Zimmerman Family

Christmas Card

2010-12-05T22:50:00.001-05:00

Family Wall Red Christmas Card

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6 Month Update

2010-10-17T15:13:00.011-04:00

Mia's Monkey Joe Party

2010-03-14T16:36:00.007-04:00

Saturday was Mia's 7th birthday party at Monkey Joe's. Mia is Aiden's oldest cousin, Krystal's daughter. Aiden had a blast on the firetruck and in the little kid bouncy area. He also enjoyed the play area for the bigger kids (with me following behind to make sure he could get up to the high slides-- thank goodness for a short mother!). The party was at 12:30 so there was no nap before, but he fell asleep about 3:00 on the way home and slept until 6:30 which was just great with the time change. Fortunately we had another cousin's party to go to last night so that wore him out a little bit. It was also Zack's 16th birthday this week. Zack is Drew's older brother so Aiden went over and played with Drew and finally went to sleep again around 11-- which was midnight new time! Yay!!! Oh well, hopefully it will only take a few days to get back into a regular routine. Happy Birthday Zack and Mia!

Mia opening presents with Gracie and Mom helping.

Memaw, Aiden, Aunt Linda and Abby

Drew, Aunt Chrissy, Aiden and Memaw
It was hard to keep the kids corralled for the present opening!

Checking out all the bouncy vehicles.

Ethan following Aiden into the helicopter.

Pressing buttons in the firetruck.

Once he discovered the firetruck he didn't want to leave it.

Loving the slide!

Aiden and Gracie in the firetruck.

Gracie driving the firetruck.

February 2010 Update

2010-02-27T22:32:00.013-05:00

Ok, I know I am WAY behind on updates and my main excuse is that I ran out of disk space on my computer because I had saved about 1 million pictures of you know who over the past 2 years. I had to start backing them up onto disk and getting them off my hard drive before I could upload anymore from my camera. Well, problem solved and we're back in business. Now what have you missed over the last few weeks??? As Aiden would say, "Let's see..."

We had a bit of a blizzard-- ok, a few inches of snow. Aiden enjoyed getting out in the backyard with Daddy and Boss and building a snowman before the little boys next door started a snowball fight with Andy over the fence. Of course Aiden thought that was hysterical and threw a couple of snowballs too. I thought the snow was pretty, but was very grateful when it was all gone a few days later. I was especially grateful that we were able to go to Athens that weekend to celebrate my sister's birthday and go out to eat with her and her husband (after Andy and I had a pre-Valentines date to see the Dawgs win in basketball.)

The 16th we celebrated Papaw's (Andy's Dad) 70th birthday with a family party at Chrissy and David's house. Aiden and I went early to help set-up which basically meant I tried to keep Aiden, Drew and Gracie out of Memaw and Chrissy's way while they got everything finished and looking good. Most of the family was able to be there which translates into 10 children ages 1-5 (and yes, there were a few missing). A great time was had by all.

Last weekend Dad and Andy went to the Georgia basketball game so Mom and I took Aiden to ride the train at St. Mountain. Note to self, check the website to make sure the train is running next time. On a side note, I grew up about 10-15 minutes from St. Mountain and went there frequently in high school and college, but had not been there since the state sold it. I was very disappointed to see it so commercialized and looking more like Six Flags than like the St. Mountain I remember. But I digress... after a fifteen minute search Mom, Aiden and I finally found where you would normally go to buy the tickets and get on the train. (Yes, we knew where it was supposed to be from all our years going there-- we just couldn't figure out how to get there with all the new crap in the way.) Our first clue that the train would not be running that day was the temporary fence going across the track. There was a train sitting over on the side so we took Aiden over there to see it up close. He enjoyed playing on it, but he also enjoyed standing behind a boulder and throwing rocks. Thankfully at 26 months old he is not hard to please and if our plans get changed he is able to go with the flow. After Aiden threw all the rocks we could gather we took him to the playground. He wasn't very interested in the 2-5 year old area, but once he discovered the 5-12 year old playground we couldn't keep him off the slides and equipment. He even managed to go almost over the edge of a twisty slide. Thank goodness there were 2 of us and we could switch off with one on the ground and one up on the play area with him (and thank goodness we're both short and could fit!) so we could catch before he landed on his head. Enjoy the pictures!

Directing Daddy on snowman construction.

As far as Daddy got on the snowman before he was distracted by the snowball fight.

Aiden's snowball.

Riding Drew's four wheeler.

Aiden took this one of Gracie.

Memaw and Papaw

Aiden loves Tela and likes to be near her at parties.

Sweet little Abigail took to Andy for some reason.

Papaw making a speech.

The little vultures waiting on the cake and ice cream.

Aiden had to clap for the singing.

Getting ready to throw another rock.

Playing on the caboose.

Driving the train.

Aiden's New Room

2010-02-01T22:18:00.008-05:00

Last Monday Mom and Dad worked on rearranging Aiden's room and setting up his "big boy" bed. Andy and I had just about worn the springs completely out on his toddler bed (aka crib) climbing in and out and it has been so wonderful to just be able to lie down in a regular bed with him. He of course thinks he is hot stuff too! They found an old twin bed in the attic that they sanded and repainted black and hooked it up today to complete the look.

Daddy also made us a custom bookcase for the living room to house all (some) of Aiden's toys and books. I need to get some better close-up shots of the molding because it looks awesome! Daddy built it and Mom painted it. They make a great team and just can't resist a project! Thanks for all your hard work Mom and Dad!

The boy loves to read!

New pillow case

Its just a twin mattress on MDF board on a bed frame....

nice and low to the ground!

Everything nice and neat (and its still that way tonight!)

How perfect does that look?!?
(I'll have to check and see if Daddy is taking orders!)

G-Dog's Shower

2010-02-01T22:05:00.004-05:00

Last weekend a good friend hosted a baby shower for my cousin Chris during the monsoon Sunday afternoon. She will be having a baby boy on the 22nd of this month. When discussing baby names with her 3 1/2 year old, Alexander, he volunteered that G-Dog or Condo would be good names (they were of course in Athens at the condo during football season) so G-Dog has stuck. As you can tell, Alexander is warming up to the idea of having a baby come live with them quite nicely! I have been assured that he will be given an actual name. Congratulations Matt and Chris! We look forward to G-Dog's arrival!

We were happy that my sister was able to come down from Athens to the shower and then swim on down to my house to visit Aiden (after we got her car pushed out of the mud hole it was in at the party).

Katherine entertaining Alexander and Sara Hays.

Alexander helping Mommy open presents with Aunt Kay.

Alexander and Sara Hays were excellent helpers.

Happy (Belated) New Year!

2010-01-12T21:45:00.005-05:00

Ok, so it has been a while since I have taken the time to sit down and blog a little. Life with a 2 year old gets a little busy, but it sure is fun. Aiden is growing and learning so much everyday and it is absolutely amazing to watch it happen right before your eyes. He is learning his colors and letters really well. He is best with green, blue, red and yellow, but gets orange, purple and black most of the time. He is really good at letting you know if a light you are approaching is red or green and even shouts out yellow now when it turns yellow. He also lets you know if you should "Stop!" or "Go, go, go!" He got an alphabet puzzle for Christmas and it is amazing how many letters he has already learned. His new thing is lying in his bed (or sometimes "Momma bed") with a stack of books and "reading" to himself. He used to just say "Na-na. Nu-na." and then turn the page and then say "the end" at the end, but now there are several books that he kinda narrates as he goes through. I have included some videos from Christmas on here. His favorite toys right now are Mr. Potato Head, Elmo, puzzles, books, balls and his keyboard. Since he returned to school last Thursday he now says "friends" and knows that he gets to play with friends when he goes to school. When we left today he told them all, "Bye-bye, Friends!" Very sweet!

Nanny gave Aiden this table for Christmas and he loves it! He does his puzzles on it, colors at it and eats lunch or snacks at it.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-29T23:31:00.009-05:00

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with our extended family this year. Christmas with a 2 year old is much more exciting and helps puts things into perspective. Aiden still didn't fully understand what all the fuss was about, but by the third celebration he was getting the hang of the unwrapping and of course he enjoyed having new things to play with. We celebrated with my dad's mom and brothers Sunday the 20th, the Zimmerman's Christmas Eve, and my parents, sister and brother-in-law Christmas morning before we were joined by the whole family Christmas afternoon and of course a visit from Santa was thrown in there too! I think Aiden enjoyed getting to play with all of his cousins! It is always fun to get the whole family together and catch up and just enjoy spending time with the ones you don't get to see as often.

Aiden took this one of Uncle Bill and Uncle Johnny, my dad's brothers.

Aiden was the official photographer at Nanny's. He took this one of her too.

Elmo was in his stocking!

He's looking in there like, "Why is there stuff in the thing?"

Unwrapping gifts from Santa.

He was pointing to his tools and saying, "Granpa" because he helps Granpa fix stuff.

Elmo legos (notice all new Elmo toys do not talk-- to help keep Daddy sane!) and a new keyboard.

Aiden has his tool belt and hard hat all ready to go.

Aiden and Drew braving the cold and damp to play at Memaw and Papaw's.

Orrin and Hayley playing with them.

Maddie trying to get the boys to let her play too.

After everyone left Aiden and Drew burned off some energy wrestling.

They love to play together!

Daddy helping Aiden with the unwrapping.

Aunt Jessie and Uncle Matt watching Aiden open their gift...

... his very own digital camera. Can you tell he knows what it is by the smile on his face?

Granma and Granpa got his a potty book that makes a flushing noise.

Taking a picture of his new Mr. and Mrs. Potato Heads. He loves those dern things....

Nanny got Aiden this table and chair set for Christmas and it was just perfect for Aiden and "Nander" to eat and play at.

Aiden's Second Birthday

2009-12-17T21:08:00.001-05:00

It's hard to believe my tiny baby is 2! Time truly flies when you're having fun. This past year is a big blur of fun, excitement and new discoveries. Andy and I feel lucky and blessed to have such a wonderful, sweet, healthy little boy.

Aiden had a very exciting birthday weekend. Saturday we had a birthday blow-out at Memaw and Papaw's house with lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins. We even had crafts which the little ones seemed to enjoy and didn't make too much of a mess. Aiden had a Wiggles cake and enjoyed being sung to and "blowing" out the candles (aka spitting on the cake). Sunday afternoon we traveled to Granma and Granpa's house for a joint party for my cousin Matt and cousin-in-law Aubrey. Again he got a kick out of the singing and candles and I think he is getting the hang of the whole unwrapping thing. Aiden spent his birthday Monday with Granma and Granpa playing at Monkey Joes. Tuesday we took cupcakes to school then went for his pictures that turned out very cute-- I've included some here.

Playing with his balloons before the party started.

Foam door-hangers for the kids to decorate.

Tela making the most out of all the available space on hers. Our nephew Chris left for the Navy the next day. We love you and we are very proud of you Chris!

Maddie, Amanda, Aunt Lisa and Gracie work on their crafts.

Aiden's finished product.

Wearing Memaw's new Santa hat that lights up and dances.

Wiggles Cake!!!!

Isn't that a sweet face? I think he likes having everyone sing to him.

Opening presents with Daddy.

Aiden took this one of Drew and Aunt Chrissy. Pretty good, huh?

Opening presents with Granpa.

Checking out his new electric guitar with Nanny and Granpa.

Mmmm, Granma's special chocolate cake.

Same sweet face for the singing!

Blowing out the candles with Granma's help.

"Yay!"

Aiden's new tunnel and tent to play in at Granma and Granpa's house.

Aiden and Granma in the tunnel.

Clydesdales

2009-12-17T20:59:00.006-05:00

Last Friday the Budweiser Clydesdale horses came to Ashley Park in Newnan all the way from Hogansville so Drew, Aunt Chrissy and Uncle David met us to check them out. I have to say it was a little too cold and anti-climatic, but the boys enjoy any excuse to get together and run wild.

The Traditional Santa Screamer Picture

2009-12-08T11:41:00.007-05:00

Everybody has to have a picture of their child screaming bloody murder sitting in the scary old man's lap and now we have ours. Andy and I took Aiden to Lenox Friday night to see Santa-- the same Santa he saw last year. We met Granma and Granpa again, but this year instead of just looking apprehensive we have the full-out scream. Oh well, Andy and I got a lovely date night out of it. We walked across the street to Houstons for dinner while Mom and Dad took Aiden to Panera for his favorite BP&J then on to play at the Apple store and Pottery Barn Kids. Aiden also enjoyed riding the escalators!

Last year's apprehensive Santa pose.

This year's screaming Santa pose-- poor Santa!

Granma and Granpa trying to get a good Christmas card picture.

This is the best picture with Aiden Momma could hope for.

Isn't that the cutest Christmas sweater? I think I paid $3 for it at a consignment sale.

Granpa and Daddy with Aiden

Playing 'puter at the Apple store.

Christmas Preparations

2009-12-08T11:28:00.004-05:00

We have had a great time decorating for Christmas this year. Aiden is really into trains (we have at least 2 sets of tracks set up on the living room floor at all times) and several years ago Memaw and Papaw (Andy's parents) gave us this really cool train set that can go around a Christmas tree. We decided to get it out this year and see what Aiden thought of it. It is really big and high tech with a remote control and everything. Needless to say Aiden loves it! However, it is so big that we are going to have to do some moving around because of the close proximity of the hearth to the base of the tree. In the meantime here are some pictures from last Thursday when we put the tree up.

Aiden checking out the remote control for the train.

He had his camera ready to take my picture too!

Daddy working on getting the train to go around on the too tight turns.

All the excitement was too much for him-- he fell asleep in front of the fire with Melmo playing on the portable DVD (in his Melmo pjs of course-- I had to take the seam out of the toes because his feet were too big).

I honestly don't know how we ended up with only UGA stockings!

Aiden's Photography

2009-12-08T11:12:00.005-05:00

Aiden is becoming quite an accomplished photographer. Here are a few he took in Athens at the last home game.

Left- Matt Rice and Uncle Bob

Chris Rice, Aunt Jessie, Momma, Grandma

Granma and Daddy

Preschool Thanksgiving Feast

2009-11-20T13:38:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we had Thanksgiving Feast with the toddlers preschooler class at First Baptist Newnan. I was surprised and impressed with the parent turnout we had (especially since me and the other room moms had gone a little over board with the food!). Aiden was of course very excited to have Mama and Dada there and had to show off for all his friends. And again he played class photographer!

Aiden and his classmates, starting from Aiden's left: Anabelle, Reid, Samantha, Harper, Lila, Shana, Chloe, Ryan, Callie, Morgan, and Sam.

Aiden was showing off his Da-dee to Sam.

Sam, Aiden and Anabelle (notice that Aiden's roll is always in his hand).

Chillin'-- on a break from taking pictures.

Touch a Truck

2009-11-20T13:28:00.006-05:00

Monday night was Touch a Truck night at the Dwarf House in Newnan so I met Mom, Dad and Aiden there after work. There were several different kinds of firetrucks, an ambulance, a police car and a wrecker there. Aiden enjoyed playing on the firetrucks and looking at the wrecker and police car. He wanted in the police car as soon as he saw the " 'puter." But I think he liked getting a balloon as much as he liked seeing the trucks.

Aiden and Granpa checking out the firetruck's cab.

Aiden and Granma riding where the "firefighters ride."

"What does this switch do?"

Aiden liked all the hoses.

Climbing the steps.

Now he's driving!

Anabelle's Birthday Party

2009-11-20T13:15:00.005-05:00

Ok, I know I am a little behind with my posts. I am going to try to keep them in chronological order so I will start with last Saturday.

Aiden went to a birthday party for his girlfriend, Anabelle before heading northeast for GA-AU. Anabelle and Aiden go to church AND school together so they are big buds. Anabelle's mom Miss Amy is Aiden's preschool teacher, but she is out until the first of the year because she just had Anabelle's sister, Amelia 3 weeks ago! It was a cupcake decorating party and Aiden had a lot of fun decorating his cupcakes. I couldn't convince him to actually eat one, but he did say mmmmm after licking icing and sprinkles off his fingers. Aiden also played the role of paparazzi when he got his hands on the camera and carried it around shouting at everyone to say "cheese." He's getting better at holding it up and has actually gotten a couple of good shots lately!

Aiden and Anabelle getting ready for the other guests to arrive.

Not sure why he was pointing to his cupcake-- just proud I guess....

"Mmmmm!!!"

Anabelle also enjoyed the sprinkles.
She dumped a huge pile of pink ones on her plate and just kept eating them.

Cupcake #2.

Aiden took this one of Anabelle.
That's Amelia in the background in the pink blanket.

Aiden was "helping" Isabelle put her cupcake box with her stuff. Isabelle's sister, Ella, is in the same Sunday School class with Aiden and Anabelle.

Aiden's Early Birthday Present

2009-11-08T15:48:00.005-05:00

Aiden loves to watch the Wiggles and is always commandeering the remote ("mote") to watch recorded episodes so, last Sunday I bought Aiden a portable DVD player as an early birthday present. We got the idea from my dad because he lets Aiden watch his Wiggles video on his laptop when he's at their house. He has loved it! Now he watches the Wiggles, Elmo Goes to the Firehouse ("Melmo") and Thomas the Train ("Twain" or "choo-choo"). Unfortunately, Elmo is really getting on Andy's nerves, but at least now we can watch something else while he's watching Melmo. He knows how to change videos, play, pause, stop, fast forward, rewind and work the volume! The rest of these pictures are just of him all dressed up and looking cute.

Trying to whistle like Granpa.

Ready to go eat at Cracker Barrel.

Aiden's First UGA Football Game

2009-11-08T14:57:00.007-05:00

Aiden went to his first University of Georgia football game yesterday. With it being homecoming and a 1 o'clock start we figured it would be the best one to take him. He did much better than we thought. Fortunately there were a few empty seats by mom and dad so he could run up and down next to them. He pointed out "football" and "Boss" aka Uga, barked a few times and watched the band. All the first half scoring wore him out and he slept on Granpa for most of the second half. We went to the condo after the game to celebrate my wonderful Aunt Pat's birthday and Aiden and Alexander loved blowing out her candles. I think Aiden pitched a fit until they lit them for the third time, then Katherine let him blow out the lighter. He's all ready for his birthday!

Aiden with Granma and Granpa before kick-off.

Aiden and Granpa, number one!

Aiden, Granpa and Daddy

Aiden, Granpa and Mommy

Sitting in his seat (I'll be glad when these last 3 molars are all the way in!)

Aiden and Daddy watching the Dawgs warm up.

Sacked out for the second half.
As soon as he woke up he pointed at the field and yelled, "football!"

Still cheering for the dawgs back at the condo.

Entertaining the relatives

Happy Birthday Memaw!

2009-10-31T22:55:00.006-04:00

Today is my wonderful mother-in-law's 70th birthday! (Hard to believe, I know!) My sisters-in-law and I helped put together a little luncheon for her this afternoon. We had a really good turn out with plenty of family and lots of friends. It was nice to get to spend time with everyone celebrating such a special occasion. Thanks for all you do for us Memaw! We love you!

Modeling his Bailey Boys outfit.

Aiden and 13 month old Maddie (one of the great-grands).

Helping Memaw open her present.

Pumpkin Fun and Trick or Treating

2009-10-31T22:39:00.005-04:00

Wednesday night I took the pumpkin I had bought out onto the deck so Aiden and I could carve it into a jack-o-lantern. Well, Aiden wasn't very interested. He abandoned me pretty quickly to go play in the backyard with his Daddy. It's just as well though since me by myself with a knife is dangerous enough without adding a 22 month old to the mix. Can you tell I didn't use a stencil?

Friday morning Chrissy, my sister-in-law, and I braved the drizzle and the crowd and took our boys trick-or-treating on the square in Newnan. Aiden and Drew weren't sure exactly what was going on at first, but once Drew figured out he was getting candy he got into it. I think they both liked seeing the other kids in their costumes. When we got home Aiden figured out pretty quickly that M and Ms are good stuff. There's nothing like a little chocolate drool.

I was trying to get Aiden to touch the pumpkin guts.

"Cheese"

Posing with the pumpkin and the spider shirt.

Bamm-Bamm ready to trick or treat.
(The "hat" lasted about 2 minutes.)

We worked on "trick or treat" but all I got was "treat."

The cousins ready to hit the square.

Drew pointing something out to Aiden.

Chrissy and Drew

"Yay, candy."

Aiden and Mommy

Uncle Bob's Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-24T22:42:00.008-04:00

We took Aiden to a local pumpkin patch today with my friend Connie and her son Evan. We were pleasantly surprised by all there was to do-- puppet show, story telling, spinning demonstrations, hay ride, corn maze, petting zoo, pottery, nature trail, bee hives, bat houses, etc, etc. Aiden and Evan seemed to enjoy themselves as much as a 22 month old and 19 month old can! We ran into more friends towards the end-- Alexander Rice and Sara Hayes and Jackson Grote. It was definitely cooler than we thought it would be (thanks for the jacket, Connie!). I put on Aiden's new Halloween shirt, but it is difficult to tell with the jacket being zipped up the vast majority of the time.

Pointing out the goats for Daddy while we waited on Connie and Evan.

Aiden and Mommy apparently heard differing weather reports.

Connie, Evan, Aiden and Andy ready to go check it out.

Aiden taking in all the pumpkins (and all the kids).

Settling in on the hay ride.

Checking out the farm on the hay ride.

Evan and Aiden after the hayride.

Aiden, Mommy, and a goat in the petting zoo.

Aiden, Evan and the chickens.

Checking out the chickens (and chewing on the cheek where his 2 year molar just broke through).

Aiden wouldn't go in the baby chicken house.

Evan checking out the pile of pumpkins.

Alexander and Sara Hays

Aiden and Alexander

Family pumpkin picture-- there's Aiden spider.

Aiden and Evan checking out the giant pumpkins.

Halloween Preview and Granma's Birthday Party

2009-10-20T22:10:00.005-04:00

We decided an appropriate costume for Aiden would be Bamm-Bamm so I found one on the internet and ordered it. It arrived last week. I filled in for a vacationing therapist in our Meriwether county office last Friday so Andy stayed home with Aiden. They played dress up with the Bamm-Bamm costume and Andy was able to snap a quick picture before Aiden could grab the camera. Very cute! Sunday was Mom's actual birthday so we went over for cake and ice cream with the family and Aiden spent the night. Aiden enjoyed playing with the new trains Nanny bought him and of course playing with Alexander and Granpa always rate right up there. We worked on saying "Happy Birthday Granma" but it didn't take. Oh well, I'm sure he'll blurt it out sometime.

Bamm-Bamm
(and yes, it does come with a club)

Helping Granma open presents

Granma, Aiden, Alexander, Aunt Sue

Playing guitar with Granpa

Dressed like a little man for school today.

Doesn't he look so grown-up

I just couldn't resist the back view!

Celebrating Granma's 60th Birthday at St. Simons

2009-10-11T21:58:00.011-04:00

Aiden and I were able to sneak away for a few days last week with Granma, Granpa, Aunt Jessie and Uncle Matt to St. Simons Island. Granma is turning 60 on the 18th so we went to celebrate with her and enjoy good food and good weather. Unfortunately we had to leave Daddy at home for report day, but I think he enjoyed a few days of peace and quiet without us. We left the rain in Atlanta and had wonderful weather with record highs in the 90s during our stay so we enjoyed playing in the ocean and the pool. We were able to stay at the same condo we had stayed in when we went in June. Aiden loves the elevator and could tell us if he wanted to go to the "pool" or the "beach." (He spent a lot of the time just going back and forth.)

Unfortunately it was back to the grind for me Friday, but Andy was able to spend all day with Aiden thanks to a well-timed furlow day. He took Aiden to visit Memaw, Papaw, Gracie and Drew since Aiden missed their day with them. Then Aiden and I went to keep the nursery at church for Judgment Journey while Daddy took turns throwing people into Hell and running the smoke machine. Aiden and I had the "big" kids and Aiden had a blast playing with them and even got to fall asleep on a sleeping bag while they watched a movie. He also learned to play duck, duck, goose and got kissed by a 3 year old named Emma. All in all it has been a busy week!

Getting reacquainted with the beach.

Watching the ocean from a safe distance.

"There he is!" (Finding Granpa)

Playing ball with Granpa.

Granma, Aunt Jessie and Uncle Matt watching the ball playing with great interest.

Strolling along the beach.

Kicking the ball in the ocean.

Drawing in the sand with his toes.

Drawing with a stick.

Building a castle with Granma using a cup from lunch at the Beachcomber because we forgot the sand tools.

Watching the ocean before dinner.

Playing blocks on the balcony after breakfast.

Getting in the pool with Granpa.

Digging in the sand with a giant shovel (the only beach toy left at the Winn Dixie).

Aunt Jessie helping with the sand castle.

Aiden, Granma and Granpa protecting their faces from the sun.

Playing in the pool with Granpa.

Watching the tide go out with Granma.

Sitting in his chair with Uncle Matt, Aunt Jessie and Granma.

Playing with a sea oat that washed up.

First Big Boy Haircut

2009-10-02T23:02:00.010-04:00

"Before"to left
"After" below

Aiden and I went to Snip-Its in Peachtree City today for Aiden's first professional hair cut. He outgrew the sink trims and had gotten quite shaggy. I had put off taking him for so long because I didn't think he would sit still and was afraid it would be a difficult experience. I heard about this kid-friendly place from my friend, Connie and decided to give it a try. Very pricey, but definitely worth it! We were in and out in under 15 minutes (without an appointment!) and Aiden did great-- no squirming, no crying, no head jerking. When you pay they give you a card for your child to put in the machine and it spits out a prize. Aiden took his new bouncy ball to McDonalds and played on the playground for what seemed like forever. He had a blast, but Mommy felt really old trying to maneuver around inside the tiny space. He looks so grown up in his new jeans and hair cut! Check them out at www.snipits.com.

Not too sure about the squirt bottle at first.

Checking out the little girl in the next chair.

What a good boy!

Look at all that hair she's cutting off!

Using the trimmer, just like Daddy.

All done!

Sliding on the 3 and under area at McDonalds--
too bad he didn't stay on this too long.

"Before" side view

"After" side view.

Playing with the bouncy ball after a long nap.

Throwing his new bouncy ball with Daddy.

Sorry for the absence

2009-09-28T22:10:00.007-04:00

I know it is probably not an acceptable excuse, but we had a really busy week last week so I do apologize for the absence. Here are some pictures of what has been going on in the meantime. Last weekend a good friend of mine from work brought her 18 month old son over to play with Aiden. Evan and Aiden had a wonderful time playing together and Aiden did not seem to mind sharing his toys. This past weekend friends of ours came down from Indiana and went to Athens with us for the rainy football game. It was so great to see them and we had a wonderful time in spite of the weather! Several of these pictures are of Aiden watching Da-ee cut the grass. Aiden loves lawnmowers as you can tell from the pictures.

His new Wiggles guitar that we got at the consignment sale.

Aiden and Evan shooting hoops.

Evan and Connie Quimby

Boys and their buttons...

Aiden sitting on the front stoop to watch Andy cut grass.

"Where Da-ee go?"
(Around the side of the house.)

Working hard on the hill in the backyard.

Aiden leans back like that when he thinks something is funny.

Following Daddy... too cute!

This Week in Pictures

2009-09-14T22:02:00.006-04:00

Here a few of this week's happenings. Aiden wore his first pair of lace up shoes to church last Sunday. He ran a little fever in the middle of the week so he wasn't able to go to school Thursday, but by Saturday he had bounced back and was able to make the trip to Athens. He had a blast playing with Alexander at the condo then went to see some of my old friends who were tailgating on campus. Aiden and I watched the game with Aunt Jessie since it was such a late kick-off. Aiden actually fell asleep about 8 pm thanks to all the excitement and a short nap. I really enjoyed being able to hang out with my sister. Thanks for letting us stay with you Jess and for the awesome dinner! Andy sold my ticket to a friend of a friend who turned around and sold it to a South Carolina fan!?! Boo!!! Now I have to disinfect my seat back for the Arizona State game (or break it and see if they will give me another one...).

Proud of his lace up shoes
(size 8 1/2, could you please stay in one size for more than 2 months at a time???)

We switched to "silver britches" with his jersey this week.

Helping Aunt Jessie count money from the market.
They sell Luna bread (Matt's company) at the Farmer's Market on Saturdays.

Is that a 5 year old?

Wearing his hat backwards like Daddy and strutting his stuff.

The boys hanging out on the balcony at the condo.
Clockwise from bottom: Matt Downes, Freddie Rice, Bob Zrolka, Matt Rice, Andy

Lion inside of Alexander's shirt.

Alexander was waiting for his turn with the etch-a-sketch...

...very patiently!

Playing with his remote control car at Aunt Jessie's waiting for kick-off.

Aiden's new fort...AKA pack-n-play turned on its side with a blanket over it.
(And his new etch-a-sketch since he liked Alexander's so much!)

He peeked out when he saw the flash.

I guess he didn't like the intrusion....

Seafood Fest

2009-09-05T23:30:00.005-04:00

Andy's sister Chrissy and her husband David hosted a seafood fest this evening for family and friends. We headed over there after the game and missed the bizarre foods portion of the evening-- whew!, I mean darn! The crab legs, clams casino and low country boil were awesome as was everything else! Aiden of course loved playing with their son Drew and stole toys, I mean played, with the other kids too. It was a nice distraction after a disappointing loss.

Aiden Geared Up for Gameday

2009-09-05T23:19:00.005-04:00

Aiden got a new jersey to wear for gameday. I went ahead and bought a 4T so its a little big, but I figured he'd need room for his pads. I think Georgia is going to need him to suit up this year! He enjoyed posing with Boss, barking, and playing "Glory" on his bulldog before the game.

First Week of Preschool

2009-09-04T23:49:00.006-04:00

Aiden started back to preschool this week. He is in Miss Amy and Miss April's Toddler Class this year (between 18 ans 23 months by Sept 1). He goes on Tuesday and Thursday and of course his girlfriend Annabelle is in his class-- her mom is Miss Amy. There were a couple of tears when I left Tuesday, but by the time I went out the door and walked past his window to my car he had recovered and was cooking in the kitchen. Thursday he just got down and started playing! This month they are focusing on circles, red, and the number 1.

I couldn't get him to stand by his bag or the snack basket....
Aiden took chocolate chip pan cookie for the first snack.

Wearing Daddy's hat after school. Love that look!

Lines? What lines?

This was day 2. Way too busy to pose!

Can you tell his 2 year molars are coming in?

He learned to say cheese for pictures.

Family Pictures

2009-09-01T00:19:00.004-04:00

Man's Day Alternative

2009-08-29T15:39:00.005-04:00

Many of you know that I met my husband through my cousin, Chris and her husband, Matt. Well, once a year the two of them (Andy and Matt) and several of their buddies get together and have what my cousin affectionately calls-- Man Day. This is the day that they have the draft for their fantasy football league and any other manly thing they can work in. This year they started the day with a round of golf.

Usually the women and children are left to fend for themselves on Man Day and this year Chris came up with an excellent alternative. Chris and Matt live in Summergrove so she and Alexander, her 3 year old invited me and Aiden to come swimming. To make it even more anti-Man Day we included our mothers and started the day at a consignment sale. The pool was very kid friendly and as always Aiden had a blast playing with Granma, Alexander and Aunt Pat. Thanks for a great day Chris!

Aiden loved the fountain!

Alexander, Aiden and Granma in the baby pool.

Chris and Aunt Pat relaxing by the baby pool.

Aiden was totally wiped out and fell asleep in the car before we were out of the neighborhood. In fact, he's still asleep!

Finshed Product

2009-08-29T15:13:00.007-04:00

Aiden's total backyard makeover is finally complete thanks mostly to Andy's hard work (and hard earned cash) with a little help from my parents and me. Here are some before and after pictures for your viewing enjoyment.

No more red mud! No more weeds!

Kyna's Wedding

2009-08-22T22:01:00.008-04:00

Our niece Kyna Willitts became Kyna Milner this afternoon in a lovely ceremony in Sharpsburg. Of course the wedding was followed by a traditional Zimmerman reception at the Elks in Union City which including plenty of children to keep us entertained, good food and wonderful music featuring Papaw's DJ skills. Aiden had a blast "dancing" with all his cousins and all the other kids. For a while they all just ran around the dance floor in a pack-- its amazing they didn't have a major wipe out or run somebody over, but for the most part everyone made it out unscathed. It's kind of dark in the lodge so some of the pictures came out kind of weird. Kyna looked beautiful and used my favorite color-- red! Kyna and Timmy, we wish you a long, happy marriage!

Aiden found the organ and had to press buttons.

Aiden and Drew-- they were matching in their blue Polo's.

Strike a pose!

Gracie, Mia, Drew and Aiden.
I know some of you care about the relationships so just ignore this part if you don't.
Aiden and Drew are first cousins and Gracie and Mia are first cousins. Gracie and Mia's mothers are Aiden and Drew's first cousins.

The pack is off and running...

This is Aiden and Kyna's daughter Hayley.

The pack is still going strong.

I know Aiden has a weird eye in this one that the red eye thing wouldn't fix, but I love the excited face.

Aiden dancing/running.

See, there's only one kid sprawled on the floor.

Aiden and Gracie. (I think he's asking her to dance.)

Me and the beautiful bride, Kyna

Kyna and Mike, her daddy.

Kyna and her sisters, Ashley and Amanda, dancing to a song I'm not hip enough to know the name of.

The wedding cake.

Tim was probably smart to change out of the white suit before the cake cutting.

I think she was pretty tame though....

Memaw and Aiden doing the chicken dance.

2009-08-18T21:18:00.004-04:00

I took Aiden to McDonald's today for lunch all prepared to cheat on my diet by eating whatever was left of his happy meal, but the darn youngin' ate all but 2 bites of his cheeseburger and half his fries! I guess he was trying to help me stay on the wagon. Of course the fact that his toy was a lego race car helped too. We went out to play on the playground and he was content just walking up the slide and sliding down for a while. Then he patted the spot next to him and said, "Momma, up, " so up I went and started crawling after him. Little did I know that there was a pond awaiting us from yesterday's rain storms. Right smack in the middle of the thing there it is-- about 3 feet wide and an inch and a half deep. Of course Aiden jumps right in the middle of it and starts splashing around. Thank God for the extra outfit I cart around with us everywhere we go.

Weekend Fun with Granma and Granpa

2009-08-11T17:27:00.008-04:00

This weekend the church I grew up in, Briarlake Baptist, celebrated its 50th anniversary. We went up for the concert and social Saturday and stayed with Mom and Dad so we could go back Sunday morning. It was wonderful to see people that I had known for so long, but hadn't seen in many years. Mom and Dad usually keep Aiden on Mondays so he spent the night with them Sunday night while Andy and I came back to Grantville. Sunday night they put a Wiggles DVD in an old laptop of Dad's and Aiden thought he had his own, personal TV. They went to the Yellow River Game Ranch Monday morning. I really wasn't sure how he would respond to all the animals walking up to him, but he loved it! Enjoy some of the pictures....

Aiden loves to "drive."

Don't worry, it doesn't have a battery....

Watching the Wiggles from the floor.

Singing, dancing, and clapping.

Watching from his chair.

Checking out the animals.

Feeding the deer.

One for you...

...one for me

but you can't have my juice!

Of course Aiden had his pointer finger out. Look at the size of that pig!

Feeding the donkey...

and the goats...

and the cows.

Petting the cows.

Brady's Welcoming Party

2009-07-30T21:32:00.006-04:00

In the middle of cousins weekend we made a quick road trip to Roswell to visit our friends Tom and Amanda Varnell so that we could meet their new baby, Brady. He is just precious-- check out all that hair! and we had a great lunch with the Varnells, the Grotes and the Warrens. Andy, Tom, Brian and Brent all went to UGA together and normally only see each other during football season so it was nice to get together away from Athens.

Aiden loves playing with older kids so he was thrilled to get to play with Jackson and Sara Hays Grote as well as Brian and Hannah's 2 kids. Sara Hays enjoyed playing with Aiden once Christy explained to her that he was Alexander's cousin.

Sara Hays and Aiden playing with the bubbles.

Doesn't this look like a children's clothing ad? Maybe if I submit it I can get some work for the little models....

The boys playing together outside.

Amanda introducing Brady to Aiden.

Aiden checking out Sara Hays's toy.

After she found out Aiden was Alexander's cousin she moved over and patted the seat for Aiden to sit next to her. Who knew Alexander Rice was such a hook-up?

The boys and their boys: Andy and Aiden, Tom and Brady, Brent and Jackson.
(Unfortunately we didn't think to take this until the Warren's had already left.)

Cousins Weekend at Lake Wedowee

2009-07-29T21:25:00.011-04:00

I was very fortunate as I was growing up to be part of a very close extended family. We ate dinner at my mother's parent's (Maw Maw and Ga Ga) house every Tuesday and Saturday night. Mom is the middle of 3 girls and each girl has 2 children so there are 6 cousins total- 4 girls (me, Chris, Jessie and Katherine) and 2 boys (Matt and Will). In addition to our weekly get togethers that consisted of excellent food, Family Feud and He-Haw we also went on the Saggus Family Vacation every summer to Jekyll Island. Those weeks meant riding the waves as the tide was coming in, playing putt-putt with Chris somehow making a 2 on every hole, watching the Cardens chase a kite down the beach and fireworks (because we always went for the 4th of July). We still try to make it to the beach together-- or as many of us as possible. Now, thanks to the generosity of the Rice family we are able to have a cousin's weekend at their lake house!

I'm sure you can understand how "the cousins" as we call ourselves grew up to be close. Now that we are older and 5 of us are married that means we have 5 "extra" cousins. At each wedding we had to take a cousin picture. There are 3 Matts so we call them all something different to tell them apart. My cousin, Matt Carden is Matty C. My brother-in-law Matt Downes is Lars because his first name is Lawrence and my cousin-in-law Matt Rice is, well, Matt Rice. All of us have unique relationships with each other. For example, I met my husband through Chris and Matt Rice. Matty C went with me when I moved to Sarasota and met his wonderful wife Aubrey there. Matty C, Katherine and I all got married within 6 months of each other in 2005 and we all turn to each other in times of crisis. Almost 3 years ago Will, the baby, was in a horrible car accident and there was a lot of cousin bonding in the waiting room at Grady. Thankfully Will has almost fully recovered, but was unable to join us for the weekend. We were also missing Katherine's husband Nathan Eisner. He's a Techie, but we love him anyway.

We had a great weekend with lots of water sports-- a pontoon boat, 2 ski boats, a jet ski, wake boarding, tubing and skiing, good food-- including lots of Luna bread (Lar's company), and of course lots of cousin bonding and laughing. It was a lot of fun to watch the 2 littlest cousins (Alexander and Aiden) play together. The next generation will be adding a new member in March when Chris and Matt's second baby is due to arrive. Aiden loves Alexander as you will see from the pictures! Unfortunately we forgot to take a group shot, but I think I got at least of one everybody.

Alexander sharing his train and Sesame Street legos with Aiden.

Aiden checking out the boat with Daddy.

A view of the house from the dock.

A view of the dock from the house.

A view of the house from the lake.

Aiden's first boat ride. Not too sure at first...

...getting more comfortable.

Swimming with Daddy.

Now he's really driving!

Jessie, Matt and Chris relaxing before dinner.

Matt and Jessie Downes and Matt and Chris Rice

Aiden checking out the kid sized table and chairs.

Alexander must have been saying something very interesting.

This kid loves to sit down and put his feet up.

The girl cousins: Jessie, Mandy, Chris and Katherine

Aiden playing with Alexander's train.

Lars, Chris and Aubrey preparing dinner Saturday night.

Daddy and Aiden with their shades on.

Katherine enjoying the Sunday morning boat ride.

Relaxing on the boat Sunday morning.

Alexander and Aiden letting their hair blow.

Aiden and Mommy checking out the waves at the front of the boat.

Chris told me this was a romantic shot....

My hot husband.

Aiden fell asleep on the way home.

Aubrey and Matt Carden getting sunscreened up on the dock.

Me and Aiden playing on the tube. Aiden has been really into waving since this trip. Alexander would stand on the deck of the house and wave to Aiden down on the dock and Aiden would wave and wave.

The Zimmerman family hanging out on the tube.

Aiden and Alexander laughing together.
Notice Aiden has the train and Alexander has Elmo. That was the way it was all weekend.

This section begins the action shots:

Aiden driving the pontoon boat.

Matt Rice on the jet ski.

Lars after wakeboarding.

Jessie getting ready to ski.

Andy getting ready to tube.

Lars driving the jet ski.

Me skiing for the first time in a hundred years.

Matty C and Matt Rice tubing.

Katherine, Chris and Aubrey tubing.

Odds and Ends From the Last Couple of Weeks

2009-07-20T22:24:00.007-04:00

Aiden has been going to camp for the last 2 weeks on Tuesday and Thursday at First Baptist Newnan. His teachers are a mother and daughter that go to the same church we go to in LaGrange (and are in our Sunday School class) so that is very neat. Their daughter/granddaughter is a few weeks older than Aiden and always hollers out "Aiden" when he gets to camp or to the nursery at church. He isn't saying Annabelle yet, but he has Spongebob down! Unfortunately having just turned 19 months, separation anxiety has hit its peek and it is very difficult to peel an almost 33 pound, 3 foot tall kid off of you when he REALLY doesn't want you to leave. I know he loves playing with the other kids though so I suck it up and run for the door. They have been doing a different color each week. Tomorrow starts blue week so he'll have plenty to choose from to wear. Next week is orange week though and it will be hard to find any orange to wear in our house.

New firetruck shirt.

New under the sea shirt to go with his Bailey Boys boxer shorts.

Aiden fed himself an entire thing of spaghettios with his spoon. He is getting better about not turning it upside down. As you can see we still have a little fine tuning to do before we can eat something like that clothed....

He does like to help clean up his mess though.

He loves to make his little dog sing. He is starting to get the hand movements to "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes", but right now all he does is eyes and ears.

This is his new "gameday" shirt that Granma and Aunt Jessie found on sale.
He wore it for red week of course.

Taking a break from block building with Dada to say cheese.

Aiden and I went to Goodwill Friday and found this football field/ball pit.
(Don't worry it lives in the bonus room!)

He had to help blow it up of course.
He had his first McDonalds cheeseburger that day too and loved it.

Granma found him this cute little shirt. The pocket says, "I'm the Boss."

Aiden found his birthday hat tonight and decided it would be fun to wear it after he got out of the tub. He didn't take it off until it was time to go to bed.

Deck Before and After

2009-07-09T00:09:00.002-04:00

Before

After

Deck Expansion Project

2009-07-07T23:29:00.008-04:00

Ever since we bought our house, Andy and I have lamented that fact that the deck was so small and didn't have stairs. Every time we had to take Boss out we had to go through the basement. For the past several months we have been talking about finally adding stairs and the possibility of adding a few extra feet while we were at it. After a bazillion quotes we finally settled on a local company and they were able to finish last Friday just in time for my birthday and the 4th weekend. Andy also had the wonderful idea of having a concrete slab poured under the deck to give us a nice shaded place to sit and watch Aiden play. The Price Brothers did a fabulous job and even built a gate to keep Aiden from flying down the stairs. I have pictures of the old deck somewhere. As soon as I find them I will post the before and after shot.

Next project-- sodding the backyard and finishing the landscaping.

It doesn't look like a lot of extra room, but it makes a huge difference!

Aiden's new gate.
We already had to add an extra latch to it because he figured that one out the first day.

We also had them add a little alcove for the grill.

Nice and shady under the deck!

The slab at the end of the stairs connects to the new slab.

Enjoying the view.

Kicked back and relaxed in his new chair.

Fourth of July

2009-07-07T23:14:00.007-04:00

Every 4th of July the city of Moreland holds a barbecue. For those of you not from around here, Moreland is the town just north of Grantville and home to Lewis Grizzard. If you don't know who Lewis Grizzard is you are definitely not from around here. This was our second year in attendance. Aiden slept through most of it last year, but he was able to enjoy it more this year. We stood in line to get our $8 plate of BBQ and stew and then walked around to check out all the vendors. Aiden really enjoyed the little train ride and playing on the playground. He enjoyed his BBQ too.

We weren't sure what he would think of the fireworks noise so we stayed home and watched our neighbors shoot some off from our new deck (more on that later), but they didn't bother him so I guess we'll take him to see some big fireworks next year.

Getting ready to go in his cute and patriotic Bailey Boys outfit.

Aiden and Daddy waiting in line.

Aiden made a beeline to an 18 month old girl as soon as he got down.
Although, I think he was more interested in her wagon than her.

Checking out the craftsmanship on some rockers.

Aiden and Mommy riding the train.

The little train made a loop through "downtown" Moreland.

Aiden and Daddy playing on the frog.

Gracie's First Birthday

2009-07-04T23:23:00.001-04:00

Last weekend we celebrated Gracie Hayes's first birthday. Gracie's mom, Holly, is Aiden's first cousin. Aiden, Drew and Gracie all stay with Memaw and Papaw on various days and are there together in different combinations so they are all big buddies and were glad to see each other at the monkey themed party. There were lots of other cousins to play with as well. Here are a few highlights.

Happy Birthday Gracie!

Aiden getting ready for the party.

Aiden, Papaw and Mia (Gracie's cousin)

Gracie's cute monkey cake

Meghan, Ethan (around 5-6 months), Andy

Gracie and Memaw

Gracie, Memaw, Aiden and Papaw.
Gracie wanted to see Aiden as soon as he got there.

This was the perfect sized bouncy thing for the little ones.

Surprise, Aiden goes straight for the balls!

Aiden and Mommy eating fruit, cheese and crackers.

Gracie getting ready to dig into her cake.

Gracie and Holly opening presents.

Who needs a big pool to have fun?

2009-06-30T22:22:00.003-04:00

Papaw was kind enough to send me these pictures to share. This is Gracie (1 year--first birthday party post coming soon), Drew (16 months) andAiden at Memaw and Papaw's house for fun in the sun/shade...and a nap! I have to brag on my mother-in-law a minute. Is she a miracle worker or what? How did she get all 3 of them to fall asleep at the same time??? They love their cousin-time!

Zimmerman Family Reunion

2009-06-17T22:31:00.006-04:00

Last Saturday we took a day trip to Camden, South Carolina, home of Uncle Sonny and Aunt Tish, for a Zimmerman family reunion. They were kind enough to open up their lovely home and pool to a bunch of crazy relatives. We had a wonderful time. We were a little nervous crossing into South Carolina because of last year's fiasco, but we made it all the way there and home without a problem. (Last year when we left St. Simons we were supposed to be driving to Ohio for Andy's cousin's wedding and to see the other side of his family. However, the water pump in the truck only made it to Orangeburg, SC.)

The gathering Saturday included most of Papaw's siblings and a few of their kids and grandkids. I will try to at least say who everyone belongs to in the group picture. I'm trying to do better at learning all of Andy's cousins and their spouses and children, but I still get a little mixed up at times. Chrissy and her family had been in Myrtle Beach the week prior so they came on over on the way home so Aiden had Drew to play with. As the day grew to a close Aiden and Drew held court in the screened-in porch playing ball and chasing each other around.

Ok, here goes... on the steps L to R is Andy, Aiden and me, Andy's cousin Vicky and her husband David, their 2 kids and Vicky's sister, Jenny's 2 kids. Vicky and Jenny are 2 of Aunt Teresa and Uncle Jim's kids. In the back are Sonny and Tish's daughters Gretchen, with her husband Greg and Lauren with her boyfriend, Vicky with her boyfriend, Aunt Tish hiding behind Memaw, Uncle Jim and Aunt Teresa, Aunt Denise and Uncle Billy, Aunt Amy, Uncle Rich and their daughter Renee, Sonny and Tish's daughter Kristen, Papaw, Uncle Sonny, Andy's sister Chrissy and her husband David and their kids Drew, Zack, Donovan and Jeremy. Sorry to the ones whose names I forgot or misspelled! The ones in blue are Papaw's siblings.

Aiden and Memaw in the pool.

Aiden swimming with Memaw.

Papaw brought his keyboard to provide the "live entertainment."
Aiden loves to play with Papaw, so they had to perform a couple of duets.

Memaw and her youngest grandboys: Aiden and Drew.

Aiden and Drew playing in the water with Chrissy and Memaw.

Chrissy and Drew

Aiden entertained everyone by putting on Andy's size 13s and walking around the screened-in porch in them. He's gotten to where he likes having everyone watching him.

Show Me Your Muscles

2009-06-16T22:11:00.002-04:00

Andy and Aiden have a new trick. I haven't said much about it on the blog, but Andy and I have been on Weight Watchers and working out since the first of the year. Andy has acquired quite a gym that now takes up 2 rooms in the basement, mostly from Craig's List. Andy has lost over 50 pounds and I've lost a little over 40 pounds. All this was trying to get us in shape for the newest weight loss/fitness extravaganza-- P90X. It is a really intense 90 day diet and exercise program that promises to get you in the best shape of your life. Today was day 2 and we are feeling it already!

I say all that to explain part of the reason Aiden has a new trick. Occasionally Andy will flex in the mirror to check his muscle building progress and Aiden has apparently been watching. Now whenever Andy says, "show me your muscles" Aiden will flex. He's working on the mean face and grunt that goes with it. A few mornings ago it took us quite a while to get through breakfast because Aiden had to stop every few bites to flex for me. I'll try to get a better pose for you, but this was my first effort at capturing it.

Evolution of a Kiss

2009-06-10T22:45:00.002-04:00

I just had to jot this down really quick because I think it is so sweet. A couple months ago I started asking Aiden to give Mommy a sugar (that means kiss for all my Yankee readers). Well, he caught on really quickly. Then I started asking him to give other people a sugar. For instance, "Aiden, give Daddy a sugar." But he would always turn around and give me a sugar instead (which I secretly loved!). After a week or 2 though he got to where he would give his daddy and both sets of grandparents sugar. Last week at the beach he gave his Aunt Jessie and his Aunt Pat sugar when asked. Over the weekend he started freely giving me sugar without prompting, especially at bedtime.

Today he stayed with Memaw as is our normal Wednesday arrangement, but instead of having Drew to play with Aiden had his cousin Gracie who will turn one on the 26th. When I came to pick Aiden up Memaw noted that Aiden had been very loving-- running up and hugging her and kissing her. When we were ready to go I told him to give Memaw bye-bye sugar, then I asked if he wanted to give Gracie bye-bye sugar. Well, let me tell you...after he leaned in and gave her the first one she couldn't get enough. Gracie would lean back towards Aiden and Aiden would kiss her again. They must have kissed about 5 times. It was very sweet and very cute and of course there I stood without my camera. We'll see how it goes tomorrow. Maybe I can sneak a shot of them. I know Papaw got some of them playing together so I will post them when he sends them to me.

Tonight when Aiden gave Daddy his night-night sugar Andy noted that he was even puckering up now. He is a very sweet little boy indeed!

Vacation Pictures

2009-06-09T22:23:00.010-04:00

I apologize for the delay with this posting. I took over 350 pictures at St. Simons last week so I have been dreading the process of going through them and narrowing them down for the blog. I was also trying to get some printed out before I saw patients on Monday because I had promised to bring pictures when I came back from vacation. That process was a little more difficult than it should have been, but that's a story for another time. As I said in my last post, we had a fabulous time! The weather was great and Aiden loved every aspect of being at the beach. We played in the pool or at the beach during the day, went out to dinner every night, then played on the beach after dinner with bubbles and kites. Aiden thoroughly enjoyed having Alexander there to play with too. Hopefully I will have some video of them laughing and playing together uploaded soon. We had two 3 bedroom condos at the Beach Club this year. Mom, Dad, Andy, Aiden, me, my sister Jessie and her husband Matt were in one and Uncle Bob, Aunt Pat, my cousin Katherine, my cousin Chris and her husband Matt and her son Alexander were in the other. We were able to eat dinner with Memaw and Papaw (Andy's parents) Thursday night because they had just arrived on Jekyll for a weekend Elks convention so that was a nice surprise for Aiden. Aiden learned to say plane during the week because there were so many taking off and landing over the beach from that little airport and he had to point them all out. He also enjoyed seeing the Coast Guard helicopter.

Playing kick ball on the beach.

Aiden playing in the baby pool.

Aiden and Granpa in the big pool with a beach ball to throw.

Aiden and Granma (yes, he's calling her Granma now, actually its "my granma") ready for dinner.

Playing in the sand, waiting for the tide to come in.

This is most of the gang: front row: Jessie, Matt, Andy.
Second row: Katherine, Matt, Chris, Dad.

See, there is a picture of me....

My hunk of a husband, Granpa, and Aiden

Aiden and Alexander playing with Alexander's legos.

Aiden sitting in a live oak tree.

Alexander, Granma/Aunt Kay, Aiden, Granpa/Uncle Mike

Aiden and Alexander watering the ocean.
50+ sunscreen really works, because my lilly-white child didn't even get pink! He actually has a little tan.

Aiden playing with a seagull feather much to Chris's dismay.

Aiden and Aunt Jessie reading a book.

Flying a kite and blowing bubbles with Granma, Granpa, and Daddy.

"Me do it" blowing bubbles or spilling bubble blow all over Granma and Granpa-- same thing.

Playing in the sand.

Trying to figure out how he got sand on his leg.

Helping Aunt Jessie build a sand castle.

He actually got in the 50+ UPF pack-n-play-- once.

Flying the $1 Spiderman kite.

More bubble blowing. Notice Granma wised up and brought a towel this time.

Not sure about the baseball hat.

Helping Granma with the castle.

"Borrowing" Alexander's chair to let the incoming tide splash his feet.

Update from St. Simons

2009-05-31T22:16:00.004-04:00

We are having a great time at the beach. We've been blessed with perfect weather and Aiden is having a blast playing with Alexander. Every time he sees Alexander he starts laughing and squealing. They have been playing chase on the beach and baseball in the condos. Aiden loves the water as you can see. I'll have to upload the ocean pictures later, but he even liked going out in the ocean with Daddy and Granpa. We weren't sure he would like the sand because he is not a big fan of getting his hands dirty, but he got pretty good with the shovel this afternoon (after his 3.5 hour nap!). I'll post more later, but I just wanted to give you a little preview.

Playing Baseball

2009-05-24T13:25:00.004-04:00

Aiden has been busy playing baseball this weekend. We've always been impressed with his throwing ability (which isn't as evident on this video-- he throws better right handed), but I've never heard of a 17 month old being able to hit a thrown ball. We started off pitching him a bigger, rubber ball, but it only took 2 days for him to start hitting the wiffle ball. I know I'm showing off, but as April Houston says-- my kid, my blog, I'll brag if I want to! I think my sister might be right-- Aiden might be a power hitting first baseman. He is definitely coordinated. Here is another video of him taking some practice swings. It was hard to get him to concentrate on hitting when I had the camera out, but you can see he has his practice swing down and a pretty good natural stance. He uses a cross hand grip, but so did Hank Aaron for a while so I think that's ok.

Mother's Day

2009-05-16T22:39:00.002-04:00

This is Memaw's Mother's Day present. She wanted to be able to take Aiden and Drew for a ride together when she keeps them both. I think it was a hit with the boys too!

Aiden and Daddy dressed alike for me in their blue seer-sucker shirts.
Aren't they cute?

Pirates and Princesses Party

2009-05-09T22:41:00.005-04:00

Today was the 3rd birthday party for Alexander Rice and Sara Hays Grote. Alexander is my cousin, Chris's son and Sara Hays is the daughter of Christy and Brent Grote. Brent was Andy's best man. Their birthdays are only a day or 2 apart so they always celebrate with a big bash together. This year was a pirate and princess theme complete with a blow-up, bouncy pirate ship and dressed-up, story-telling princess. Another friend of the boys, Ben Sewell, made the bar-be-que for lunch and Chris made the pirate hat shaped cake for Alexander. Aiden had a great time playing with all the other kids. Fortunately he is about their size so he could almost keep up (once we were able to detach him from his father, of course). There were lots of family and friends in attendance so it fun to see everyone and catch up. We can't wait until next year to see what Chris and Christy think up to top this one! Good luck girls!

Aiden and Daddy getting in the pirate spirit.

Daddy, Aiden (playing with his earring), Matt Rice, Brent Grote

Alexander makes a mean pirate!

There's that earring!

Aiden in outfit #2.
(He accidentally peed on Daddy. I guess it is time for size 6 diapers.)

Aunt Pat (Alexander's Granny), Aiden, Daddy and Chris

The birthday duo bouncing away.
Sara Hays still had on her princess outfit at this point.

Aiden loved the playhouse.

Aiden and Alexander (I think he was looking at the goats.)

Aiden in the bouncy pirate ship.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2009-05-04T22:30:00.006-04:00

Andy and I celebrated our 4th anniversary on Thursday with a baby-free evening thanks to Granma (now Nana, but more on that in a minute) and Granpa. We had a lovely time going out to eat and buying Andy new clothes that won't fall off (after his 40+ pound weight loss!) and enjoyed just being together. Friday we drove up to Athens to meet the rest of the family and attend the baseball games Friday and Saturday. I won't be discussing the baseball games except to say that Georgia scored at least 6 runs every game and still managed to lose.

Granma's name has been changed to Nana since Aiden called her that all weekend. I'm sure most of you grandparents would agree that you'll answer to just about anything that your grand baby directs at you. All in all we had a fun weekend, but Aiden was worn slap out. He fell asleep on Granpa towards the end of the game Saturday and then slept the whole 2 hours home. He hardly even stirred when we picked up Boss from doggy daycare. Don't get me started, that's a whole other post, but for anyone looking for a place to leave your dogs (or cats) during football games I highly recommend Pawtropolis. They are awesome! (www.pawtropolis.com)

Aiden looking like a little man before school Thursday.

Sometimes you have to read a book before you head off to school.

Nana, Granpa, and Aiden before the game Friday night.

Checking out the grounds crew getting the field ready.

"Is this game ever going to start?"

I think he was watching the hawks that live on the light posts in left field.

Aiden got an important call before the game Saturday.

Aiden with Mommy and Daddy Saturday.

Aiden and Mommy (I think he's texting this time.)

Aiden with Hairy Dawg.

He wasn't too sure about Hairy and wanted to keep an eye on him.

Watching more baseball after we got home Saturday night.

Trying to fit his hat on Daddy.

Haylee's Birthday Party

2009-04-28T23:36:00.005-04:00

Saturday afternoon was Aiden's second cousin Haylee's birthday party. Haylee was celebrating her second birthday. It was at one of the parks in Newnan and it was a beautiful day for it. Here are a few pictures from the party. I was trying to take pictures while also helping Andy keep Aiden from running away or falling off a piece of playground equipment so they are not my best effort. But Aiden had a great time and tried to join 3 other families after checking out the food on their tables. He was too busy to stop and eat much pizza, but he did run around with a piece of crust. Its really hard to get him to be still and eat at something like that-- even when it is food he really likes.

Aiden watching Mia, 6, walking the balance beam.

Aiden and the birthday girl.

Aiden and Mia playing in the water fountain.

Haylee and her grandma (Andy's sister Linda) about to blow out the candles.

Another second cousin, Ethan, around 3 months.

Diss and Dat

2009-04-28T23:03:00.007-04:00

As you would expect Aiden is saying more and more words and phrases. He is so funny with his gestures and head tilts. Once you figure out what he's saying it can really crack you up. He's really good at copying the inflection that you put on words or phrases. His latest words are "diss" for "this" and "dat" for "that". In the last couple of days he has started bending his elbows and putting his palms up and saying, "where go?" Sometimes he'll answer himself with "I don't know." He also squats down to look under things, especially lamp shades. He wants to see the light bulb for some reason. He has also really gotten into baseball lately. All you have to do is turn it on TV and when he hears something distinctly baseball he will stop what he is doing to start screaming and clapping. He will then run into the living room to stand in front of the TV and pump his fist into the air and shout "go!"

Another new skill he is working on his feeding himself. He still needs a little help stabbing the food with the fork, but he can get it to his mouth with no problem. We've been practicing with watermelon and cantaloupe. He has also recently mastered the straw and loves his new sippy cup with a straw. I like it to because you can flip that thing down and the straw stays clean when he throws it.

We got this t-shirt on our last trip to Athens. It says, "Hold on Dawgs...I'm Coming!"
I'm glad I got the 3T!

He usually won't wear his hat in the house, but wanted it on for some reason that morning.

The new straw sippy cup.

and very proud he is.

He also likes his new short pjs (also a 3T...maybe they'll last all summer).

Talking to the morning cartoons.

He has been very busy landscaping.

This is Boss chasing a bumble bee if you can see it. Aiden thinks it is hysterical when Boss jumps and snaps at it. The stupid bee baits the dog too every time we go out. Andy enjoys the irony of us being UGA fans and having our bulldog chase a bee and the baby think its funny.

Cutting the grass.

He had to throw his cup down to clap for baseball.

The aforementioned self-feeding.

This is a cute little outfit I got at a consignment sale. Apparently I should have been looking less at the 2Ts and more at the 3Ts. Oh well, I guess when you only pay $5 for an entire outfit its ok if they only wear it once.

Reading a book with Da-dee before church.

Posing for the camera.

We had to get new shoes today.

Long suffering bulldog

2009-04-21T23:44:00.006-04:00

You know how you know something, but it doesn't really become a reality to you until much later? Well, I've always known that babies are mimics, but it didn't really become a reality for me until a week or 2 ago when Aiden started referring to himself as "Baby." I didn't realize how much I call him "baby, " but now especially when he is upset he tells you all about baby. It is pretty funny actually. When I got home from work yesterday Mom wanted to know which one of us (Andy or me) call the dog by patting our leg. Well, I call all the animals that way. Apparently Aiden had been patting his leg whenever Mom or Dad called Boss.

Aiden's other new thing is cutting the grass with his toy lawnmower, which he is really good at doing. Well, today when he was ready to come inside we opened the door to the basement and Boss was still laying in the yard so Aiden turned around patted his leg, raised his voice to a higher pitch (to simulate my "animal voice"-- you know you have a cat or dog voice) and said "come on Boss." It wasn't really intelligible, but I knew that was what he was saying because I've said it a million times. It was really funny. I didn't say anything to Boss. At first Boss just kind of laid there, but then Aiden said it again and Boss got up and came trotting into the house. They are quite a pair. I'm not sure how Boss feels about the wrestling though. I think in the picture above he was trying to hide. When you scroll down you'll understand why.

Here are some other pictures from the last week:

Reading in the big chair.

Getting ready for church Sunday. This was his alternative Easter outfit and he knows he looks good.

These are from this morning. You can see Boss's expression as the wrestling continues-- "maybe if I just lay still he'll leave me alone sooner." Sorry Boss, but Aiden loves you!

Aiden and Alexander Laughing

2009-04-13T21:27:00.002-04:00

Easter

2009-04-13T00:01:00.005-04:00

Aiden had a good Easter. He was a little tired from all the excitement of the week so I had to go get him from the nursery towards the end of church. When I brought him back into the sanctuary they were singing an upbeat song and he immediately started clapping and smiling at all the ladies around us. Granma and Granpa gave him an Easter basket with refrigerator magnets in it and he loved them. One of my patients daughters gave me bubble blow in a duck-shaped container for him and he loved that too. All his eggs had fruit loops in them so he ate his breakfast as he opened eggs. Please excuse the mismatched dinosaur pjs in the pictures. His Easter outfit was picked out by Nanny and Granma.

Checking out the Easter basket.

Wearing his bubbles.

Mmmm, fruit loops

Granma's basket

Checking out the magnets

Destroying the magnets

G-Day Game

2009-04-12T23:08:00.007-04:00

Saturday, April 11th was a monumental day. It was Aiden's first trip into Sanford Stadium. We were blessed with nice weather for the annual spring scrimmage game between the red and black. As soon as Aiden, Andy, Granpa and I walked into the stadium Aiden started screaming and clapping. We walked in the end zone where the Olympic torch and the tombs of the Ugas are so Aiden got to pat the statue of Uga. (For those of you unfamiliar with Georgia football, UGA is the only Division I or whatever they call it now school that buries its mascots within the confines of the stadium. Hey, I try to make the blog as educational as possible.) We walked around the track so Aiden could see the players running on to the field and touch the hedges and check out Hairy Dawg. Aiden isn't much for sitting still so he wanted to be climbing the stairs and running up and down the aisles. That can be a little dangerous with so much concrete and metal around, but all major catastrophes were averted and it was a great day. Aiden loved the band and clapped and danced along with them. Another highlight of the day was playing with Alexander. They ran, laughed and played all day. Aiden even made it on TV his first trip to a ball game. ESPN aired the game and you can see Aiden in a replay shot of the interception in the 3rd quarter if you look really close at the corner of the end zone....

Aiden and Granpa at the condo.

Aiden petting the statue of Uga.

Andy, Aiden and Granpa watching the teams warm up.

Checking out the crowd.

Alexander and Matt Rice watching the game.

Aiden liked the club level. Too bad we'll never be able to afford it....

Does that look like a squirmy child or what? So much for the family photo.

He did snuggle up for a minute-- must have been hungry.

Sitting on the step was his favorite spot. He's sitting with Granma and Aunt Pat. Aunt Jessie, Chris and Uncle Bob were also sitting down there in the sunshine.

Aiden and Alexander watching the game together.

Checking out Hairy Dawg at halftime.

Aiden and Daddy

Inspecting the hallowed hedges.

The Karinen Family Comes to Visit

2009-04-12T22:41:00.006-04:00

Wow, it has been a busy week! I'm sorry for the absence, but I have lots of things to post about tonight. Last week was spring break in this area so there were a lot of therapists on vacation and I decided to make a little extra money by helping out so I worked 5 days last week. Let me just say I had forgotten how hard that was after working 3 days a week for the past 13 months. Well, that wasn't the only thing going on last week. Andy's sister Roxanne and her family were visiting from Michigan, we kept the nursery at church for the Easter play Thursday and Friday nights, the G-Day game was Saturday, and of course today we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Tuesday Memaw was kind enough to keep Aiden for me so I could see patients in Meriwether County even though Roxanne and her family had just arrived from Michigan. Aiden had an absolute blast with his northern cousins. He especially enjoyed CJ, Rocky and Craig's youngest. CJ is 7 and Aiden took an instant liking to him. What you have to understand about Aiden is that he enjoys watching people and being around people, but normally he doesn't like people he doesn't know REALLY well touching him. As you can see from this picture that was not the case with CJ. He let CJ tote him around and was tackling him and wrestling with him. Aiden also enjoyed CJ's older sisters-- Morgan and Tayler. I have to apologize to Morgan because I thought I had gotten a picture of her, but after I got home and looked at them I realized I hadn't. The Karinen's also brought their 2 dogs and after Aiden got used to them and realized they were friendly he treated them like his own pets (sorry Tyson and Zoe!) Wednesday night we had a birthday party for Morgan and CJ and here are a few pictures from the party.

CJ brought some old Legos for the little kids to play with at Memaw's.

Aiden and Tyson (a boxer)

Aiden and Zoe (a bichon)

CJ giving Aiden a ride

Aiden, Memaw and Gracie (9 months)

Aiden looking at a picture Aunt Lisa took of him.

Aiden and Daddy looking for golf balls by the fairway.

Cousin picture: Kyna (holding Abigail), Tayler, and Holly

Aunt Rocky holding Abigail (2 1/2 months)

Playdate with Drew

2009-03-31T22:06:00.006-04:00

At work we normally have our weekly team conference on Wednesdays, but it was moved to Tuesday this week. Memaw was kind enough to let me bring Aiden over to play with her and Drew so that I could attend. They had a great time playing and Logan even got to come over and play too. Logan's new baby brother Ethan was taking his nap while I was taking pictures. Sorry Ethan, I'll have to get you next time. Aiden and Drew are first cousins and are 2 months apart. Drew's mom is Andy's sister Chrissy. Logan is the 3 year old son of Aiden and Drew's first cousin Meaghan whose mom is Andy's sister Lora. I always get requests to explain who everyone is so I'm trying to do better. The Zimmerman family can be confusing so I'll do the best I can. Aunt Leslie (yes, another one of Andy's sisters-- he only has 6) came over to see the boys too. I don't know why part of this is underlined and a different color, but I can't seem to undo it without typing all of that over again so I guess I'll just have to deal with it. Sorry....

Checking each other out.

Playing ball

Sharing nicely... most of the time
I can't believe Aiden is almost a head taller than Drew!

Finding each other's belly button.

Playing music and dancing on the blow-up mattress.

Happy face

Another happy face

Logan, Aiden and Drew. They all love that stupid chicken.
It sings and dances to the chicken dance.