The Perfect Day

Today was quite possibly the perfect day.    There is a small picnic area by my old home.  Fernwood.  And, yes, it is just as lovely as it sounds.  Aiden and I went on a small field trip to see the leaves.  And we played and played.

This was so lovely.  I could not help but take a picture.  

We went leaf-watching and ended up playing in the leaves for about an hour.  It was divine.  What a perfect day.

Pumpkins Part 2

What to do for a toddler activity in the fall?  Carving pumpkins is flat out of the question.  Aiden + sharp objects = no bueno.

So on the way home, we stopped and bought paint to decorate our pumpkins that we bought at the pumpkin patch.  Three.  Orange, white, and black.  

Aiden had a blast.  Became very colorful with much paint, and then had more fun in the bath following the painting.  Ha Ha Ha!!  

The black one by Mom.

The white one was a collaborate effort.

The orange one... um.... still drying.  That one was Aiden's pumpkin.   It is kind of.... well, painted by a one-year-old.  

In Deep Denial

Aiden and I are really in deep denial about the end of summer.  I love autumn so much.  So much.  But with cold brings a new set of activities that will be amazingly fun.

But Aiden loves the park.  And the sun.  And, more than anything, the slide.  Soon, we will have no more Osh Kosh shorts and no more green leaves on the trees and the slide will be covered in snow.  Sad face.  Very sad face.  We visit Mr. Slide every single day that it is sunny.  But the sunny warm days are almost done.

Then we will start doing autumn activities.  We are scheduled for Boo at the Zoo.  Spooky Saturday at the Dinosaur Museum in Lehi.  Halloween, hay rides, all of it!  Yay!!

The piano at the park

My OshKosh days are close to ending!!

Up the slide

The Punkin Patch

We got to go to Day's Farm and pick out some pumpkins.

Boy, this boy is darn cute!

We found three cute little pumpkins and will decorate them this week.  

And probably return for a hay ride.  

yeah.  I think we will.

Lovely People

I know so many really lovely people.  I really have a lot of people in my life that are wonderful and two of those wonderful, lovely people are having a baby!

Congrats to Mikey (aka Monkey Boy) and Amanda (aka Manders).  It has been one hell of a road to get this little spirit here.

Last night I was privileged to be invited to a birthday dinner for Mike (26 years old!  GASP!  That means I am...  crap...) who is my nephew.  Mike's dad was so patient with little man sitting next to him throwing breadstick remnants at him and throwing a Teething Toddler Tantrum.  Mike's mom, my sister, is the most demure, lovely, patient person I know.  She was patient with Mister throwing silverware and napkins.  And didn't complain.

And then Mike's baby, Gracie, told everyone she is going to be a big sister.
Yeeeee-hawwww

Gardner Village 2010

Aiden and Mom LAST year at Gardner Village

Aiden and Mom THIS year at Gardner Village

In keeping with my tradition, we went to Gardner Village today.  All the sisters were scheduled to go, but all of them ditched except for Aunt Kari and her girls.  So we went without everyone else.  And had a blast (in spite of the missing ladies- not because the ladies were not there)

He is getting SO big.  I can't believe what a difference a year makes!

Kari found this sign.  Awesome.  Simply awesome.

Aiden working on his James Bond look.  I think he was getting ready to sneeze, actually.

Big "almost-walking" kiddo.

One of the fun witches around Gardner Village

Lunch with the girls at China Platter.  Tom Yom soup and Breanna's 127 orders of cream cheese wantons later, it was so great.

Tater finally got his much-needed nap.

Mom had to rush home to speak at the stake baptisms, I left Aiden with Smeds while I ran back home.  On my way back, my alternator went out... AGAIN!  Second time in 4 months.  Arggghhhh..

Manly Stu and Alec came and rescued me on the side of the road.  They are such manly men.  I rewarded them with tacos.  They rewarded me by passing gas.  

Manly men.

Aiden takes his first steps

Aiden took his first steps yesterday.  Two little steps that I was there for.  He collapsed in traumatic unsteadiness after those steps and then started crawling again.  

I was so afraid that I wouldn't be there for his first steps.  It was amazing.

Aiden has a little lion.  We got it for his birthday and he hasn't really liked it until just recently.  It is a walker, scooter combo.  When it is a walker, he walks EVERYWHERE.  When it is a scooter, he uses it to watch TV.  It is his own special recliner chair thing.  

Sometimes he just crouches over it and sits like this... and watches Thomas the Tank Engine.

Watching his favorite show.