Dodgeball Delirium and then some

About a week ago, Aaron played in a dodgeball tournament with his coworkers from Novell (hooray for 2nd place!). Finn and I went to watch and I used my brother Tom's camera to get some action shots of da boyz:



Finn got so excited when I got the camera out, that it turned out to be a great photo op for him too!




While I'm talking about the little guy, I have to say that he has turned into such a great sleeper! Ever since he was 6 months old (when I had him cry it out) he has just gotten better and better. For the last couple months or so he has slept from 7pm-7am and takes two 1.5-2 hour naps during the day. We keep a bunch of binkies in his bed and it is so funny; as soon as I lay him down he spits out the binkie in his mouth and grabs another one, then he looks for his teddy and snuggles him to sleep. I know that some moms can't stand to hear their baby cry, and it was really hard for me, but I am SOOOO glad we did it because I am sure that has helped him turn into the great little sleeper he is today. Who knows, if I didn't do that maybe I would be clinically insane by now because I would still be waking up with him several times during the night. Thanks Finn for doing what you can to help me stay sane...and for being so cute...that really helps.

Lagoon!

Last Saturday, a bunch of my siblings and I (spouses and kids included) went to Lagoon. It was the first really hot day of the year so it was pretty crowded, but we had a blast. I just love amusement parks, they make me really really happy...and since we're not spoiled like some of you (cough Dan and Jaime) who get to go to Disneyland on a regular basis, Lagoon had to do. Finn got a little grumpy since we couldn't really let him crawl around and burn off any energy, but I know that he loved being outside all day.


Finn and Aaron by the ladybug ride etc.

Finn and I in line for the kiddie car ride...which they actually didn't let him on...but it was worth a shot!
Aaron trying to knock over some milk bottles with a baseball...he didn't win a prize but seing as freaky second-rate stuffed animals were our only option, I wasn't that sad about it.
Finn and I on the Ferris Wheel, the only ride he got to go on that day, but he had fun!

Or did he?


Here is a short little video of Finn with his cousin Gemma...they look so cute together!

Thanks Lagoon for such a great day!

Marvelous Mother's Day

Hooray for my first Mother's Day as a real-live mom! It was so fantastic. Here are all the wonderful parts of my Mother's Day celebration:

1. On Saturday, I went shopping with my sister and came home to a beautifully painted ceiling! We have needed to paint our ceiling for a long time so Aaron called Megan and told her to take me shopping so he could surprise me. He took care of Finn AND did a fabulous job of painting...what a guy!

2. While shopping, I bought my official mother's day gift, a fantastic navy blue mini-trench coat from Banana Republic. I have wanted a coat like that for so long and since it is almost summer, it was on clearance -- halleluja!

3. On Sunday, Aaron gave me some Ferrer Rocher chocolates (one of my absolute favs), a card from Aaron and a card from Finn (Aaron helped him scribble on it.) Then Aaron made me dinner -- carmelized pork tenderloin strips with sides of broccoli and a banana nut muffin -- YUMMY! He even did all the clean-up so I didn't have to lift a finger.

4. After dinner, we took a fabulous walk with Finn in his stroller. The weather was gorgeous yesterday and Finn loves to be outside so we had such a great time!

5. After Finn went to bed, we finished our day with a game of Battleship. I love to play any/all board games so this was a great way to end my wonderful day...even though Aaron beat me!

Being a mom is definitely challenging, but he's totally worth it:
I love being a mother so much. I am so grateful for my wonderful mother and everything she has done for me. I am so thankful for my beautiful baby boy and my amazing husband who made this day so special for me. Happy mother's day to all my fellow moms!

Aaron's Texas Trip

The first week of May, Aaron went to Texas for his nephew's blessing. Jake (Aaron's younger brother) and Julia have an adorable 2-year-old girl Lydia and now have a beautiful baby boy as well -- Ethan Michael Parks.
Aaron's Mom holding baby Ethan:
Our sister-in-law Bobbi also went and brought her little boy Jaxson. Here are some cute pictures of Lydia and Jaxson playing together:

:
One day, Aaron went shooting with his brother and some friends. He was pretty stoked that he got to fire some semi-automatic weapons. Here's one of him that is rather frightening (due to the red-eye and crazy face he is making) but I think it captures just how excited he was. Boys and guns...go figure.
One night for dinner, Jake made crawdads (a type of freshwater crawfish that look like mini lobsters) I enjoy seafood...but I don't know if I could have enjoyed this meal:

Here is a video of the crawdads pre-cooking time...crrrrreeeepy.




Aaron absolutely loved it though and said it was delicious. Boys and weird food...go figure.
I'm sad that Finn and I couldn't go on this trip too, but I'm glad that we could send Aaron so he could have some good bonding time with his brother, shoot guns and eat crazy food!