First Christmas Train

Preface:
We put up all of our Christmas decorations up prior to Thanksgiving this year. The in-laws were up for Thanksgiving and my brother and sister-in-law were transfered back over to Germany the Sunday after Thanksgiving so we had Christmas early with them. While shopping for a new tree (ours was >12 years old and split right in half last year) we found one that had a train going around it. AJ fell in love with it. We had to have a choo-choo going around the tree. He loves his Thomas trains and tracks but we had to have on that went around the tree. AJ and I went to his Gym class this Wednesday and then went shopping at Big Lot's for some Christmas shopping. AJ was constantly talking about getting the train. I explained to him that "Daddy wanted to buy the train track with him and if we bought it without him it would hurt daddy's feelings." For the rest of the day he would say "want the train track but don't wanna hurt daddy's feelings." This went on A.L.L. day. Finally Jason gets home from work around 5:30pm and AJ was sound asleep on the couch. I was telling Jason how AJ was all day and he said that he would go ahead and get it that night. AJ woke up and I told him daddy was home. AJ sat straight up on the couch and exclaimed "TIME TO GET THE TRAIN TRACK!!!" Jason took AJ to Lowes and the beloved train track was purchased. I was cleaning the house when AJ comes barreling through the front door, runs into the kitchen looks at me and yells..."MOMMY, DADDY GOT THE TRAIN TRACK!!!" He was so excited it brought tears to my eyes. So that night daddy put the train track up for AJ. He was ecstatic. Well, then I had this train track and a hole in the middle of it. We decided to go ahead and put the tree up Wed. night and put the decorations up Thursday morning.

watching the train go round and round with his daddy.


This child was so excited.


Daddy and his buddy.


Chooo-Choooo


First year AJ helped to decorate the tree.


AJ hanging the Christmas balls.


He loved when Daddy would hold him up high.


Fixing the train track around the tree.


Mommy and her monster.




My two guys after a long night of tree decorating and train playing:




These two guys are my heart and soul. I love them both so so much. Some of my favorite times are watching the two of them together. Right now Daddy is AJ's buddy. He waits for him when he comes home from work and gets so excited. As soon as Jason comes in the front door they are running around the house. One of my favorite times during the day is when Jason first gets home. I'm cooking, trying to get dinner on the table, the dog is barking and AJ and Jason are running around the house. AJ's so excited because Daddy's home. The way the house is set up they run around in circles. They're both yelling, AJ is squeeling. That's the sound of a happy family. Those are some of the memories I will keep with me forever.

Kitchen renovations

Just wanted to post the hard work Jason and I both did for the kitchen. When we first bought the house, the kitchen didn't even have the island there. It's taken some time but the kitchen was painted, curtains put up, island put in, and my multi talented husband *with my help* did all of the tile work himself. I helped with the grout. This is the first time Jason has ever done tile and it looks professional. I was so proud of him. The next room we will be working on is the family room. Jason is going to build a fireplace mantel and we are going to paint the room. We're hoping that gets started after the New Year.

Here's a before pic of the kitchen without the tile. This was AJ's 2nd birthday. The island was already in but the tile wasn't started.

Settings....

I think I have successfully fixed the comment security setting. I believe you can now leave comments on my blog. Sorry about that. I've had so many people write me actual e-mails. Now you don't have to do that. Let me know if you keep having trouble. Thanks!!

Halloween '08

We had a great time this Halloween. Last year AJ was old enough to start grasping the concept of A) ring doorbell B) get candy.... This year AJ grasped the concept of A)go to as many houses as you possibly can to get as much candy as he possibly could. He was so excited. We spent most of October getting him used to the idea of "funny" monsters. Anyone that knows me knows that books are very popular at this house. Between GG and I, I think AJ had about 4-5 Halloween books. I also had a music CD that plays the Monster Mash and Dem Bones ect. AJ can sing every one of em. I want AJ to understand that Halloween is about dressing up and having a good time. I don't want a skittish little boy. Anyway, AJ is a trooper. He will shake the "monster's" hands in the store and tell them, "it's not scarey, it's funny" Even when he was looking to me for assurance, I would laugh and say, "they're so funny" He really did great this year. He's just scared enough to be cautious, yet he's not a screaming mimi either.
We bought his costume weeks in advance because I didn't want to be looking around at the last minute. He had already gotten a sword from Busch Gardens when GG, AJ and I took our vacation in August. I figured a "Knight" costume would be perfect. He was so cute!!! I just kind of threw a vampire costume together and AJ loved all of the scary masks at Wal-mart. He picked out Jason's scary mask and I can't believe I didn't take any pics of it. The only one in our house that did not like the mask was Moose. She hated it and subsequently tried to eat anyone that wore it around her. At least I know she's a good attack dog.

Mommy's vampire costume


This picture was taken at the gym parade but it shows his helmet.


AJ's knight Costume. Yes we did pull him around in his wagon. The walkways and driveways in the neighborhood are L.O.N.G.

The night of Halloween, my awesome husband whipped up a pot of chili and we had some of our friends over around 6 pm for fun and food. We left the house around 7 pm for Trick-or-Treat.

Bobby, Myself, Jennifer with her youngest Andrew


Bobby and Chase Man


Jennifer and her youngest Andrew


All the kiddos

Mike and Jennifer came over with their two boys Ryan and Andrew, Bobbie and Adam came over with Chase Man and Regie came over with Leah and Solomon. Regie came right at 7 pm and we didn't get to visit as much as we would have liked to but he had workers come to the house right at 6:30 pm. Amanda, Jason and their monster Landon could't make it. Landon apparently was givin his mama a fit that night. She did manage, however, to make the best crock-pot of hot apple cider we've ever had.


My Cape, Jason actually took this picture. I'm glad he did because it shows the silver on it. It was a spider web pattern.


AJ ringing another door bell. Note the Apple Cider in my hand. Perfect for a cold night and Oh So Delish


AJ Grinning like a possum


The Loot!!!

It was a good night and a good time had by all. We even went and visited with Mike and Jen after the festivities. We're so blessed to have so many friends here. I'm so thankful that AJ is going to have so many friends to grow up with.

Pumpkin Patch 08

We went to a different pumpkin patch this year. I really thought it would be something because it had adds in magazines and boards on the street. Boy were we dissapointed. It really wasn't much and it was super expensive. We paid $7.00 a person to get in, AJ was free, and then you had to pay for your pumpkin. Needless to say, we stayed for the hayride, magic show, looked around and then went to our favorite pumpkin patch just down the road. It's free to get in. The hayride is only $3.00 a person and the pumpkins are reasonably priced. Plus they have billy goats that you can pet and feed.

The first pumpkin patch had live music. Well, it was live but I really wouldn't call it music. It was two guys trying to create music. They would seriously bomb at kereoke night. They were butchering some songs. AJ loves music and will actually force us to stay to listen to live blue grass. These guys, not so much. AJ was like, "let's go mommy". They did have this guy in a chicken costume. He was walking around amazing the little kiddies. AJ was fascinated. This guy even let AJ ride the chicken. It is one of AJ's favorite pics. Too funny.


They did have a pretty good hay ride. They had a lot of decorations set up and a guy on the wagon telling the story. It wasn't scary and was geared toward the little guys.


We attempted the corn maze but I think that kind of freaks my husband out. We went one way, got stuck and he took me right back out of the beginning. He kept saying "I thought that was the goal, to get out where you went in...." He knows better. I seriously think it freaks him out.

As we were leaving I took a bunch of pics of AJ with all of the decorations.





We left there and went to our favorite pumpkin patch. It's free to get in and the pumpkins are reasonably priced. You do have to pay $3.00 a person for they hay ride but I can understand that with what the price of gas was. Can't be cheap to run those tractors. AJ really likes this one because they have billy goats you can pet and feed. They are so cute. Jason keeps saying he wants one. This was the first year I let AJ feed the goats. I was afraid they would bite his fingers off last year.




After fun with the billy goats, we went to get our pumpkins.

Dad pulling our monster on the wagon.





AJ looking for the perfect "little" pumpkin



Dad and AJ picking the pumpkin.

Mom and AJ taking pumpkin breaks.



Dad pulling AJ out of the patch.



AJ playing on the hay maze. He had a ball running on that. I was afraid he would get the going too fast and fall off but he did pretty good.



The best story is the one of poor little AJ falling off the wagon though. He made it all the way to the check out counter fine. He got off and he and I were looking through the stands. I found this tiny tiny little pumpkin for .60 cents. He loved it so we got it too. He climbed back on the wagon so jason could pull him to the van. We were 3 feet from the van, Jason hit a pot hole and my little baby went flipping over the side. He sqealed but let me tell you, he did not let go of his baby pumpkin!!! He held onto that thing for all he was worth. So much so the stem broke off. Because I'm a good mommy and was trying to heal a baby's broken heart, I hot glue gunned that stem back on and I'll have you know that pumpkin is STILL in good shape. It has a rediculous amount of glue all the way around the top but hey, my two year old was happy. Isn't that all that counts?????

Belated Baby Shower Post...

We all know that one of the best things ever is a baby being born. My neighbor has been pregnant since I've known her. They moved in the house beside us around July. Gary and Angie have been the best neighbors in the world. Their little girl Sophia is one of AJ's best buds!!! They have a blast playing together. I wanted to do something nice for Angie so I called all the women in the neighborhood and we agreed to cook for them for a few weeks after the new arrival made her appearance. I originally planned to have her shower on Oct. 12. However, Little Lucy kept trying to change the plans on me. She really wanted to be at the shower with us but thankfully she held on a little longer. Have to love those modern drugs that keep those babies in the bun cooking just a little longer. She is now a beautiful, healthy little girl.
We surprised (I think) Angie that night with a gathering of the ladies to give her the card explaining our plans to cook for them. My mother wrote a really precious poem introducing our gift.

Much more than neighbors
We're a community of friends,
Wishing you happiness and joy
That never ends.
We decided amongst us
To celebrate this way...
For a month we'll each bring you
A dinner a day!
Hope this will help you
Hope this makes you smile,
Hope it gives you more family time
If just for a while.
"Welcome home, Little Lucy",
Is the message this sends,
One more little heart
In our community of friends!

I made this punch that was supposed to be pink. It ended up blood red because I didn't thaw the vanilla ice cream enough. It eventually ended up a real pretty pink. I also made an ice sculpture to go in the middle. I put water in a circular cake pan and placed sliced strawberries in it as well as these plastic mini baby bottles. I thought the bottles would sink and eventually be at the top of the sculpture...wrong. As the ice melted the baby bottles fell out into the punch. Amanda was given the strict task to warm everyone not to choke on a bottles as they drank the punch. The punch was really good and thankfully no one had to receive the Heimlich maneuver!!!

It was so nice getting everyone together that Angie is now working hard on getting a woman's neighborhood Bunco game started every month. We played two games ( I tried to keep it simple)I was able to use some of my baby stamps that I haven't been able to use in years.



We had a wonderful time and I have to thank my other neighbor Amanda for helping me decorate and being ready right in the nick of time!! She helped with that crepe paper decorating that makes me want to pull my hair out. She did a beautiful job and I couldn't have pulled it together without you!!! She and Jason were also the joint taste tester club to make sure all food was presentable!! :0)





Little Lucy made her appearance about 2 weeks later on Sunday around 8 pm. It was a very quick birth without epidural. Angie is a champ. I think her labor was a little over 2 hours. Lucy doesn't play. All 8lbs 9oz of her.
Thank you God for allowing us to still witness miracles here on earth!!!