We made Jim go through the steps of getting rid of those highlighters in front of all the witnesses. He had a hard time letting them go and isn't sure he is totally cured, but we all committed to snatching any highlighter from his hands. Now to break his Starbucks habit!

Graduation!

Graduation went beautifully! Jim took his last final on Thursday night and had friday off to enjoy it a bit. He and I went to a graduation dinner that night and had a ball listening to his professors show their comedic side. They all roasted one another and it was fun to see that side of them. Over and over the graduates were applauded for their hard work and family members were nicely recognized as well for supporting them through such a rigorous academic pursuit. I have to say, and have on several occasions, I am so proud of Jim, not only for finishing, but for finishing very well. He took 36 classes (over 7 years) and never approached one with the attitude of "I'll just do what I need to do to get through it." Of course he enjoyed some more than others, but he always read his books and wrote his papers with the attitude that there was something valuable to be gained in the process. That's a student!

We had family and friends gather with us to celebrate this HUGE accomplishment. I gave a few words of appreciation and thanks to our friends and family, but also had to share some trouble that Jim got into while on this journey. He developed an addiction to yellow highlighters! I gathered all I could from the house, but am sure there are at least 30 more in hidden locations throughout my house. We had a highlighter burning ceremony to close out our intervention. It was a great relief for me to see those things go up in flames! We had a great time celebrating and we all slept until 9 the next morning. If you know my early bird husband, you know that has probably only happened one other time in his life. Luke still hasn't recovered. He wakes up at 9:00 every day now. He was the life of the party after 8:30 that night and had fun keeping us entertained between guitar hero and dancing by the fire pit. Now to enjoy life without homework.

Signing

Luke has been signing lots more lately. He has found bugs and LOVES them. He chases them around and tries to pick them up. I am going to find all kinds of treasures in his pockets, I'm sure. Here is a video of him signing bug. He also says cracker in this one. You can see he knows where we keep them because at the end he points to the pantry door.

He knows 10 words verbally and now 10 signs! He is quite the learner. These really are fun days. He is changing daily.

Precious boys

This is what having boys is for me. Pirates sleeping and Cat trucks. Girls probably do the same things, but my sisters and I never played pirates or had remote control cars/trucks. Aidan is phasing out his nap, so this day he played, quietly, in his room for a while before he fell asleep. I was surprised when I went in to wake him up. I had no idea he had been in there playing and dressing up. Fun stuff, I tell ya.
Luke is growing up so fast. I find him playing all by himself with the big boy toys. Forget the singing ABC's toys. He wants the trains, cars and Batman. Although he is still a snuggler, so I can't be too sad. Both of my boys love to be outside and it is so fun to watch them from the kitchen window playing outside together. I thought we had gotten a big enough sand box, but between two boys, two diggers and shovels, pails and sifters, there isn't much room. They start to fight over space and toys, but isn't that what brothers do?
I assure you they are loving brothers, though. Aidan will pick on Luke, but boy, don't you mess with him. Aidan went right to his defense when someone tried to take a toy from him. "That's my brudder's" I love it. It's why I wanted Aidan to have a sibling. He is perfect for a brother. Although he did just tell me he didn't want a brother because he keeps touching his coloring book. That's life with siblings. Still love it. While these days are going fast, I am enjoying this stage. Luke is a stinker and a ham all in one. Aidan is wild with imagination and so tenderhearted. As Jim says, we have the two cutest boys out there and we are so blessed!

FOUR!

I am two days late, but I wanted to post about our big boy, Aidan. Aidan is now four years old and I can't believe how fast it has gone! Aidan is an easy going, funny, high energy ball of love. He loves anything involving a ball. He is super coordinated and blows me away with his ability to smack a baseball. He has an incredible memory. He is learning new things everyday and trying to incorporate them into life. The other day he told a friend that "God wants us to share our toys." I'm sure it was because his friend had a toy he wanted, but at least I know the message is getting through. He does have a tender heart and is concerned about anyone who is sick or hurt. My most embarrassing moment for this year is probably related to his learning new things...I had to take him with me to my rhumetologist appointment. He asked about the poster describing osteoporosis and the picture of the lady "falling over". I explained that her bones got weak and made her lean over. I told him that was why it was important for him to eat his vegetables. Enter embarrassing moment: We were out shopping and see an elderly woman bent over walking with a walker. He says loudly..."that lady is falling over, she didn't eat her vegetables." This has happened numerous times and I wonder how necessary those teaching moments really are.
He is an amazing big brother and loves Luke like crazy. They are really starting to play together and Aidan is a big helper. I know the fights will come, but for now, I cherish the love they share.
Aidan's arrival changed our lives forever and boy am I glad. Life is so full of excitement and new things with him. He is full of questions and conversation. Most of the time I love it, but some days I have to say, "let's have some quiet time." We are blessed beyond words to have been chosen to be this amazing boy's parents. God has certainly been gracious and I am excited to see what He has in store for Aidan's life. My prayer is that Aidan learns early on how much he is loved by God and accepts his leadership in his life.
Happy Birthday Precious..mommy loves you all the way to the moon... and back!

Our Snow Day


Baseball in the Park


Christmas Eve at Church



Luke enjoyed some mashed potatoes!


They had some stable animals at church. That donkey didn't move
the entire time we were there. I am pretty sure he was alive, though.

Well, this will probably be a long post, but it will catch you up on our December and our Christmas break. I have to say December was not as stressful as it usually is. I think I anticipated a sad, lonely Christmas here at home and was pleasantly surprised how relaxing and enjoyable it was. We began the month by doing Advent. It was a wonderful way to teach Aidan more about Christmas and why it is such a big deal. It was so funny on the day before Christmas eve because Jim and I realized that Aidan had no idea that he would wake up Christmas morning with presents under the tree. He was so excited to read each night's story and blow out the candle. Jim decided we needed to put a few gifts under the tree to build some anticipation. I enjoyed doing some things to get ready, too. I baked several things that I knew I'd be missing...Chex mix and peanut butter kiss cookies..Lisa always makes those. It was fun decorating the tree, too. The boys indulged me for a while as I reminisced over each ornament. Aidan was enthralled by the Star Wars ornaments, of course. When I packed up, they all now have their own box! Next year I'll be hunting for a small tree for the "boys".

We spent a day at the Wild Animal Park and since I always tell Aidan the Carousel is only for when Daddy joins us, which is usually once a year, this was his chance. Luke was asleep, so he didn't get to ride. Aidan was thrilled and had fun. It was nice to enjoy a day together without Jim stressing about the homework he wasn't doing. We had lots of that in our two weeks home. It was a taste of what life may be in 6 months. Yaaay.

We enjoyed a few movie nights with a fire, since it was fairly cool here. No snow of course, but we were glad it was at least cool enough to pretend it was winter. We did get one morning in the mountains. It had warmed up and melted a bit by the time we got there, but we missed the traffic and crowds by waiting a couple of days. Aidan and Luke had a good time tromping around the icy snow and sledding. Aidan was a trooper about not getting to throw snowballs and building a snowman. He said next time we could do that. I think next year his expectations will be higher, so we may have to brave the crowds for good snow. Again, it was a nice day together.

We also enjoyed a sunny day at the baseball field. Aidan got a real bat with real balls. But daddy's instruction when he opened it was that it was NOT to be used at home...only at the park. This kid can hit a ball! Jim pitched balls to Aidan for an hour and half and he could have gone on all day! Luke enjoyed the snacks in the "dugout". We had to go for a walk after a while, though. We then walked down to feed the ducks.