The Crazy Callas Clan

Back to School Night!

2011-09-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

Last night was Aiden's back to school night. We really didn't need to go but I thought it would be a great opportunity for Aiden to show mom and dad what he got to do everyday.

As soon as we walked through the door he zoomed down the hall to his classroom. I'm was so happy to see his excitement. He comes home so happy everyday from school, smiling ear to ear. When Luke and I finally arrived at his classroom he was already completely submerged in play. He walked us around and showed us the school bus that he painted with his picture on it. He showed us where he plays with the play-doh (his favorite thing to do because it's messy).

As we walked around the room, looking at everything, the smile on his face grew a little more and a little more.

After the classroom tour, we headed to the library where we found Clifford. Aiden is still pretty scared of life size characters (he runs screaming from the chocolate bars at hershey park still) so we stayed pretty far away from the big red dog! We bought some books from the book fair (just being there took me back to the 3rd grade, remembering how I would grow so giddy at the thought of the book fair coming).

Let's hope the excitement tonight lasts all school year long, right?

One PROUD Mama!!!

2011-09-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

I get daily gratification from seeing my swim students swim all by themselves, but it really is nothing compared to what I felt this weekend when I watched my little boy jump off the diving board and swim himself across the pool all by himself.

We've been working on breathing all summer and in that instant he finally got it. He didn't have a swim belt or a life jacket on either He did it all by himself. I almost cried.

I am one happy Mama!!!!

School, Soccer and Swimming...OH MY!

2011-08-31T08:24:00.001-07:00

Summer, OH summer, where have you gone? Why does it feel like only yesterday that I started my outdoor swim lessons?

I'm sad to see it go, but happy at the same time. The close of summer brings all sorts of new changes for the Callas Family!

Luke is now employed by Frederick County (YAY) and no longer has to commute to FRO RO! There are several other perks but it's definitely a change for everyone!

Aiden started preschool last Thursday and let me just say...WHAAAAA HOOOOO!! He loves it! He actually cried this morning when I went to drop him off at Miss Terri's house. He only has school on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday so today he's at daycare all day. He really pitched a fit because he couldn't go to his 'big boy school'. I hope this attitude continues well into his high school years!

He also started soccer this week. It's pretty comical to watch. There are no actual games, he's just learning how to play....well sort of. His idea of learning is running in circles for an hour...and maybe kicking the ball a few times. I know hes having a great time, which makes me happy! In warm ups on Monday, the coach was having the kids stretch out and she asked them to swing their arms as if they were swimming. MY CHILD gets down on his tummy and really pretends to swim...figures having a mom for a swim teacher :)

Speaking of swimming, work is as busy as ever! I was hoping to get a vacation sometime in the near future, but looks like I'll have to wait.

Monday, Monday

2011-08-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

I have to take a moment to sit and reflect on this day...

this slow, slow day :)

I love those days. The ones that draaaaaaaag on! They don't happen often so when they do I really have to try to appreciate them!

I spent most of my day in the office catching up on the never ending pile of paperwork. Who knew there was so much office work with running a little swim lessons company.

I did have a few lessons today and one in particular stands out in my mind. I have a little boy, about 5 years old who doesn't like to put his face in the water. He says (about 20 times in our half hour class)

"Miss Noelle, I don't want to go underground."

I can't help but chuckle to myself every time he says it.

I was able to get him to go under, not once, but many times today. Each time he brings his head out of the water he looks at me and says "that wasn't so bad".

Ah, I love what I do!

I got to come home earlier than usual today! It was supposed to be Aiden's first day of Littles soccer, however I was informed earlier in the day that it's parents only today. Aiden was sorely disappointed, as he'd been looking forward to it all day. I went to his meeting solo only to find out we were supposed to bring them after all. The paper did say PARENTS ONLY in big bold letters. Oh well!

Next week will be a hoot! What can possibly get accomplished with dozens of 3-5 year olds running round with little soccer balls?? I'm so looking forward to it!

Tiny Dancer

2011-08-21T18:54:00.000-07:00

Babies and dancing....

Two things that, when put together, can produce some pretty funny moments.

Avery and dancing....

Two things that, when put together, DEFINITELY produce EXTREMELY FUNNY moments.

This girl can dance (a HUGE understatement).

I know as a mom, we are always the first to laugh and smile at our own children and their funniness, however Avery is hysterical when she dances.

First, she loves Brittany Spears. Anytime she comes on the radio, Avery freezes for a moment, gets this huge smile on her face and then breaks out in, what I like to call, the dip. She bobs up and down (to the beat) while swaying back and forth.

Exhibit A....

A BIG week!

2011-08-21T18:45:00.000-07:00

As I'm winding down my [lazy] weekend, I can't help but be a little nervous about how this week will pan out. We have two pretty big firsts happening this week!

1- Aiden will start his first 'organized' sport. Soccer to be exact! I'm not sure just how organized you can be with a thousand 3-5 year olds running around, but I'm excited for him none-the-less! He too seems super excited. He's asked about it for the last 4 evenings. While tucking him in, he asks "mom, is tomorrow my soccer day?"

Too cute!

2- Aiden starts preschool this week! Daycare hasn't exactly been the easiest thing for me to make decisions on, but I'm pretty confident in this choice!! He calls it his 'big boy' school!

I can't help but to feel a little sad too. My big boy is growing up so fast!

My Wish

2011-07-30T06:17:00.000-07:00

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times.

THERE ISN'T ENOUGH TIME IN THE DAY!

I was enjoying some time with my kids on the living room with them the other day and as I watched them dance around, it got me thinking....

I really need to document more of our time together! There are too many precious moments that I'm never going to remember if I don't write them down!

I simply MUST get better at this!

Our Family of 4

2011-06-23T03:26:00.000-07:00

We have finally gotten our family photos as a family of 4! We traveled to Blandy Farm (a truly beautiful place) on a warm Sunday morning for the event! I must say, I'm completely shockekd that Avery had so many good photos. She was a little terror for most of the time! Aiden is obviously our little model....he's such a ham!

Enjoy!

Hello Again!

2011-05-14T03:44:00.001-07:00

I'm back. Wow, I can't believe it's been over three months since my last post. I'm crazy busy these days. We are well into swim season and business is booming. We are now running the swimming programs at the Winchester Country Club along with the indoor pool and my outdoor community pool. Luke and I are also in the process of purchasing a pool management compnay, so needless to say, I have NO time to blog.

The babies are growing so fast. Avery turned 1 on Mothers Day. I can't believe it. I'm very emotional about this one. I've been an wreck for the past few weeks leading up to her birthday. She is my last baby and I'm holding onto it as long as I can. Nursing is wrapping up too and I'm having such a hard time with that as well. I'm ready to be done (REALLY) but I'm not at the same time. Again, I think since she's my last it makes it really hard to let go.

Although she is 1 now, she's still so tiny. I still use my carrier (yes she still fits). Aiden was out of that thing at 8 months, but not her. We had her year check up at the doctors last week and she's only in the 20th percentile for weight and height. She easily fits into 9 month clothes still which I guess is really a good thing since a good friend gave me SOOOO many cute 9 month summer clothes (there's always a silver lining, right?). She may be small but the girl can eat. I've never seen a little person eat so much. Her dinner plate is bigger, yes BIGGER than her BIG brother's. It's crazy. Where does all that food go?? On top of being small and a BIG eater, she's a talking machine. Her vocab is amazing. It's so interesting to see the differences in the two kids. Aiden, at her age, was walking well but not talking much. She is just the opposite. She loves to crawl (NOT walk) but she talks and sings all day long.

Aiden has grown so much too! He begins preschool full time next month. We've decided given all the issues we have had (and are still having) with daycare that it's time to get routine and structure into his life. He'll begin his full time school on the 13th of June and I just know he's going to love it! It's amazing to see how much he's grown, just since his birthday.

The "terrible 3's" are in full gear at our house. He's hitting so much lately and I'm struggling with it every day. I'm hoping it's just another phase and that it will pass SOON!!

Life is GOOD! I wish it would slow down a bit though!

My Dreaded Decisions

2011-02-02T06:31:00.000-08:00

Since becoming a parent, decisions are ususally made after much thought is put into them and they don't normally come easy (at least to me).

Pampers or huggies?

Swaddle or don't?

Let them cry it out or not?

I mean the list goes on and on. I'm a very indecisive person any way so now that I have to make decisision for another person...YIKES!

Most of the time I have managed, but there is one decision that has taken me8 LONG MONTHS to make.

DAYCARE!

Since having Avery, we knew that our current (at the time) situation was going to change, as she doesn't take children under the age of 2. This posed a whole new set of decisions to make:

Do we leave Aiden where he is and put Avery somewhere else?

Do we move Aiden (AGAIN) so that he and his sister are together?

Do we put Aiden in an actual preschool somewhere?

AHHHHHH, it's just been too much for me to think about. It took Aiden so long to get used to this current place that I just couldn't see moving him. Plus he'd grown very fond of his teacher and her kids. BUT.....having he and Avery together would be great for both of them (not to mention easy on mommy).

The other thing is that in reality all could stay the same. Aiden could stay where he was and Avery could stay home with Nana, but this too had some major cons and I needed a change!

Luke and I went back and forth about what to do and since it was SUCH a hard decision to make we always just let it go and continued on with life. Then after Christmas I decided to make a move.

We got some reccomendations from a few friends and I knew a few of my swim moms who did daycare nearby so in January we decided to start interviewing candidates for both kids.

The first two were good, but then....we met with Miss Winsome! I've known her for a while since I taught her little boy to swim and we always talked about the possibiltiy of having the kids come to her once the new year arrived but I always disregarded since I was so wishy washy with what I was going to do. Winsome was our last interview and I was very eager to see how she ran things. From the first day I met this woman, there was something very sincere and calming about her. I could tell by her child's manners and nature that he was brought up very well too!!

Let me tell you....I've never made a decision so easily as I did once I left this woman's house! It was perfect and it was like this huge weight had been lifted off my chest!

FINALLY...an EASY decision!

We are now in day three of our new school and I couldn't be happier. Aiden and Avery both seem to love it. I don't have to fight Aiden to get dressed in the morning and he talks about Miss Winsome constantly!

YAY!

I'm crying just talking about it...I'm so happy!

Rock ON!

2011-01-17T03:40:00.001-08:00

It's bathtime fun and Aiden routinely gets a mohawk while taking one. Today both kids bathed together and Aiden requested one for himself and his little sister.

Aren't they the cutest??

Where's the Baby.....THERE IT IS

2011-01-17T03:00:00.000-08:00

Have you seen Ice Age? There's a scene in it where the tiger is trying to calm the baby with a 'harmless' game of Peek-A-Boo. It ends up backfiring and the baby screams louder out of sheer fear.

Well, this is NOT the case with Peek-A-Boo in this house. Aiden plays it with his little sister on a daily basis and Avery gets the biggest kick out of it. What's funnier is that ONLY Aiden can play it with her. If daddy or I try, she just stares at us with this 'what the heck are you doing' look on her face.

But...the minute the words 'where's the baby' come out of Aiden's mouth Avery smiles ear to ear!

BTW...Avery now has 3.5 teeth! She's growing WAY TOO FAST

Finally movin'

2011-01-12T09:11:00.000-08:00

Avery is finally crawling...or at least I guess you can call it that....

My Favorite Time!!

2010-12-15T18:47:00.000-08:00

Andy Williams definitley said it best.

"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!"

I love the holidays. I'm one of those people who starts listening to holiday music the second after THanksgiving and my tree is decorated that early too!

I love everything this time of year stands for. I love giving and if I had it my way (and a BIGGER bank account) I buy presents for everyone I knew. I love it that much!

I love sitting around in my Christmas pjs all day long, drinking hot cocoa, dancing around to christmas music and wrapping the hundreds of presents that I buy each year.

This year has been MORE fun because this year I was able to do a little something for my swimmers. Each student gets a little goody bag filled with fun stuff! I LOVE LOVE LOVE to give (can you tell)??

Christmas day is fun too, but in a way it makes me sad. It's almost as if people stop doing all the holidaysy (not a word, I know) things. That's why it so important to take advantage of all the time I have leading up to the big day!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Happy Birthday to Me...NOT

2010-12-07T02:57:00.000-08:00

I'm one of those people who's never sick. I go year after year watching those around me get sick and take care of them, all while never getting sick myself. Well my friends, this lucky streak has ended. I woke up on Sunday (which was my birthday) to the worst stomach bug EVER. To top it off Luke had to work and couldn't get off so I had both kids all day by myself. Talk about HARD! I could barely get out of bed, let alone chase after a todder all day. Thankfully my neighbor took Aiden for a few hours in the morning and then one of the girls a few doors down came to play with Aiden later in the day. The baby and I laid around all day. I think she could sense I was very sick because she slept almost as much as I did..and without fussing about it!

When Luke got home everyone sang happy birthday to me with a cute little chocolate cake, but I could barely lift my head enough to blow out the candles. ICK

I'm better now, but this little bug still has it's grip on me. I'm hoping it's gone by Friday because I have a busy weekend ahead of me!!

Scary Santa

2010-11-21T05:23:00.000-08:00

Once again we've struck out with regards to the Santa photos. We have been talking about the "sitting" on Santa's lap for weeks now and Aiden has been so excited. He's even beeen carrying his wish book around with him in anticipation of the big visit.

Well needless to say Aiden is still very scared of him...and it didn't help that the guy looked like he'd just been put on work release from prison. He had NO personality and no enthusiasm. Where do they find these guys?? What happened to the jolly old guy with a big fat belly and the "fake but looked sort of real" beard. Our fine Apple Blossom Mall (BLECK) santa had a very stringy REAL beard....it was all just icky! (He actually reminded us of BBT in Bad Santa)

Is there anywhere else to take the kids to see a santa without traveling an hour away??

A future in photography

2010-11-20T11:31:00.000-08:00

Aiden has become quite the little photographer. Recently he's taken a particular interest in our little cannon. At first I would snatch it away everytime he got his little fingers on it, but recently he's FINALLY figured out how to use it so I said, what the heck, let's let him have a go at it. He's not bad. For every one good picture there's about 10 bad ones, but the good ones are really good!!

This morning as Luke was preparing to leave he came over to give me the usual kiss goodbye and Aiden just so happened to be sitting in his chair eating breakfast. He had a clear view of our smooch. Afterwards, Aiden says, "mommy, daddy, you kiss again, I take a picture!" (AHH, so cute, right??)

Unfortunately the little camera was nowhere to be seen. I have since found it and we'll give our future Ansel Adams another try this afternoon and of course, we'll post it for all to see :)

Until then....

Photos!

2010-11-12T03:19:00.001-08:00

Here are some photos of the last month!

October Update

2010-11-12T03:03:00.000-08:00

Jees, now it's really almost the middle of November....where is the time going? I can't get a grasp on how fast it's really flying by.

October was a super busy month. In an effort to suppliment the slow swimming seasion I have officially become a consultant for a company called Thirty One. They sell all kinds of cute stuff, and for a momma who's as organized as I am, thier stuff is RIGHT up my ally.

Swimming is still going great! It's just slower in the fall and winter, however we are still going strong and we have just passed our 250th student. Actually I think we are closer to 300 now. It's been a wonderful year and I'm blessed to have things turning out this way! (Now if only I could find a way to have my own pool, I'd be set)

On to the babies....

Aiden is c-r-a-z-y BIG. He's talking all the time and he's such a great help when it comes to his little sister. He still has his moments but for the most part he's doing such a good job! He's learning so much at school and he has now mastered his new bike with training wheels. He's swimming once a week with one of my other instructors and he's doing such a great job. He's almost swimming on his own (CRAZY I KNOW).

Avery has been another story. Since my return from Florida our nights have been really difficult. She was waking every hour or every other hour. Basically she was using me as a pacifier and soother. We took her to her 6 month checkup (AGAIN, I KNOW....the time thing, RIGHT??) and she's growing beautifully. During our appointment I asked the doctor about letting her cry it out. We didn't let Aiden cry it out until he was 9 months old, but then again, we didn't need to either. He slept very well at day one. The doc basically told me that when I'm ready to get sleep, she's ready to cry it out. Needless to say, "operation Ferber" began that evening and so far SOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOD!! The last three nights she's slept for almost 12 hours. Oh, and we also stop swaddling her which I'm assuming has helped too. YAY AVERY!!

She's an eating machine too. I don't know how she's still so tiny because the girl will put down some serious food. She'll eat two stage 1 foods a meal and then down a bottle of milk. She's definitely my daughter..hehe!

Halloween was a blast. This year the Callas family dressed up as Toy Story 3. The photo speaks for itself:

We had a blast and I'm already planning next year's costumes!!

Sleep, what's that??

2010-10-28T01:55:00.000-07:00

Teeth....something that I really dislike at the moment. Why you ask?? Well Avery has been teething now for three months and there is NOTHING to show for it. The last two weeks have been a nightmare. She's not sleeping, and she's waking up every hour or other hour. It's really made my life a crazy world. I'm just waiting for those pearly whites to pop on out and say hello. I wish they would hurry!

B-E-A-U-tiful

2010-10-09T02:56:00.000-07:00

I would say that my heart melts an average of 5 times a day from things that my kids do or say. Yesterday was the biggest of them all thus far in my life as a mommy. As I was coming downstairs to leave for the days' errands, Aiden looks up at me and says "mommy, your bootiful.".

(SIGH)

Ah, I love that little boy more than anything and the love that I have for him grew in that moment a million times over.

Motherhood is the greatest gift I've ever received!!

Bathtime Fun!

2010-09-27T17:23:00.000-07:00

Tonight was one of those nights that makes all the crying, whining, spitting up, screaming, and all the other baby/toddler things worth it!

We (Aiden and mommy) gave Avery a bath together. Usually this is a task that I conquer solo, but in an effort to make Aiden more involved (he's really been clingly lately and when I hold/feed Avery, he tells me he loves me as he tries to climb on my lap) in the everyday things, I asked him to help me.

He was SUPER excited to help. He washed her and rinsed her off. After her bath he helped me put on her lotion helped me get her dressed in her jammies. He kissed her on her forehead and together we tucked her into bed.

My heart melts for these two...my beautiful babies. I'm thankful each and every day for them and can't imagine my life any less hectic :)

Photos from Mom's Visit

2010-09-27T07:25:00.001-07:00

Mom's Visit

2010-09-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

My mom came to visit us earlier this month. She was here for two weeks and it was so good to see her. It's been a whole year (WAY TOO LONG MOM) since we saw her last. Thank goodness we have Skype! Here are some photos from her visit!

It's Official

2010-09-14T12:03:00.001-07:00

Aiden is potty trained. We are going on a month now but it's been a week and a half with NO ACCIDENTS (HURRAY)!

It's really amazing how one day they have no interest and then, BAM, the next day they are running to the bathroom holding themselves saying "mommy, gotta potty!"

Even at Hershey Park (IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WATER PARK) he came running to me telling me that he had to go pee. I couldn't believe it. I though most kids just peed in thier pants at that age (thank goodness he didn't).

It's quite convenient to have him out of diapers (and pretty freaking cheap too)!

Now, if only I could get him to stop whining....that would be SUPER!

Rollie Pollie

2010-09-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

My baby girl is rolling over! I remember it taking a long time with aiden but Avery has it down! She did it for the first time a few weeks back but has started really rolling over while my mom was in town (I'll post about that this evening).

We have also started with the solid foods. This is my FAVORITE milestone and I can't believe she's already big enough to start.

Time is flying by way too fast!

Am I Being Selfish?

2010-08-25T05:08:00.001-07:00

Life has been hectic for my Luke and I since we had Avery. With the business taking off in the last year and Luke working like crazy too we've just been stretched so thin.

I was just recently given an amazing opportunity to go to Key West with some friends for a relaxing week in the sun this fall. Luke and I think it will be the perfect opportunity to get away and have decided to go (from Sunday to Friday). The only issue that exists now is whether or not to take the baby. She'll be 5 months old by then. I didn't leave Aiden until he was well over a year old, but I've done a lot of things differently with the second.

My MIL would be keeping Avery (and Aiden) if we leave her here and she watches her full time now, so Avery's very used to her. I could take Avery with us, but that's a ton of extra stuff to bring and I feel like I need this time to get a way, rejuvinate and come home with a fresh mind/soul.

Am I being selfish? I think I'll be fine once I'm there and relaxing but I can't help but feel a little guilty for leaving her so early. With Aiden it's a little easier (although I will miss him terribly too)!

On the flip side, it will be hard to pump for a whole week and then travel home with a ton of milk (but will it be that hard)??

UGGG, what to do?

Beep, Beep, WAVE!!

2010-08-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

Luke does this thing that absolutely drives me crazy. When we are in the car and he sees someone walking down the road, he'll beep as we pass by and wave the other way. He's done it since the beginning days of our relationship. Now he'll randomly beep at cars, people on bikes and pedestians and wave at them as if he knows them. It's sort of embarrasing.

Today he has turned a new page in the "let's beep at random people" book. He's gotten our son involved. On our way back from Packs this evening (YUM) he got into one of his moods and started beeping at people. He went as far as to roll down Aiden's window and he had him waving at people too. I have to admin, it was pretty funny. Everytime Luke would beep the horn, Aiden would wave and say "hi" as if the other cars could hear him. It was sort of cute.

As we pulled in the drive way Aiden asked if we could go back out and beep at people. (SIGH..what has daddy done)

On another note, the Callas family had a wonderful day! Luke's been working 12 hour days for the last week and a half (he's in training right now) so we haven't had any family time. Today we took the kids to the pool, had a picnic dinner and then went for ice cream. It was so great! Even Avery went swimming today (for the first time). She LOVED it! I LOVE that she LOVED it!

AND....Aiden is putting his face in the water all by himself now. We put a swim belt on him today and he and Luke swam back and forth across the pool. Aiden was using his arms and kicking his legs....it made me so proud :)

What a good day..too bad it's almost over!

I went potty....

2010-08-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

in my PANTS.

These are the words my mother in law heard Aiden say while he was scrunched into a ball behind the couch yesterday.

We are week THREE of the big boy underwear and things are going great. He's had four pee accidents and most of them were because he couldn't get to the potty in time. Yesterday we had our first "poopy" accident.

It's funny that boys just DON'T care that they have a load in thier pants. If he hadn't said something to Robyn, he'd have continued on his day as if nothing were wrong.

It's hard to get mad when he's been doing so well. I just hope he continues toward becoming completely trained!!

I don't want to do it with YOU mommy!

2010-08-17T03:02:00.000-07:00

Why is it that our children learn so much better with others? Why do they listen better to others?

I had a feeling this was going to be the issue with Aiden and swimming. When we go to the pool together he just loves to be in the water. He loves the big pool and he loves to swim around but he does NOT like to listen to me when it comes time to lessons. He and a neighborhood friend, Andrew do lessons together and they are both the same exact age (well three days apart to be exact).

Meltdowns have become a regular thing during our lessons.

In the fall, I've decided that Aiden will work with one of my other girls. He's come a long way but I feel like he'll do much better with someone else.

Here are some photos of our last lesson. This one actually went very VERY well!

With a BAA and a MOO and a....

2010-08-06T04:23:00.000-07:00

COCKADOODLEDOO...Everybody Promenate Two by Two

Bedtime is one of my favorite times of the day. It's a time where Aiden and I can sit down in the quiet and enjoy time together. He makes me read like 10 books before bed and for the last 3 months we've been reading every Dr. Suess book he owns but we've moved on now (YAY)!

We are now on to the Sandra Boynton collection. One of the books is The Barnyard Dance. It's the cutest book and Aiden can read (or sing) along with me. He knows every word and he just loves to say 'cockadoodledoo'.

Our Babies!

2010-08-03T18:49:00.000-07:00

Aiden and T sharing some crackers...I'm pretty sure they were also discussing the disadvantages of being 'big' brother and sister these days (Dan had little Liam two weeks ago).

That's my boy jumping off the diving board...momma's so proud!

Me and my baby girl!

Someone's looking a little curious!

Aiden riding on the big ol' John Deer. The boy was in heaven!

Aiden and his new friend Grayson!

They are obviously discussing important matters :)

I Told You

2010-08-03T03:11:00.000-07:00

Ah, the joys of toddlerhood. Aren't they just great?

Aiden has aquired quite the attitude when it comes to almost everything these days. When we ask him to do something the first three words out of his mouth are "I told you" and they are ususally followed by "I don't want it" or "I said NO".

He's 2...he's not supposed to talk back to me like that already.

Our Baby Girl

2010-08-02T17:45:00.000-07:00

The's so amazing and getting so big. I was cleaning out the garage yesterday and saw the saucer and was curious to see how she'd do sitting in it. Well turns out she loves it, just like Aiden did!! Can't you tell?

Mommy, they left me.

2010-07-25T05:36:00.000-07:00

There are several little girls that have taken a particular liking to Aiden in our neighborhood. One of them owns an electric scooter and it's become Aiden's favorite thing. When we arrive home from school each day Keeley and her scooter are the first things he ask for.

The other day Keeley had a friend over for the evening and both girls came to play with Aiden. They took turns riding him around on the scooter and he was having the time of his life. Later in the evening I went outside to get him ready for bed and he was standing on the sidewalk crying hysterically. Naturally I ran over to see if he was hurt and when I didn't see any scratches I asked him what was the matter. He pointed off into the distance and said "Mommy, they left me". When I looked up I could see Keeley and her little friedn riding off into the distance on her scooter. I looked back at Aiden and for a brief moment my heart broke a little for him. I tried to get him to understand that Keeley was a big girl and that she and her friend wanted to do big girl things together, but he didn't understand a bit. I just picked him up and gave him the biggest hug and together we retunred inside.

It was the first of many times, I'm sure, that I will have to console him.

To Blog or Not to Blog...

2010-07-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

I used to always laugh at people when they would say they wished there was more time in the day. I didn't quite understand why UNTIL NOW!

I can barely find time to breathe let alone blog about my days, however after thinking long and hard about it, I've come to the conclusion that I'm never going to remember things unless I write them down, so...

I'm back!!!

I'm hoping to blog daily but given that my life has been flipped upside down, we'll see how that goes!

Speaking of flipping, my life is C-R-A-Z-Y right now. Between my terrible (I say that in the most loving way possible) two year old, a 10 week old newbie, a dog who barks at EVERYTHING and a company that now has 9 employees, (whew, I'm tired just typing this) I'm just spinning.

Life is good, busy but good!

Where did mommy go?

2010-06-09T05:34:00.000-07:00

"Come on Mom, NO Mom, Yes Mom, Here Mom"

These are the words coming from Aiden's mouth these days. It used to be "Come on mommy, no mommy..."

Just another indication that my little boy is getting so BIG!

She's all smiles!

2010-06-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

Ah, a mothers heart just melts the first time she sees her child smile back at her. At least that's what happened yesterday when Avery smiled at me for the first time. It wasn't a 'gassy' smile either...it was a real smile! I even got a little coo too!!

I have lots of pictures to post...I've just been super busy and don't have time to breathe these days....but they'll get up soon...I promise!

Strange Habits

2010-06-03T17:59:00.001-07:00

Aiden has the strangest habit at bedtime. As we read [what feels like] 300 books, when we are finished, Aiden will shove them under his blankets. When I go into his room in the morning and get him up for school, there are books, toys and anything else he can find in bed with him. I think it's funny. I don't know why on earth he does it though. Maybe he just doesn't want to be alone and his things make him feel comforted?

Better Late than Never

2010-05-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

May 8, 2010: this is the day my life changed forever....AGAIN!

Avery Mae Callas was born at 3:40am. She weighed in at [a whopping] 8lbs, 3oz (BIGGER than her brother I might add too).

I couldn't be happier that she's here, partly because I was the most misearble preggo in the world there at the end, but more because I finally get to hold her little body to mine and snuggle with her! She's precious (of course I'm biased) but we are all so happy! Aiden love his little sister. He wants to hold her and carry her around (and wishes mommy would just let him do it). He showers her with kisses everyday and my heart just melts every time he does it.

She's already got daddy wrapped around her little finger, well and mommy too!

I'm so blessed!

Our family of 4

2010-05-15T06:06:00.000-07:00

Our little girl is finally here. She arrived on Saturday, May 8th at 3:40am. My labor was very easy although here I am a week later and still a little sore, but that's to be expected. She's perfect in every way.

Stick a fork in me!

2010-05-05T18:09:00.000-07:00

I'm DONE! DONE DONE DONE!

We are four days away from our due date and I'd love nothing more to bring my second child into this world on Mothers Day, however as stated above...I'm DONE! I really do hate being so miserable about something so beautiful.

My patience is gone, I don't sleep and I ache all day long. I return to the doctors tomorrow and I have to make the big decision of whether or not I want to be induced. I really want the doctor that deliverd Aiden to deliver Avery and she's on call Saturday, SO...I can opt to be induced (providing conditions are favorable, but how can they NOT be)?????

I've been having a difficult time with thie decision. I didn't want to be induced with Aiden, however I was forced to do so because it was medically necessary. My biggest fear, even above the pain, is that I will have a C-section and I don't want that. I really want to have a vaginal birth and I fear that if I opt to be induced when my body's not ready, a cesarian is a big possibility.

Am I being silly? Probably, but at the same time I need to think about my family. Luke has put up with enough of 'evil' Noelle and is more than ready to have my not be pregnant anymore. Aiden has a mommy with no patience and I'm so tired all the time. It's not fair to them anymore either.

I think I have made my decision. I have a few more days to decide so we'll just have to wait and see!

Cool Beans

2010-04-23T04:02:00.000-07:00

According to the urban dictionary:

"Cool Beans. A slang term that actually began it's
use in the late 60's/early 70's. Popularized by the pop culture of the time.
Used to describe something very favorable or pleasing. Great. Very nice.

This is a COMMON saying in our household these days. Aiden walks around saying it all the time and I can't, for the life of me, figure out where he got it. (My neighbor told me yesterday that she has heard me say it from time to time so I'm guessing that's where Aid picked it up).

The other day luke was trying on some very intersteing pants for work and aiden entered the room, looked at daddy, turned to look at me and then looked back at daddy and said "cool beans". Then yesterday his Poppy came into the house and as he was taking his shoes off, Aiden said it again (don't know what he thought was so cool, but it was funny none-the-less).

It is truly amazing what our children learn on a daily basis and kids really do say the funniest things!!

Playing Catch-Up (Part 2)

2010-04-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted any photos. Here are a bunch since forever ago!

Playing Catch-Up

2010-04-19T10:25:00.001-07:00

It's been forever I know. So much has been going on these days it's hard to know where to start.

AIDEN UPDATE:

1. Aiden is such a big boy (I know I say this in every post..but it's true). He's riding a tricycle now all by himself. Downhill is easy, we're still working on the uphill part. Daddy needs to get him on board with his workout program to get those little ham hocks stronger ;).

2. We've recently discovered that he's acquired some of his daddy's acting talent. Yesterday while enjoying the day at my father in laws house, Aiden played a mean trick on all of us. We thought his arm had either twisted pretty badly or been pulled out of socket, but it turns out he was LOVING the attention he was getting from all of us thinking that. After about an hour of whining about how bad his arm hurt, it miraculously got better (part of me believes that he actually did hurt it a little).

3. He's talking so much. Everyday I feel like he says a new word. The other day in the car Luke sneezed and he said "bless you daddy". WHAT?? Where did he learn to say that? I love hearing words fly from his little mouth. We are still having a hard time understanding most of it, but he's getting better.

4. It appears that our baby boy has a horrible time with allergies (again, something that he acquired from his daddy). Since the pollen has been at an all time HIGH (it's disgusting really, when you go to dust your furniture and the duster is YELLOW) Aid has been sneezing, itching his eyes and his noes just runs and runs. He can't breathe either, which makes eating very difficult. He has to eat with his mouth WIDE OPEN so he can chew and breathe. Poor guy!

5. He's starting to pee standing up. One day we go into the bathroom and I go to place his potty seat on our toilet and he begins screaming at me..."No mommy". He runs over, grabs his stool and proceeds to stand in front of the toilet to pee. Mind you, that we have taught him to aim down so that he doesn't pee all over the place (while sitting). Now that he's standing we are trying to retrain him to aim away from himself, which ISN'T and easy thing to do. I can't tell you how many times he's peed all over his legs because he can't grasp the concept. I think we will try the cheerio trick. I've heard it can be very successful!

Avery Update:

Where do I begin. Here we are 37 weeks later...and STILL pregnant. I know everything that's happened up until now was for good reason, however it's been so hard to remain positive through this pregnancy. I'm very ready to see this little girl's face, that's for sure!!

I was so lucky to receive bags and bags of clothes from several friends and my sister. I've been spending LARGE amounts of time sitting in her nursery piecing outfits together and hanging them all neatly in her closet. Her nursery is almost done. I think the only thing I have left to buy is a rug. Last week my mother in law and I spent an entire day putting baby swings and bouncing chairs back together. I bought a few last minute things this weekend and I finally feel like I'm ready. Even her little bag is packed (I wish I could say the same about mine). I'm sore, can't sleep and just want her to get here...did I say that already?

So...there you go. I've been slacking with my posts, but I've had a lot of things going on lately. It's only going to get crazier, but I say BRING IT ON!!

Daycare

2010-03-25T04:54:00.001-07:00

Aiden is back in daycare. After being home with me for 8 months I have put him in a home facility three days a week. The woman is absolutely wonderful but things aren't going well. He's suffering from the worst case of separation anxiety ever. It's really hard, because each morning (that he goes) is a struggle. He begins crying when he realizes that he's getting dressed to go somewhere that early in the morning. And then if I manage to get him settled in the car on the way there (a big 5 min drive) the instant we pull into the driveway the tears begin again. Usually I have pretty thick skin, but this morning was very rough for some reason.

Apparently he's having good and bad days. Some days she says he only cries for a half hour...but I still feel that it's way too long for him to be crying. Yesterday she said he had a really rough day and that whenever she couldn't give him her undivided attention, he began to cry. I can't help but feel guilty that I'm the reason he's acting this way. It's so hard to go from being with mommy or Nanna all the time to being with some stranger who has to share her time among four children. UGG...what's a mommy to do?

I don't want to pull him, I feel like he's going to act like this where ever he goes. He needs this structure and now that I'm back to work, we have no other choice. If there was only something that could soothe his anxieties (besides time).

I know that eventually he'll get over this, but it's so hard to see him like this every day. I know he likes it there. If he knows he isn't going, he talks about the place all day long. But as soon as you tell him he's going he has a melt down.

Usually I don't want the time to pass, but in this case, it wouldn't hurt to speed up a bit :)

It will get better....it will!!

33 weeks and counting

2010-03-20T05:22:00.000-07:00

I've been really bad about documenting the roller coaster ride that has been my second pregnancy. Partly because I have had little to no time to do anything, and partly because it's been a rough ride.

Let's just say I'm very ready to have this little lady!

We went back to the doc this week and they actually didn't check me (I normally get my cervix measured every week). We listened to the heartbeat, which was very strong, and I went on about my day!

We are 33 weeks now and it's been 15 weeks since my cervical disorder was discovered. I have been to the doctor every week for those 15 and I'm ready to be done. I'm ready to hold this little bundle of pink in my hands and snuggle with her and give her the biggest mommy kisses ever!

The good news is I feel great. Aside from the sleepless, uncomfortable nights, I'm good! She's kicking the crap out of me on a daily basis, so she's good too!!

7 more to go...I can do this, I CAN!!

Big Boy Bed!

2010-03-15T07:45:00.000-07:00

Aiden is sleeping and has been for days now in his big boy bed. We were going back and forth as to when the best time would be to move him. He never attempted to climb out of his crib, but I did want him out long before the new baby took over his domain. Last weekend was it. I got his new room assembled and we decided to give it a go at naptime. He's a CHAMP! We placed a twin mattress and boxspring on the floor and let him do his thing. We don't have rails on it so if he falls off, it'll be a short trip to the ground. So far so good though!

"Mommy Eat"

2010-03-11T14:10:00.000-08:00

My little eater. He's always been one with a healthy appetite. Today we went out to do a little shopping together and while sitting in front of Kohls, he suddenly began screaming "mommy" over and over again. Finally, after loading up my car I peeked my head inside and said "what?" With the biggest smile ever, he pointed towards the Chick-fil-a and said "mommy, eat." I couldn't help but giggle. Like mother, like son!

We headed over, grabbed some yummy CFA and off to the park we went. We enjoyed our yummy lunch and then played on the playground for a while with Aunt Dan and cousin T! It was a stupendous day!

Physician Frustration

2010-03-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

AARRRGG! That's really all I have to say. This pregnany has been a roller coaster of ups and downs and it's still realtively far from being over. I'm having some major issues with my doctor.

For those of you who don't know, I've been diagnosed with a weak or short cervix, which makes keeping a baby in, a bit of a challenge. No one knows if I had this condition when I was pregnant with Aiden and there is really no way of knowing. SO...this go round we've been taking precautions and I have been to the doctor EVERY week since week 23 (I'm 31 now). This whole time I have been optimistic about the situation, partly because I feel great and partly because that's how I'm trying to live/look at life these days. BUT, I'll tell you, my doctor is making it very difficult for me to remain that way. I know she is a professional and she deals with this sort of thing all the time, however when you are dealing with someone else's life, don't be wishy washy. Tell it how it is!

For example, three weeks ago I went in for a visit and the first things she says after reviewing my charts is, "Good job, things look stable.". At the end of this SAME VISIT I believe her words were, "things look a little weaker". I felt like saying "THAT'S IT?? That's all you have to say?"

For three weeks I have got a "good job, things are stable" and then all of sudden last week I got "well there's not much of a cervix to talk about Noelle". Again, that was it. No metion of bed rest, no mention of anything else. You'd think if things looked that bad, they would have me off my feet all day, but nope..not the case. I'm just very confused and think that maybe it's time for a second oppinion. I do have 9 more weeks to go and I can't spend all that time worrying about what will happen.

I'm frustrated....just plain frustrated!

The Great Snow of 2010!

2010-02-12T04:03:00.001-08:00

Here are some the pics from our wonderful snow storm.

Aiden had a great time sledding through the three feet of snow (I think daddy had an even better time though)!

I felt really bad because I couldn't help Luke shovel so I had to chase Aiden around the block. He loved playing in the snow so much. Every time I turned around, his face was buried in the snow trying to eat it. His poor little cheeks were bright red after 5 minutes. I even caught him trying to eat some dirty snow (good thing it wasn't yellow)!

I do love the snow, but I must say that I've had enough. On to spring already!!

Enjoy!

Our Beautiful Two Year Old

2010-02-10T15:33:00.000-08:00

Aiden is two. I know, I can't believe it either!

The great "Blizzard of 2010" put a bit of a damper on our party plans for Saturday, however the most important people were all here to celebrate (mommy, daddy, and Kenzie)! I didn't order a cake (thank goodness) because of the possibility of snow. When we woke up on Saturday I cooked a wonderful breakfast and decided I would bake a cake for later. After scouring the pantry for a box of cake mix I discovered that I was without. All I had was a box of spice cake mix. UM, I think not!

I decided that I would attempt to make a cake from scratch. A chocolate cake at that! I had everything I needed so when Aiden went down for his nap I set out on my mission. The cake batter looked great and I even made Luke try some. He informed me that I was good so in the oven it went. Surprisingly, it turned out OK. My penmanship when using icing isn't the greatest but Aiden didn't seem to care!
Once Aiden woke up we had a few of the neighbors over and enjoyed a yummy piece of chocolate cake. Aiden even blew out both of his candles all by himself!

My baby is growing up. It makes momma sad.

Aiden enjoying his cake. I had minimal to work with in the way of writing as you can see! It was yummy though!

Bad Ninny!

2010-02-03T17:29:00.001-08:00

Ok, so we have decided that it's finally that time...to rid Aiden of his pacifier. He's been a 'sleep only user' since he was one and now that he's about to turn two, it's time for it to be GONE.

Last night, was the night! We tried cold turkey before and it didn't work so this time we decided to do the cutting of the ninny!

Luke snipped off the end and when we handed it to him he looked at it, looked at us, then looked back at it and tossed it away.

We thought, "wow, that's easy" but such was not the case.

We resumed the nighttime routine and when we left, he cried for a bit but then went to sleep.

I couldn't tell if he tried to sleep with it or not, but he DID sleep through the night and seemed well rested this morning.

Fast forward to nap time today!

Once again he didn't seem too happy about the "broken" ninny but I left him to it. He cried for a little while and then there was silence. After about 10 minutes I decided to peek in on him with the monitor and discovered he wasn't asleep at all. In fact, he was very much awake and talking. I listened very closely and all of a sudden I saw him pull his paci from his mouth, hold it out in front of him and say "bad ninny, no!". He did this over and over again for some time. At one point he even began to discipline his monkey.

He never ended up going to sleep today. He actually began to cry hystericallly after being in his room for about two hours so I gave in and brought him out.

This evening was successful. He went down after only fussing for about five minutes.

I'm keeping my fingers cross that this is it!! NO MORE NINNY!! NO MORE NINNY!

New Daycare Adventure

2010-02-01T05:06:00.000-08:00

Today was Aiden's first day at the new daycare. This woman is wonderful and I think Aiden's time here will be very good for him! He's been home with me for almost a whole year now and I think it's about time he get some good old fashioned structure in his life.

(I hate to admit that working from home doesn't exactly allow me to give Aiden the best structured day)

So, drop off today went better than expected. He only cried for a second before I left. I thought about him all day, wondering how he was doing, but knowing he was fine. I daydreamed about how it would play out when I picked him up. I imagined that I would walk in and he would yell "mommy" and run up to me. That's not exactly how it happened.

First, when I walked in I turned the corner, Aiden looked up briefly and then resumed his play on the floor. No biggie right?? Well then I noticed something very blue around his mouth. It seems that he tricked his caregiver into giving him his paci all day. I feel bad because I think my reaction was a bit much and she felt very guilty for having given it to him, but I simply explained that he only gets it at sleep time. My fault..I should have been clear about that up front.

Little bugger...tricky one, he is!

Needless to say, I didn't get the big exaggerated welcome I was hoping for, but it was still wonderful to see him at the end of the day! Apparently he did great and aside from the paci fit, he didn't cry a bit all day!

Hopefully tomorrow is much better!

Since when....

2010-01-28T03:27:00.000-08:00

did our two year old care what he wore for the day???

Yesterday morning I went in to find Aiden wide awake with blankets and stuffed animals tossed about his room (very typical these days) and we began our AM ritual. Sometimes I leave him in his jammies but today I decided to get him dressed. As I began to pull clothes from his closet I turned and noticed he was watching me very closely, which was new. Usually he runs around his room and plays.

I threw some clothes in a pile on the floor along with a new diaper and asked him to get undressed. He managed to only get his pants off so I decided to speed up the process and help things along. As I began to put his a clean shirt on he started screaming. NOOOOO and then said something that sounded like "ackt".

(Hmmm...another one of these impossible moments where he's telling me what he wants and I'm not understanding).

I asked him what he wanted and told him to go into the closet and show me. In we went and he pointed right to what he wanted. This orange and blue (YEAH SU!) Nike wind breaker jacket. That's what he was saying! JACKET! I just began to laugh because for the first time EVER he was telling me what to dress him in.

I still don't know why he chose this particual item. The only thing I can think of is that his pants were sort of wind breaker-ish so it made him want the jacket????

Still...so funny. I fear this is become a common occurance in the Callas household.

A talkative, bossy little dancer

2010-01-24T17:00:00.000-08:00

Why do parents wish the time by? When our child starts to coo, we wish they were crawling. When they begin to crawl, we wish they were walking. When the begin to walk, we wish they were talking. Time just goes by way too fast. I'm about to have a two year old...that's right, A TWO YEAR OLD!

And there is no doubt that I have a two year old toddler on my hands, that's for sure.

Aiden is talking...A LOT! Constantly, in fact. He walks around the house rambling on. Most of the things he says are not comprehendable, but it's fun to hear them, just the same. He gets extremely frustrated when he wants something and I don't know what he's saying. So frustrated that he throws himself down on the floor and a tantrum ensues. It takes WAY too long to calm him down and once I do, about 10 seconds go by before it begins again.

Aye...Aye...Aye, that's all I have to say.

Oh, and when did he get so big that he bosses me around?

"No mommy!", "Come on mommy" and "Go mommy"

This is what I hear all day it seems. Ah, but it still makes me giggle inside sometimes. With all the bad moments throughout the day there are plenty of good ones!

He LOVES LOVES LOVES to give kisses and big bear hugs. He'll say "hug mommy" and that will just melt my heart. He loves to dance. When he hears any music at all he says "come on mommy, dance" and won't stop until you follow him and dance around (and by dancing I mean turning in circles until he falls down).

I love him so much it hurts...really it does. Today I sent him with Nana and Poppy so that I could get some rest and when he walked out the door my heart actually hurt. I have been missing him all day (but I really needed to rest).

A wrench in our plan

2010-01-20T13:49:00.001-08:00

I don't even know where to begin.

There have been several differences in my pregnancies. With Aiden I wasn't sick or tired, well maybe a little tired, but never totally exhausted. I had a somewhat boring pregnancy (I say this happily, by the way). I was a week overdue when I had him and everything went by the book!

This time, NOT THE CASE.

During the course of my entire first trimester I was extremely nauseated. Then two weeks prior to my second trimester, I began to get physically sick. All that ended and I began to feel better. Then came our ultrasound. At 18 weeks we found out we were going to have a baby girl (which I am still in awe about) but that's not the only thing we found out. It seems that I have a shortened cervix. This was a little alarming to the doc, so she asked that we come back for a follow up ultrasound in 5 weeks.

5 weeks later, we showed up and got to see our little bundle again (which was so exciting). She was of course bigger now and STILL A GIRL!!! However, once again, we got bad news. It looked like my cervix had changed again, so the doc asked that I come back for a checkup every week. She said I could still work but that she just wanted to err on the side of caution (of course) to make sure there were no drastic changes.

Skip to Tuesday of this week....

ONCE AGAIN we got bad news. Things looked even worse and the doctor feared that my body was just weakening by the day and that now I really needed to take it easy and get out of the water. I broke down right there. The stress of this news, the stress of having just started my own business that was now flourishing and having to basically put everything on hold and of course the stress of not knowing the fate of our baby girl.

Amidst all of this there is some good news...the baby looks great! She's moving and kicking all the time!

SO...the doc wanted to run one more test to see exactly where I was with regards to going into labor early. She tested to see if my body was producing a chemical that typically shows up prior to doing so.

Wednesday morning we FINALLY got some good news. Chemical test returned a negative result which means it's VERY UNLIKELY that I will be going into labor any time soon BUT I still need to take it easy.

After scurrying around for the past 3 days, I am getting fill ins for my classes and somehow managing to keep it all together! The strange thing is that in all of this, I feel great. I feel better today than I have my entire pregnancy, so none of this news makes any sense.

All we can do at this point is take it day by day! Things will be fine and life will go on!

Our blossoming little boy!

2010-01-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

Aiden is changing so rapidly every day. It's really an amazing thing to watch!

He's becoming more and more independent and wants to be a BIG boy (and with this there are some downsides too). The other day we sat down to eat breakfast and I handed him his bowl of cereal with his little spoon. The second he saw it he began to throw a fit. At first I was totally thrown off by his behavior. Why was he acting like this? Then he started to say "bisp" over and over again. I didn't know what he was saying which was VERY VERY frustrating. Then finally it dawned on me..he was asking for a BIG SPOON. I handed him one and he was as happy as can be!

He's talking more and using more words to form little sentences. He says things like "Hey mommy catch" and "come on daddy". He completely understands you when you are talking to him and he's a bit of a manipulator too. At night we go upstairs, take a bath, get dressed, listen to some music and read books. Lately, he doesn't want to go to bed (that's a whole other post), so he will ask you over and over again to read more books. When I let him down off my lap to pick a new book, he's easily distracted with other things in his room. He'll wander over to his aquarium and talk to his fish. He'll conveniently need to go potty, and sometimes he'll just sit in front of his books pondering over which one to read. This can sometimes take up to ten minutes to pick ONE BOOK! He's playing mommy...and some days I give in because I'm so tired that it actually feels good to rock in his chair by myself, and then others I protest immediately.

He's growing up before our very eyes and sometimes just thinking about it makes me tear up! He's no longer a baby...but our blossoming little boy!

Nesting, Cleaning and Purging...OH MY!!

2010-01-10T15:25:00.000-08:00

I can't control it..it's completely taken over me. The nesting, OH the nesting.

If I could I would throw the entire house away and start new.

I'd organized each room with little plastic bins and labels. OBVIOUSLY I can't do this so I have began the run of each room individually. The hall closet, then Aiden's room and his closet of exploded clothing.

Today, it was the never ending mess of totes filled to the brim with old fat me clothes and maternity clothes that I have been avoiding. I seriously had 5 HUGE totes in my room and a mound of clothes on my bed the size of Texas. I went through each item and placed it in the appropriate pile. One for the salvation army, one for fat clothes that I want to hold onto a litlte while longer, and of course, one for the skinny me clothes that I just don't fit due to being preggo. The whole process went smoother than I had anticipated and THREE hours later, I had everything folded, vacumme bagged, and put away! I hadn't planned on conquering this task today, however since my cabinet that I was going to put together for the bathroom came with a broken window pane, I had to find another project to complete (for some reason I just can't relax on a Sunday afternoon). On top of that I also managed to go through the boxes of clothes in Aiden's closet that were given to us. Those too have been separated and put away!

In the midst of doing all the sorting I managed to PURGE three bags of stuff. Ah, the feeling I get from purging things. I love it! I used to be a pack rat, but now there's nothing better than knowing you just got rid of crap you DON'T NEED or USE!!

There is still much to do, how will I ever get it all done???

Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010!

2010-01-01T05:22:00.000-08:00

It's been one heck of a year, 2009. While there were several good things to look back on, there were also some bad too!

To start things off, financially this year has been a disaster for many. This was the year of lay-offs. I unfortunately was part of that group. Yes, I could look at this as being the worst thing that happened to me this year, however that's not how I see it at all! I actually view it as being the BEST thing that could have happened! I own my own business now...and that includes making my own hours and spending more time with my family! Yes, it also means less money, but you know what? I DON'T CARE! I would rather struggle a little and have the life I have now, than the one I had before. AND on a side note, my business is booming so one day, I will get back to where I was financially but until then, I'm going to enjoy every minute with my beautiful son and wonderful husband!

Secondly, I am blessed to have a wonderful family to come home to everyday. I have a husband who puts his life on the line everyday for others and I look up to him for that. I have a healthy little boy who makes me smile everyday. I am also fortunate to be expecting another little one in May. A GIRL!! That's right! Callas baby number two is heading our way and we couldn't be happier about it!

So, yes there were some bad things that happened this year, but the good far outweigh them! I look back on 2009 with an open heart and welcome 2010 with open arms! Good things are going to happen for the Callas Family this year, I can feel it!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

Oh, and by the way, we had a great evening with our neighbors! All the kids stayed up WAY TOO LATE and we sat around catching up, eating goood food and I even enjoyed a tiny glass of champagne. I managed to stay up until the ball dropped (suprisingly) and was asleep quickly thereafter!

A Callas Christmas

2009-12-30T02:56:00.000-08:00

Deorations, dancing, eating, presents and family...oh my!

Christmas this year has been a whirlwind, that's for sure. Luckily we were able to stay local and just do some short distance traveling to visit extended family. I love staying home for Christmas, For one, it makes all the decorating well worth it come the big day and two, it makes life so much easier with a toddler terror on the lose (I say that with all the love in the world..wink)!

Christmas eve we traveled to Waynesboro, PA to visit Luke's grandfather (the man's in his eighties and you would never know it). Luke was unable to join us, as work called again this year (one of these days he will have the holiday off). Papa, as we call him, has been working on a train masterpiece for quite some time and given that Aiden just adores anything having to do with trains, Papa became his favorite person this holiday season! We spent a great deal of time in the basement admiring his work of art.

We were also able to spend some time with Luke's cousins who we don't get to see but once a year. Aiden has a second cousin, Joshua who he just adores. He follows Josh around like a little shadow. We all had a great time hanging out, eating and catching up on each other's lives.

Christmas day had finally arrived! Luke worked over night so I kept Aiden upstairs until Luke got home and changed (poor baby..he was absolutely exhausted but kept himself awake all mroning just for us!). We decided that it would be best to bring down one big gift at a time. When Aiden woke up from sleeping all night he came downstairs to find a basketball hoop. He was more than excitded about his new toy! He played with daddy all morning while I cooked everyone breakfast. When we finally pried Aiden away for the hoop, we got him to open one gift from under the tree. Last year Aiden was NOT into opening gifts at all. This year...totlally different stroy. He ripped through the paper and to his surpirse found a 'shoo shoo' as he likes to call it. The remainder of the monring was spent playing with the two new toys Santa brought him.

Luke's side of the family came to our house this year to spend the day. Everyone arrived around 2pm and instead of a traditional Christmas dinner, we decided to go light on the food and cooked things like meatballs and pigs in a blanket. I broke down and cooked mashed potatos (I can't live without them) and then we had a plethora of desserts (of course)!

When Aiden woke up from his nap we decided to let him discover his second BIG gift from Santa, a kitchen (while the basketball somehow dissapeared for the rest of the day). Down the stairs he came and when he saw it, his eyes lit up so big! Overwhelmed he was but he sat at that kitchen and made us all a wonderful dinner :)

After we ate we dug into the sea of gifts under the tree. Aiden was certainly beside himself with all the opening. He spent the remainder of the day playing with his kitchen, his new tools, and Nana and Poppy got him a Police Cozy Coupe that he couldn't stay away from (needless to say our child got WAY TOO MANY GIFTS this year)!

It was a great day!

On a side note some of the more notable gifts received this year:

I got a beautiful new charm bracelet (I lost my other one) and my first charm says 'I love to swim'! Oh yeah..and I got a wet suit...YIPPEE!!

Luke got a gym membership that he's been asking for, for about a year now.

Robyn got a new computer and a locket from Aiden that says 'Nana'.

We are all truly blessed to be healthy and together on this Christmas!!

Here are some pics from our Christmas festivities!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

December Catch-up

2009-12-24T05:14:00.000-08:00

Where did this month go. Here it is Christmas Eve and it felt like my birthday was yesterday. (Time, please SLOW down)!

I made a pact with myself this year that I would try to do as many seasonal things as I could with Aiden and I believe that my goal has been accomplished. Our tree went up super early this year! Aiden just loves it. Each morning he wakes up, runs out into the hall way and points down the stairs yelling 'tree' (in the cute little way that he does). When we come downstairs, he makes sure that all the lighs are on. We have a little Charlie Brown tree in the back of the house and he goes over and plugs it in along with the lights that drape the mantle. This same routine occurs in the evening as well, when he realizes that it's getting dark outside.

We have been very good about getting out around town and taking part in all the festivities of the season. Last month we took Aiden to see the parade in downtown Winchester and the lighting of the tree. And ff course we have now seen Santa about five times and each has ended in disaster (and by disaster I mean meltdown of tears which ususally lands him a 'pop' i.e. candycane)!

Last week Luke and I took Aiden to Clearbrook Park for the Winter Wonderland of lights. I was pleasantly suprised about how great it looked. We decided to go on one of the coldest nights of the year (go figure) but we still managed to have a great time. Aiden was in awe of everything (that's until we went to see Santa again in his cabin...MELTDOWN). Santa aside, I think he had a great time.

I have been doing so much baking and crafting this year. After some not so good luck in the beginning at bread baking, I think I have finally mastered it (it really doenst make any sense, as I have been making bread for years and have NEVER had this many problems). In addition to my breads I have branched out and conquered fudge (cookies and cream and it's DELISH) and a number of other goodes have been added to my repertoire this year!

I have also made all of my christmas gifts this year (well not Aiden's gifts of course, but the ones for extended family). Someone suggested I make blown egg ornaments as gifts so I decided to give it a try. Now for those of you who don't know, I am creatively challenged. I must say though, they turned out pretty good (I'll post pics later). They definitly look like a beginner's work but it's the thought that counts right??

'Tis the season!! I LOVE IT!

OH YEAH...here's an update on our little seed:

Aiden is talking so much these days. His vocabulary expands each day and it's incredible to watch. The other day he looked at me and said 'hey catch mommy' as he launched a large ball at my head. A sentence...well almost right? I screeched with glee! My little man is growing up.

Potty training has been put on the back burner for now. His interest has diminished, as there are WAY too many other things to be doing these days (pulling the Christmas tree ornamants down, playing with all the decoreations aroudn the house, dancing to Christmas music). He could careless about using the 'big boy' potty!

We are trying to get him to understand about the baby in mommy's belly. When asked what's in my belly he says baby and he gives her kisses every night (so CUTE). I'm sure he doesn't understand what's going on, but he will in 5 months!!

Lastly...what about that huge blizzard last weekend?? Aiden couldn't get enough of the snow. We were a little unprepared. We didn't have proper boots (we had rain boots) and what's up with the little people gloves?? They are all fleece and DON'T keep hands warm OR dry! We had to rig up some winter gear. It was pretty funny. Aiden had sandwich bags tied around his gloves and we had two pairs of socks on each foot covered wtih plastic bags stuffed inside his boots (don't laugh people...IT WORKED)!! We stayed outside for hours playing in the snow. Of course, once again this horrible mommy forgot her camera and didn't get any photos (hanging my head in shame). I really need to get better at that!

All bundled up for the big snow!

Daddy and Aiden decided to be funny!

Our little giver...he's learing early!

Merry Christmas Eve!!!!

Zerberts

2009-12-17T17:25:00.000-08:00

The nighttime routine is changing! Aiden is requesting daddy's presence more and more every day. The other night Luke and I took Aiden upstairs and while we were hanging out daddy started to give Aiden zerberts on his belly (Aiden spends a great deal of time running around his bedroom naked these days). Aiden thought it was the funniest thing ever. He decided that he wanted to do them too, so he attempted to give them back to daddy. He had little success, but each time he tried he would crack up hysterically.

It was one of those moments that reminded me how happy and lucky I am to have these two people in my life!

Santa

2009-12-16T16:44:00.000-08:00

Aiden is STILL afraid of Santa. Last year's picture was classic. He was crying and trying to slide off Santa's lap (he did this for the mall Santa and our daycare party santa). This year, much of the same. Luke and I took him up to see the big man tonight. As we stood in line we talked about how much fun it was going to be to sit on Santa's lap and eat a pop (that's what he calls all hard candy).

Then it was our turn. The clinging onto mommy's neck got tighter as we approached the chair. When I tried to sit Aiden down on Santa's lap he stiffened up like a board and the tears came rolling out. I was determined to get this darn picture, so I settled for being in it too.

There is always next year right??

Aiden at the daycare party last Christmas...Aiden this year...THE SAME!

FUNdue Dinner!

2009-12-16T16:40:00.000-08:00

I have the greatest friends in the world. I know I have said it a thousand times but what we have is so special. Most of us have been close since we were very young and the bonds have only grown stronger with time. Unfortunately some of the group has moved away and when they return home, we try to get as many of us together as possible.

Anie was in town last week so to celebrate her return (and my 30th) we decided to have a fondue dinner. I absolutely LOVE to fondue. It's really the greatest thing. I have to thank the Hornbaker family for introducing this fine art of eating to me!

We had such a great time...hanging out and catching up. I love these girls and am thankful everyday that I have each and every one of them in my life!

One little monkey jumping on the bed....

2009-12-10T15:59:00.001-08:00

...he fell off and bumped his head.

YEAH...this was Aiden today. He was a BIG MONKEY.

For some reason, one day Luke and I thought it would be a great idea to let Aiden jump on the bed. It began when he started trying to jump on solid ground so we thought it would help him to grasp the idea if he were on a bouncy surface (we are obviously kicking ourselves now, but we were trying to help). We watch him very closely of course and allow him to bounce only for a short time.

This morning Aiden and I were hanging out in my room (well he was watching his show and I was folding clothes) and he wanted up on the bed. He was engrossed in his show so I assumed (and you know what that does) that he would sit down and continue to watch his show. Well once again mommy was WRONG! I bent down to grab the next article of clothing to be folded out of the basket and when I looked up I saw legs up and a little body flying through the air. Aiden had bounced himself backwards right off the bed. LUCKILY he had landed about a foot from the nightstand and on top of a BIG pile of pillows.

Momma didn't have to call the doctor this time and believe me....THERE WON'T BE A NEXT!!!

I wanna "DO-OVER"

2009-12-09T18:12:00.000-08:00

I'm tired. It's 9:16 at night and I feel as though I might fall over (well actually I already have, as I am layed out on the couch typing this right now). Let's just say it's been a bit of a rough day.

It all began with two cute toddlers. Danielle brought T over this morning to spend the day with us. After breakfast I let the two little rascals run around the living room to play (keep in mind that the Christmas tree is in this room and Aiden has been told a thousand times to look, NOT touch)!

I turned away for a second and when I looked back to check on them, Aiden was naked, diaper and all. Teagahn was in the process of getting naked (she managed to get her PJs off). In each hand of both tots were Christmas balls from the tree. As soon as they caught a glimpse of me, they were off in different directions. Aiden just so happend to run straight for the front door and at the same time Nana happened to be coming in. He dropped one of the balls and of course it shattered on the ground in front of him.

At this point I was about to boil over with frustration. Thank goodness for Nana (although I'm sure she thought I was a little crazy when she walked in and saw what was going on).

I wanna DO OVER!!

A Perfect Weekend!!

2009-12-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

What a weekend it has been!!

It started on Friday. Luke and I weren't supposed to find out the sex of the baby until this coming Monday. However, we were fortunate to be able to find out early, 11:00 am on Friday to be exact. Turns out, the Callas boys are capable of producing little girls!! I am absolutely thrilled!! We are stopping at two, so finding out this time was a little more special. We were hoping for a little girl. Having one of each makes things just perfect!

It was such a pleasant surprise to wake up to snow falling on Saturday. I love a GOOD snow. It turns out Aiden does too. He couldn't stay away from the window! He walked back and forth between the window and front door all morning pointing and saying "noooow". Last year he was still a little small to really appreciate/understand the snow.

This Saturday was special for another reason too. It was my BIG 3-0! Yes, I have finally caught up with the rest of my friends and have entered the dreaded thirties. I welcome this next chapter of my life with open arms. It can only get better! To celebrate the big day, Luke and I headed down to DC with my Aunt Cyndi. We went out on a boat to watch the Festival of Lights boat parade in old town Alexandria. Afterwards we got dropped off in Georgetown where we had an awesome dinner. It was such an awesome day (despite driving in the snow)!
What a truly perfect weekend!!

FINALLY, some movement

2009-12-04T03:55:00.000-08:00

I can't even begin to name all the things that are different about this pregnancy. For one, I was sick as a dog this go round for most of the first trimester. With Aiden, I recall two days where I felt a little sick for maybe an hour each day. With this pregnancy, I'm so tired, STILL. I'm not used to being tired. I"m a go go go type of person. I am constantly doing something, even around the house, it's rare for me to just sit in front of the TV (ok, well I do spend a lot of time on my computer, but usually its because I'm working). I've been exhausted for most of the time and it's really beginning to annoy me!

More recently I've been waiting for the movement to begin. I felt Aiden at week 14, which is very early to feel it, but I can remember it like it was yesterday. Here it is week 17 (almost 18) and I still hadn't felt anything. I was beginning to get a little worried. We haven't been back to the dr in 5 weeks (she scheduled it that way so we wouldn't have to come in for two separate visits to see the ultrasound doctor), and I didn't rent a heartrate monitor like I did with Aiden. So as you can imagine, I've been a little nervous about the well being of our little peanut.

Then, FINALLY on Monday I felt the little thumping against my insides. WHEW! I love love love feeling the baby move. I have felt him/her everyday this week!!! Most of the time I can feel the movement at night (which is how it was with Aiden in the beginning).

Aiden kicked the crap out of me in the second half of my pregnancy. he was a mover, that's for sure (which is still the case, as I can barely keep up with him when he's funning full speed ahead). I woudn't mind at all if this child were a lazy one in the womb, as long as he/she reminds me occasionally that they are in there!

Oh, BTW, we find out the sex of the baby on Monday. I'm bracing for the word "BOY" but we are really hoping for a girl!! Of course we will be happy no matter what!!

I'll keep you posted.....

Funny Little Swimmer

2009-12-02T06:59:00.000-08:00

I have a cute story about one of my adorable little swimming students. Yesterday we were going over our safety rules.

I asked him "Nate, what do you do in an emergency?" Tell a lifeguard" he replied.

"What if there isn't a lifeguard around? Who could you call?"

"Hmm, well I guess you should call the ambulance."

After discussing how to call the ambulance I asked him, "What would you tell the ambulance?"

He said, and with confidence I might add, "I'd tell them to tell the lifeguard."

I laughed out loud at that moment and giggled about it then for the remainder of the afternoon.

Kids truly do say the funniest things.

Did I mention how much I love my new career path!! Kids are the joys of our planet and I get to work with them doing something I really love, swim!!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-30T07:32:00.000-08:00

We had an amazing Thanksgiving this year. Luke and I had dinner at our house (I cooked my first turkey) and it all turned out very well! Here are some of the pictures we took!

Enjoy...

The Things I'm Thankful For!

2009-11-27T05:26:00.001-08:00

I can't even begin to name all the things I'm thankful for! Here are the most important things:

1. My wonderful husband. I don't know if there is a greater man on the Earth. He loves his family with all his heart and I can't imagine this life without him. On top of it all, he puts his life on the line everyday for complete strangers. He is a GREAT man!

2. My beautiful Aiden. Where oh where would I be without him? I can't even imagine it. He has brought so much happiness to me and my heart is full of love. It's making my tear up just talkinig about it.

3. My current pregnancy. I'm so very thankful for the ability to have children and with the new addition coming to us, I couldn't be happier. While our family is wonderful now, another little one will only make things bigger and better!

4. My Family. Spending time with them is precious.

5. My friends. It's rare to go through life an have someone whom you can rely on when you need them. I have MANY people like that. I love all of my friends and feel truly blessed to have each and every one of them in my life!

Little Angel

2009-11-22T12:47:00.000-08:00

Something strange is in the air.

I don't know what, but for the last two days Aiden has been an absolute delight. Maybe it's because we have spent some time apart earlier last week. Luke and I have done some major redecorating of the first floor of our house so we had Aiden go stay with his Nanna for a night, but with naps and working I really hadn't gotten the chance to spend quality time with him.

Yesterday after he got up from his nap we met my sister to do some Christmas shopping and he was so good. Usually he gets antsy going from store to store, getting in and out of the car. He remained so content all day. Danielle and T came over to stay the night and the kids just played so great together. We listened to Christmas music and danced around and had the greatest time.

Today, Luke had a football game this morning so Aiden and I decided to go watch. Again, Aiden was a perfect angel. He sat on the bleachers and watched his daddy run up and down the field, cheering him on.

Something must be in the air...

MIA

2009-11-12T03:55:00.001-08:00

Man, I have really been MIA lateley from blogging. I am just so busy with life. Let's see....things going on in the WORLD OF CALLAS:

1. WORK-it's going really well. I'm about to hire someone on for 2010 because I have taken on so much business that I can't handle it all by myself. I am also trying to get my website done(with the help of my wonderful mom, LOVE YA MOM).
2. CHILDREN-for those of you who don't already know, we are expecting our second child in May...the 9th to be exact. I'm now 14 weeks along and man, has this pregnancy been rough. With Aiden I felt great, from day one on. I have been so sick this go round and I'm hoping, NO I'M PRAYING that it goes away soon!
3. AIDEN-technically he should be part of number 2 but lately he's a category all of his own! He's talking so much now, saying so many words. He is even saying a phrase now, "there it is"! OH, and the MELTDOWNS...they are a pretty common occurance these days. Whenever he hears the word 'NO' he just loses it. It was amusing at first, now it's just plain annoying. Ah, the phases. Let this be a quick one!
4. HOUSE- since our patio has been done, we were able to get some room opened up in our house, so we have decided to do a complete remodel of the downstairs. We are basically going to rearrage rooms, making our living room space much larger to accomodate TWO children's things, instead of just one :) In addition to this, I have already began to 'nest' therefore I will be purging all of the unnecessary things from this house. PLUS, I have to pull out all the 'fat Noelle' clothes because I have already popped out and can no longer fit the size 2 that I worked so hard to get into (I know this is a good thing..but can't a girl dream about her size 2 jeans)!! Switching out wardrobes is no easy task...this alone will take days.

See...I have been busy. No time for blogging. I'll try harder though...need to keep those memories alive somehow!

Halloween!

2009-11-02T04:55:00.000-08:00

The Callas family went all out this year and decided to all dress up to go trick or treating. It also happened that Saturday was one of Aiden's good friend's 3rd birthday party too! We went to Nattie's party (a BARBIE party) and then afterwards we headed out into the neighborhood.

I was a little worried with how Aiden would handle all the 'scary' parts of Halloween, but he had the best time. There was a group of about 15 of us.

Aiden taking a swing at Natalie's Barbie pinata! He actually did really well!

The boys taking a spin in the barbie car....I guess it was only fair considering they were the only boys there!

Aiden watching Nattie open up her gifts!

Víspera de todos los Santos feliz!

Diego and Boots...cruisin' the neighboorhood looking for treats!

First Haircut

2009-10-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

We took Aiden to get his first real haircut today. I have trimmed it myself a few times since he was born, hence the reason for needing to get a real haircut. I was slowly giving him a mullet..haha!

We decided to take him to a barber as opposed to a salon. That was our first mistake. Sitting behind the chair was an older gentleman who obviously thought that my sons hair was too long. I politely asked him to "trim" Aiden's hair so that the curls were still intact. It appears that those words went in one ear and out the other because the scissors started moving and hair was flying everywhere. Before I knew it, my little baby boy was gone and there was a little boy sitting in front of me. I didn't cry, although I really wanted to.

I must say, it looks great, but I do miss the curls!!

BEFORE

AFTER

Spoon Trick

2009-10-21T05:36:00.001-07:00

Sometimes my child does the most bizzare things. I don't know where he gets them either. The other day I heard the silverware drawer being tossed around. I went into the kitchen to see what was going on and Aiden was pulling two spoons out. He has to just reach and pull whatever he can grab (hence all the noise). Usually I will take them away but for some reason I decided the let him go about his business. He took the spoon over to the other side of the kitchen, threw it on the floor and then preceeded to stand on one foot while looking at the spoon. All I could think what 'What on Earth is he doing?' Was he looking at himself do a cool trick in the spoon? Was he just trying to copy something he saw on one of his shows? It's a total mystery. He did this all day too.

Weird right???

A New (Yet Old) Friend

2009-10-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

Aiden and Elmo....quite the odd couple if you ask me. We got Aiden Elmo for his first birthday and he RARELY ever acknowkedges the little red talking doll. In fact, I think he's only played with him maybe five times.

Today was a totally different story. He carried Elmo around with him everywhere.

First, they colored together.

Then elmo got carried around by his necklace for a bit.

Then Aiden tried to share his drink with Elmo.

Then Aiden tackled elmo and they wrestled for a bit.

Then Elmo got to take a ride on Aiden's car (which he NEVER shares with anyone).

Now he's been asking to watch Elmo on TV...he's so freaking cute!!

Strange Eating Habits

2009-10-13T04:40:00.000-07:00

It seems as though our child has some serious issues when it comes to eating. Let see.....on Sunday he was quietly watching tv in our bedroom so I decided to get some laundry done. I snuck out into the hallway and began my chore. When I returned to the bedroom, Aiden had managed to find my Berts Bees chapstick and half of it was GONE. Was it on the floor....no, was it on him....no. Conclusion...he had eaten it. I can only imagine what his tougue felt like after that. I guess I have to watch him a little closer next time!!

Then, on Monday we were out running some errands. Aiden was of course sitting in the back in his seat and his diaper bag was sitting on the seat next to him (like it always is). We got home and when Luke went to get Aiden out of his seat, he was sitting there looking up at him with A&D ointment in his hand and there was a large amount all over his mouth. I'm guessing he was trying to use it as chapstick (that's his new thing..putting chapstick on as you can see from above). ICK!!

What will he eat today???

Baby of the Week!!

2009-10-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

It seem as though our little seed is baby of the week on http://www.newparent.com/. I think I submitted a picture forever ago and earlier this week I got an email telling me that he would be on the home page for a week! It's so exciting!

What a funny picture too...he's wearing a cheerio!

Ocean City

2009-09-27T12:08:00.001-07:00

Since we didn't have the opportinity to take a vacation this summer, Luke and I decided to go to Ocean City for a few days. I have to say that it was the best beach trip ever. We rented a condo in northern OC with Luke's mom from Monday to Friday. We got there mid day Monday and headed down to the beach in the late afternoon. Aiden just loved the sand. We were afraid that he would be scared of the beach (you know...kind of like he's scared of everything else) but he wasn't AT ALL!

He got out on the sand and bolted for the water. It was a bit chilly, but he just splashed around like a fish. We were down there for a long time, splashing and rolling around in the sand. I don't think I've ever seen our little man so happy!

September 2009 Pics

2009-09-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

Scaredy Cat

2009-09-19T17:56:00.000-07:00

My son is a weanie (again I love him SO much and probably shouldn't say such things about him but it's true). He's scared of EVERYTHING.

The other day, during a walk, he cried when Luke put a leaf in his hand. He also cried when he got close to a tree. He cries when he hears the dryer buzzer go off.

The other night, he and I were sitting in my bedroom and I had the window open. We were talking and all of a sudden he got really quiet, as if he was trying to hear something. All I could hear were the crickets chirping outside, which is what he heard too, I'm guessing. Well...let me just tell you, he looked at me, looked towards the window, looked back at me and then began to cry. OVER CRICKETS CHIRPING OUTSIDE. Haha..doesn't it make you laugh...it makes me laugh, but it's sort of frustrating too.

Today, we took him to HarvFest to see the animals. We had a great time, but walking around...NOT SEEING THE ANIMALS. He cried when he saw the alpacas, he cried when we got close to the donkey. He DID like the ducks but NOT the bull. He defnitely didn't like the camel but we did manage to get him to feed the camel some grapes (still crying though).

I love our little weanie!

We just arrived and already he's scared.

Ahh, we got him to feed the camel

Holding on to daddy for dear life.

A tantrum a day keeps the play time away!

2009-09-18T04:35:00.000-07:00

Tantums, they've become a daily, I mean HOURLY routine in the Callas household lately. When Aiden doesn't get his way, down on the floor he goes and the screaming ensues. It's quite funny and when they begin he makes this really funny face and it's so hard not to laugh at him. The other day Luke, Robyn and I were sitting in the living room watching some news and Aiden walked over to Luke and grabbed the remote off his lap. Luke of course grabbed it back. By the look on Aiden's face, you would have thought we had pinched him really hard or something. His bottom lip curled down and in seconds he was crying hysterically. The three of us tried really hard not to laugh, but the face was just THAT funny.

I love our little guy so much it hurts so I should laugh at him when he's sad, but sometimes I just can't help it!

My Lil' Spooner

2009-09-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

I thought it would take FOREVER for Aiden to learn how to use his utensils when eating. He picked up the fork faster, but the spoon, NOT SO MUCH.

We have been working VERY hard at the spoon. Each morning I give him his bowl of oatmeal or cereal (milk included) and after a lot of hard work, by gosh, he's finally got it!!!!

The Great Escape (Part 2)

2009-09-09T10:42:00.001-07:00

My children, and by children I mean kid and dog, sometimes amaze me (and anger me). On Monday Luke had to work so it was Aiden and I all day hanging out. Since I'm on a television hiatus, I decided to take Aiden outside to spend some time with bubbles and sidewalk chalk. While we were out there I trimmed my rose bush and got some beauties to bring inside. Once we were done, we headed inside which resulted in a tantrum of epic proportions. I left Aiden at the door and headed into the kitchen to put the roses in some water. After only, what felt like, seconds I turned the corner to find the front door wide open and dog and child nowhere in sight (Keep in mind that when we came in I locked the door and locked the dead bolt as well).

All the other moms out there can attest to my inital reaction of DREAD as I ran to the front door, leaving the roses behind laying on the ground. As I reached the door I could see Aiden standing on our front porch looking up at me with this look of triumph on his face, given the fact that he had returned outside once again! From Aiden, I glanced up across the street and there went MacKenzie...sprinting as fast as he could in the opposite direction. All I could say was "OH CRAP".

I dashed across the street, dropped Aiden off with my neighbor (thank goodness they were home) and darted down the street after my pain in the rear dog. TEN MINUTES LATER....we returned home.

Needless to say, we have babyproofed the front door along with every other door in our home now. I guess it's better that I find out now that Aiden can open the dead bolt than later, right??

Snowing Salt

2009-09-06T11:32:00.000-07:00

Messes. There seem to be A LOT of them these days which I know is only to be expected. Today, Luke and I were trying to get some things done around the house and Aiden was screaming that he wanted to eat so I put him in his seat and strapped him in. I rarely do this anymore, but since I couldn't watch him like a hawk I decided to. I ran outside for a second to pick some things up in the yard and when I came back in it looked like it has snowed all over my kitchen table. Aiden had managed to pull the table cloth over so that he could get his little hands on the salt shaker and just had a party with it. Salt was EVERYWHERE.

UGGGGGH! All over him, the table, the dog, the floor, the chairs, IN HIS EYELASHES. I'm thankful he didn't get any in his eyes.

Just another fun day in the life of the Callas family!

The TV Monster that I've Created!

2009-09-02T05:18:00.000-07:00

I always said that I would be one of those mom's who wouldn't let my child watch a ton of television. I feel extremely guilty saying this, but I think I have failed. With me starting a new business and being home so much with Aiden, I find myself using the television to get work done.

First it was Yo Gabba Gabba. He wanted to watch it every morning when he woke up which I thought wasn't too bad, so I let him. It progressed from there. Every minute of the day when he realizes that he's bored, he brings me the remote chanting "babba babba....babba babba".

Over the last week he has changed his television preference from Gabba to Yogi Bear. Back before we went to Jellystone I recorded an episode for Aiden to watch so he would know who Yogi was. One day last week we put Yogi on instead of Gabba and now all we hear is "gogi.......gogi" with remote in hand.

I have decided to put my foot down. Aiden is now back in daycare two days a week (which I'm sure isn't helping me AT ALL) but Robyn has him two days a week and she is on board with us . NO MORE TELEVISION. One show per day. I'm dedicated to making Aiden stay active doing things that will help his brain, NOT ROT IT!!

Wish me luck!

Potty Time

2009-08-31T18:22:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it, but YES..Aiden is actively using the potty every day now. It began a few weeks back. Whenever Luke or I'd take him into the bathroom, he would try to take his diaper off. So one day I decided to let him try. I held him up on the big potty and he peed. Then he laughed. I thought to myself..hmm, this has to be a fluke thing.

NOPE

I went out and bought a little potty for him and so it has begun!!

EVERYDAY NOW!! He has peed on the potty at least one time every day for about a week and a half now. I know we are a far way from being "potty trained" but hey..I'll take it. There is a downside to this early desire to be a big boy. He never wants to wear a diaper. Every time I turn around now, he's somehow managed to pull that darn thing off. It's really driving me crazy. I'm going to get some duck tape and belt his diapers on..haha, jk although that would be pretty funny.

My baby boy is growing so darn fast.

Three weeks past!

2009-08-24T05:27:00.000-07:00

A BUSY Life!!

2009-08-24T05:14:00.000-07:00

Wow..it's been forever since I posted last. The days (I mean weeks) get away from me and before I know it, the summer is over. Can you believe it??? I can't. Any way, YES I have been super SUPER busy. Why you ask...well let's see....

1- I've been chasing around a one and a half year old. He's quick on his feet these days and his number one goal when ANYWHERE is to get as FAR away from mommy and daddy as FAST as he can.

2-I just started my own business....I still have tons of work to do but I will be offering private aquatics training (lessons and fitness training). I can't think of any other way to spend my days then mixing two of my favorite things...children and water!!!!! I have had so much fun doing it this summer and now that I can continue it year round...I am absolutely THRILLED!!! But like I said, it's a TON of work but so worth it.

3- I took on a part time job lifeguarding at the Valley Health Wellness & Fitness Center. I'm only working a few hours a week..but juggling that, the new business and my crazy little toddler, LIFE'S BEEN CRAZY!!!

I'm sure there are some more reasons too..but I just can't think of them right now. I'm off..to work on something ;)

PICTURES OF THE LAST THREE WEEKS TO COME....

Officer-In-Training

2009-08-02T17:50:00.000-07:00

Someone wants to be like his daddy!!!

Eventful Morning!

2009-07-30T04:44:00.000-07:00

Aiden never cries for us in his crib in the morning anymore. Usually, he's just talking away to himself. I know when he's ready to be gotten because he'll chant "mommy" over and over again until I appear.

This morning....he was CRYING. I immediatly assumed that he was sick so I rushed in there. Well...in a way he was sort of sick. He had peed and pooed through his diaper so much that it was all over his crib AGAIN. AND, to top it all off, he had his leg stuck in between two bars of his crib. I had to get Luke up to help me get his leg out.

What a way to start the day!

SCARED of the firetrucks!

2009-07-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

This evening Aiden and I headed into Front Royal to visit some good friends of ours (who we haven't seen in FOREVER). It also happened that the fireman's parade was tonight too and our friends live right on the parade route.

Obviously, given that it was a fireman's parade, there were a lot of fire trucks. Well, let me just tell you that my Aiden does not like the sound that a firetruck makes. He spent the entire time crying (and waving- it was hysterical to watch) to all the trucks as they drove by. The thunderstorms passed and despite the noise, we all managed to have a good time!!

Busy, Busy

2009-07-29T05:02:00.000-07:00

I've been very MIA lately. Not because I don't LOVE to blog about my life, but because we have just been so busy with life. The past two weeks have been a whirlwind, literally.

Two weekends ago Aiden's cousing Teaghan turned one. It's so hard to believe, really. My sis and her husband had a really nice picnic for T at the park and all the kids just had a blast, running all over the place together. We had a great time.

This past weekend, Luke and I were actually able to get out together for a concert with some friends. We had the greatest time. He's been working so much lately that I feel like I never see him, so it was nice to get out together! Luckily, we have a great babysitter in Luke's mom!!

I too have been extremely busy with things. During these last few months I have been giving life lots of thought. What do I REALLY want to do with my life?? I thought about possibly doing some teaching (I've always thought about it). Maybe I will get back into marketing/web design. Maybe I'll go back to school and finish out what I started 9 years ago (going the medical route). Well after much thought, I have decided to take my aquatics training to the next level. I am starting my own business, and I will be offering lessons/fitness training out of a facility in Winchester!!! I am SUPER excited about it. I can make my own hours and most importantly, spend more time with my family!!! I still have lots to do, but it's moving forward nicely!! I'll keep you updated!

Now...with regards to our little man. BOY OH BOY...he's a little parrot! He repeats (or at least tries to repeat) everything you say. His vocabulary grows by the day and it's truly amazing to witness. He's learning so much and we are really having a great time together. I have been busier lately with lessons than I was early in the summer so we don't get to spend as much time together. The time we do get to spend together is precious, especially when daddy's home too!!

I'm learning not to sweat the small stuff....Life is good!

My Good Deed

2009-07-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

It's been forever since I've given blood. Probably since high school....and I've only done it once. It's one of those things that I rarely think about (shameful, I know) and I'm sure I'm not the only one out there. The other evening some of the neighbors and I were sitting outside and one of them suggested that we come to her church for a blood drive they were having. I disregarded it at first (again, shamful, I know) but as we started to really talk about it, it got me thinking. One of the neighbors was telling us how her grandfather had doner cards inches high from all the times he had donated his blood and she repeated to us something he use to say to her as a little girl. He said "Donating blood is the one thing you can do for someone that they can't do for themselves." Those are pretty powerful words! So I decided that the following day (yesterday) I would head up and donate a pint!!

Off we went..yesterday afternoon. Aiden was having a very off day to begin with and I hesitated bringing him with me, however, I didn't have anywhere else to take him. We got half way there and he was still screaming and crying and I thought about turning around, but thought, NO..I'm going to do this!

Rebecca (my neighbor who's church it is) was there and informed me that there was a nursery where the kids could sit and play while the parents went through the proces (by the way...forgot how long it can take). Well...Aiden was not having any part of this trip. As soon as I left him in the nursery he began to cry. And not just the whiny cry...the I'm dying, can't breathe cry. As I lay there on the cot with a needle in my arm, I could hear him down the hall, crying his little eyes out. I'm surprised my bag didn't fill in record time from high blood pressure. I felt so bad for the other people who were trying to donate in peace and here I was with a little banchee, disrupting the whole lot of them.

When I was finished we sat at the snack table together and he was happy as a clam...eating cookies and drinking out of a "big boy" bottle....ahh my little clingler!

I guess I shouldn't feel that bad though...I did do a GOOD DEED after all!!

Christmas in July at Jellystone

2009-07-15T04:25:00.000-07:00

About a month and a half ago I was over at the Sweeney household and Jessica was telling me about this awesome place she found online to have a little mini vacation. After explaining all the details to me I went home that evening and checked it out and it looked awesome. Turns out I was SO RIGHT!!!!

We headed down to Jellystone on Friday stopping for lunch along the way. We got there around 2:00 and checked in to our cabins. The Sweeney's got one and we got our own. They were close to each other which made everything very convenient. For those of you who know nothing about this campground...it's really great! There is a fishing pond, putt putt, a huge waterslide, two pools, a big playground, laser tag, and these really cool bouncing pillows (Aiden's favorite thing). This particular weekend was also Christmas in July. Santa was there to hand out presents to all the good boys and girls. Of course Aiden began to cry the minute Santa stepped into the room. So much in fact that I had to remove him from the scene. Nat Nat (what Aiden calls Natalie) was very upset by Santa's presence as well. Needless to say, Santa was sort of a bust, but the kids got some cute gifts (compliments of mom and dad) and apart from this they all had a really great time. Most of our time was spent at the playground and the bouncing pillows. There was a sand pit around the pillows and that's where Aiden spent most of his time. He did bounce quite a bit too.

At night, we put all the kiddies down together in the Sweeney cabin and the adults sat around the camp fire, roasting marshmallows and enjoying some adult beverages!! We all truly had a great time. We only needed one more whole day to make the trip better. Next time we'll have to stay three nights!!

Enjoy the pics!

Grammy's Visit

2009-07-12T17:48:00.000-07:00

October 2008.....this is the last time I saw my mom. That's WAY too long if you ask me, but due to circumstances beyond our control we couldn't make it happen any sooner. She came for a week. Last time she saw Aiden he was just crawling around and now he's walking, running, babbling, AND SAYING NO ;(

We had the best time with her. We did a lot of relaxing in the back yard and on Friday before the 4th, we had a little birthday party for Aiden and Teagahn. Mom missed Aiden's first birthday and she isn't going to be here for T's so we decided to have a little party for both of them while she was here. We had some friends over and cooked out and Aiden and T got to open some gifts and have some cake! We had a great time.

We did a lot of swimming and Danielle and T hung out almost everyday. Aiden LOVES his cousing T. They are so funny together and they are growing closer and closer everyday.

I miss mom tons already. Aiden loves his grammy and I can't wait until October when we will be able to see her again. Until then we will spend lots of time on Skype talking to Grammy & Grampy James!

The N Word

2009-07-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

While Luke and I couldn't be happier that our little seed's vocabulary is increasing every day, we're finding it a HUGE annoyance that the big "N" word has finally made it's big debut. Although he's not saying it THAT often, it's still being said none-the-less.

The way he says it is actually pretty cute. It's more like "nyoooow". Here's our beautiful babe in action!

Roseola, Part 2

2009-06-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

The fever has gone, and now the nasty rash has reared it's ugly head. It appeared this morning and it's all over his little body, even on his face. I've seen pictures of other children with the rash on them and Aiden is very lucky! His isn't nearly as bad as it could have been.

Through it all, he has been a little angel (well for the most part ;)). You wouldn't know he was sick. I'm definitley glad the fever is gone though. I had a hard time sleeping knowing his fever could have spiked up over night.

We had a very lazy day today. Luke worked all day, so Aiden and I layed around the house. We were supposed to go swimming with our neighbors, but the sun decided to hide all day. It was nice to do NOTHING though....sometimes we need those days!!!