He found his winkie!

Oh it truly is a wonder how the littlest things can make a kid happy like, for instance, discovering a body part you didn't realize existed! Oh to be young! Well things here have been more hectic than ever. The new things Aiden does and says each day alone are enough to keep us on our toes, but we've also planned our move back home to make our days even more jam packed with packing!

Aiden is growing in leaps and bounds these days. He walks, he runs, he jumps like a frog, goes up and down the stairs and plays ball with Stitch. He is signing a lot more to us as well and every day we feel more and more grateful that he's picked up on it so easily. He'll tell us when he's ready for his nap, when he has a poopy diaper, when he wants milk, or water, when he's all done eating, when he wants more and when he wants food (that one happens to last all day long). We can't help but feel that the sign language has saved us from many a tantrums just because he can tell us what exactly it is he's wanting and/or needing.

His word vocabularly has also increased significantly. Right now the most common words we hear are, "Dada, Mama, Woof (that's Stitch lol), Up, Down, Nana, Apple, Blue, Ball, Duck, Owl, Balloon, Hand, Toe, Head, In, On, Off, Cup, Hat, Bubbles" and then there are the two huge ones, "Out and Book." Now those are the two that come much more demanding. "Book," is by far the cutest one. He'll go pick out a book, walk over to you, hand it over and look up at you with those beautiful green eyes and ask, "Book?" Who could say no to that? Though after 6 times in a row it's either time for a change (for our sanity of course), or for a new book lol. Now "Out," is a much harder word to contend with, because not only is it a word, it is the word that sets his whole attitude in a new direction. If you are getting him dressed, the whole time he chants the word, shoes cannot be put on without the promise of either stepping out for a second or leaving the house and if you even think that you'll be able to step out to take out the trash, or check the mail, well think again... saying this kid loves to be outside, would be to big of an understatement.

Along with the craziness that our house has become, I've been trying hard to keep Aiden and myself busy with out of the house trips during the last tidbits of sunshine Seattle will see this summer. We've done a petting zoo outing (see above), trips to the Greenlake wading pools, various parks, shopping centers, we even took a ride on a mini-train in Country Village the other day. In the midst of all of our activities it's become pretty aparent that the things we will most about Seattle are some of the great friends we have made over the years, especially this year.

The play group that Aiden and I have been a part of this last year has been a saving grace, for both of us really. All the women are so insightful, wonderful mothers and we will miss them terribly! Aiden has made so many great friends (see Aiden with his best bud Owen to the left), as have I. It's hard for me to think of what a week will be like without seeing Lindsay and her son Owen, as they have become a staple in our week, keeping our sanity in check! Or to see Aiden's favorite femail duo, Shannon and her daughter Gigi (Aiden's girlfriend below)

I mean look at these kids... they have such a blast together! Thank you guys for making this last year such a fun experience and please come and visit us!

I almost forgot that Aiden also got his first haircut! Our little man did so great, sitting in his little car chair, as we watched our little man transform into a less hairy version of himself! lol.

As you can see it's been a crazy couple of months (my apologies that this is all so scattered!). However, I think the nicest part of it all is being able to watch Aiden as he becomes this totally wonderful kid. He is so loving (yay our kid hugs, kisses and cuddles now!), smart, funny and is just a blast to be around. We feel really blessed watching him grow into his own and can't wait to see what comes next. Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers and I'll try to keep up with this more! God Bless! =0)