Us3

Us3

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Christmas Pictures 2010

Christmas Eve- I let him open one present. He wasn't asking to, but I wanted him too :)

On his horsey!

Christmas morning! Santa brought him an easel.

My little artist

This is my favorite picture! I got him this keyboard that allows him to record things and then listen to it again on his "Ipod". He was trying to figure it out. I love it!

Criss Cross Crash! Such a fun boy toy!

Uncle Matt & Aunt Kristin got him this construction site with all the trucks, cones, fake dirt and signs. He was in HEAVEN!
Aunt Joan got AJ a Buzz Light Year Rocket!

The keyboard....it's LOUD!

My cute little man... :)

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Christmas.... Part 1

Here's a video of AJ and I today... just a little to hold you over until tomorrow when I have more time to edit. We had a GREAT day! AJ was on overload (as were all 2 year olds, I'm sure) and Santa was VERY good to him!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Santa Party Continued...

Here's a few videos from the party :)





Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Party With SANTA!!

Last year my mom and Dave threw an amazing party with tons of friends and Santa came. It went so well, they decided to make it an annual event and again, it was awesome!

This year, AJ LOVES Santa so he had a blast. Our friends and neighbors arrived about 4pm and the kids had a great time playing. (There were 17 kids, I think??) Then, Santa arrived with Mrs. Claus about 5pm. He was great! He talked to the kids, sang songs with them and Mrs. Claus read the kids a story. Most of the kids were so surprised to see him and just in awe. Then, one by one Santa called up each child and had them sit on his lap and each one got a little present. It was so special!

Here are some pictures:

Reindeer Cupcakes


AJ's turn with Santa!
 
Daddy came to the party!


At one point (obviously after way too much sugar) AJ decided to clear the room and show us his dance moves! He's SUCH a performer! He just loves having people watch him and loves being the center of attention. He certainly does NOT get that from me!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Happy Birthday Papa!

We celebrated Papa's birthday on Monday by eating pizza and cake and decorating the Christmas tree. When we asked AJ how old Papa was, he said that Papa was 5, Grandma was 5, I was 2 and he is 2 and a half :) AJ loved "helping" Papa open his presents and especially enjoyed the ice cream cake. He was bouncing off the walls for almost 2 hours after..... I am convinced he probably ran 5 miles that night. Here's some pics!



Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Snow! (In The Mall)

This weekend, AJ and I went to a nearby mall-the Cherry Creek Mall- because I heard they put on a great Christmas display. They had this huge room that was decorated like the inside of a snow globe and AJ got to play in it with a bunch of other kids. He LOVED it! Snow was falling from the ceiling and by the time we left, we were filthy with fake snow, but he had a blast throwing it up in the air and having it fall on him. It was a super fun day!



Monday, December 6, 2010

He Says the Funniest Things!

Here’s a few examples of some hilarious things AJ says and does:
Yesterday, he and I stopped to look at the horses near our house. We got out of the car and walked over to them. We were very close to them, but not quite close enough to touch them (This was a good thing because AJ gets scared if we are too close) He walked over to one of the horses and said (without ANY prompting), “Hi Horsey. My name AJ!” lol! I actually had a tear in my eye because I thought this was sooo incredibly sweet. Later in the day, when he saw an inflatable Santa, he did the exact same thing. “Hi Santa. My name AJ”

When you ask AJ a question- What do you want for lunch? What did you dream about? Do you want juice or milk? His answer is, “Uhhh, na sure….” Hahah! He’s just a character!

Last night my mom wasn’t feeling well and AJ must have heard us talking about it. He went up to her and said “Gramma, what you feeling?” He’s the SWEETEST!

Monday, November 29, 2010

SANTA 2010!!!

Guess who saw Santa this weekend? And guess who LOVED him??? Wow, what a difference a year makes! AJ saw Santa at the mall this weekend and he was in heaven! We waited in line and looked at the reindeer, touched the "snow", and talked about the elves and the sleigh. Then, when it was his turn to go talk to the big man, I wasn't quite sure how he would do. If you remember, last year didn't go over well AT ALL! Well, this year, he sat there, shook Santa's hand, told him he was a good boy and explained that he likes trains and fire trucks. Santa asked if still had the toys he got last year, and AJ said yes :) It was so fun!

His shirt says "I'm Santa's Favorite" hahah!

Turkey Day 2010

We had a really nice Thanksgiving this year. We were thrilled to have Uncle Matt and Auntie Kristin visit. They were here for a few days and even though I had to work, AJ got to spend some quality time with them. My mom, Matt, Kristin and AJ all spent one day in Downtown Denver- they walked around, watched trains and had lunch. My mom said that Matt was acting like a 2 year old, so he and AJ got along great :) LOL! They spent time “playing swords” (we call it that rather than sword fighting!) and as expected, Matt is just an awesome uncle. He was on the ground building legos, playing games and just really having fun with AJ.
On Thanksgiving morning Matt & I went on a long run- it was SOOOO COLD though. 18 degrees! I thought my lungs were going to explode, but I knew I had to do it because I’d be eating the rest of the day! After the run, we hung out during the day and cooked and watched football. Then, that night Kris and Joy came over with the kids and Joy’s mom. We celebrated Thanksgiving with them last year and it’s become such a fun tradition! Maddy and Riley are much older than AJ, but they are both AMAZING with him. He has SUCH a wonderful time. They certainly are entertaining!

As usual, Grandma put on a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. We were all beyond stuffed with awesome turkey, mashed potatoes and all the other fixin’s. AJ’s favorite part was putting olives on his fingers- I guess he really is my kid! :)

Time to prepare for Christmas!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Pictures of the Week

I feel like the worst blogger! I just don't have time to update this right now- But we're well and happy and had a great thanksgiving. We were thrilled to have Uncle Matt and Aunt Kristin visit us. AJ loved hanging out with both of them! Here's a few pictures. More updates to come soon.

The whole family on Thanksgiving


Playing swords (or using them as hoses) with Uncle Matt

With Uncle Matt & Aunt Kristin


With AJ's buddy Riley

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Pictures of the Week

Here are a few pictures from this past Monday. AJ had his last art class and then he and my mom met up with Ki and Dax at the park for some fun!

Sharing his art with the class

He's so proud of his work!

Being silly with his best bud, Dax!


Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Mamna or Grandma??

About a week ago, AJ started calling my mom Grandma once in a while, instead of his made up word, Mamna. Then, my mom kept referring to herself as Grandma, and now it seems to be sticking. Of course, she is his grandma, so that’s completely fine, but in a way it makes me sad because I just loved the title Mamna…. It was unique and cute and so special. Of course, I still call her Mamna, because it’s what I’m used to. I’m working on it tho :)

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Video! Finally!

I had some computer problems these past few weeks and wasn't able to upload any videos. It's finally fixed, so here you go:


This is of AJ jumping THREE steps off the stairs... He's a daredevil!



Here video of AJ doing playdough. Smart boy!

Train Ride to Denver!

I enjoyed an AJ and Mommy afternoon with a train ride to Denver! AJ's been on a lot of trains, but never a train that really goes anywhere. He's been on the train at the Zoo and the Thomas Train, but those all just go in circles. This time, we took the train about 45 minutes all the way to downtown Denver. There were about 15 stops on the way which were all entertaining- AJ enjoyed watching people get on and off, he LOVED not being in a car seat and really liked doing something new.

When we got to Denver, we got off at Union Station and walked over to this great park. People were playing catch, walking dogs, riding bikes and just enjoying this BEAUTIFUL 75 degree weather (in NOVEMBER!) We played, got some lunch and a few hours later, hoped back on the train to go home. The highlight was the actual ride, and I just LOVED having some AJ time:)


On our way!

Checking out the train tracks

This is FUN Mom!

Union Station- there are A TON of tractors

I'm not sure about this picture. He looks cute, but almost freaky...
Such a beautiful fall day!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Big Boy Bed!

Why not throw AJ some more change, right? This week, we started AJ in his big boy bed. For the past few months, AJ has learned that he likes to sleep with Mommy or Daddy- a VERY bad habit. Not only does he need to learn to sleep alone but I don’t sleep well with him kicking me in the back and pulling my hair at 2am and it also doesn’t allow me any time to get things done because I have to go to bed the same time he does! So, we decided that once the move was done, Jason and I would transition AJ back to his own bed- in a big boy bed. From what Jason said, the first night he did great! He went to bed around 8:15pm and was up around 7am. He didn’t get up once.  The second night, he was with me and he did well, but not quite as well. He woke up at 2:30 and cried for a bit, but then went back to sleep. Lately, AJ’s been talking a lot about the dark and how he’s afraid of the dark. He talks about it in the car when we’re driving at night and he talked about it when I put him to bed the other night. I don’t know where this all came from, but I guess it’s natural. We think that the shadows on the walls are scaring him, which keeps him up at night. Last night, he was with Jason and he woke up at 3:30am crying and shaking saying how scared he was. It makes me so sad to hear that he’s afraid- and to not know how to help him. We are going to try a few different things like keeping more lights on or changing the lights in order to create fewer shadows on the wall. We’re only 3 nights in, so I’m sure it’ll get easier. 

I heard from my mom that today at nap time, he requested to nap in his big boy bed... PROGRESS!!!

MORE Change

AJ has become very good at handling change. Well, he doesn’t really have a choice, but I suppose he could act unhappy, hit, be cranky or seem different but he hasn’t. In fact, Jason and I believe that so far, we have raised a polite, smart, happy, fun loving, all around good boy. I am so thankful that Jason and I get along as well as we do because this makes everything easier for him and I, but especially for AJ. He’s our NUMBER 1 priority.

This past weekend, I moved back in with my Mom and Dave and Jason moved out of his condo and back into the house. It was an emotional weekend for me- I loved that house. We had many great memories there and I loved my neighborhood. I remember when we bought it; this was going to be my “forever” house.  Also, being 34 and a mother, it was/is tough for me to go back to living with Mom. It’s certainly an adjustment, but I am so thankful to have a place to go to get back up on my feet again. I really don’t know what I would do if my mom and Dave wouldn’t have offered this.

What this means for AJ is that “Mommy’s house” is now “Daddy’s house” and Mommy now lives with Mamna and Papa. It’s a hard concept for him to grasp. On one hand, it’s great that he still has the same house that he’s always lived in (Daddy's house). On the other hand, I know he’s confused about where Mommy lives and why we are always at Mamna and Papa’s house. He loves it there, but of course isn’t used to living there. The other night, just before bed, he told me he wanted to go to Mommy house… Broke my heart. I keep reminding myself that he is only 2. He doesn’t understand this and he won’t remember it either. I tell myself this is a good thing.

My plan is to get back on my feet quickly and get my own place. Mommy’s house (or condo, or townhouse, or apartment). As much as I appreciate being able to stay with my Mom and Dave, we all know that this is temporary. So, I’m searching very hard for a new job that will allow for AJ and me to move into our own place- even something small for a year or so will be fine by me. I’m not looking for my new “forever” home just yet. Obviously, the economy is crappy and good jobs are hard to come by, but I’m looking. My past experience is mainly in tech sales, but since I got my Marketing degree, I’d like to try and use it.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Happy Halloween!!!


AJ as Yoda :) :)


And his crazy mother...as white trash

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

So Thankful

Every day I think to myself how lucky I am to have such an amazing little boy in my life. I honestly cannot imagine my life without him. He brings me so much joy and happiness. He makes me laugh, makes me cry, makes me think, and he challenges me.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been hearing stories about families who have been struck by horrible tragedies and each one of them break my heart and remind me just how lucky I am to have my life- even on the days when things are extra tough and seem unfair- I am lucky because AJ and I, along with the rest of my family, are healthy.
There’s a story of a family in Orange County who in May 2007, lost all 3 of their children in a car accident. Reading that story back then was absolutely devastating. I followed it online for months just wondering how something so horrible could happen to these people. Yesterday, the family- along with their 2 year old triplets- were on Oprah and as sad and devastated as they were- they were surviving. It really showed me that if they can get through that horrible time, anything is possible.
Then, there’s another story of this little boy- a little younger than AJ- who has had an aggressive form of cancer since he was an infant.Click here to read his story He has spent most of his life getting pricked by needles, at doctor’s appointments, in hospitals, and laying in a bed with a feeding tube. He’s not even 2! Being a parent, I don’t know how I could possibly watch all of this happen to my son. I guess when you have no choice, you do what you have to do. I know when AJ gets a black eye or has to get a shot, it breaks my heart, so I can’t even fathom how they handle this.

There have been many times over the past year when I didn’t think I could handle what was going on. HOW could I survive being a single mother? HOW could I possibly work full time and not be home with AJ 24/7 like we were used to? HOW could I move out of the house that Jason and I bought 4 years ago? HOW could I go days without seeing AJ because he’s with his dad? But now, since I have been able to do all of those things, I realize that all these things weren’t nearly as bad as I imagined they would be. AJ and I are happy and healthy and going strong. I see good things in our future and I’m so incredibly thankful that I’m his mom.

Monday, October 25, 2010

We Carved...

I'm going to be really honest here...I wasn't quite sure I wanted to carve pumpkins alone...with a 2 year old...who's favorite words are "I DO IT!!" It felt stressful and not fun to me. But, on the other hand, how do I NOT carve pumpkins with AJ days before Halloween??? So, tonight I decided to go for it. I put on my "patience hat" and we did it. And of course, it was fun and not stressful at all! AJ didn't really get it, which was ok, but he had fun helping me clean out the insides of the pumpkin and I even let him use a real knife- well, the kind that come in a pumpkin carving kit- still totally sharp, but he did well. We decided on the shapes of the eyes and nose and ears together and then I cut them out. It was a ton of fun! Here are a few pictures from our evening:

Working hard!

Cleaning it out...

Cheese!!!

 The finished products!

The pumpkin AJ made at art class with Mamna today :)

Pumpkin Patchin'!

Yesterday Mamna, Papa, AJ and I went back to Anderson Farms Pumpkin Patch. It was a lot of fun! It's so pretty and so well put together there. This time AJ was lucky enough to go on TWO pony rides! He just loved being a "cowboy". Here are a few pictures: