Oh Boy...

Maybe we won't need to plan an arrange marriage between these two...good thing Father Jim wasn't watching.

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a fun, long weekend at the beach. Lots of friends and gathering. We went there Thursday night and stayed until Sunday evening. We all had to "work" on Friday, but we also was able to enjoy the beach during sunset. We made Aden walk from the Pelican all the way home, which is probably atleast a 1/2 mile or so. I was so impressed, it wasn't an easy walk for a toddler. He didn't ask to be carried, even when he had to scale a small dune to get to our house. I'm glad that he loves walking on the beach as much as we do!

Saturday was the best day out of the entire weekend. We all hung out for most of the day and enjoyed the hammock. The boys did get their jetski ride in and then we had everyone at our house for a dinner/birthday party for our friend, Nancy T. We even did a little bonfire at our side yard and roasted marshmallows.

On Sunday, Jenn, LeeAnn & I went to LC for a little shopping. We promised the boys we will be back in a couple of hours, 4 hours later, we were still shopping. It was a bummer that it ate a lot of our day instead of being at the beach, but it was fun to get some alone time with the gals. The rest of the weekend seemed to fly by after that. I'm glad that we got to spend a lot of time with our friends and hopefully we'll get to do this more often during the summer!

Aden having fun with the girls, Alicia & Sydney. They are such awesome kids, it's the first time I ever thought that having more than one child is not bad at all..

I guess we're buying a 50 soon

When I was still pregnant with Aden, Darin was already planning on buying a little motorcycle for Aden (and him) to play with. We procrastinated, but after riding Bodie's motorcycle this weekend and seeing the smile on Aden's face, I think I was overruled. Both Aden & Darin were having such a great time about being on the bike, it was hard not to give in. Aden was whooping and giddy, it was so cute! Maybe I can talk him into riding a quad instead...

Idaho

We went on a quick trip to Idaho over the weekend for a friend's wedding. We left Friday night and came back late Sunday. We flew there so it was such a treat for Aden. He loved watching the airplanes and was so great flying...he did not make a peep, even though his ears bothered him a bit. I was afraid that the trip to Idaho will make him start saying that all airplanes go to Idaho (instead of Fiji), but when we were reading his airplane book in the plane, he still said that the airplanes go to Fiji. I was glad for that!

The funnest part of the trip is hanging out with our good friends Kimberly & Bodie and the tater tots. Annelise & Bodie are the cutest twins and they are such good kiddos. They were troopers with getting packed around everywhere we went, it's awesome that their mommy is so great about not letting the kids stop her from doing anything! Thank you guys so much for the hospitality, we had such a great time hanging with you and just talking! Can't wait to see you all again soon!

Ocean dip?

The boy just loves the water, so much that he willingly wades in the freezing ocean water. We let him play in the little tide pool while walking on the beach. Darin had the great idea of taking his jacket off, just in case. Sure enough, 10 minutes later, Aden did a face plant into the water. He was drenched, but didn't want to leave the beach. So we just stripped him down, put on the jacket and had him play for a while until it was time for lunch. Crazy guy.

Testing the freezing water...

This shot was taken a few seconds before he fell into the water!

Mother's Day weekend at the beach

For Mother's Day weekend, I chose to spend a long weekend at the beach. It's the place we, as a family, love so much. Aden was just ecstatic to be there and be able to play at the beach and do the things he loves to do. Friday was just gorgeous, a preview of what our summer could be. Although Saturday was rainy and cold at times, we still enjoyed the day with a long stroll through the neighborhood and of course the big dune climb. Aden did climb the dune on his own, and enjoyed the slide down it. Sunday was also a beautiful day, although it did make me sad that we had to pack up and leave. Oh well, there's always next time...

I love this shot, it shows how much Aden has grown and how much he enjoys our walks on the beach.

Jumpin'

We "had to" setup our trampoline for Darin's party and it was just a hit with the kids. Lucky for Aden, since he's going through this jumping stage.

Darin's how old???

It seems like yesterday when I threw Darin a surprise party for his 22nd birthday. Now, 9 years later, I threw him a totally differnt party. Although there were still some libations involved, the party needed some G-rated entertainment due to the kids present at the party. It's amazing to look back and see how much we all have changed. It was fun to see all our kids having a good time and playing together, but my favorite part of the night was showing Darin the slideshow of pics I put together of him over the last 10 years we've been together. He loved that so much and appreciated it, it was definitely the best present I could've ever given him. Memories are just so precious!

Swingin...

Darin made Aden a pretty cool swing and finally tested the branch that I begged him not to cut off since it's a great branch for a swing. Aden was so excited and tried it out. Since Darin made a "loveseat" swing, Gizmo had to test it out too. Ofcourse it's a kick for Aden to be on the swing with his favorite dog...he liked that so much that he didn't like it when I tried to get on the swing with him. He asked me to get off the swing and put Giz back on.

Aden's Favorite Aunt

My sister just sent me some of the pictures she took of her & Aden while she was home for spring break, they were too cute, I had to share them. Aden & I miss her a lot while she's off being a college girl, we can't wait to see her more often in the summer. We got so spoiled last summer when we got to see her a few times a week! It's great to see her with Aden and knowing how much her little nephew adores her.

Bike Ride

After Darin got off work on Friday, we took advantage of the great weather and went downtown for a bike ride. We've been trying to do this for a few months now, but hasn't been able to fit it in. I just love riding the bike along the waterfront. We went from the Steel Bridge to the Eastside Esplanade and then crossed the Hawthorne Bridge and went all around the waterfront area. It was nice to be out and enjoy the sunny day. I am so looking forward to many more bike rides, I miss riding my bike especially since I used to ride my bike home after work! Aden just loved it and every time we stopped, he'll say "more bike ride". I think Gizmo enjoyed his ride too. It was fun for me to see people's reaction whenever we pass them and they see Gizmo behind Darin. He definitely got more attention than Aden!

Tulip Festival

Aden & I decided to check out the Tulip Festival in Woodburn on Friday, along with my friend Jerrianna, her cute as a pie youngest daughter, Abbigail and Aden's pal, Tristan. We thought since it's during the work week, it wouldn't be crowded. Well, we were wrong...there were a lot of people there, especially due to the nice weather. It was great to see the kids walk around the tulip fields and I was amazed at how great they cooperated with us and walked for 2 hours! It was definitely a great trip and an awesome way to spend the day.

The neglected first child...

Gizmo's life has changed since we've had Aden...he's had to share our attention and affection. Plus he had to learn to love this creature that started out smaller than him, and now, able to step on him and bug the heck out of him. Gizmo has been such a trooper and a very patient dog to a very active toddler. Last Thursday, we took advantage of the great weather and took the boat out for a little leisurely ride downtown. I think Gizmo enjoyed the scenery as much as we did!

Here's looking at you, Dave...

Being a Dave fan, I've ordered their DMB calendar every year. A few months ago, I saw Aden standing in front of my plant. At first, I thought he's getting into trouble by touching it and maybe ripping the leaves off. Then I realized that he's just standing there, looking up at the calendar. Now, every month, I see him looking at the calendar, checking out each band member's picture. Then, he'll say hi to the picture and it's funny that every month that I flip the page over, he notices it and will check out the new month's picture. That's when I knew that I've "corrupted" my child into liking the band that I adore so much. I was finally able to take a picture of him doing this, and it just cracks me up every time he does it.

Money Pit

We found out last month that we have to drill a well. Long story short, we decided that last week would be a good time to get it done since we had good weather. It's one of those things that I was totally unprepared for, being out here in the "country". It is cool to see how they do it, how amazing it is to look out our kitchen window and see this huge truck out in our yard. What is not cool is how much it is costing us. Oh how I wish I can fast forward and just be looking back to this stage of our life. Can't wait to get rid of this money pit!

Aden & I usually eat lunch out on the back deck whenever we have good weather. He really wanted to be out there to watch them drill, so I made a deal with him that he can eat lunch outside as long as he wears his headphone. It was just so loud out there, my ears were ringing! So, after he ate his sandwich, he told me that it was too loud out there and wanted to go back inside. I think he mostly didn't want to wear the headphone!

Party with the fun chicks

We went to Papa's Pizza Parlor last week for Aden's favorite gal pal's (Jade) birthday. He had a fun time running around with his friends. He was quite timid at first, but thanks to the Mobley kids, he followed them around and was having a great time going through the tunnels and slides. Special thanks to Evan for being a great "big brother" and coaxing Aden to go through tunnels with him!

Update

I've been quiet lately, not due to lack of blogging material, but mostly due to our hectic life. We've had a crazy month, lots of commitments and work, that I haven't been able to find the time to blog. It's just amazing how fast days go by and I can't do all the things that I want/need to do. I'm sure everyone feels that way too, or maybe I'm just not good with time management. Anyway, here's some of my favorite shots from the past month...

St. Patrick's Day at the Roadhouse

Aden with Ms. Jade

And here's the beach shots: