just some quick photos

Aiden's new custom-made apron :-)

Snow Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Helping mommy mop.

Checking out the toy ads....and making a list

Monkeying around

Daddy and Aiden showing off the christmas card

Wow, we've been busy

Since I last posted a blog, Olen started a new job, Aiden and I went to Orlando, and the whole family went to Rusk to see Thomas the Train. And now, Thanksgiving is only a couple of weeks away, with Christmas hot on its heels.
Olen is enjoying his new job. It's closer to home which makes him happier. He is also a lot less stressed.
Orlando was fun. Mom had to go for a business trip and invited us to tag along. G-ma met us there to join in the fun. We spent one day at the waterpark on the resort site. Aiden just loved that! The next day we headed to take a look at the Atlantic Ocean. The next, where else but to Disney World. We spent 13 hours in the Magic Kingdom. Aiden loved playing at Donald's boat. It started raining, but he was so wet already that he didn't even notice! He also got to meet Minnie and Mickey which he declared the highlight of his trip. My favorite part was the Spectromagic light parade. It was worth the whole trip just for that. There were thousands and Thousands of little lights everywhere.
Aiden even had two different characters come up to him during the parade. He wasn't sure about these lighted figures coming up to him in the dark though! :-)
The following weekend was our trip to Rusk, TX to spend the day out with Thomas the Train. Aiden loves Thomas. They had tables with train sets of all sizes. It was a beautiful day and the train depot was next to a lovely lake.
We're looking forward to spending Thanksgiving in San Antonio. Then the christmas season begins in earnest.

I'll Fly Away

Many years ago, I had a pastor that I adored. He loved the old hymns. His favorite hymn was "I'll Fly Away". To this day, I can't hear that hymn without thinking of him.
Lately, I've been re-organizing my life. I like things to be organized and under control. It makes me happy. I like everything to have a place and for it to be in that place. That includes myself and my family. I found a site called Flylady that has helped take my organization to a happier new level. Her idea is that for us to fly, we need to Finally Love Ourselves. And loving ourselves is accepting that we're not perfect. She encourages us to take baby steps to learn to fly.
Lately, this concept of flying seems to abound in my life. My toddler's newest favorite show is Dinosaur Train. One evening I turned it on for him and was surprised to hear little boy giggles coming from our couch. I looked up to discover that a baby t-rex was trying to learn to fly. He (the baby t-rex) kept trying to fly in different ways and fell down each time saying "Ow" in a monotone voice. My little boy thought that was just hysterical! For days afterward, you could say "Ow" and send him into a fresh burst of giggles.
I think alot of us may feel like that t-rex. We keep trying to fly and keep falling down. And those around us just laugh at our attempts thinking that we weren't designed to fly. We have cares and troubles weighting us down 'til all we can say is "Ow".
Today I was reading a book called "Seven Secrets Women Want To Know" by P.B. Wilson. She writes about a toy that she had bought for her daughter. You were supposed to pull a string and the toy would fly up into the air. Well, they pulled the string and the toy twirled, but would never leave its base. They tried again and again, but the toy wouldn't fly. The little girl told her mom that it was okay. She would keep it 'til the summer and use it as a fan instead! Her mom laughed and told her that it was a good idea, "but it wasn't designed to be a fan. It was created to fly." Mrs. Wilson continues "Later that evening, after tucking her into bed and turning out her light, I thought about how many of us are like that toy. Too often we settle for what appears to be productive spinning around in the same place when in fact we were created by God to fly. Isaiah 40:31 says, But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles..." (I recommend you give this book a read.)
My son and I are about to fly to Orlando this coming week. He's never flown on an airplane before. If you ask him if he wants to fly, he flutters his hands and runs around like he saw the baby t-rex do. He hasn't realized that fluttering won't get him off the ground. It's going to be a huge surprise for him to see what it's really like to fly! It will be so worth it for him to fly though. He'll get to experience joys that he would never have gotten to experience if all he did was flutter around the living room. It might be scary at first, but the joy will more than make up for it.
I think it's time that we all stopped running around flapping our arms (and sometimes our mouths) and learn to fly. We have to learn to "hope in the Lord" so we can renew our strength. He's the manufacturer. He knows how to pull our strings. It's only then that we can fly. During your crazy life, take a moment today and sing that song that my old pastor loved so much and do a little flying.

Dancing with the Toddlers

Yesterday at church, a little girl (Ocian) came over to play with Aiden. She grabbed him by the hands and pulled him to the aisle and wanted him to dance with her. :-) He wasn't sure what to think of all that. They were so cute together. I wish I'd taken my camera into church. :-( Oh well. So instead, I'm sharing a photo of what my son looks like when he chooses his own clothing. Enjoy.

Far Behind

Yes, it's been a while since I've blogged, really blogged. I've put a few photos of Aiden on here in hopes of keeping friends and family appeased. If it makes you feel better, I'm far behind in everything else too. I just put polish on my fingernails for the first time in almost a month. My list of items I'm behind on? Facebook requests, emails, unpacking from this weekend's out of town trip, mopping, dusting, laundry....and the list goes on and on. And add to that the fact that I'm a little OCD about being organized and that I'm trying to make our lives healthier by adding trips to the gym and healthier dinners. Yesterday, I started to get a bad headache. I had one last week that sidelined me most of the day. I told my loving hubby about them and he pointed out that they're probably related to my blood pressure being too high due to stress. Great. I'm a stay-at-home mom, what could I be stressed about?! Oh yeah, that to do list of self-imposed perfection. Why do we do that to ourselves??
So, let's take a step back...why is this stuff really on our list? We want life to be easier and more stress-free. Hmm, let's throw out that to do list!!!! (Sigh of relief) .....but wait...I need some clean laundry to wear tomorrow....and my family might want to have food to eat for dinner...hmmm, maybe I do need that list after all. I guess I'd better get busy. So if you don't hear from me for a while, just think kindly of me until I can blog, return your fb request, or respond to your email. Just know...thoughts of you are on my to do list!

Aiden photos :-)

Father's Day 2009

This was the second trip to Galveston that Aiden has ever made. This is the first time that he got to play in the waves. He had a blast! He thought it was great that he got to play barefoot in dirt AND in water. It was Father's Day AND the longest day of the year. So, guess where all the fathers in Houston were? Yup, you got it...Galveston. Still it was a pretty nice day. We got there in the late afternoon and stayed 'til the sun went down. If you'd like to see more photos, you can check out my father's day photo album on facebook...

Yard Day

Aiden wanted to help daddy mow the lawn.
Isabella

Happy Mother's Day to me!

This is my mother's day photo with Aiden. We started out taking my mom to Pappadeux for lunch. Unfortunately, It was an hour wait. So we headed down the street for a favorite standby, Chili's. No wait! We followed up by having Rocky Road ice cream for dessert. It was just a relaxing day all around.

Wimberly Shopping Trip

I had fun going on a shopping trip with the girls. Our B&B was so peaceful. We spent too much, laughed too much, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Can't wait to do it again!

And here is Aiden putting himself down for a nap. Apparently, he was tired!

Photos from hanging at Nasa and at the Bells

Photos from around the house

Trying on Daddy's hat