Vacation part 2

The second part of vacation involved time at my moms house. We actually spent one night in Gatlinburg but the rest of the time we were at my moms. I got to visit with my aunts, uncle, and friends. It was such a great visit. I really like Tennessee and West Virginia. It was very GREEN there. It stormed just about every day but we had enough indoor activities to keep us busy so it wasn't a problem. One of the things I really wanted to do with Aidan (that is on our bucket list) was to catch lightening bugs. We don't have lightening bugs in California ( nor mosquitoes but that is a WHOLE different story). I can remember catching them when I was little and putting them in a jar with grass and holes cut out of the top. It was a magical part of summer. I don't know if it was because of the rain but there weren't many out this summer. Aidan was able to see a few but we weren't able to catch any. :( 

There were so many things that we did that I didn't get pictures of but here are a few pics....

Aidan swimming at the pool at our hotel in Gatlinburg. He got to do a lot of swimming while we were away.

 I bought him this water squirter and he loved it.

 dinner in Gatlinburg.

 playing some miniature golf

 It rained while we were in Gatlinburg so my mom bought aidan this poncho. lol

 Sparklers! Another thing on the bucket list. Thanks Mimi!

 Sitting in the back of my uncles pick up truck. Doesn't he look like a country boy?

 Aidan has been BEGGING for a remote control airplane for about a year now. I won't buy him one because I feel like he is to little for one and can't handle one responsibly. My uncle shows up with a gift in hand for Aidan. What was it? A remote control helicopter! Aidan was in heaven. I think it was his favorite birthday gift. Thanks Uncle David.

 Playing at Mimi's park. Our favorite park of all time.

 I think Aidan is scratching a mosquito bite in this one. I got eaten alive by them! I had a dozen on my legs before we had even been there 24 hours. I DETEST mosquitoes!

 This is probably my favorite pic I took while we were away. I used the zoom lens and he didn't know I was taking his picture. Finally! A natural smile! ( although the one with the helicopter is natural also- I don't think I could have kept him from smiling.) :)

Yesterday seemed like the longest day ever! I guess with Aidan being sick on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday and then teaching Vacation Bible School Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday we were both worn out. However that didn't stop us from celebrating the big 5!

We started out the day early opening a few gifts!

 Some new lego pencils for school!

 We then quickly got dressed and went to eat doughnuts before VBS. Because that is what you do on your birthday- eat doughnuts for breakfast. Right?

VBS was an amazing experience. There were 270 kids there! Aidan was with one of the Kindergarten classes while I had the 2 and 3 year olds. Here is the ending of VBS. All the kids come together and they sing  and do dance routines they learned throughout the week. Here Aidan is front and center. lol! He is the one in RED. He was supposed to wear his yellow VBS shirt but he wanted to wear his birthday shirt. I thought it was really sweet for them to acknowledge Aidans birthday and all 270 kids wished him a happy birthday! How special :) I have video at the end of all the kids singing and praising Jesus. :)

 

 After VBS Emily, her mom, and sister went with us to Boomers. They played miniature golf and played video games.

 We then went to dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants and came home and had cake and ice cream.

 and opened more presents!

Here is some video of VBS. The kids are singing, dancing, and praising Jesus. I love it! I wish you could feel the electricity and energy that was in the room. It was enough to bring tears to my eyes and it did.

Well that was how Aidan spent his birthday. Now we just have his birthday PARTY next Sunday. :)

5!

How lucky am I to have this little boy call me mom?  Tonight I gave my 4 year old a hug and a kiss for the last time because tomorrow he will be 5! He is such a blessing in my life that I can't remember life without him but there are also days that I sit back in awe that he is really mine! He has such a tender and loving heart and such a funny sense of humor. He is thoughtful, loving, and giving. I don't think he ever went through a "no it is mine!" phase that most kids experience.He finds joy in sharing and loves to do it! He is compassionate and thinks of others often. He is creative and often marches to the beat of his own drummer which is part of what makes him so special.  My prayer for him is that he grows up as beautiful in the inside as the outside. I know that along the way he will lose his magical innocence that he currently possesses as his heart will become bruised as he realizes the ways of the world. My prayer is that he grows up loving Jesus and learns to hand his burdens over to Him. My hope is that he grows up loving others and takes a stand for what is right and just. He of course is still learning right from wrong (as we all are) but my hope is that he grows up not afraid to make mistakes while taking responsibility and ownership of his actions. My hope is that he grows up to be a man of great character. Right now I am just enjoying him being a little boy with a tender and innocent heart, with a thirst for knowledge, who likes to do things his own "aidan" way. Happy Birthday my sweet precious gift from God!

Vacation Part 1 Trip to WV

Aidan and I just got back from vacation. There are so many pics that I broke them up into our trip to West Virginia and trip to Tennessee. First we flew into Tennessee for 1 day and then Aidan, my mom and myself drove to West Virginia. The main reason for the visit was for Cara's 40th birthday. My mom went along to baby sit Aidan so I could have some adult time with friends. It was an awesome visit and I got to see dear friends. :)

Sheri ( Weston's mom), myself, and Cara at her birthday dinner. We were room mates 18 years ago! holy moly where does the time go? We only get to see each other once or twice a year but when we are together it is like it was 18 years ago.

 Lauren ( Sheri's daughter, Jacob, and Aidan) playing in the hotel room during a storm. We were all at the pool when the skies opened up. West Virginia has been getting pelted by storms this summer. When we were there some people had been without power for over a week. There were some people staying at our hotel that worked for power companies in other states. We passed about 20 power trucks while driving through Tennessee that were from Texas! They were headed back home.

 We all went to dinner after the storm was over. That is Jacob and Suzanne. They are our West Virgina/ So.Cal/ West Virginia friends. lol. We sure do miss them since they moved back to West Virginia.

 aww... sweet friends.

 Cara and I decided to do some photos around the city and on Campus.

 This is the memorial fountain at Marshall University. Each point on the fountain represents someone who died in the tragic plane crash.

 On Campus. See the building in the back? This is now an administration building but was my grandmothers dorm when she went to school here.

 goofing off in the bookstore. Go Herd!

 There is a little drive in that I HAVE to go to every time I go to Huntington. We were waiting on our food and decided to do a self portrait.

 dinner with more college buddies.

On the way back to Tennessee we stopped to see a cousin on my dad's side of the family but I forgot to take a picture. I sure do love visiting West Virginia. The mountains will always be "home" to me. :)

Happy 4th of July!

The fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate! I love the meaning  behind the holiday and the sense of community. There is so much going on in San Diego on July 4th that you have to really pick and choose your activities. My moms group had a red, white, and blue play date at the park yesterday. This morning we participated in a parade with our church. How much fun! I really wasn't sure if we were going to make it because both Aidan and I have been sick, but I am glad that we did. I remember going to this same parade 2 years ago. It is what made me fall in love with the area and what prompted us to move here! I drove over yesterday evening to check out the parade route. At 6pm there were already HUNDREDS of lawn chairs out saving seats for the parade this morning. People really get into this parade. There is Red, White, and Blue EVERYWHERE! When we arrived this morning at 8am there were already people tailgating and setting up slushie stands, baby pools, tattoo stands, etc... in their yards. What an amazing place we live!

I think now we are going to take a short rest and then head out to festival in the park. We will finish with fireworks tonight. :)

 getting a tattoo at the play date yesterday.

 playing hopscotch. It was on the bucket list.

 Heeyyyy..... We had a 50's themed float.

 Doing the Limbo

Our red, white, and blue food at the play date yesterday.

 Me and my boy! Happy Independence Day!