Rollie Pollie

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!

"Mommy Eat"

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!

A Callas Christmas

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

FUNdue Dinner!

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!

Strange Eating Habits

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???

My Lil' Spooner

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!!!!

Spaghetti Feast (or as I like to call it...Fiasco)

Dinners are interesting in the Callas household. It's all about timing, getting things done in such a way that everyone can eat together. It rarely happens like this because Aiden is particularly impatient when it comes to dinner but last week, since Luke was working nights, I was been able to sit down and enjoy dinner with Aiden. This is mostly due to the fact that I cook dinner the night before, that way all Luke has to do is warm it up the next night, and we will usually eat the same thing.

Monday night I cooked spaghetti w/ meatballs so that we could eat it for dinner on Tuesday. I know Aiden likes spaghetti, but I was unsure about the meatballs. I have offered meat to him on several occasions and he usually spits it out. I prepared his dish, sat it on his tray (BTW, we have gotten rid of his big high chair and now he's sitting in a portable booster-like seat) and that's when the chaos began.

You would have thought that this child hadn't eaten in days. He just started shoving noodles and peas and meatballs into his mouth like a wild child. Sauce went flying...most of it ended up on his face, and the floor of course. It was really quite a sight. I am just delighted that his appetite is so healthy!

Unfortunatley, it makes for a long clean up...but TOTALLY worth it!

One Extreme to the Next

If you have been following my blogging lately, then you already know that our family has been sick and for a while Aiden had not been eating...or at least eating normally. Well my friends, let me tell you...THAT HAS CHANGED. For the last several days, my child has been a hoover when it comes to meal time. For example, yesterday for breakfast he ate the following:

1/2 of a banana
3 mini pancakes
a cup of blueberries
1 yogurt

OH YES...I'm still going...

cheerios
a cup of milk
a slice of raisin bread

GEES! He's and Luke told me that it was the same for lunch. For dinner he ate 4 dino chicken nuggets, an ENTIRE can of peas, a biscuit and for desert he had a fruit cup. Then he drank an big cup of milk. WHOA!!!

I don't even eat THAT much. I'm glad my little baby is healthy and eating again!!


A healthy, happy boy...trying his best to be like daddy
and keep the floors in the house dirt free!!

Aiden this is fork...fork, this is Aiden

It has been some time now since Aiden has had baby food. The day he realized that Luke and I were eating somthing different, he has no interest in being fed. I have been introducing different things to him for several months now. He is very good at eating but recently I have been finding it hard to find things that he can eat with his fingers without making a HUGE mess. He has been working with a spoon for a while now but just yesterday I introduced the fork. I cooked up a little toddler meal and decided to give him the entire thing with the fork and just let him go to town. WOW...HE MADE A MESS. I can't say he and the fork got a long all that well but it was fun watching him!

Our weekend!

Luke worked nights all weekend so I didn't do much but Aiden and I got to spend some quality time together. Nana (Luke's mom) came over and hung out for a bit on Saturday so that I could get some cleaning done and pay bills. Then we headed over to Danielle's around lunch time to see her and Teaghan. We had a nice visit. My sister Melissa came over with her two kids and it's been a while since they have seen Aiden so it was a good time.

Yesterday, I decided that it was time to let Aiden attempt to feed himself and boy was that fun. Applesauce and green beans were flying around the kitchen. He hasn't grasped the food to mouth concept. Instead he picked up his bowl and flung it across the room. I think there was more food on us than in his belly...hehe...FUN TIMES!!!

Bathtime is getting to be more fun as well. In the beginning, Aiden didn't like to bathe. He cried the minute his little bottom hit the water and didn't stop until he was wrapped up in his towel. Now he loves it. He sits in his little tub and splashes all the water out. Again..I think I ended up with most of it on me. He's at that stage where he's putting everything in his mouth so it's hard to keep the wash cloth away from him. Oh AND his cradle cap is back. I worked so hard to get rid of it and now here we are two months later and it's back....UGG.