Dozer Day

We took Aidan and Alan to Dozer Day on Saturday, May 16th, where they could actually ride on and operate the heavy equipment (with the help of a professional, of course). They absolutely loved it! Alan was a bit timid at first and was content just observing from a distance. We finally got him to hop into a big cement truck, but he was still apprehensive about the whole situation.

Alan didn't even want to stand next to the bulldozer with his brother to have his picture taken. Rob finally talked him into it. Now, when he sees this picture, he thinks it's the best thing ever.

Aidan, on the other hand, couldn't wait to get onto one of the excavators and make it work. After standing in line for almost 20 minutes he finally got his turn! His face was lit up with excitement and he was so proud of himself!

It was our first time attending this fundraiser for the Nutter Foundation and we found out it was a benefit for many local children's charities. It was great to see that the place was absolutely packed! We look forward to taking our boys again next year...hopefully Alan will be ready by then to fully participate in all of the activities.

Mother's Day Weekend

I had a WONDERFUL weekend with my boys! I got to sleep in on Saturday morning (thanks Rob!) which was absolute heaven. Once up and ready we all headed to Camas for their annual Mother's Day Plant & Garden Fair. It was such a beautiful day and we enjoyed looking at all of the colorful plants and flowers, as well as visiting with friends who were out enjoying the fair with their families. We purchased two beautiful hanging flower baskets - one for me and one for my mom. Then it was back to our house where the boys played outside in the dirt. Alan found a slug so he and Aidan thought it would be fun to build a house for it...turns out they just buried it in a big pile of dirt.

On Sunday we joined my family at church then went out for coffee. My sisters were both in town (Jona had to go back to UW today and Randi is home from WSU for the summer), so it was nice to catch up with them. While sitting outside at Starbucks, Aidan lived up to his nickname and proceeded to climb up the umbrellas. I tried to explain to him why it wasn't appropriate, while my dad was working against me and encouraged it. They moved to another table and my dad helped him shimmy all the way to the top - that 's Grandparents for you! After coffee we joined Rob's family at his Aunt Connie's house for brunch. We had yummy crepes and mimosas - my favorite! Aidan and Alan got to play with their cousin Rylie outside because it was ANOTHER beautiful day! They chased each other around the yard and threw rocks into the river. After a very long morning, we went home and the boys took a 2 hour nap. Later in the evening my family came over for a BBQ. We had chicken sausages, grilled veggies, a garden salad and watermelon. The weather even held out long enough for us to enjoy our dessert outside next to the fireplace...what a perfect end to a perfect weekend!

Family

Rob's brother Donald and future sister-in-law Jeanette welcomed their first child on March 17, 2009. Her name is Fiona Rose and she is absolutely beautiful!

Donald and Jeanette live in New Haven, CT, so we have yet to meet sweet baby Fiona. We are very thankful for the technology that enables us to share photos and keep in touch. What an adorable little family!

Donald and Jeanette will be married this October in Connecticut and we are planning a week long vacation with the family. This will be Aidan and Alan's first plane ride and they are so excited! We plan on taking them to Yale's Peabody Museum to see the dinosaur exhibit (Alan is obsessed with T-Rex's right now) and to the Mystic Aquarium. We'll also make time to see Boston and New York, and to enjoy the lobster that the east coast is so well known for. Donald shipped us a couple of lobsters a few weeks back and the boys had a lot of fun torturing them!

We'll be making the trip along with Rob's other brother and sister-in-law, Dan & Laura, as well as their son Dean. It will be Dean's first plane ride as well, so it should make for an interesting trip with all of our boys together!

We're very excited to have all of the cousins together for the first time and look forward to the adventures with our family!

Alan Timothy

This is Alan - our (almost) 3 year old independent, assertive, imaginative little boy. He is definitely a boys' boy - always digging in the dirt, playing with bugs, worms, frogs (and any other living creature he can get his hands on), as well as crashing his race cars on our window sills. Being almost three, he has no problem telling us "no" every chance he gets. Right now it's an automatic response to everything. However, he is the most polite little boy we have ever known, always saying please and thank you unsolicited.

Alan loves running, jumping and climbing just as much as his older brother - problem is, he is not as coordinated as Aidan. He tries his best to keep up, but his little legs just don't seem to move as fast as he would like. Consequently, there's not a day that goes by without a new bruise, bump or scrape somewhere on his body. What Alan lacks in agility, he makes up for in size. He weighs about 3-4 pounds heavier than Aidan, so the wrestling matches in our home are pretty fair in that respect.

Alan is such a laid-back kid. He doesn't need (or want) to be the center of attention, so he's quite content playing on his own. He has a wild imagination - always pretending he's fighting off a T-Rex or catching a fish in the sink. He's also our little vocalist. We have several children's CD's and he knows every song on each CD by heart. We play them so often that Rob and I can't get the songs out of our heads! Alan can even be heard singing himself to sleep after we've put him down for the night.

Alan's 3rd birthday is coming up soon (June 17) which has made us realize he is no longer a baby. Although we can confidently say we are done having children, it is almost sad to know that our baby days are over. Instead of sadness we feel blessed and greatful to be a part of our two boys' beautiful lives.

Photo by Polkadot Photography

Aidan James

This is Aidan - our 4 1/2 year old energetic, charismatic, tenderhearted little boy. His energy and curiosity amazes us every day - and he is so much fun! He's a typical boy...always running, jumping and climbing. His favorite thing to do is to jump on Grandma Ensley's trampoline - it's the perfect exercise for him! He also enjoys swimming lessons, although he splashes around more than he swims. When he's not running at full speed, which isn't often, he can be found in Rob's or my lap cuddling and reading books. On rainy days he really enjoys jig-saw puzzles and mazes. He's not much for coloring but he LOVES painting with watercolors.

Aidan will be in pre-school this year, as we have decided to enroll him in kindergarten a year late due to his birthday being in November. We've struggled with this decision because intellectually he's ready...it's just the social aspects he needs to adapt to. Another year exposed to the fact that he's not the center of the universe can't hurt. He will also begin speech therapy in the fall. He has a hard time pronouncing a few sounds (very common on both sides of our family) and will definitely benefit from therapy.

It is bittersweet to know that our first born will be in school VERY soon! We have come to realize that time goes by too quickly, therefore we cherish every moment of his childhood.

Photo by Polkadot Photography

Trying Something New

I'm taking a cue from friends who have either recently created a blog or have had one for some time to create a family blog of my own. This is definitely new territory for me, so I'm learning as I go. Any comments and tips from you experienced bloggers out there would be much appreciated! My hope is to give far-away friends and family, as well as those who are close to us, a chance to watch our two little monkeys (Aidan & Alan) as they take on the adventures of childhood. I can see how the maintenance of this blog could easily become an obsession for me, as there is nothing more important to me than my family. To have a place to document and share the moments of my children's lives is wonderful! Honestly, I can't think of a good reason why I haven't done this sooner. In the days to come I hope to make several updates to get our new family blog going...enjoy!