One word Wednesday

Jell-O

Saying Grace in a Restaurant

sent to me today and too good not to share:

Last week, I took my children to a restaurant.

My six-year-old son asked if he could say grace.

As we bowed our heads he said, "God is good, God is great. Thank you for the food, and I would even thank you more if Mom gets us ice cream for dessert. And Liberty and justice for all! Amen!"

Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby, I heard a woman remark, "That's what's wrong with this country. Kids today don't even know how to pray. Asking God for ice cream! Why, I never!"

Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?"

As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job, and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the table.

He winked at my son and said, "I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer."

"Really?" my son asked.

"Cross my heart," the man replied.

Then, in a theatrical whisper, he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), "Too bad she never asks God for ice cream... A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes."

Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the meal. My son stared at his for a moment, and then did something I will remember the rest of my life.

He picked up his sundae and, without a word, walked over and placed it in front of the woman. With a big smile he told her, "Here, this is for you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes; and my soul is good already."

Building a Fire

This week we have had some very cold temperatures and Jeff has made us a fire each day to keep warm. Aiden loves the whole process.
Here he is watching Dad get the wood from the back porch . . .
helping put the wood on . . .


he noticed me with the camera and turned around and said "cheese". :-) of course the most exciting part is lighting the fire. Aiden gets so excited and says his favorite word over and over "hot".

A look back . . .

As 2009 comes to a close I am reflecting on memories of the past year. Of course Aiden has changed so much this year and our lives revolve around him.
He only started walking in January and now he is running and has even started jumping. He started climbing before he was walking and still does it now. He has climbed onto the kitchen counter, on the coffee table and even out of his crib- my little monkey!
His vocabulary has expanded tremendously this year. He is still a quiet child, but he is learning new words everyday. Just this week, he learned "shark" and "yo-yo". I would estimate that he has about 30-40 words in his vocabulary. No phrases or sentences yet- he is a one word kid. His favorites are "hot", "cold", "ut oh", "Mom" and "Da-da".
Aiden has become much more independent this year- sometimes a little too independent. :-) He has learned to eat with a spoon and fork, although still gets frustrated occasionally when the food falls off. I am thankful that he is such a good eater- not picky at all, he loves his fruit and eats just about anything I cook.
Since he was very young, Aiden has always been a good sleeper- he still takes a 2-3 hour nap every day and sleeps 10-12 hours at night. Let's hope this new baby will follow suit.

Jeff and I have grown as a couple this year and discovered once again that open communication is a key essential in our relationship. We have made some lasting valuable friendships this year which we don't take for granted. Our family has proven time and time again their love for us and their love for Aiden. God has provided and blessed us tremendously and we have no doubt that He will continue to do so.

What will you remember about 2009?

Christmas Part 2 & 3

We celebrated Christmas with Jeff's families last night and today and Aiden got lots and lots of toys! I love Christmas time- it just puts me in the best mood and now that I get to watch Aiden enjoy it, it's even better.
Our family picture by the tree. Aiden will have to share the spotlight next year, we will soon be a family of 4!

He is admiring all of his toys and thinking "which one should I play with first?"

I think this is the favorite this christmas- the toy laptop!

Aiden is so blessed to have such loving grandparents. They were our "Santa's" this year and Jeff and I are so thankful. The older I get the more I realize that having such great families like we have is very rare. This was a great Christmas for our family and I know they are just going to get better as our family adds one more. I hope you enjoyed celebrating the birth of our savior. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Part 1

We are so blessed to have such a big family that we get to split Christmas up. This past weekend we celebrated with my family at my parents house. Aiden had a lot of fun with his cousins, as always and got lots of toys. This was the first time he actually opened the gifts himself. I believe my grandparents picked out the loudest toy they could find and that's what they chose as his gift. It's a steering wheel with many many loud noises! Thanks Nana and Papa! :-) Aiden also got a huge Tonka dump truck, a Packers outfit and a lego car.

Family picture by the tree.

We are looking forward to celebrating again this week with Jeff's family!

Turkey Day in PA

We had a blast in Pittsburgh visiting family the week of thanksgiving. The week was filled with activities and great food. With the exception of me getting sick Wednesday, all went well. Aiden did great on the plane and loved all the activities with so many people. Aunt Jill was an amazing host! It will be a memory we will never forget. Here are some pics that highlight what we did throughout the week.

On the sidelines at the annual turkey bowl. Aiden wanted to play with the big boys, but he had fun at the park instead.

At the bowling ally, watching everyone bowl and rooting them on.

The Gin tournament- mom and I in the first round and she beat me. Still not sure who the final winner was ?

Playing hockey in front of the house in the street. Aiden loved running through the middle of the game. Jeff got a little too agressive, but managed to score a goal! ;-)

A great time to celebrate Thanksgiving with family!