Favorite Things

We'll take a quick intermission to mention some of Aiden's favorite things while at Nana and Papa Bob's besides all of the fun activities. He has loved playing in the upstairs game room with all of the really cool games, puzzles, and toys.

But most of all he has loved the cats. If ever he disappears, and we don't hear him, we know that he has headed off to see the cats.

Who may not be as thrilled to see him as he is to see them!

Orr Family Farms

So after a mostly uneventful Monday of flying into OKC (Aiden did great on the flight and enjoyed watching the gears and hydraulics moving the flaps on the wing our window looked out at) and just hanging out a Nana and Papa Bob's we decided to fill our Tuesday with some adventures. Nana, Tay, Aiden and I started the day out at Orr Family Farms. It is a working horse training facility outside of OKC which has also added a family/kid friendly farm activity area. It was very clean, not too crowded, and had a lot of fun things for Aiden to do.


He really enjoyed learning how to milk a cow. Can you see the concentration?

The farm also had a section with some very large jump pillows. They were basically an inflated trampoline which we all enjoyed jumping on, including my cute wife!

There were lots of things for Aiden to ride on at the farm. We opted for the fake horse instead of paying for a pony ride, which turned out to be money well saved because he didn't seem very interested in the horses.

He enjoyed riding the big red truck during his lunch break. You may notice the cheeks puffed full of peanut butter sandwich!

He had a lot of fun on the old fashioned Merry-Go-Round.

But, his favorite was definitely the train ride. You can't beat a Thomas look alike and getting to sit with Mommy and Nana.

The conductor even let him get in and blow the whistle!

We ended the day with the "hay ride" which was really just riding in a trailer being pulled by a big tractor out to the pumpkin patch where we all got to pick out a pumpkin.

I was happy that Aiden chose one that I could carry rather than this one.

We had a great time, and then headed home for the rest of the awesome activities for the day.

Oklahoma Trip

Early on in the summer Nana and Papa Bob called us and asked that we come and visit since it had been too long since they had last seen us (read: Aiden). We had a busy summer planned out, and the thought of long days out in the heat didn't sound that fun, so we postponed the trip to this past week. That turned out to be a great idea, because we have had some great weather, and have really enjoyed ourselves.

We've been in Oklahoma since Monday, and will head home early Saturday. The break from work has been wonderful, and Tay and I have been able to have a couple of date nights while being here. It has also been a lot of fun to see Aiden bond with his grandparents.

Anyways, the next couple of posts will be about our trip and the fun activities we have had.

A LITTLE Off The Top, Please.

This past Saturday while I was playing Ultimate, Tay needed to get ready for the baby shower she was co-hosting later that morning. Aiden was contentedly watching his new Curious George movie, so Tay thought that it would be the perfect time to go and start getting ready. When she got out of the shower and went to check on Aiden, this is what she found:

The kiddo had climbed up onto Tay's counter desk in the kitchen, grabbed the scissors out of her pens and pencils jar, and decided to give himself a haircut. In a straight line. Down the middle of his head. To the scalp.

Tay was pretty traumatized. Something about family pictures in a month and a half, and that her baby's cute hair was all gone. I was just happy that Aiden still had ears. So, after hiding all scissors, and a quick buzz cut Tay was off to the baby shower and Aiden and I went to the Children's Museum to meet up with Sheena, Tyler, and Kyler for their last weekend in Houston before Tyler's school semester begins.

The Children's Museum was fun as usual (P.S. the membership has been totally worth it this year). And then, you can't take a trip all the way into to town without stopping in at our favorite candy store next to The Chocolate Bar.

So, don't you just love the new do???

July 4th!

Well, a month late isn't too bad, right? I am falling behind in my blogging responsibilities. Thankfully, Tay has been able to keep things going for the past couple of months while I have been working so much. Thank you, sweetie.

Anyways, we spent the 4th of July in Granbury with the Sullivans, and we had a great time. We drove up on Thursday, and came back home on Monday the 5th. We filled our time with boating, fishing, bar-b-que, shopping, outings, relaxing, time with family, and while Aiden took naps, I finished off season 3 of Burn Notice. It was a very nice trip. Below are the highlights.

On the 4th we went into downtown Granbury for their Independence Day Parade. It was fun to experience a small town parade again complete with the local high school sport teams and band, all of the local organizations, the police and fire dept, and local veterans. We definitely have much to be grateful for to be Americans. Aiden especially enjoyed that all of the floats and marching participants threw candy. I think that he got close to what he got at Halloween last year.

After the parade, we went and visited a local attraction. We actually met the owner/operator of the Tolar Windmill Farm and Bed and Breakfast at the parade. Luckily, Chuck didn't mind that we were Aggies, and convinced us that we should go. Aiden loves anything mechanical, and he also loves doing anything out in the open where he can run and do whatever he wants, so he definitely had fun running around and exploring this place.

The next day was actually Sunday the 4th, so after church it was time to wait for the big fireworks show over the lake. We had the best seats in town in the Sullivan's back yard, and the waiting was made all the better with the bar-b-que and our own fireworks.

I learned two lessons though. 1) sparkler thermite falling between your toes hurts real bad, and 2) there is only so much flag waiving and sparkler time that can keep Aiden occupied before he gets bored waiting for the fireworks show to begin (can't you tell from the picture below? lol)

In the end, it was a fun trip that we will probably do again next year. Some of the other fun activities were Aiden's first attempt at fishing. He didn't catch anything this time around, but I was heartened to see that he did seem to enjoy this activity. I had a great time staying up until 2 am fishing with Tyler one night, and we actually did catch some.

It is also always fun to see the two cousins hanging out with each other. I think that they were watching Tarzan here.

Lastly, Aiden was enthralled with Aunt Sheena's iPhone. He loved all of the fun little kid games. We are now that much closer to convincing Tay to get one!

It was a great holiday, and I hope that everyone enjoys the pictures.

Mushroom House Playset

Tay: This is a quick pic of the mushroom stacker house & play set I painted up for Aiden. I bought the wood cutouts from seller ClickityClack on Etsy.com and am sending them several pictures of the finished set as a thank you. I wanted to post it here so others know where it came from - they're a really neat shop for do-it-yourself pretend play things!

Apology Accepted

Tay: While running around today getting us packed up for our trip to visit my parents, I found Aiden in the office spinning in my office chair. He knocked the pen that goes to my digital drawing tablet on the floor, permanently damaging the fragile internal wiring & assembly. I was LIVID to the point I couldn't even speak. I tried fixing the pen to no avail and put Aiden in his room with directions to NOT come out until "mommy's special pen" was fixed. I could hear him sobbing in his room while I read techincal support info online and unhappily placed an order for a new replacement pen in white since they don't have the cool blue pens that matched my Bamboo Fun tablet. Still fuming, I e-mailed Brian about what his son had done and the pen I was having to have shipped 3-day Air because the July 4th holiday screwed up shipping schedules so badly I still wouldn't have it for a WEEK, putting ALL my graphic designing on hold until this necessary tool was replaced.

I hit send on the e-mail and wheeled around to leave the office when I saw Aiden standing in the doorway, silent, eyes wide with uncertainty. I exhaled and promised myself I wouldn't make him feel any worse. Very quietly he handed me his Tag Junior case, with it's handheld digital reading pal - the closest thing he could think of to replace my digital pen. My heart melted at his silent offer at the same time my brain jumped at the realization my three year-old understood the complex concept of cordless digital hardware interacting with computer software interfaces. Humbled by his willingness to give up one of his things, I realized the replacement pen was no more expensive than the avearage toy but I had treated his feelings as if they were worth less than $29.95 to me. Apology accepted Aiden but it's me who owes you the deeper apology. I'm so sorry. How is it you are sometimes so much wiser than me? May my new white pen always be a reminder to me that everything can be replaced but feelings, once damaged, cannot be un-hurt. I love you and hope you can forgive me for what I damaged and cannot replace by simply ordering it online.

Potty Training Aiden Stories

Tay: Nothing like having the wifey take over the blog right Bri? Any ways, it's potty training time over here and with Aiden that always makes for gobs of excitement! First let me say Aiden is doing INCREDIBLE. Like all-the-books-say-this-is-impossible-and-I-don't-dare-brag-to-my-girlfriends kind of incredible! We had a grand total of four, maybe five accidents over a period of 48 hours late last week before Aiden was consistently pottying AND POOPING in the toilet ON HIS OWN throughout the day. (I'd like to say a special thank you to my friend Rachael who gave me a sly, knowing smile last year and said "Trust me. Wait until at least a month after his third birthday and then try. It will be the easiest thing you ever did." She was exactly right!)

But, alas, it wouldn't be potty training Aiden without his own unique flair being added to the mix. While the poopy and potty are (miraculously) making it cleanly into the toilet, nothing else around this child has anything to do with clean. Case in point, here is a photo I snapped of the bathroom after Aiden used it on his own for FIVE SECONDS while I ran around packing him a few toys, snacks and a drink for errands today:



His cushioned toddler toilet seat thing is, in his mind, a hindrance so when I hear it hit and chip the drywall after being flung off the toilet, I know Aiden is in the bathroom. Toilet paper has become as fascinating as it was at 14 months (sweet love, I had forgotten how fast the stuff unrolls) and I'm not entirely sure what bathroom activity necessitates a sippy cup, a glitter microphone and a high chair but it's all in there. Hidden in the fluff-mound of toilet paper are his still-dry underwear that never seem to make it back on after a bathroom run. (Again, that's how I know he's toileting by himself during the day. Plus the nearly overflowing paper-clogged toilets of course...) The nudity thing is becoming a mild issue because now Aiden is perfectly content to run around in nothing but a t-shirt and he finds this perfectly acceptable attire for getting the mail, chasing Max in the front yard and watering the plants....with real water...from a pitcher....bottomless. I have often joked with Brian that "this place is like a Frat house" but now it really is with half-naked boys and all.

But I am SOOOOOO proud of Aiden! I honestly cannot take any credit for myself for his potty training. My book said you can't force another human being to learn to use the toilet and you shouldn't appear desperate to get your child to learn. My trick was to not even CARE about toilet training beyond reading the book and doing a few basic things that appeared to Brian as if we had really started toilet training (while I secretly saw no reason to give up the wonderful convenience of diapers for pit-stops every 5 minutes). Lo and behold my faking it for Brian did the trick for Aiden. :)

Meet The Newbie

Meet the newest member of our clan. Tay has been without a pet for months now, and was Jonesing for something. She's always had fond memories of the bird which she had when she was younger. It is also a pet that we can keep out of Aiden's reach. Anyways, meet Holly the Parakeet. We've had her for about 2 weeks now.

A Pretty Mess

Aiden found a tube of Tay's lipstick the other day. He decided to finger paint. Tay said that it took almost 2 hours to clean it all up.

The End Of A Season

Well, Annivalenbirthtine Day has come and gone, and Tay is now 29! I must admit that this little exercise has done me some good. I have a greater appreciation for how wonderful a wife I have, and I am much more willing to celebrate things for her. She even convinced me to throw her a party. My introverted self doesn't always look forward to having my house invaded and crowded, but we always have fun anyways. To continue tooting my own horn, I also cooked dinner for her on Sunday, and took Aiden all Monday, so that she could have the day to accomplish some things around the house that she has been wanting to do.

A good friend of mine mentioned at the party that I am extremely lucky that my wife's birthday falls on Valentine's Day because Hallmark advertises the day for me for a month prior. There is no way that I can forget! I'll have to think on that more next year. It still wasn't enough to convince me to buy Hallmark brand cards this year... : )

Below are some pictures of the beautiful and extremely yummy cake I had one of Tay's friends make for the party.

One of the funniest events around the party was how Aiden was so excited for birthday cake for mommy. We had told him that we would be having a party and that he would be getting birthday cake. He asked about it all day, and when it was delivered he had the hardest time waiting for the party to actually come around. We caught him once having pulled a chair up to the counter with fork in hand about to start digging in! Below are some shots of the culprit during one of the many instances of telling him that he had to wait longer...

Happy Annivalenbirthtine Day

To give you an update on the how Annivalenbirthtine (see http://b-striebro.blogspot.com/2010/01/9-years.html) experience is going, I'll mention a conversation that I had with Tay this evening. She told me that complaining to the guys about Valentine's Day would still count as complaining. So, to clarify to anyone that thinks that they may have overheard anything along those lines, let me just say that I was merely reporting on the progress that I have made, and expounding on the appreciation that I am developing for that holiday.

I mention this because we are in the height of the Annivalenbirthtine season with only 14 or so more days until the big day. So this weekend, to celebrate, Tay's birthday gift was done a little early.

We said goodbye to a faithful friend who had kept us safe and happy for the past 9 years.

And said hello to the new and improved version!

Happy Birthday, gorgeous!! I love you!

1940's Christmas Party

Our friends threw a 1940's themed Christmas party on the evening of the 26th, complete with everyone dressed up, 40's music, 40's movie trivia, charades, food, IBC Root Beer. mocktinis, and Cracker Jacks. Tay and I had a great time, and Aiden was received a good report from the babysitter. It was a nice evening.