Merry Christmas 2012!!

Merry Christmas!!

 This Christmas was amazing! Aiden is almost 2 years old and such a wonderful bundle of energy. It was so much fun experiencing the holidays through his eyes. The wonder, amazement, and overwhelming joy that was evident on his face made this season so unforgettable!

Aiden loved helping Mommy and Daddy decorate the Christmas trees! We had a special one set up in his room so he could wake up and enjoy it each morning.

 

                                       

Aiden has a thing for balloons. He calls them "boos". I had some leftover balloons from my best friend Ellen's baby shower and Aiden just went nuts over them. He dragged them all throughout the house... entertainment for hours!!!

For our Christmas card this year, I had this grand idea of getting a super cute picture of Aiden surrounded by Christmas lights. After many many takes, we finally got a nice one for the card. It's tough getting a 23 month old to sit still... and look interested in Christmas lights!!

 

 This is just a random picture Vic took that I absolutely love. =)

Aiden is getting so smart. He can count to 15, identify at least 6 letters of the alphabet, knows all his primary colors, and is learning more and more words in English AND Vietnamese! It amazes me how much of a sponge his little brain is. His favorite things right now are trucks and trains, Ni-Hao Kailan and Bubble Guppies on Nick Jr, and playing on my iPad! He knows how to unlock it, scroll through the apps and pick the one he wants... *sigh* the age of technology. He loves to color, read books and he absolutely loves music, dancing and singing. I cannot help but grin from ear to ear just watching.

Christmas at the Gaylord Hotel at the National Harbor

Instead of our annual trip to visit the National Tree in Washington DC, we decided to take Aiden to a much warmer alternative, the Gaylord Hotel at the National Harbor. He wasn't too interested in the nightly light show that we tried so hard to be on time for, but really enjoyed the dancing fountain! Aiden loves water in all shapes and forms, especially when a little gets sprayed on his face! 

Christmas!!!!

We had a busy Christmas! We wanted to make sure we spent time with both of our families and had a little time to ourselves as well. We really enjoyed spending time with family and being surrounded by the people we love most.

Round 1: Grandpa Gordon's House

Aiden helping distribute gifts.

Our first round of gift opening was with Uncle Brian and Grandpa Gordon. After a delicious Christmas Eve dinner, the chaos began! =) Aiden scored some new toys and a nice addition to his savings account! He loved helping Uncle Brian tear open the wrapping paper!

Last year, Aiden was more interested in the ribbons and tissue paper... this year, it was all about the toys!

Round 2: Grandpa and Grandma's House

After dinner at Grandpa Gordon's, we headed to spend the rest of Christmas Eve with Vic's family. Let me tell you, this kid scored BIG in the gift department here! His favorite present was a new Tonka trunk from Grandma and Grandpa!

I love watching Aiden with his Grandparents. The bond they share is absolutely amazing. <3 p="p">

Round 3: Our House!

We woke up early as usual on Christmas morning, and Aiden (decked out in his Santa PJs) enjoyed opening his presents from Mommy, Daddy and friends. Some of his favorite gifts were a train and car set from Aunt Olivia and Uncle Andrew and a sled from Aunt Kristin.

But by far his FAVORITE gift was a Lego table Daddy made for him. 

Look at that little face when he first saw it! 

Daddy decked it out with a service station, airport, and trucks galore! Grandma and Grandpa also got him a zoo truck to fit on the table too. It has become Aiden's favorite thing to play with... actually, one of the only things he plays with!

Thank you, Daddy!! Love you!

Christmas Day- Part 2

We went back to Vic's house on Christmas Day to have a special Christmas lunch with Aiden's Great Grandpa.

Aiden LOVES his Grandpa!!!

This Christmas was amazing, and the last as a family of three!! We found out that we're expecting a new Baby Sister for Aiden in April 2013. We're beyond thrilled (and freaking out a little at the idea of having 2 kids) and can't wait to meet her. I think Aiden will be a wonderful and loving Big Brother. 

One of the first pictures of our new baby girl!

                                        

We have been so blessed this past year and I cannot wait to see what 2013 has in store for us. Aiden will be 2 years old in less than a month and I can hardly believe that time has flown by so fast. It seems like only yesterday I was holding him in my arms as a newborn. I am so proud of the little man he is becoming. He is so smart and loving, full of curiosity and energy. He'll be such a great role model for his new baby sister. I've been thinking about my mom a lot this season, wishing she were here, but knowing how happy she is watching us from heaven. I know she would be thrilled that we're going to have a daughter. I try to savor and enjoy every second with Aiden because he's growing up so fast, I don't want to miss a thing!

Mommy and Daddy love you too, more than you'll ever know!!

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween!!

It's been so crazy busy around here, I haven't had much time to blog. But I wanted to make sure that I posted some pics from the last few months to show off our little man!

This past Halloween, we took Aiden to Butler's Orchard for pumpkin picking at their annual Halloween Festival. What a fun time it was for all of us! The very first thing we did was take a hay ride through the farm. Aiden was a bit tentative throughout the ride, mostly because it was rather bumpy, but I think he enjoyed it overall... as long as Daddy kept a tight grip on him!

Butler's Orchard had so many fun things to do. They had tractors that kids could sit on, a hay maze, donkey rides, and fun Halloween decorations. Our little observer just loved walking around and checking things out. He loves trucks, so I think the tractors were a big winner for him!

They also had farm animals that you could pet and feed. Aiden especially LOVED the goats... and I think the goats loved him too... that or they thought he would make a tasty treat! He loved petting their heads and would giggle when they would nuzzle his belly. =)

I think our favorite part of the day was when we picked our pumpkins! Aiden kept calling them "balls" and would always try to pick up the biggest ones!! He was pretty good at knocking the huge ones over and rolling them over to us!

 Aiden has become quite the strong little boy! He was able to push the wheelbarrow almost completely by himself! He just needed a little help with balancing and steering it.

My Pumpkin surrounded by pumpkins!

We had a fantastic time at Butler's Orchard, a definite must for next season!

Trick or Treat!!

We dressed Aiden up as a dinosaur this year. It was a win for both of us.. he loves saying "Rawrrr!!!" and Mommy loved that costume was so warm (and had a hood). 

Dinosaur RAWRR!!!

Aiden went trick or treating with Daddy and Aunt Elizabeth, while Mommy stayed at home to give out candy. Aiden still has a little stranger-danger, so I'm not sure how much he really enjoyed the process... he only made it to about 4 houses. But my little angel LOVED coming back home and helping Mommy give out candy to the kids that came by. Just as it should be, he prefers to give rather than receive. =)  Plus... we don't let Aiden eat any sweets yet, so he didn't really understand the deliciousness that he was getting. 

It's hard to believe how big Aiden is becoming. He is a full fledged toddler with a personality to match. But he still loves getting hugs and kisses from Mommy and Daddy, and we dish them out in excess!!

Happy Halloween!!!

Beach Baby!

We made our annual trip to Myrtle Beach this month and Vic and I were so excited about how much fun Aiden was going to have. He was only 6 months old the last time we were there, so we really considered this his "first" time at the beach. We decided to make our trip a little longer than in years past, we usually only stay a week, since it was going to be such a long drive. But boy, did we have a great time!!!

Our biggest concern was how Aiden was going to fare during the long drive down to South Carolina. But our little man did absolutely wonderful! It took us about 11 hours to make the trip, stopping only for meals, gas and to replace an unexpected flying wiper blade. Daddy set up the iPad so Aiden had his friends Dora and Diego to keep him company along the way.

The next day was our first at the beach. It was a perfect sunny 87 degrees. This is a picture of Aiden's first few steps on the sand. I was anticipating a mouthful of it going into this mouth, but he resisted the urge. It was funny to see his reaction feeling the grains of sand between his toes.

It only took a few minutes for Aiden to fall in love with everything about the beach. He loved the ocean, building sand castles with Daddy, and playing in the sand.

Aiden loved helping Daddy build sand castles. Poor Daddy had to build one every day! =)

One thing I can say is that if you want your child to take a serious nap, take them to the beach!

By far, I think Aiden's FAVORITE thing to do was jump the waves with Daddy:

This has to be my favorite picture we took. I love my boys. <3

Every day after the beach we would head to the pool to cool off and de-sand. The condo we stayed at had an amazing children's area with 2 kiddie pools and little fountains for them to run through. I think the swim classes paid off because Aiden was really comfortable in the water! Once he was in, it was hard to get him out!

For the most part, the weather was amazingly perfect. There were even a couple of overcast days so we could spend some time enjoying some of the other activities Myrtle Beach had to offer.

Our first adventure took us to the Ripley's Aquarium:

I think I win Mom-of-the-Year for this picture. =( I had no idea he was that mortified! In my defense, I didn't see his reaction until I saw this picture. But the dinosaur's mouth was a slide, and I was really trying to get him to slide down it... really I was!

Jellyfish!

A few days later, we took Aiden to Wonder Works. It is this really cool playland that features educational rides and games. Our little man was still a little too young to enjoy all of the activities, but we think next year this venue will be a must-see!

Vic and I always make sure to stop by Sugar!, a delicious candy store that has absolutely everything and anything sweet! Here's a little clip of Aiden busting-a-move in the store:

One of the prettiest things we did was visit Brookgreen Garden. It's a historic sculpture and flower garden right outside of Myrtle. It was the perfect place for my energetic little man who loves to just run and run and run... and run he did!

Aiden is obsessed with flowers. I think the bright colors catch his eye. The garden was filled with so many vibrant colors.

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To say we had a great time doesn't even describe it. It was so fun to get away from everything and just enjoy some quality time with my family. Watching Aiden experience things for the first time is priceless. Next up, Florida!! =)