Happy Birthday, Aiden!

Happy Happy Birthday, Aiden!

I can't believe that Aiden is 3... 3!!?? Where did the time go! I am so proud of the little man he is growing up to be.

Aiden at 3, in a nutshell:

- Favorite foods: Fruit, black beans and rice, pizza, chicken nuggets (I think he may turn into one soon), fruit by the foot, Grandma's pho, shrimp chips... actually chips in general, honey nut cheerios, mac and cheese, and M&Ms!

- Favorite TV Shows: Paw Patrol, Bubble Guppies, Mater's Tall Tales, Team Umizoomi, and Blue's Clues

- Favorite Games: Angry Birds (The Star Wars and Go versions), matching games and puzzles

- Favorite Toys: Trucks (especially monster trucks and construction vehicles), cars (anything related to Disney Cars and matchbox cars), legos (especially ones that build cars), Thomas the Train, and play food (he loves to make me eggs and have picnics)

- Funny Things He's Saying Right Now": "Mommy, the red hand means don't walk", "Top secret, do not open" (thanks, Auntie Elizabeth), while in the car 'Mommy, why are there so many cars on the road?", "Mommy, I poops", "Uh oh, baby sister crying... I'll get it!".

- Other Things he's Into Right Now: Aiden LOVES music, singing, and dancing! He can break it down! Enjoys cooking (especially when it involves cracking eggs), loves looking at reviews of toys on youtube and then finding them at the store (true story).

To celebrate Aiden's birthday, we threw him a Transportation Party at Kidville. Let me tell you, this place is the lazy parent's answer to a birthday party. It is one stop shopping! They took care of everything.. from decorations, to food, to the cake, to entertainment, to goody bags and took care of setup and cleanup! Not to mention the fact that the party was super fun! It incorporated all the things that Aiden loved, including art and running around!

Aiden was so excited for his birthday. We watched shows and read books about birthdays and we practiced saying "I'm three!" when asked how old he was. He would say it with so much enthusiasm and add "Happy Birthday, Aiden"!

Aiden making a drawing by rolling cars through stamp pads. The kids also got to play with play do and decorate wooden airplanes!

Riann and Sofia building towers!

We were so happy that the whole family was able to come help celebrate!

Loving my little birthday boy!

Hi Kai!

Stretching before a little gym time!

Bubbles!

Aiden and Logan popping bubbles

Mady loved trying to pick them up

Mini car roller coaster... Aiden must have rode it a dozen times!

Mia in the bouncy house!

By far Aiden's FAVORITE part of the party was the zipline! I was pretty surprised that he was brave enough to try it since he tends to be pretty timid when it comes to things like that. But I think it was a huge help that Logan was there to lead the way. Go Aiden!

Blowing out the candles for the big 3! We are so blessed to be surrounded by so many people that love and care for Aiden. It wouldn't have been the same without everyone there!

Happy Birthday to my favorite little guy. Mommy and Daddy love you more than words could ever say. I hope you will always be the sweet little boy you are today! We can't wait to see what amazing things are up next! But don't grow up too fast!

Aiden's birthday month also brought the start of swim class! We'd been trying to get him back into swim classes for awhile, but was never able to make it into the class. This time, Mommy and Daddy were determined! I had taken Aiden to swim class when he was around 6 months old and, at the time, it didn't seem like it really made much sense. He didn't really like the water that much, nor did he enjoy the structure of the class... mainly that it had any structure at all. He was much more content just splashing in the water and doing his own thing.

Since going to the beach this past summer, Aiden has really started to become more interested in the water. So now was that perfect time to get him back into it... and... SUCCESS! He loves it! We decided to make swim class a Daddy/Aiden thing, since his art class was a Mommy/Aiden thing. So off my boys go, once a week, while I get some quality Mady time.

Here are some pics from his first day of class:

Floating on his stomach

Practicing his kicks!

Vic says that Aiden is doing great in class. The teacher even used him as an example when teaching the kids how to jump into the water. Aiden LOVES jumping into the pool (thanks to Grandpa teaching him how at the beach!). He still needs to get a bit more comfortable floating on his back, but his kicks are getting better and he can dunk his head under water! My little water baby!

What a wonderful January!!

Merry Christmas 2013!!

Pardon my attempt to catch up on my blogs... 2 kids keep me pretty busy!

Merry Christmas!! And what a wonderful Christmas it was!! December is always a fun month, not only because of the holidays, but we also get to celebrate Uncle Brian's birthday!

Happy Birthday, Uncle Brian!

This December also brought one of the first major snow falls! Aiden had such a wonderful time playing in the snow with Daddy!

Aiden ready to help Daddy shovel!

Daddy and Aiden taking a walk in the snow

They built a snowman together!

Daddy also taught Aiden how to make (and throw) snowballs! Too bad Mommy was the target! =) Aiden had a blast! I never get tired of hearing him giggle!

We celebrated Christmas 4 times this year and what a treat it was for all of us. It was Madelyn's first, so we tried our best to make it a memorable one!

The only damper to the holiday was that our little man was pretty sick! While Preschool has been a great learning experience for Aiden, it has also proved to be a pretty germy one! He's been given ample opportunities to boost his immune system, and as any good sibling does, he shares it with his baby sister!

Aiden was pretty sick for a few days before Christmas, so I had hoped that he would be all better by the time it actually arrived, but unfortunately, he spent the majority of the holiday lying down and resting on whatever horizontal surface was around. But he did manage to muster enough energy to open and enjoy all the wonderful presents our generous family and friends gave him!

Our little Mady had a great first Christmas. Just like her brother, she was very excited about all the pretty wrapping paper, bows, and tissue paper her gifts came wrapped in. =)

1. Christmas with Grandpa Gordon

We spent Christmas Eve at Grandpa Gordon's with Uncle Brian. We started off with a delicious Christmas dinner before opening presents. 

Uncle Brian and Grandpa Gordon were über generous as always, and the kids loved spending the evening playing with Uncle Brian. Aiden even managed to feel well enough to run around a bit with him (I think the Motrin helped too)! Mommy and Daddy also enjoyed a bit of downtime as well!

Aiden's favorite gift was a helicopter from Uncle Brian!

Uncle Brian and Daddy dressed alike in their matching Christmas sweaters!

Can you guess who gave this to Mady?

Mady made sure to appreciate all of her gifts... wrapping paper and all!

We made sure we spent some time remembering my mom and how much we missed her. But I know she was there with us, smiling at how much her grandkids have grown!

2. Christmas morning with Daddy and Mommy

I have always loved the feeling of waking up on Christmas morning. Not only because of what the day represents, but because of the feelings of happiness and blessings that come with it. Now that we have kids, Christmas has a a brand new meaning. Watching the expressions of joy and wonder in my kids' eyes is indescribable. This Christmas morning was the first with Madelyn, so it was twice the fun!

Aiden was so excited about all his presents! He spent ample time playing with each one before moving onto another. I think he's learned what it means to be thankful, as he was sure to give us lots of hugs, kisses, and "thank you"s!

Loving my little snuggle bug!

Mady... with tissue.. of course! =)

Daddy wrestling with the kids.. although it looks like Mady won this round!

One of Aiden's favorite gifts was a "Big Mack", one of the Disney's Cars. "Big" simply referring to the size since he already has a "Small Mack". This Mack was a carrying case for all his little cars, as well as Mommy's attempt to keep them organized.

Courtesy of Aiden's Preschool, Aiden made a present for Mommy and Daddy! What a special keepsake for us to cherish!

3. Christmas at Grandpa and Grandma's

We spent the rest of Christmas Day celebrating with Grandpa, Grandma, and the whole family. It was a great day, filled with lots of great food (yummy homemade pho.. which was perfect for my sick little man) and lots of hugs and kisses.

Grandma and Mady in her Christmas dress

The whole family!

Grandparents and their grandkids <3 p="">

Our attempt to get a cute Christmas picture of the kids by the tree. Aiden wasn't really in a picture taking mood, so this the best we got. =)

But at least we got a shot of him giving his baby sister a kiss!

A beautiful dress from Ba Thu!

Mady getting some snuddles in with Ba Ut. 

Aiden was upstairs napping and cuddling with Grandma, so Vic and I actually got a little nap in ourselves! Vic's family are all ANGELS!!!

The kids had a great time spending the day with their Grandparents, Aunts, and Uncles!

4. Christmas with the Gang

Our final Christmas celebration was a belated one with Uncle Rez, Aunt Jen, Uncle Mark, Aunt Josie, Logan, Mila, and Kai. We had brunch and a great time hanging out!

Pretty Mikayla!

Our attempt to get a picture with all the kiddos. Not bad, I think! Uncle Mark and Aunt Josie got the kids cute matching t-shirts. Now every time Aiden wears his, he calls it his "Logan Shirt"!

Look at how much our group has grown! Still blows my mind that we all have offspring!!

What a memorable Christmas, and a wonderful first for Mady! Of course Christmas wouldn't be complete without a visit with Santa! We took the kids to visit Jolly Old St. Nick a few days before Christmas and, again, we got priceless pics!

Poor Aiden, he's still pretty freaked out about the man with the beard. But Mady seemed to take it in stride... pretty unimpressed. So we had to take another!

Our little Mady, meeting Santa for the first time. Merry First Christmas, Ladybug! I wonder how it will be next year?

Happy New Year!