Yay for the Weekend!

For some reason, I'm really glad that it's the weekend. I'm not sure why. It's not like there's a real big difference for me. I guess I get more of an assist from Julien and I get to sleep in and that's always something to look forward to. :) It was a normal busy week. We had playgroup playdate at the YMCA. We went to their toddler gym, and let me tell ya', I wish I had known about that place sooner! Trampolines and mats and toddlers! Aidan had a ball. And it's always a plus to be able to talk to other moms, even if it is a fleeting conversation. Today, we had a playdate here with our friends Gabi and Joey. Also this week, Mommy made her first recipe-less dinner. Julien said it was a real breakthrough for me. It's funny what he gets excited about. I appreciate being good enough now that I can wing it a little if I need to. Baking is still much more enjoyable to me though. I also got further in my Xmas shopping. (It's nice to feel like loose ends are tying up.) I signed Aidan and I up for some toddler classes in January, which I have been meaning to do all year! We have a membership to the Magic House (which, if you have small children and visit StL, the Magic House is a must!) and they offer Toddler music, science, and art classes every week. So, I signed us up for one of each. That way we can see what we really like and also, our playgroup is going too so at least we'll know someone. I think this will be really fun. It's reasonable, only $3.50/person for each class. So, all kinds of excitment! We have a ton of playdates and things to do in the next couple months. It should be good.

Visit with an Old Friend

Last weekend, Julien's best friend, Kevin, came down to visit for the weekend. We hadn't seen Kevin in about 4 years or so. He kinda disappears and reappears randomly. So, it was great to see him. Lots had changed in four years. Like we had Aidan. And he has a good job that he likes. It's amazing what being in charge at work does for a person. Julien said Kevin has more discipline than he does now. :) For anyone who knew Kevin way back, that's a really funny statement. But he was the same sweet but crazy (not in that cute way either) guy we've known for years. Kevin is one of the those friends we both know independently. I met Kevin at Kirkwood CC, before I met Julien. Kevin has been friends with Julien since they were 12. So even though we both knew him, we never hung out with him together. It must be a little weird for him that his friend hooked up with his other friend then got married. Or since it's Kevin, maybe not. Either way, he was very patient with Aidan and the fact that we do things differently now because of our little guy. In fact, Kevin was really good with Aidan and Aidan wanted to do anything Kevin did. In fact, after Kevin went into the bathroom, Aidan announced that he had to go potty and actually peed in the potty. (See previous post.) Our no swearing rule was a challenge for Kevin but, luckily, Aidan didn't seem to hear him when he did it.

I also went to Girls Night out on Friday. That was fun. Many margaritas were had by all. I'm sure our waitress thought we would never leave. I think everyone had a good time.

Next, we prepare for Thanksgiving. We will be celebrating with my family. We couldn't afford a trip to Phoenix unfortunately. We would have loved to have been eating turkey in the sun! But, just not in the budget this year. Hopefully next year we can go somewhere nice. I've already started preparing for Christmas. The cards have been ordered. I never got around to getting family pics or 2 yr pics of Aidan taken, so I had to improvise. Christmas shopping has started and I have nine people done. I feel like I'm getting ahead of the curve, for once.

Well, I'm off to deal with a bunch of headaches. Changing phone service, paying bills, you know-all the stuff you really don't want to do.

A Big Step Forward for our Big Boy!

We've had a very exciting development in the last couple days. Aidan told me last night that he had to go potty. At first, I thought it was only because Kevin had gone to the bathroom and Aidan thought everything he did was awesome. But he went in and got his pants down, we got the diaper off, and he sat on his potty. He smiled big and said "I go potty Mommy!" Sure enough about 10 seconds later, he peed!! He was so proud and Mommy was excited! So I gave him some fruit snacks as a reward. Then he didn't want to get his diaper back on. (I hope these are good signs.) Then today, again he told me he had to go. So we tried again and he peed. And once again it was a fight to get the diaper back on. More fruit snacks were had and a call to Daddy at work was made. :) After nap he said he had to poop and tried for a while, but no luck this time. We were too early I think. About 10 minutes or so later, he pooped in his diaper. I've started letting him flush the poop from his diaper in an attempt to motivate him. I read it somewhere and it sounded like a good idea. So, we have taken baby steps. We aren't ready for full blown training yet but it may be soon. I think we will go this weekend and let him pick out some training pants. I don't know if Mommy's ready for this. Any and all suggestions are welcome!

More about Kevin's visit later. It was a great visit. I'm really glad he was able to make it down. Now, off to sleep!

A Christmas Request!

I've been meaning to write this post for a while now and, since I have some free time, there's no time like the present. (No pun intended.) I've been meaning to put out a request about Christmas presents. Aidan had a fantastic birthday. Once again, thanks to everyone who sent something special for him. However, we were completely overwhelmed by all the toys. I had to go through all his toys and put a lot of things out of rotation so we weren't swimming in them. We may even donate some of his toys that he doesn't play with anymore. Now, I'm not complaining. We're lucky to have an overabundance, especially in these times. But, I decided that I would make the request that for this Christmas, if you want to get him something, please try to keep it to books, puzzles, art supplies (playdough and stuff like that even), clothes (3T long sleeved shirts and sweaters/sweatshirts, 2T pants and jeans) or money for his piggy bank. These are the kind of things he could really use right now and sometimes these things are less expensive than toys. By no means do we expect everyone we know to get him something for Christmas but, if you choose to do so, please try to pick from one of these categories. Thanks everyone!!!

Another Normal Week in the Ross-Boon House

We always seem busy around here. However the last couple weeks we have been derailed by colds. Last week, I was out of commission most of the week and miserable. This week it was Julien' s turn. (Luckily, Aidan's been the healthiest of us all.) So, we didn't get much done. Once I was well again, it was time to get to work as we were expecting company on two different occasions this week. So, I got the whole house clean in about 3 days instead of taking the week to do it as usual. I know, you're thinking that's an awful long time just to clean, but the house is big and I always have other important things come up and someone to distract me. (Wonder who??) Last night, we had our first round of guests. Our friend Jeff from Maryland is out here for business. Julien used to work with him and our families have been friends for years now. (Wow, has it been that long?) We took him out for our customary dinner and ice cream- Thai House for dinner and Oberweis for home made Ice Cream. And, as usual, both were great! (Sorry Catherine, we thought of you the whole time, I promise!) We caught up on what the kids are doing and how everyone in Maryland is. It was a really nice time. Hopefully, we all will be able to get together again soon. Maybe they can come visit or maybe when it's their turn to move. :)

The next visitor is due to arrive on Saturday and I really hope he makes it. Julien is really looking forward to this weekend and will be crushed if he doesn't make it. So, I'll have to let you know how it goes.

For the rest of this week, I will be taking care of loose ends that I've been meaning to get to as the house is now clean. Tomorrow morning our playgroup is meeting again. Our leader had to move us to a new website that didn't charge (it wasn't fair to make her pay $20 a month to organize us online) and now we are trying to recover and find all the old members. I really hope it survives because it's a lot of fun. Tomorrow we are going back to the Creation Station at the Transportation Museum. That place is so much fun! There are so many different things to do there. Friday night is going to be exciting as well! Some of us girls from the neighborhood are having a Girls' Night. This is the first time we have done something like this. I really hope it goes well as it was my idea and I will feel bad if it doesn't. :) I'm sure it will be an interesting night either way. Then next week we will start preparing for Thanksgiving and a visit to Iowa. Hard to believe that Thanksgiving is almost here and Christmas is around the corner. There is so much to do and I am falling behind already! Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Halloween 2008

In all the election buzz, I neglected to post about Halloween. This year Aidan was a lion. He was so cute! He roared all night and was particularly protective of his tail. He kept looking to see if it was still there. Now he's obsessed with tails. To start off the night, we went to a couple houses down the street to trick or treat. At first, Aidan didn't really understand what we were doing. However, when he figured out that candy was involved, he became much more interested. All the neighbors got together in the circle with their candy. Aidan kept taking candy for everyone else's bowl and putting it in ours. Then, when all the trick or treaters came Aidan was so excited. He kept saying "More kids Mommy! Look! More kids!" I had to keep my eye on him to make sure he didn't run off with all the other kids. At the end of the night, all us adults gathered around the fire pit and hung out. There were some interesting "fireworks" as well. It's interesting, when a neighborhood is new and everyone is getting to know each other, people are nice and everyone has a good time. Then, as we all get used to each other it seems that's when problems arise. I think we're starting to see some strain in relationships. But, in the end it was a good night.

Then Sunday the 2nd, Julien and I took his parents to the Rams v. Cardinals. This was Julien and my first NFL game. We had nosebleed seats but, it was fun. The Cardinals won the game, which made us happy as we are Cardinals fans. Although at the end, we just felt bad for the Rams. They just fell apart. Next time we go, I think we will get better seats. :)

Well, as I am recovering from a horrible cold, we are preparing for more visitors. A friend from the east coast will be out for business. Then an old friend is coming to visit next weekend and we are really looking forward to that. It's been years since we've seen him and it'll be nice to hang out and catch up. So, again things are busy as always. It's always a game of catch up.

Election Day!

We just got back from voting. Luckily, the lines were short and we didn't have to wait long. No matter what your political stance is, make sure you vote! As a woman, I feel it is my duty to do so. There were many women who sacrificed and suffered greatly in their fight. In doing so, they secured my rights. I feel all women need to honor the work of these brave women and exercise that right. I also believe it's important for Aidan to go with me and see me voting. He's too young for it to make an impression now, but in the future I hope to set the example for him and set up the expectation that he be involved in the process as well. I see too many people who are ambivalent about it and end up passing down a sense of apathy to the next generation. The only way to ensure change and progress is to be part of the solution and get involved! I'll get off my soap box now. :) I'll be eagerly awaiting the results tonight, as I know many of my friends will be too. So, in conclusion, quit reading this and GO VOTE!!!





PS: Go Obama!!!! :) I had to get that in there.