Today my heart is overflowing with Thanksgiving. So many precious things in my life to be thankful for. Hope everyone stops to take a second today to think about what they have in their life and to be thankful!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Visit to the fire station and girls weekend '09
We got back from our girls weekend ( well girls weekend plus Aidan) last Thursday. My camera cord was temporarily misplaced so it took me awhile to upload pics. We had an awesome time with my mom, 2 aunts, and cousin. We always enjoy our time in Gatlinburg. We went to the Dixie Stampede for their Christmas Dinner show, did some shopping, played minature golf ( aidan calls it popcorn golf for some reason) visited the aquarium and ate lots of yummy food! We got the same "cabin" that we did last year. It is right by the creek. The screened in porch is actually right over the creek. We got a ton of rain the last 2 days we were there and it didnt take long for the lovely "stream" to become almost a river with lots of white water. Unfortunately, I didnt even think about taking any pictures of it. Had it continued another day I think the cabin may have washed away.
When we went to the Dixie Stampede they take your picture before you go in. They then attempt to sell you the pictures ( which we usually end up purchasing). When they brought us our pictures they asked if they could use the picture of Aidan for marketing purposes. It was a really cute picture. I signed a "modeling contract" and release and told them "sure". I would love to see how they are going to use the picture.
Before we went on our girls trip Aidan and I had our first experience with the "mom and tots" program here. We went on a trip to the fire station. So fun! Aidan loved it! His favorite part was getting to sit in the fire truck and "drive" it. He actually had a little tantrum when he had to get out because he thought he was such a "big boy". The fireman talked to us, educated us, and were really great with the little ones.
The firemans hat was incredibly heavy!
Sitting in the fire truck being a big boy.
so many shiny objects to touch at the fire station! LOL!
3 tots standing on the fire truck checking out the windshield wipers.
playing with the hose.
playing "popcorn golf". Me showing Aidan how to hit the ball.
How he actually ended up playing golf. Walking up to the hole and dropping it in. LOL!
He was so funny. About the 9th hole he just sat down and decided to take a rest. Popcorn golf is exhausting!
Aidan and I at "The Village"
This is where we took pics last year. It was really hard getting a picture of Aidan because he was more interested in going walking in the "forrest"- woods.
I love this bridge!
The only shot I got of the three of us.
My mom and her sisters. If you look closely between my 2 aunts you will see a red and white flash. Thats Aidan and what he did during the majority of the pictures. He ran away and wanted to go explore!
Gigi and her boy!
When we went to the Dixie Stampede they take your picture before you go in. They then attempt to sell you the pictures ( which we usually end up purchasing). When they brought us our pictures they asked if they could use the picture of Aidan for marketing purposes. It was a really cute picture. I signed a "modeling contract" and release and told them "sure". I would love to see how they are going to use the picture.
Before we went on our girls trip Aidan and I had our first experience with the "mom and tots" program here. We went on a trip to the fire station. So fun! Aidan loved it! His favorite part was getting to sit in the fire truck and "drive" it. He actually had a little tantrum when he had to get out because he thought he was such a "big boy". The fireman talked to us, educated us, and were really great with the little ones.
The firemans hat was incredibly heavy!
Sitting in the fire truck being a big boy.
so many shiny objects to touch at the fire station! LOL!
3 tots standing on the fire truck checking out the windshield wipers.
playing with the hose.
playing "popcorn golf". Me showing Aidan how to hit the ball.
How he actually ended up playing golf. Walking up to the hole and dropping it in. LOL!
He was so funny. About the 9th hole he just sat down and decided to take a rest. Popcorn golf is exhausting!
Aidan and I at "The Village"
This is where we took pics last year. It was really hard getting a picture of Aidan because he was more interested in going walking in the "forrest"- woods.
I love this bridge!
The only shot I got of the three of us.
My mom and her sisters. If you look closely between my 2 aunts you will see a red and white flash. Thats Aidan and what he did during the majority of the pictures. He ran away and wanted to go explore!
Gigi and her boy!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Around our Casa
We are settling in to life in WV and our new house. I love our neighborhood! There are a ton of kids and everyone is very friendly and neighborly. Our neighbor across the street actually brought Aidan a goody bag the day after trick or treat because we didnt trick or treat in our own neigborhood. How sweet is that? You can tell it is the type of neigborhood where everyone looks out for one another. Again, I love the whole community feel.
I have been catching up with old friends and family. Its so nice to have close friends nearby once again! I have found a toddler group in the area and we are going to our first event on Wednesday. We will be going on a tour of the fire station. I'm sure Aidan will love it! I also want to check out the local library. I think they have activities for toddlers as well.
Things are coming together for Grad School. I have officially been accepted and I meet with Dr. Angel later this month. I am going to talk to him about getting the credits to count towards my degree that I took in 1996. If I can manage to do this it will be a semester and a half under my belt already! In the emails we have been sending back and forth it doesnt seem to be a problem. He just has to work with me to make sure I still know the material and he has to complete some paperwork. I love Dr. Angel! He is the sweetest and really has a passion for special needs kids! I had the opportunity to actually be his graduate assistant in 1996. I am so looking forward to getting back in school. Later this month I will be checking out some day cares for Aidan. I wanted to put him in a Christian Pre School here by our house but I dont think schedule wise it is going to work out. Because it seems most of the classes are offered at night I will need to put him in a place in Huntington and then Cara will pick him up after she gets off work and watch him for an hour or so. Thank goodness for best friends!
Next weekend we are going on our annual girls trip to Gatlinburg. I am really looking forward to it! It will be nice to be able to do the driving for once!
Now here are some pics I have been taking recently around our house...
I love the front porch and would love to get some furniture for it this Spring.
Our roses
Burning Bush on the side of the house. The leaves were just starting to change. It is a brilliant red now and the leaves are starting to fall off.
Sunrise that I caught a couple of mornings ago.
Aidan playing in the leaves
I wanted to get a picture of this tree before the leaves starting falling off. It was so beautiful! I couldnt remember to bring my camera when we were going on our walks.
Aidan playing with his kitchen that Mimi bought him.
One of his favorite toys for the past month! A box. He LOVES playing with this box!
Little Stinker! Everytime I go to wipe his face or hands he runs from me and dives in his box so I can't get to him.
I have been catching up with old friends and family. Its so nice to have close friends nearby once again! I have found a toddler group in the area and we are going to our first event on Wednesday. We will be going on a tour of the fire station. I'm sure Aidan will love it! I also want to check out the local library. I think they have activities for toddlers as well.
Things are coming together for Grad School. I have officially been accepted and I meet with Dr. Angel later this month. I am going to talk to him about getting the credits to count towards my degree that I took in 1996. If I can manage to do this it will be a semester and a half under my belt already! In the emails we have been sending back and forth it doesnt seem to be a problem. He just has to work with me to make sure I still know the material and he has to complete some paperwork. I love Dr. Angel! He is the sweetest and really has a passion for special needs kids! I had the opportunity to actually be his graduate assistant in 1996. I am so looking forward to getting back in school. Later this month I will be checking out some day cares for Aidan. I wanted to put him in a Christian Pre School here by our house but I dont think schedule wise it is going to work out. Because it seems most of the classes are offered at night I will need to put him in a place in Huntington and then Cara will pick him up after she gets off work and watch him for an hour or so. Thank goodness for best friends!
Next weekend we are going on our annual girls trip to Gatlinburg. I am really looking forward to it! It will be nice to be able to do the driving for once!
Now here are some pics I have been taking recently around our house...
I love the front porch and would love to get some furniture for it this Spring.
Our roses
Burning Bush on the side of the house. The leaves were just starting to change. It is a brilliant red now and the leaves are starting to fall off.
Sunrise that I caught a couple of mornings ago.
Aidan playing in the leaves
I wanted to get a picture of this tree before the leaves starting falling off. It was so beautiful! I couldnt remember to bring my camera when we were going on our walks.
Aidan playing with his kitchen that Mimi bought him.
One of his favorite toys for the past month! A box. He LOVES playing with this box!
Little Stinker! Everytime I go to wipe his face or hands he runs from me and dives in his box so I can't get to him.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
The Pumpkin House
Like I mentioned in the last post , people around these parts really get into the holidays this time of year. About 15 years ago I worked with a Psychologist who told me that I needed to drive by her house that she and her husband decorated with hundreds of pumpkins. I did and it was a sight! Fast forward 15 years and I could not believe my eyes what it has transformed into! The Griffiths now decorate with not hundreds but THOUSANDS of pumpkins! There were probably a THOUSAND people there to see their house! It has turned into a whole community event. Everyone pitches in to carve the pumpkins. They were selling food and tshirts last night! They now use the inside of all the pumpkins to make pumpkin butter, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin cookies. All the proceeds go to the local food shelter. They have a huge wall set up beside their house that is 2 stories high and about 30 feet long. It is full of pumpkins with musical instruments carved into them. They play music and there is a light show choreograped with the music. So for example if there are brass instruments playing all the brass instrument pumpkins will light up. Truly spectacular! This year they even added a show. The news anchor from the local television station was there reading a story about the headless horseman. In part of the story she had everyone turn around and look. Across the river and up the mountain flood lights appeard and so did the headless horseman on a real horse of course. The Pumpkin House was even featured on the Ellen Degeneres show last year. The Pumpkin House has come a long way in 15 years. I dont know how they have the time to do it all. Sandy still works as a psychologist and her husband Rick owns a pharmacy and is the mayor of the town! One thing is for sure, they have really instilled a sense of community- which I LOVE! Thanks Rick and Sandy! Now for some pics which REALLY does NOT even touch what it is like to be there and experience it first hand.
That is the moon behind their house.
That is the moon behind their house.
Luckily Cara had a glow stick for Aidan to play with while we waited in the LONG line to see the house.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Trick or Treating Round #2
Tonight was the official trick or treat night in this area. I took Aidan to Cara's mom and dads house in Charleston. West Virginians are really into Halloween ( at least based on my observations - Californians are no where near into the "community" that West Virginians are during this season). I love the sense of community that I got to experience tonight. Everyone in the neighborhood participates and sits at the end of their driveway handing out candy. Everyone gets really into it! Aidan had so much fun. This is really the first Halloween that he has any clue about what is going on. He really got into saying trick or treat and receiving the candy. He was the cutest puppy ever tonight. After we left there we went to my friend Sheri's Grandmothers house on the other end of town. Again, the entire community gets into it. They had close to 700 trick or treaters at her grandmothers house! I didnt get any pictures while I was there which was a shame because her daughter Lauren was the cutest "Jasmine" ever.
Aidan checking out Cara's moms goose ( cara's mom passed away last year from Leukemia). The goose has been around since Cara and I were roomates 15 years ago. It has outfits for every season and holiday and has a whole closet full of clothes! This year it was a scarecrow for Halloween. At one point I think we ( all of the room mates) were proud owners of miniature geese. One weekend Cara's coworkers abducted hers without her knowledge and took it on a road trip. They took pictures of it in various locations - kind of like the roaming nome- hilarious!
The Goose....
I just love Aidans puppy dog tail...
Getting some candy from Cara's dad Carl ( aidan calls him Carwel)
See - everyone gets into the action. There were probably a dozen dogs in costumes. Sadly, I forgot Annabelles ladybug costume in San Diego so she was costumeless this year.
The neighbor across the street sitting at the end of her driveway giving out candy.
Mommy taking Aidan trick or treating.
checking out the booty at the end of the night.
M's ( as aidan calls them)
My kids and I. Aidan looks like he is getting ready to cry but was just aggravated because I was holding him.
Aidan checking out Cara's moms goose ( cara's mom passed away last year from Leukemia). The goose has been around since Cara and I were roomates 15 years ago. It has outfits for every season and holiday and has a whole closet full of clothes! This year it was a scarecrow for Halloween. At one point I think we ( all of the room mates) were proud owners of miniature geese. One weekend Cara's coworkers abducted hers without her knowledge and took it on a road trip. They took pictures of it in various locations - kind of like the roaming nome- hilarious!
The Goose....
I just love Aidans puppy dog tail...
Getting some candy from Cara's dad Carl ( aidan calls him Carwel)
See - everyone gets into the action. There were probably a dozen dogs in costumes. Sadly, I forgot Annabelles ladybug costume in San Diego so she was costumeless this year.
The neighbor across the street sitting at the end of her driveway giving out candy.
Mommy taking Aidan trick or treating.
checking out the booty at the end of the night.
M's ( as aidan calls them)
My kids and I. Aidan looks like he is getting ready to cry but was just aggravated because I was holding him.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Trick or Treating Round #1
I took Aidan trick or treating last night at the "Capital Market". The Capital Market is the farmers market downtown. The weather was nice last night so I wanted to take him. It has been raining a lot here and I am afraid that it will be raining next Thursday when it will be the official trick or treat night. It couldnt have been more perfect for Aidan. It wasnt crowded and there were mostly smaller children there with only a few big kids. Aidan had so much fun! He thought it was so cool that people were giving him candy! He was content after the first Tootsie Roll and ate it immediately ( I had to wash his costume as soon we got home after it had been tootsie rolled- lol). He wanted to eat ALL the candy at the end of the evening but was happy just eating a sucker. We both just sat for awhile and enjoyed watching everyone walking around in their costumes. I just love fall and all the festivities that go with it! Its by far my favorite season- Especially in WV-the leaves are breathtaking now!
Is this not the cutest puppy you have ever seen?
Look Mama a tootsie roll!
I love Pumpkins!
Hanging out eating his sucker watching the other kids. Notice the big string of drool.
Is this not the cutest puppy you have ever seen?
Look Mama a tootsie roll!
I love Pumpkins!
Hanging out eating his sucker watching the other kids. Notice the big string of drool.
Trick or Treating is COOL!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
