CREDITS:

Digital scrap items in the header, layouts and sidebar are by Miss Mint at PeppermintCreative.com or Jen Wilson at JenWilsonDesigns.com

Friday, June 13, 2008

The Poll

See the poll to the right? Well, it's a little wager between myself and Brian. I think that my girlfriends and female family members would love to receive vinyl lettering for gifts because it is wildly popular right now. Some things would be on painted wood boards and some things would be ready to go on your walls. SIL's, you might even get a big metal catch-all bucket with your last name that looks like the $59 one at Pottery Barn! (I have discovered that Target/Ikea + Vinyl Lettering = Pottery Barn.)

Brian, on the other hand, thinks that I am incorrect in assuming that just because I like something means everyone else will too and that unless people specifically ask for vinyl lettering, we should plan on buying them something else for Christmas. My argument was that it's getting difficult to find beautiful, thoughtful gifts - especially for parents - for under $50 unless you custom make something. (Or drive to the Outlets in San Marcos.) If I had the option between something unique and custom made for my home or another kitchen item, I would probably pick the home décor item. I can always hit the Williams Sonoma after Christmas Sale on my own....

So VOTE!!! If you don't, then no vinyl lettering for you! (Like I'd know any ways. Your name doesn't show up. I just know the only "no" is from Brian, just to spite me!)

Trust me, I'm looking to throw down for some cool flourishes, two-toned sets and everything. You'll want on this train!!!

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Little Things

I seem to be the only one of my friends feeling stressed. My schedule is a little full, my list of errands has gotten a bit too long and I have several things coming up this week and next that are out of the ordinary and require some prep work on top of all the usual cleaning, vacuuming and mooing. Since I don't want my CT thinking I fell off the face of the earth, I got a layout done and finally posted pictures of a hybrid project I finished nearly 3 weeks ago!





It's not even July 4th and I'm already sick of red white & blue. In fact, I posted a request on our team forum for a kit that has ANYTHING but the same-old colors. This year I think I'll dress Aiden in hawaiian prints and give him glow sticks and gold sparklers so the pictures will match the Rainbow Joy kit. I swear I am not usually this moody about holidays - Brian must be rubbing off on me - but I am already dreading the late-night explosions, drunken chatter from the streets and the morning-after litter all over the lawn. Geez, I must be getting old! LOL!

Guess What Grandma: Still no mooing but Aiden learned the noise that a snake makes today. Of all the noises to pick up....He also barks at random times and will shout "button" (buhtee) for no apparent reason. (Why does nearly everything he says sound like it could be naughty? I noticed a few moms turn to look when he called for 'booty' today at library hour.) Several of my new tops have buttons on the front so I am frequently getting poked in the boob as he presses each 'buhtee'. I wonder if he thinks all buttons are capable of speed-dialing 'dada'. Did I mention that's where he learned the word from? I often find him shouting 'dada' at the phone and pressing random buttons. Occasionally it actually will redial to Brian's office and he gets to hear my one-sided conversation: "Aiden, are you pushing the buttons? That's a button. Push this button to turn the phone on. Wha- wait. Is the phone-" *wrestle phone away from Aiden* "Hello?"

Bike Rides

As promised, here are some pictures of Aiden's first ride in the Chariot:



This picture was taken Tuesday night and Aiden seemed to have a pretty good time. These next photos were taken this evening:





He was pretty stinking excited to be buckled in for another ride! My boys seem to really be enjoying their bike rides. Brian, I love that you have a fun new activity and I also love the break in the evening! Thank you!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Einstein Emergency

Let me start off by apologizing to everyone who has lovingly given Aiden videos as gifts. I had no idea I would end up limiting Aiden's TV watching as much as I do. I don't watch a whole lot of TV myself so it's never turned on during the day unless there is a serious storm, world-changing news or an "emergency". This results in Aiden getting MAYBE 30 minutes of TV per month.

Now, the AC in the Xterra has been on the fritz lately. We took it to our regular garage and when they couldn't be 100% sure their repairs would fix it, we took it to a local Nissan dealership. Like any dealership we got a quote for the AC fix and a half-dozen other items they found on our "free diagnostics test" totaling $1773.95 and they probably hoped that we would just throw our hands up in the air and buy a new car. I was fairly suspicious at the repair list and rather frustrated when the dealer reported they had found the radiator was a little clogged and that we needed to replace the whole thing because it was part of the AC problem. Uh, NOPE. That's not what a radiator is used for and a simple flush will unclog it but thanks any ways Robbins Nissan! (And yes, Susan at Automotive Technology in Kingwood - the HONEST garage - got a pretty big kick out of that diagnostic and their suggestion to replace the water pump, too.) Thanks, dad, for teaching me about cars.

Any ways, back to my story. I don't let Aiden watch TV unless it is a You-Must-Be-Quiet-While-I-Am-On-The-Phone emergency. Between phone calls to Brian, needing to print the fax-by-email quote and then calling my favorite garage to get a price comparison (read: 50% discount off the dealership price), I decided I needed the screaming to come to a stop so I could hear the people on the other line. In went the Baby Galileo video. We read the book with the 3D glitter stars and light-up moon to Aiden all the time so I wasn't surprised when he seemed to recognize the kangaroo. As you can see he was pretty mesmerized:



Now here is what really frosts my cookies. I have been wandering around my house for a month mooing like a cow and driving the car quacking like a duck so Aiden can sing along to Old MacDonald and I can barely get a "carc" (quack) out of him. A kangaroo puppet shows a clip of all the shiny contents of her junk drawer, followed low-budget scribbling of poorly drawn yellow stars on a blue screen with a child saying the word "star" and THERE. He can say "star" (sar). Figures.

I couldn't resist flipping through the bulk-pack of Baby Einstein videos my mom bought me, looking for something that would do the mooing for me. (Why did my pediatrician even mention at his one year appointment that he could be taught animal sounds? And why do I feel like there will be some sort of test on it when he goes in for his 15 month shots?) I hope she's impressed by his emphatic, manly ROAR when he's asked what sound a dinosaur makes. I am kind of finding the instant silence after I ask him what a cow says to be a nice break for my ears but that's just my opinion. And, oh my goodness, we haven't even STARTED on the sound that chickens, sheep and semi-automatic weapons make. (However he may have gotten a few lessons on what explicit sounds road-raged adults make.) I just know that during a round of "Wheels on The Bus" at library hour, when we're all singing 'the mommies on the bus go...', I'll hear my child repeat "You idiot! Get out of the way!"

Half-way through the box of Einstein videos I find the Baby MacDonald "Digital Board Book" DVD. (Call it whatever you want, we all know what it is. It's like fruit snacks. They're really just gumdrop candies shaped like fruit to shut your kids up in the checkout line and to convince nearby old people that they might actually have fruit in them so you don't get awful stares for feeding it to them at 10 in the morning. Might I also add a special thank you to Playtex for making their sippy cups opaque...) I make a mental note to put the Baby Macdonald video in later this week, finding a tiny bit of comfort that Disney has my back (or at least some Jedi mind tricks that seem to work) and Aiden won't be in Kindergarten before he learns how to moo.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

A Sunday Evening with the Silvers

It's been quite a while since I posted pictures of Aiden on my blog. Brian has asked me frequently to post something and even my designers have been wondering where I went! (You know things have gotten entirely too busy around here when I'm not on the computer playing in photoshop! LOL!) To make up for my slacking, here are a batch of brand new pictures taken today, not but a few hours ago!



Aiden on my shoulders is becoming more & more common. This way I know he's safe and not trying to chase down the doberman, run out of The Children's Place with a pair of girl's shoes or dart into the street. About the whisk: I was cooking dinner when Aiden strolled over, opened the utensil drawer, stood on his tip-toes to dig around for a minute (the drawer is kept knife-free now) and pulled this out. Fast forward to now when Brian is loading a few things in the dishwasher while dinner is in the oven. Aiden is sitting on the door of the dishwasher pulling things out faster than Brian can load them in. I rescued Aiden from Brian (or Brian from Aiden) and he brought the whisk with him. Yeah, I got smacked in the face with it. Twice!



Okay, dinner is served! We tried a new recipe - creamy chicken & broccoli over wild rice. It was really good! Aiden wanted to practice eating with a grown-up fork. He made a HUGE mess! I cleaned the kitchen while Brian had to bathe and double rinse him in the tub and then we both mopped the floor....



But oh, I love this face! We think he sure looks like cousin Eric in this picture!



We're all smiles about the dinner mess. I know that someday, when it's just Brian and I eating at a table by ourselves with sparkling clean floors, I will nearly choke up with tears just thinking about these first family dinners. So what if I have to mop three or four times a week - dinner as a family is worth it!

After dinner there is a bedtime revolt. The stand-off is short and the evening is much too pleasant to be spent inside. Aiden & Brian play airplane in the back yard for a while:







Then, after popsicles, we move the party to the front yard. Aiden runs screaming down the driveway....



.....twice.....



And after briefly chatting with some neighbors, we notice a little blonde boy whose eyes have gone dull and tired-looking. He's finally ready for bed an hour and a half past his bed time!



Sunday afternoons have become my favortie time of the week. I really enjoy spending time with my family and it energizes me for the week ahead. (Because for whatever reason, Monday afternoons are the WORST afternoons of the week. Probably because a certain someone was spoiled with too much attention on Sundays! ROFL!)


Aiden Story: Aiden asks to be read books several times per day. On a slow day, he may only be read a dozen books. More often than not it's six to seven books in a row six to seven times a day. Lately the book du jour has been the Cheerios book. He absolutely will not tolerate real cereal being put in the designated places on the page, but he does like to grab at the printed images of cheerios! At one point this evening, between the bedtime wars and popsicles, he brought me two right shoes (one a navy flip flop and the other a camo Croc) and the Cheerio book. He became disgusted with the book when, as usual, the fake cheerios wouldn't budge and then insisted I put the shoes on. He was already on edge and just my mentioning that I couldn't do it sent him into a tantrum. I decided what the heck, and put the flip flop on the right foot and the Croc on backwards on his left foot. Brian was already outside and didn't see me doubled over laughing as Aiden plodded off awkwardly, with one shoe being thicker than the other and throwing off his walk. He stopped and stared a few times at his feet and then paused and sheepishly accepted help removing his mis-matched shoes. I am learning the secret to parenting a child who has double-inherited genetic stubborness is being agreeable, helpful and letting the situation dictate the outcome. Considering I occasionally leave the house in two different colored flip flops, I can't really expect Aiden to comprehend skills I obviously have not yet mastered myself!