Oak Trees

We have been back from vacation for a few days but I still have a few more pictures to share with you. We went to a little local park one of the days we were in Angels Camp. The play area itself was not too exciting but all the giant oak trees in the park were awesome. Chloe climbed up the trees (which surprised me because she is usually too scared to do stuff like that). Aidan of course had no fear and was already to climb up the tree to get his picture taken. Here are some great pictures I took of the kids.

Columbia, CA--Cowboy Costumes

For quite a while now we have been wanting to get an "Old West" Family Picture done. There was a place in Columbia but the line was too long. At one of the museums they had a dress-up area for the kids. We decided to take advantage of the clothes and have our own impromptu "Old West Portrait Session".

Chloe, as a laundress, and Aidan as a gold miner.


As you can see Brenna was having more fun running around than sitting still for the picture!


This is a sweet picture of Chloe...


Brenna thought running around in the long dress was hilarious...


We finally got Brenna to sit still long enough to get a picture but she refused to wear the sun bonnet.


Aidan loved dressing up as a miner...


One of these days we will get all of us in an "Old West" picture together...Maybe we can put them in our Christmas Cards. =)

The Ceremony

I would like to say that my children were extremely well behaved during the wedding ceremony. But who am I kidding? They are 7, 2.5 and 1 years old. They were very entertaining to say the least. Here are some highlights...

1. Aidan insisting that he carry Aunt Kimmie's bouquet down the aisle because he didn't like his pillow (Aunt Kim convinced him to switch right before they walked down the aisle).
2. Aidan kept insisting that he walk with Chloe but he was suppose to walk with Aunt Kimmie, who kept telling him that she didn't want to walk alone. So he walked down the aisle with her. Than he saw Chloe walking alone and decided she shouldn't walk alone either. So he ran off the stage, through the church and walked back up the aisle with his sister. Very sweet.
3. Brenna and Aidan decided to test all of the battery operated candles during the ceremony and do a bit of redecorating.
4. Mom pulled her vows out of her cleavage--shocking dad.
5. Brenna, after wandering on the stage for a while, decided to find Mom. Not always easy when you are 30 inches tall and Mom and two others are wearing the same dresses. First she went to Aunt Kimmie, looked up--"No, that's not Mom." She looked to her right and saw another blue dress, so she walked to the next dress. She looked up at Aunt Kim--"Nope, not Mom either". Looks to her left one more time, grabs Mom's dress and looks up--"Jackpot"!

Here are some pictures...







Here are some cute family shots taken afterwards:

Feeling Better & Messy Faces

Brenna is feeling much better! Thank you for your prayers. She is over the worst and just has the occasional cough. She still gets tired easily but is sleeping through the night in her crib (Yippee!!). Mom is still fighting this virus and now has a sinus infection, so both Brenna and myself are taking antibiotics. Aidan is fighting a serious cough however and could use some prayer. So far Matt and Chloe have stayed cold-free.

Just so I could prove how well the kids are doing I thought I would share some cute pictures...


No, that is not chocolate all over his face--it is dirt. MMMMMM--Mudpies!

What childhood is complete without pictures of a spaghetti dinner all over the face?




What a cute little girl!

Tumbling Class

In January Aidan started a Toddler Tumbling class at the same studio where Chloe takes dance. He loves it. He is learning how to wait his turn (not always easy for a 2.5 year old), somersaults and so much more. He looks forward to it each week. Brenna goes with me each day and always wants to try to go into the studio with her big brother. She loves the mirror and the fact that it echoes in the room.

Updates

I haven't posted much about Aidan lately. He is still going through the terrible twos (and I do mean terrible). He is just having a hard time growing up. He does have his moments though when I get a glimpse of that little boy I adore, when he is laughing and playing. He is also becoming better at his role at big brother although sharing is still a huge issue for him. So please pray for our little dude as he grows into the incredible man God has created.

Knight in Shining Armor

These Boots Were Made for Stomping!!

Daddy's stuff arrived the day after we got home. Aidan had a blast playing dress-up in Daddy's desert camouflage. He stomped around the house for quite a while in those big old boots! Aidan is so happy that Dad is finally home. We are just now starting to deal with homecoming adjustments.

Our Budding Artist

Here is Aidan hiding under Nana and Poppa's desk in the kitchen. It is the perfect place for a little boy to play!


Aidan couldn't wait to break into his new art supplies Christmas day. He painted pages of scribbles and couldn't get enough of his new paint buddies. On a side note, he is finally, completely over the flu!! Thank you, Jesus!

Trip to the ER and More Glorious Snow!!

Well, Saturday night our predicted storm blew through! It surrounded the Island in Blizzard-like conditions. Visibility was less than a mile with the snow blowing in the wind. We didn't get the strong winds, we only had gusts between 35-40 miles an hour and the sustained winds were about 25 miles an hour. But it blew the falling snow, the snow on the ground, roofs and trees all over the place. Going over the bridge was a complete white out.

We woke up Sunday morning to another 2" of snow and more winds, not to mention the ice. If you were outside on the ice the wind would blow you sideways or right off of your feet. The weather and snow/ice conditions were so bad that church services were cancelled all over town. I wasn't going to attempt driving in the stuff to go to church and no one was on the roads it was too dangerous. Plus Aidan spent the day throwing up! He came down with a horrible case of the stomach flu.

So I spent the day cleaning up after him. Not fun for either of us since he was throwing up 1-2 times an hour. By 8:00PM he was so weak he could barely move. So we bundled him up and Poppa drove us to our Urgent Care Clinic on the base, which was closed!!!! Which we figured out after we drove there in the blowing snow. We had to turn around and drive to our ER in Coupeville. What a trip this was! The snow had been falling for about an hour so we had a little over an inch. Plus the wind was blowing and not a snow plow in sight down the highway.

As you can imagine, our little ER was packed full between he flu, slips and falls on the ice and car accidents. We had to wait about an hour. Aidan did as good as could be expected. He threw up in the car on the way to the ER but after that seem to be feeling a tad better. I don't think he had anything left in his system, poor baby, after a rough day. The doctor sad he was only slightly dehydrated and to keep pushing liquids even if he just throws them up. If he is still bad in another day or two we can bring him back. He did throw up one more time about 4 am and is still quite puny this morning. So we will see how the day goes.

Now onto the snow....

WE GOT DUMPED!!! We have about 6-8 inches of brand new snow (this on top of the 6 inches already on the ground). Woohoo!! It is beautiful! So here are some gorgeous pictures of what we woke up to this morning! Enjoy!









Here I am stepping in the snow. Keep in mind that the snow under the new snow is covered with a thick layer of ice so I am not actually stepping on the grass but another layer of snow and ice.




Beautiful isn't it?









And my favorite picture of the morning...

Can't you just see it on a post card? I think I may blow it up and frame it.