Olen took advantage of the night by taking Aiden to see his Granny Olga and his Uncle John. He came back a happy baby. And Olen came back with a DVD full of Doctor Who shows. So, all were happy! I guess I can share one more tidbit. I won a prize at the party. One that suits me so well. So, I'll end this blog with my treasures that I obtained at the party.

Weekend Guests

My mom and her dog, Judah, came for a visit this past weekend. She awoke Friday morning to discover that her a.c. was not working. Mind you, it is July, in Houston. The A.C. people said that they could come out on Saturday, so she came up here to sleep in lovely airconditioned luxury. Well, as luxurious as it can get when a baby is sharing the room with you. She brought a present for Aiden (of course). It's a cute baby-sized armchair. We had seen a baby-sized sofa at the library recently. And Aiden just loved climbing up into it. So, of course, his grandma decided that he must have one of his own. He looks so cute in it!


Judah got jealous of all the attention that the baby was getting. He took matters into his own hands...err, paws...and climbed into Aiden's chair. He apparently thought that it was just his size as well!


One other incident over the weekend. My mom helped change Aiden's diaper quite a few times over the weekend. Well, one of those times she didn't get the diaper fastened very well and it fell off. Aiden helped by pulling it all the way off and handing it to his grandma!

How I'd Like To Be

This entry has nothing to do with Aiden for those who only read to keep up with him.
I mentioned to a friend of mine that I had created a list of things that I wanted to have accomplished every day. She suggested that it would make a good blog entry.
These are the things that I felt would make me into the person that I wanted to be. Some may be little, some may be bigger, some just may seem silly. All in all, these wishes make up who I have dreamed of myself to become. Now, in no particular order....
1. To get up and get dressed every morning (For a house mommy, that can be a big accomplishment)
2. To take a shower every morning (for a mommy,...well, just don't ask)
3. To exercise daily
4. To keep my nails well manicured
5. To spend time every day in the bible and in prayer
6. To keep the house clean
7. To keep my life and those around me organized
8. To remember my medicine
9. To make most meals for my family
10. To have the laundry done
11. To keep my scrapbooks up to date
12. To invest time in writing
13. To invest time in my relationship with my husband
14. To invest time in my relationship with my son
15. To have my hair fixed
16. To drink protein shakes for breakfast
17. To drink lemon water throughout the day (for the benefit of lemons, see the findley follies blog)
18. To keep caught up with reading and sending emails
19. To send cards to friends and family who have birthdays, anniversaries, or just need a card of encouragement
20. To keep my dvr cleaned up from recordings (either record to disc or watch)
21. To spend some time reading
22. To do some baking
23. To do some gardening
24. To keep Aiden clean
25. To read a story to Aiden
26. To spend some time playing inside and outside
27. To read a bible story to Aiden
28. To take pictures of even the small things, so that I may remember what makes living enjoyable

Fourth of July

Yes, I know. It's been almost two weeks since July 4th, but you didn't get to see any pictures. Unlike years past, Olen did not get to create firecracker expolsions with Kiley. We went to a barbecue with everyone from our church. The brisket was awesome. So was the company. Here are a few of the pictures.



Later, back at home, Olen took Aiden outside. Our neighbor was setting off a bunch of great fireworks. He popped off one of the ones that go way up high. Aiden took one look and started crying. I guess the love of fireworks will have to wait!

The Swimming Pool

We recently bought an inflatable swimming pool for Aiden. When it's all blown up, it's supposed to look like a dolphin when it has it's sunshade on. Aiden came over while I was blowing it up to see what momma was doing. I put the pool portion on the floor. Aiden immediately climbed in and began to play.


When I finally got him into the pool, he had a blast. He just loved slapping at the water and grabbing at his toys. He enjoyed it so much.

After all, what could be more fun than your first swimming pool?

Kemah Trip

My brother, Ryan, came in from the big metropolis of New York City. The family decided to go down to Kemah for the evening. We ate at a restaurant called Joe Lee's. It was a cheap little seafood restaurant that was very good. Ryan rode with us, so Olen and I got to visit with him. After dinner, we headed down to the boardwalk. Hmm, made me want to sing for a minute there...under the boardwalk.....o.k. back to the story...It was fun. We spent the evening walking along the boardwalk watching the people and the boats. They have a band on Thursday nights, so we got to hear live music. They were pretty good. Olen was having fun taking lots of pictures. I experimented with nighttime photography on my camera. Olen was more successful than I was. I did end up with a shot that looked like a ghost ship.
It was so relaxing to all hang out together. We decided to end the evening with some Dairy Queen ice cream which, of course, makes any evening perfect. However, one thing made me inform everyone around that God loved me. Craig Biggio, of the Houston Astros, http://astros.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=hou was close to setting a record going into the baseball game that night. I had wanted to watch the game just in case he got his 3000th career hit, but wanted to spend the time with the family more. He needed three hits to reach the mark. I turned on the radio as we left the boardwalk. Lo and behold, (why doesn't anyone say that anymore? It's kinda cool...Lo and behold...hmmm, maybe I can start a trend. Ok, what was I saying, oh, yeah) Biggio was up to bat. I listened carefully to Milo Hamilton (the best baseball announcer in the world, at least he is for an Astro fan) say that this hit could be the one. He (Craig, that is) had gotten two hits already in the game. So, I listened...and as we slowed to pull into the Dairy Queen parking lot...he got his hit!!!! And the car goes wild......well, I did anyway!! How cute of God to have us leave at just the right moment to catch a piece of history that I dearly wanted to hear...Isn't that just like God! He even cares about the silly desires of our hearts.

The Day of the Many Posts

For those of you keeping up with us, it's been about a week since I last blogged. Therefore, I have lots of little things to catch up. I figured that I would break them down into separate posts to make it easier. We've actually been a little busy around here. Aiden has taken a long nap today. And Olen is cooking dinner, so lets see how many of the nine topics I can get blogged today. And no, this is not one of the nine. So, here we go....

No photos today! I left my camera in my mother's car, so I'm unable to upload any new pictures. I hadn't realized how much that I used that new camera. I guess I'll just give all the little bits of news.
--Aiden's learned to wave hello and goodbye. It's so cute. --He also has a chair all his own. My mom bought him a little fluffy armchair that's covered in blue and cream fabrics. And yes, it's washable. --Speaking of washing, our dishwasher is broken. The electric one that is. I am now the official dishwasher. I feel like I've gone back in time or something. --It's not raining. That's different. I heard one weather broadcaster say that since June 21st, the official beginning of summer, there had only been two days that it didn't rain here. I think that I'll let Aiden play in his swimming (or rather-sitting) pool. He likes to splash around. --Olen and I went grocery shopping last night. He put back his shampoo so that he could get me some flowers for my desk. Ahhhhhhhhh. Isn't he sweet?! They look so pretty. --For those of you who miss the pictures of Aiden, I will be getting my camera back tonight. Then, I can show you pictures of him in his pool and maybe even some fourth of july pics.