Preparing for the Big Celebration

As of late, I have been busy planning Aidan's upcoming festivities. I have picked the theme, sent the invites, gotten supplies, and contemplated favors and games. We are having a Thomas bday. I think to save money and to do something different, I'm going to make caramel apples for favors. I thought that would be fun. I'm sure I'll be kicking myself later though. Games are hard to pick, as there will be a range of ages at the party. I also wonder if they're really necessary. I think they would be fun. ( Or maybe a craft they can make and take instead. ) I want to do a pinata however, it seems most are pull string pinatas nowadays. So right now, I think it'll be a pinata, maybe a ring toss game, and a coin game. The coin game would be one that all ages could do. You pick a big plastic coin out of a bag and one who gets the "special coin" wins the prize. Which would be some bubbles or something like that. I am open to everyone's thoughts on games.
I also have been busy looking for Aidan's present. We decided to get him a train table. Now, I would have loved to get him the Thomas table, however they are $200 new and that's too much. So I decided to look online to see what kind of deal I could get. This was my first experience with craigslist. I found someone who had a new table, just got it this year, and tracks and cars. There was no more room for it in the little boy's room and Mom wanted it gone. It has a shelf underneath and three bins. So not a bad deal. I would've liked to have talked her down more but, I got her to come down enough ($100) that I felt it was worth it. Big thanks to my neighbor Mike for driving me in his truck, an hour each way, to pick it up. Aidan loves it! Yes, I already gave it to him because it was too hard to hide for a month. All in all, I was a little nervous about Craigslist, but it worked out well. With this purchase we now have an overabundance of train tracks. We also have 4 big bridges, 3 little bridges, a draw bridge, little people and trees, and trains. This leads me to my next point.
For all those reading who might get Aidan a present for his bday.**************************
Now, I'm not one who expects everyone in the world to get me and my family presents. But, I also don't think it's in bad taste to give pointers to those who are interested. Our friends made a registry for their twins's first bday and I thought that was so helpful. Aidan has gotten a lot of train stuff lately. Our neighbor Rachel was incredibly generous and gave us all her son's old train toys, which is where most of it came from. So if you want to get train or Thomas stuff, we don't have James or Gordon or any of the big trains. We don't have any of the buildings or the quarry or the felt play mat for the trains either. But Aidan also loves musical instruments, which he doesn't have any of. He also loves art stuff as he loves to color and play with play dough. He could use puzzles too. So there are a few suggestions. Well, I'm off to make a picture poster for the party, clean up all the trains on the floor, and other never ending chores. :) This weekend, we have a BBQ to go to, the train museum to see of course, and a fantasy football draft. Busy busy!

In Search of a Hobby

It's come to my attention that I am in serious need of a hobby. Julien is back from his floating trip and I finally have some time to myself. So I thought I would go do something. Then, I realized that I don't really have any meaningful hobbies over than shopping. So I need a hobby that will get me out of the house and away from mommy-duty. And isn't terribly expensive. (Hence the problem with my shopping hobby.) I am open to suggestions. I will not camp or do anything camping-like. But over than that, I'll consider most things. :)

My New Addiction

This week I finally broke down and joined an online social networking site. At first I resisted because I thought I was too old and lame for something like that. Really, I stay at home, how exciting is my life? However, everyone asked if I was on or not that I figured, I might as well. Let me tell you, it's like crack! I already have almost 50 friends. (Who knew that I even knew that many people?) I've chatted and posted and added pictures. I've talked to people that I haven't seen in years, some not since I graduated high school. I've gotten into the little things you can add to make your page look cool. It's amazing how little you get done when you belong to one of these things. Although in all fairness, laundry just can't compete. Julien has even been sucked into it. Even he thinks it's addictive. He's the last person I expected to jump on the bandwagon. Oh, well. If you're on a social networking site, look us up and add us.

A Visit from Grandpa Dave

Saturday brought a welcome surprise. Saturday marked the first time my Dad has come to visit. Actually this is the first time either of my parents have visited where I live. My mother hasn't for obvious reasons and my dad is always too busy. My dad came down to Missouri to visit my grandma. My grandmother, by the way, is stunning her doctors with her progress. She isn't out of the woods by any means but, she's awake and able to give a few very pointed No's to the nurses and my dad and aunt. Always a good sign. She's a tough woman, I tell ya! Since she's holding her own, my dad felt it was safe to go home. On the way, he stopped by our place. Boy was Aidan surprised to see him! Unfortunately, Aidan didn't put on the happiest of faces for our guest and was pretty fussy. After Dad got the grand tour of the house and had time to admire Julien's TV, we went to dinner at our favorite Thai place. On the way we found out that they were having a parade through town, which was a big bonus for Aidan and helped improve his mood a little. It was the world's longest parade. I think every house in town had a float. But Aidan loved it. After dinner we went to our favorite ice cream place. As soon as you walk in the smell of fresh waffle cone hits you. It's awesome. We take our guests to all the best spots. We tried to convince him to stay the night but, he had made up his mind that he needed to be home that night. Either way, it was great to have him here in our neck of the woods. Hopefully it won't be the last time.

Everything we've been doing lately......

I apologize for not keeping this up to date. I've been put to task about it. Lots has been going on and sometimes it's hard to find the time. Or Aidan protests me being at the computer. So here's the skinny, good and bad, on current happenings for the Ross-Boon family.
Last week we went to Iowa to visit my folks. My nephew got married over the weekend and Aidan was the ring bearer. I was nervous about how he would do, but he was a champ! He hugged his little pillow tight and his cousin Sophie walked with him. He was a little nervous, sleepy and hungry(the wedding was past nap and lunch time), but he did great! He was so cute. He even kept his tie on and let me take Tigger from him. I was shocked! But he loves his cousin and follows her everywhere, for better or worse. :) The wedding was nice and came off without a hitch. Then we got to spend time playing with our cousins. Although, he was a little jealous of Baby Sarah. Mommy couldn't hold her or play with her for too long without strong protest. And when she grabbed for Tigger, he ripped it away and said, "My Tigger!" I'm sure he'll warm to her eventually. Like when she doesn't need so much attention. At least I know what I'll be dealing with when the next baby eventually comes. And I got a lot of comments recently on how he needs a little brother or sister. And here is my official response to everyone- Don't worry, it'll happen sooner or later people. Be patient.
Also while we were at my folks, Aidan got to watch a backhoe and dump trunks dig out the ditch on their gravel road and dump dirt in the backyard. This was very exciting for Aidan. He even got to see the backhoe up close as they parked it on my folks land at quitting time. He got to look in and touch the tracks. He even picked a flower and gave it to the backhoe. We also went to see my friend Elleni and her boys. She's ready to have her little girl any day now. It's funny, her oldest is entering 1st grade, which is the year Elleni and I met. We had a great time visiting and going to McDonald's in Marion to see the trains. We also saw our friends Paul, and Wasta and Phil. It was good to catch up with everyone. Although it was odd going through downtown CR after the flood. It's absolutely amazing to see how far the water got. Blocks and blocks away from the river, homes had water marks half way up the first floor. Everyone had flood damaged furnaces and debris on their front yards ready for pick up. It just went on and on, houses being repaired. I even saw the bridge that collapsed over by Penford. They were trying to take it apart. It was surreal to finally see it in person after seeing it on CNN. Even Anamosa's damage was amazing. The state park is a mess. The thought that where I was driving had been completely under water a month or so ago. I had that thought as I drove on hwy 30 and hwy 13 too. People are picking up the pieces but, it will be a long time before things are back to normal. And for some areas of CR, it will never be the same again. We also got bad news about my grandmother during our trip. Her health has been bad for a while now and she's been suffering from dementia. This time she had to have emergency surgery and had a heart attack on the table. She's in ICU in isolation. The situation is very serious and the doctor isn't optimistic. Keep her in your prayers. However this may end up being a blessing in disguise. She isn't conscious so she isn't in pain, and she's been sick for so long. She wouldn't want to go on this way. She was a sharp, self educated, strong woman back in the day. She was the first female test tech Rockwell Collins ever hired. I feel very guilty that we live an hour and half away and haven't been to see her yet. Honestly I didn't want to get there only to realize that she didn't remember who I was. I didn't want to disturb her routine or wear her out either. But I've learned through this experience that all the excuses in the world won't make you feel any less guilty. Family is what's most important and you should make time. No one's perfect, however you should always try to be the bigger person and do what's right.
On a lighter note, this trip marked Julien's first road trip on the bike. He got to Iowa in one piece and on his own no less. He got a little bit sunburned so now his farmer's tan is legendary. :) His arms look like Neapolitan ice cream. For Real!!!
On the horizon for the Ross-Boon clan is Aidan's 2nd birthday. I can't believe it!!!! My project is now to plan and prepare for his party. It'll be a Thomas the Train party as we are big into trains right now. It should be a big party with lots of friends. Oh, I'm on Facebook now. I ran into so many people during our Iowa trip that asked if I was on it that I decided to break down and do it. I've reached so many people I haven't seen in years!!! So now I'm hooked. So if you are on, look me up. And send me flair!! Ha!