What a fantastic summer it has been. As September is coming to an end, it's hard to believe how fast time is flying by! I feel like I say that in every blog post, but it really does feel like it... sometimes I wish life had a 'pause' button.
Lots of updates!
One of Aiden's favorite books is The Very Hungry Caterpillar. He and I have lots of fun naming all the foods the caterpillar eats and his favorite part is when the caterpillar turns into a beautiful "buttefry", as Aiden would say. When I found out that Brookside Gardens has a butterfly garden, I knew it was a place I had to take him. So with Auntie Julliann and Auntie Elizabeth along for the trip, we had a great time!
I had no idea that there would be SO MANY butterflies! They were everywhere! It was quite a sight. Aiden and I have chased random butterflies during walks around the neighborhood, but I don't think he was anticipating them being so close, you really could just reach out and grab one. He was a little afraid at first, as they would zoom by his face, but I think he enjoyed himself.
Here's a sampling of some of the ones we saw up close.
I think what Aiden really loved about Brookside is all the fun places there were to run around!
One nice thing about going on outings with the Aunties, aside from the great company, is that they LOVE our kids, so they can't get enough of them! They are uber helpful too, which is always a plus. =)
Hello, Mady!
This was my attempt at a group picture using the self-timer on the camera. I think my husband would be proud. =)
This summer was so hot, so we took Aiden to the Germantown Splash Park for some fun in the water. Aiden LOVES the water, in all forms: pools, fountains, puddles, when it rains, baths, and straight from the faucet! This kid is a water baby for sure.
It's fun to see how much Aiden has changed over the past year. Here's a picture of Aiden at the Splash Park last year, clinging onto Daddy for dear life as they walked through the water to stand under the mushroom:
And here he is this year, barreling through the water into Daddy's arms, Go Aiden!
Here are some more pictures from this summer at the park:
Aiden with the frogs (or 'flog'... Uncle Brian will get that one!)
Mady also enjoyed the water park =)
Aiden had so much fun at the park and when he was all tuckered out, came to us and said, "I tired, go home now?". Aw, sure buddy.
Our little Madelyn just turned 5 months old and she has already developed quite a personality!! I just absolutely ADORE her. She coos all the time and is such a happy baby. I think her giggle is one of the best sounds in the world.
Mady is SO different from Aiden. I have to say, she's a bit of a diva.. but I guess that's ok for a girl. ;) Aiden was always pretty content and wasn't a big crier, but Mady... oh boy... she's got a set of lungs and is sure to let you know if she isn't happy! She LOVES being held, almost a little too much, but is so snuggly and cute, how can you not want to hold her all the time?!
I love Mady's hair! She has so much of it and it has this adorable curl to it. It's getting pretty long, and almost into her eyes, but I cannot bring myself to cut it. So I've been having fun buying hair clips and bows for her hair (shout out to Aunt Ellen for all the cute clips!), another different and fun thing about having a girl!
She also loves to put everything in her mouth... toys, fingers, feet, Mommy and Daddy's clothes, EVERYTHING. We'll definitely have to keep a careful eye on her when she starts moving around a bit more to make sure no small objects are within her reach. This is very different from Aiden, who never put things in his mouth.
Mady's become a rolling pro, can roll from her back to her stomach and vice versa, and prefers to roll to her left. She's trying so hard to crawl and is starting to get the motion down, but hasn't been able to actually go anywhere. She has, however, discovered that rolling can be used as a means of transportation and now rolls herself everywhere... even to the other side of the room! And boy is she FAST!
Our next big milestone with Mady will be starting solids!
Everyone that meets Mady says she looks like my mom. I personally think she looks a lot like me when I was little. I'm the girl in the green dress in the picture above, being held by my mom. What do you think?
Here's a picture of Mady with Grandpa Gordon. We went to Bobby's Burger Palace to celebrate his birthday. Those pudgy fingers must be tasty!
After a bath... Crazy hair!! I think I should start using baby conditioner...
The next big thing with Aiden is starting PRESCHOOL!!! A beautiful new preschool opened up near our house and we went to visit it with the intent of signing him up for next year (good preschools have long wait lists!). But he LOVED it there, so much that the director that was touring us told us he looked ready now. NOW? Mommy isn't ready!!
We registered him anyway to secure his spot at the school and knowing that we could delay his October 1st start if we wanted. We took him to the preschool orientation and he had a blast! His teacher is absolutely wonderful and Aiden took to her very quickly, which is pretty amazing since he has a bit of stranger anxiety. He loved his new classroom and, while sad for me, it was comforting to know that we made the right decision to start him in school sooner than we had initially planned.
Here are some pics from his new classroom:
The classroom is filled with so many great toys, pictures, and things for Aiden to learn. We had a great feeling walking into his classroom, being able to really picture all the fun Aiden was going to have at school.
He even gets his own little cubby space for his stuff.
SO, Aiden starts school 10/1/13. I think there will be a lot of tears that day (more from Mommy considering at orientation Aiden let us leave him alone with the teacher while we finished registering him and cried when we had to LEAVE). I was pretty hesitant at first about starting him now. I have loved having Aiden home with me, teaching him and watching him soak things up like a sponge. I felt that starting school meant that was it... he's in school from now on... and I want to hang onto him for a bit longer. But I realize that this will be so great for him, allow him to socialize with other kids and learn things in new ways. Plus it will let me spend some quality time with Mady doing the things I did with Aiden when he was her age. We're starting him off slow, only a couple days a week for a few hours, which I think is a good way to start.
More to come on his first day!
Another thing that happened this summer was the passing of my Grandmother, my mom's mother. She went very peacefully and we all got a chance to say goodbye. This gave us a chance for our entire family to get together, which is something that rarely happens due to busy schedules. It was fun hanging out with all my cousins... and watching all our kids play with each other! 3 generations in one room... amazing. =)
My Grandmother was laid to rest at the same Memorial Garden as my parents. I don't bring Aiden and Mady here to see them as often as I should, mostly because it's still pretty hard for me to go knowing that they are both there. But it was nice to spend some time there with them. Aiden helped me put some new flowers at their plaques and I told Aiden that Grandpa and Grandma were here and that they love him very much.
Our first summer as a family of four has been great!!! Can't wait to see what's up for the Fall! =)
