Birthdays and Christmas

Well, December has come and gone. We successfully celebrated two birthdays, the Christmas season, and New Year's eve. Whew....this is a busy month! December started with my birthday. We had a terrific shrimp pasta dinner at our house with my folks. It was a fun evening hanging out and enjoying good food!

Christmas we stayed here in OH. Josh is involved in the Christmas Eve service, so my folks came over here for an early supper, we all went to church, and then headed to my parents'. As a kid, we always opened gifts on Christmas Eve, and I really like that tradition. However, by the time we're done with church, etc., the night is pretty late for our little guys. So, we let them open a few gifts, and then put them to bed. Last year we did that and it worked great. This year, however, Ayden was much more aware of everything and VERY excited. So, when he re-appeared from his bed unable to sleep, we finished opening his gifts, played around for a while, and then concluded the night. Kieran enjoyed opening presents Christmas morning and Ayden had one saved for then also. We spent several days hanging out at my folks and that was very nice. Here are a few pics of the boys enjoying their new toys.



Kieran's birthday was a fun day. As I've mentioned before, he LOVES to eat, so we decided to head out to Cici's a local family pizza buffet. It's a great place for families with young kids. They have a nice arcade room that Ayden enjoyed and loads of unending food, and that was right up Kieran's alley. We opened gifts there with my parents and Carrie. I think Kieran really enjoyed it.


Here Kieran is with his birthday "cake," which is really a compilation of the desserts from the buffet: cinnamon rolls, brownies, and dessert pizza! Of course, we did a candle:)

Kieran opening his gifts with help from big brother Ayden.

The boys continue to bring us tremendous joy. Kieran is walking all over the place and loves being able to carry things from one spot to another. Ayden is enjoying the fact that Kieran is able to "play" with him more and they like to drive cars and trucks throughout the house. Their favorite activity is still wrestling on our bed. They both love throwing themselves all over the place, but you have to keep an eye on Kieran because he tends to launch himself off the side of the bed.

Josh and I are enjoying the breather between Christmas and Easter. It's nice that his schedule has slowed down a bit now, but we know it will pick up again soon! We've begun rearranging our house. We'll be moving our bedroom upstairs, opening up our room for a playroom and baby room. Yup, a little before Christmas we were delightedly surprised to discover that we're having another baby!!! I'm due the end of August, and we'll be sure to keep you posted:) We're truly thrilled and looking forward to meeting this little person!!

Well, that's our news for now. Happy New Year, all!!!

Foote Family Thanksgiving

I've had these pictured uploaded for a long time but haven't gotten around to writing the narrative to go with them. So, although nearly a month later, here's our Thanksgiving story. We made the drive out to NE this year and got together with Josh's family. I was a bit worried about the drive because our goal was to make the 14 hour drive in one day. We did it. The way to NE took about 19 hours because we stopped at a Chuck E Cheese for some out-of-the-car fun. Our trip home was about about 21 hours. I think the boys had a harder time sitting that time and Kieran got sick twice. Fortunately, the first was in the car and the second at the rest stop where we were cleaning up the car. He was a happy camper through the whole thing, so we don't think he was really sick. Maybe just car sick?? Who knows.

The time in NE was nice. We had a great time with all 10 other cousins and got a few fun photos as a result. Here's one of our only a family-of-four photos. As well as a picture that quite accurately represents the chaos that comes from 21 one people being together for a meal:)



Ayden and Kieran are enjoying playing together more every day. Kieran has learned to push trucks and so often joins in when Ayden is playing. Here they are in an inflatable tent we have.


Kieran is what my dad likes to call the "consummate consumer." He LOVES to eat and does it with great gusto, often out eating Ayden. He'll eat anything from shrimp and crab cakes to pretzels and carrots. Loves it all and it's fun to see him shovel it in:)


Ayden is developping quite the immagination and often transforms our car into a motorcycle, dump truck, or helicopter. Here he is in a motorcycle, I believe, along with his motorcyle helmet, aka construction hat. It is on backwards; the part over his mouth is supposed to be the size adjuster that goes in back. However, Ayden knows that all helmets have visors and this was the best he could come up with in creating one for himself. He'll often wear this the black strap is over his eyes. He can't see, but he also won't turn the hat around because it's his motorcycle helmet! If we're not driving some exotic vehicle, we're turning into Bob the Builder characters. Throughout the day Ayden assigns us new personalities, whether they be Scoop, Bob, Wendy, Dizzy, and occasionally we through Winnie the Pooh characters into the mix! Quite fun!

Halloween Fun

This year Ayden was to be a fireman for Halloween. We had borrowed a fireman's coat and hat to be worn with our fireman hose and boots. Ayden was very excited about Halloween, especially the trick-or-treating, because, unlike last year, he understood what would be happening. He eagerly anticipated his candy stash. Like last year, however, he opted out of the costume . The fireman outfit, although something he was very interested in, ended up draped across a chair or left in the car during our various parties.


We had a Halloween party at a friend's house. Here are the kids painting their pumpkins. Everyone came in costumes (or, as in Ayden's case, with costumes in hand), but by this point they had been shed.


Ayden also had a Halloween party at his Gymboree class. Here he is enjoying his pumpkin cookie. Notice the red behind him--that's his costume!


Here's Ayden playing on the equipment as his party. He loves jumping, and it's fun to see how his jumping has really developed. When we first started these classes, he would more step off the platform rather than jump. Now, however, he's much more airborn as he flies off.


A high point of Gymboree classes is the closing song. It's the same song every class with a dance "routine." The kids get to pick dancing partners (aka stuffed animals). Here Ayden is at the end of his party with his favorite partners--the two cows. He rushes to pick them every time and watch out kids if you're in his way!


Needless to say, Kieran wasn't as active in the Halloween scene. He wore a celebratory pumpkin shirt, but, other than, he was a rapt observer. Here's a picture of him at a local library's Discovery Zone. It's a great kids' area with lots of fun activity centers. Kieran here is enjoying the lego table.


Ayden continues to strive for potty training proficiency. He does well with the potty part. The other, well, not so much. So, this last week we've spent hours (yes, hours) reading, watching shows on the laptop, talking, etc. He's made progress and is now the proud owner of two new Bob the Builder toys: Dizzy and Roley. These round out his already begun collection. In the days to come he hopes to also have Muck as well as a spider man watch.

Happy Birthday, Ayden!

Friday was Ayden's 3rd birthday, and we had a great time spending the weekend celebrating. What a joy he is!! Friday we woke up to cupcakes and presents. I think Ayden thought that was the end of his big day, because, when wished a Happy Birthday at 9:00 am, he declared, "It's not my birthday anymore." We tried telling him throughout the day that it still was, but it wasn't until late afternoon, maybe when having pizza with Grandma and Grandpa (another present was involved) that he ascribed to the "birthday all day" theory:)

Saturday was the party, and it was fun. We had beautiful weather, so we were able to have it outside. Nearly all of Ayden's very dear friends could make it, and they enjoyed croquet, bowling, and a guitar pinata. Our theme was "Things Ayden likes," so we had a fire truck cake (joint effort by Josh and me) as well as a dump truck cake with "dirt" brownies/pudding and gummy worms, a guitar pinata, sesame street plates/napkins, and ball-themed invitations. Ayden had a blast and was a wonderful host. By the end of the night he was happily exhausted.

So, now we enter the wonderful world of a three-year-old. One event, yet to experience but much anticipated, is enjoying the Eagle's Nest at our groccery store, Giant Eagle. Giant Eagle offers free childcare in a very appealing playroom equipped with toys, video games, etc. Unfortunately, you must be three to enjoy it. So, Ayden has been very excited to go to the groccery store's "playground." Also, now that he's three, he gets to change classes at our Gymboree play and music program. His new class is called school skills, a pre-pre-school of sorts. It's a drop-off class, and I think he'll enjoy learning letters and other skills in a more structured setting.

Kieran is out-right crawling now, having fully rejected the army crawl. He's a happy camper, except when he's supposed to be sleeping, like right now. If I thought it might jar some ideas in terms of getting us through the night or a nap, I would literally bang my head against a wall. However, knowing that won't be helpful, I'll settle for the metaphorical "I'm banging my head against the wall" in frustration. He loves to be a part of things, and, unfortunately, bed time does involve a degree of separation. That aside, the little guy is developing quite the personality, and we love the big smile that's (usually!) on his face.

Enjoy the birthday pics!

Brothers

We've entered a wonderful new phase in our family. Kieran has reached a new level of mobility, expressiveness, and interest in interacting with people. It's been particularly fun to see him adore Ayden, and Ayden, likewise, adore him. Kieran loves his folks, to be sure, but when he sees Ayden, his eyes light up and he looks at him with wonderful expectation, "What glorious plans do you have for us now?" Earlier this afternoon, they were both in the living room "driving" cars on some of Ayden's tracks. It was glorious to hear Kieran squeeling with delight and Ayden respond in laughter.

Ayden, likewise, adores his little brother. He makes sure Kieran gets his share of graham crackers, that his Gymbo teacher blows bubbles in Kieran's direction, and that Kieran is properly smothered with hugs.

They both LOVE to wrestle. Our bed is the most popular spot, and when I get home after Josh and the boys have been home alone, our bed is always mussed and the pillows askew due to the throwing of bodies and wrestling. Ayden regularly requests that Josh give him a ride on his back and then run through the house. He also likes to be thrown on the bed. When Kieran sees them on the bed, he bursts into a huge grin, lunges from my arms, and joins in the fight. It's really fun.

Friends and Fun

Ayden has a video that centers on firemen and all their job entails. He loves it and spends time fighting fires around our house. Here he is in his fireman helmet, boots, and "pants" (he pulled them up like they do on the video, so even though they're shorts--they're fireman pants).

Josh's mom recently made a short visit, and we had a nice time spending the day with her. She was able to come see Ayden's Gymbo class, which, as you may remember from earlier posts, is a big event in our family. Barb brought with her shirts for Ayden and Kieran, so here they are sporting their matching race car shirts. Ayden likes it when he and Kieran are dressed at least similarly, so this was fun for him.






We do a good bit of groccery shopping at Giant Eagle. Ayden loves this store because they have a kid cookie club. So, every time we go, he gets a cookie. Hence, he calls it the cookie store. Another exciting facet of this store is their carts. Their car carts are in high demand, so, when we go, we scope out the outside cart corrals and then head in to see if we can find one. Sometimes we get one, sometimes we don't. Here's a picture of the first time Kieran joined Ayden in the cart. Kieran, as you can tell, took to it immediately.








This past week we had a number of fun outings with friends. Here's a picture of Ayden and Kieran with Brooklyn. They're taking a break from running around the water spraygrounds. It was a fun break from the very hot weather we've had lately. We went last year, too. It was something to see how Ayden's changed since then. Last year he cautiously enjoyed running through the various sprinklers. This year, he plowed through them all without thinking twice about it.


We also went to the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center with Bella, her mom, and brother Silas. Ohio has a terrific metropark system with beautiful trails, nature centers, and activities for families. At this particular center, we saw a lot of animals found in Ohio's wild. It was fun and we ended the trip with a picnic at Huntington Beach.

Month in pictures

So, my posts got published out of order. The written narrative is below, but here's a pictorial overview of our activities this past month. We've had some fun adventures and enjoy seeing the boys have fun!!