Aiden finds his calling

Yesterday Aiden came home from school full of news about the school fundraiser. I was less than thrilled. I do not enjoy having kids knock on my door asking me to support a school my child does not attend. Nor do I enjoy looking through a magazine full of overpriced 'do dads' while a child looks on as I try to find the cheapest, most useful item in the book. I wasn't about to put our neighbors and friends through it. Jason and I agreed that we would buy a few little things and call it done. Aiden had other plans. He came home from school again today talking about the fundraiser (darn those teachers! lol) He informed me that he needed to sell "100 things!". Oh my. He pestered me and pestered me. "Mom, we can ask all my friends." "Honey, all your friends go to your school and they are trying to sell the same stuff." "But Mom, they will want to buy it from me!" I wish I had his confidence. "How about Miss Michelle mom? How about Mr. Bob? He is our neighbor." (the teacher must have mentioned going to the neighbors, again, darn teachers!) I read where you can buy stuff online for out of state relatives. So I said "Aiden how about we call some family and tell them about it online?" My plan was to call the family members first, brief them to just listen to his spiel and let them know they did not need to buy anything, Jason and I were going to buy a few things. That way he could think he was selling a few things, but he wouldn't really know that they didn't actually buy them. Sneaky I know. :) I refuse to make people fell obligated. So his first call was to Grandmom Jeanie. She wasn't home so he left a message. Next Aunt Chelly. "Aunt Chelly, you want to buy something from my fundraiser?" "Sure!" says Aunt Chelly already having been briefed by me. Aiden whispers to me "See, I told you mom." Next he says "I have to call MomMom, cause she is my first grandmom." Not really sure what that means. Anyway, we call. No answer. He leaves this message "This is Aiden, call me back....fundraiser" giggle, giggle. He hands me back the phone and says "How about my Uncle Ryan?" Ryan I am sure you want some wrapping paper, right? I talked him out of calling Ryan, letting him know that usually boys don't need these types of things. Finally I distracted him and thought we were off the subject and good to go. A little later he comes to me and says he needs to make more phone calls. So I tell him he can try MomMom again. This time Aimee answers. "Hey Aimee, want to buy something for my fundraiser?" Aimee, "I don't know Aiden I'll have to talk to MomMom." Aiden "Can I talk to Josh?" Josh gets on the phone. You can guess the question by now. Josh "Well... I only have like $3." Aiden then asks to talk to Lindsey. "Lindsey, want to buy something from my fundraiser?" Lindsey "What is a fundraiser?" This is the first time he has been asked this question - "Wait Lindsey....Hey MOM! What is a fundraiser?" With Lindsey she seems a little more open so Aiden gets out the catalog and starts naming just about everything in the book. "You can get presents, some flowers, a snowman light thingy, some balls that stick together, chips, a holder upper thingy....do you have a real phone? "No" says Lindsey "ok, pencils, let's see what else, jewelery... Lindsey stops him there. "How much?" she asks "I have $6, but I was going to give it to charity." "What!, says Aiden, you can use it for my fundraiser!" Lindsey "Well, I have a really big quarter." Aiden "MOM! Is there anything in here for a really big quarter?" It is time for dinner so I tell him he has to go. He tries to convince me that he can still tell Lindsey about his fundraiser while he is eating, but I crush him by telling him no. At dinner I let them know that after bath we can play a little while, then it is books and bed. Aiden has not forgotten about selling for his school. "But, Mom, I have to call people." We still have not talked to MomMom, so I tell him he can call her after his bath. Which of course he does. "Hi MomMom, want to buy something from my fundraiser...." He goes on to name everything in the book, again all 46 pages of it. After he is finally through my mom tells him she will look at it online and put his name in. He says "Ok, don't forget it is A-i-d-e-n. - a lot more chatter -Can I talk to Sarah now?" Poor Sarah gets the whole rundown. But this time he is asking with each page how much money she has. He thinks that the page numbers are the prices so he starts by saying "Do you have $6?" Sarah "Yes" "Well you can buy a sneeze box! You know how you get tissue when you blow your nose?" He goes on like this in great detail until page 27 when I let him know it is bedtime and the battery dies in our phone. He informs me that selling things is not hard at all (I told him that it would not be easy to sell things). "That was not hard at all Mom, with a wave of his hand, I already sold 6 things!" Then he names Grandmom Jeanie, mom, Aimee, Josh, Lindsey and Sarah. He went to sleep tonight with his prize catalog under his pillow.


I caught a little bit of his sales pitch on video. I had to split it in to two different videos....




***Edit***
This morning he was trying to sell to Kyle and Ryleigh. "Kyle do you want to buy something for my fundraiser?" Kyle "Yeah" "Ok, how about a Christmas bowl that sticks together?" Kyle "Yeah!" "Well, it is $6, do you have $6?" Kyle "No" Aiden "Mom, can you give Kyle $6 so he can buy the Christmas bowl that sticks together?" Then he started in on Ryleigh.

Four Poster Beds, Bubbles, Paint, Dust and Cadence

Sunday was an interesting day. It started when Kyle climbed up the posts of our four poster bed, hung from the slats and split one of the posts. Not the best way to start your day. Luckily I have a handy husband and you will never know it was broken, but Kyle needs to be put in a gymnastics class or something! We had a house showing that afternoon so I had to find someplace to take all three kids while it was pouring down rain for 3 hours. Where do you go in a small town for 3 hours on a Sunday afternoon? Wal-Mart of course! :) (We spent a lot of time looking at fish) When we got home the boys wanted to take a bath in our garden tub. As you can see they had fun, a little too much. I learned that bubbles can eat the paint off your trim. They put bubbles on the window that is right above the bathtub and as I was cleaning up the mountains of bubbles, off came a whole layer of paint. Good thing they took a bath after the house showing.

It took me quite awhile to get all the bubbles cleaned up and the boys were supposed to be getting dressed. But, they found another game that was much more fun. When I came out of the bathroom I found dust all over my perfectly cleaned living room (now remember, we had a house showing, so it is not normal for it to be perfectly clean! :) ). This game was throwing their bath towels in the air until they hit the fan to see how much dust would fall. Now, the ceilings in our living room are at least 16 feet, so the fan is high up and has plenty of dust on it since it requires the big ladder to clean. It was only then that I realized Ryleigh wasn't in the mix. I found her upstairs and she somehow deleted a bunch of stuff off our computer......

Here is a video from last night as we were finishing up dinner. Today was Final Drill and Jason was singing some cadence while we were sitting around the table. As you will see, Ryleigh really enjoys hearing Daddy sing....

1st week down, 11 years, 9 months and 1 week to go!

Aiden had to draw his family at school one day. As you can see there are more than 5 people in this picture. Jason is the big one and he is holding Ryleigh in the air, according to Aiden. I have the two pieces of black hair sticking up from my head. Aiden and Kyle are between us. On the left is Josh and Lindsey. And rounding out our family at the top are his three imaginary friends.

Aiden's first week of school went great. Each night he would say "Don't forget to wake me up in the morning Mom!" I said I would, and he would say "Promise?" I never had to though, he was always up by 6:45 a.m. ready to go. He came home each night full of stories and wanting to do homework. And even though he didn't have any, I would have to make some up. One day he got "lost" going from the classroom to the cafeteria and he told me a "lady with a neck really high up and a purse" helped him find his way back. I am assuming this means a tall woman. But, who knows with Aiden. His "best buddy and friend" is named Patrick. Patrick's mom is named Ashley (he couldn't remember his dad's name) and he lives in South Carolina (imagine that!). Patrick has no brothers, only sisters according to Aiden. He was very surprised to hear that someone could not have a brother. Each day we find new things out about Patrick. I wonder what Patrick's parents are learning about us? :} I am looking forwarding to meeting them. One day he told me "Mom, there is a girl named Riley in my class and she is really pretty. On the first day of school she wore a really pretty purple skirt." I asked him if he told her that he had a sister named Ryleigh. He said "I told her all day and she told me to stop telling her that." :) He loved Science Lab and on the day he had music class he sang all afternoon and through dinner.

Picking him up from school. By the way, Riley is the little girl with the skirt on. :) Maybe that is why he is looking in that direction. lol

Jason came home early three days last week because he wanted to be able to pick Aiden up with us.
Our big school boy. Love the hand in the pocket.
Another big accomplishment for the week: he learned how to blow a bubble!

Sitting Pretty

I stumbled across something quiet amazing this morning, a child of mine sitting looking at a book. I was shocked! :) When we got home from taking Aiden to school, Ryleigh went off into the boys room. I was cleaning up the kitchen and I noticed she has not come out for a few minutes and was being awfully quiet. Usually that means she is in trouble. I found her on Kyle's little bed, with blankets wrapped around her quietly looking at books. It is safe to say this has never happened at our house before. She stayed there like that for at least 2o minutes. Another miracle. The boys like to have books read to them and the do like to look at them. But NEVER quietly and while sitting. It was nice to see her acting like a girl. She is usually trying to outdo her crazy big brothers.

I also discovered today how she is getting into all the child proof cabinets. I stood and watched her as she worked her magic. She holds on to the cabinet door handle and shakes it back and forth, back and forth until it it works loose. Don't let those baby blues fool ya, she is full of mischief.


Yesterday she was sitting on the sofa and I caught these cute pictures of her.
These eyes are the downfall of Jason!! :) She can do no wrong.

First Day of School and Tying Shoes

Today is a day I have been dreading since Aiden was born. The day when I have to start the letting go process. I think if I could, I would keep them all five and under for several more years. We debated long and hard about Aiden's schooling. Should we home school, send him to public or private, or try cyber school? It is a question that has consumed my thoughts and kept me up many nights. Jason and I both believe strongly in being involved in Aiden's schooling so it was never just assumed that he would go to public school. But, Aiden has a strong desire for learning and has been asking for a year when he can go to school. We fianlly decided to send him to the public school just minutes (like 4 minutes!) from our house. All the kids on our street go to this school and we have only heard good things about every teacher. So, this morning at 8AM we took our little firstborn to his first day of class. He proudly wore his backpack on his shoulders and had a grin from ear to ear. He started packing his lunch on Friday (on his own, I came in the kitchen and found him filling little baggies with snacks), so I think he should have plenty to eat today. :) He walked into the classroom with confidence and greeted his teacher. He was excited that his cubby sticker had a panda bear on it, and you could see his thrill as he put his backpack and lunchbox in their own little spots. He found his name at the table and went and sat right down. I was falling apart inside, but I was happy to see him so happy. Here are a few pictures from this morning.

Aiden got new tennis shoes for school and here is Jason teaching how to tie. Since we wear flip flops, sandals and crocs around here a good bit of the year, he has never really had a need to know how to tie shoes. Just the other week Jason said, "Shouldn't Aiden know how to tie shoes by now?" :)
He got it on his first try! :)

Check back soon for more school updates. I am sure Aiden will have a lot to tell us about today, so we will be sure to fill you all in!

"Mom, can we go to bed now?"

What could possibly make a 5 year old want to go to bed in the middle of the afternoon? A tent that goes over your bed, that's what! A package arrived the other day from Grandmom P. and I had two very excited boys when they saw what was inside. Of course they immediately wanted me to put it up and try it out. I got it put up (after I messed it up twice), and all three kids climbed in for some fun. Ryleigh did not like the boys moving her to put her in the picture.We have all (yes, Daddy and Mommy too) been in the tent, reading stories and playing with action figures. The little pockets are a great place to keep all the toys that they like to take to bed with them. The pocket though is not big enough for the dump truck that Kyle takes to bed with him on most nights. He even brings it (the dump truck) into our room in the middle of the night if he wakes up. Along with his big blanket, a few stuffed animals and maybe an action figure or two. Add a few more kids, some more toys and our queen size bed suddenly feels like a toddler bed.We had to take the tent off the bed this morning because someone called and wanted to see the house. I told the boys we were going to have to take it off and explained why. Aiden thought it was a good idea because he thought for sure when the people who were looking at the house saw his bed tent, they would want to buy that too. :)

Thanks Grandmom! The kids love to get packages in the mail and it was fun surprise!

Thanks Megan and Sarah!!

Megan and Sarah left yesterday and we all miss them terribly. If you are a mom, I don't have to tell you that when you leave your children, you only enjoy yourself if you know that your children are well taken care of. Well, with Sarah and Megan we KNEW they were being well taken care of. They made our trip to CA enjoyable, because we were completely comfortable with our children in the hands of the girls.

Megan and Sarah, we had such a good time with you guys! I am so glad that you guys are still such a big part of my life, Jason's life and the lives of our children. Even though we are separated by many miles, we still have a great relationship (which has only gotten better since you got your own cells! lol) Hope these pictures bring back lots of great memories! We are proud of you two! Lots of love!

Friday, August 17, 2007 Warning: Lots of Pictures! California Trip :) We left just about this time last week for our California trip. Sorry it has taken me so long to get these posted. I know everyone has been waiting! :) Here we are at the airport, waiting for our flight and so excited to be getting away. Even the flights were fun, cause' we were able to talk and were not distracted by the kiddo's. Our flight was delayed several times in Atlanta, so we were pretty tired by the time we got to San Diego. We also ran into one of Jason's old Lt. Col.'s in Atlanta, he was on our flight. It is a small Corps. SATURDAY - Jason getting cash from our old ATM :)Saturday afternoon we headed to our old friends Pam and Tom's house for a dinner with their family and Russ, Mona and their kids. I worked with Pam and Mona while we lived in CA, and they became really good friends of mine. They even came to PA to see me right after Aiden was born. They became our home away from home while we lived in CA. Oh, and we grilled pizza and it was really good!Enjoying the day - I don't know what I thought was so funny..... I am standing next to Pam's son, Woody, who just joined the Navy last year, next to him is a friend of his. Some of the gang. Enjoying the wonderful San Clemente weather.Mona, Me and Pam. Love these people!! SUNDAY - They were having a street fair in our old town. So we walked up and down our old main street. They had bands playing and lots of vendors.The view down Del Mar St. We used to drive down this street and then turn left and our apartment was one block over. From the street fair we walked to Fatburger - which used to be Biggie Burger, still same burgers they just changed the name. I have been waiting 6 years to eat these again. They are SO good.Heaven on a bun! It is worth all the 1 million calories! lolEnjoying my burger and looking out at the ocean. When I was pregnant with the boys I craved these burgers so bad! Nothing compares to them. I know I sound crazy about these things, I am. lolSunday afternoon at the hotel, Jason getting ready for his big graduation.Jason all ready to go in front our rental car and hotel.This is where the graduation was held. Putting on his gown. Before he graduated.Yeah!! Graduated! They wouldn't let us take pictures during the ceremony.The guy he is standing next to is a Marine, and he knew a lot of the guys that Jason works with.Jason, walking away with is Masters! :) I am so proud of him. No one knows how much this man worked to get where he is today. He has more discipline than any person I know. Yet, he still made time for us. I don't know how he did it all.After the graduation.The party after grad.After the graduation we went to Irvine Spectrum, which is where we used to go the movies once in awhile. It is a huge place with shops, restaurants and a theater.MONDAY - We got up and headed down to the pier for breakfast. This is street that we used to walk down the beach to, our apartment was right behind us.When you turned the corner from the street above, this is what you see.At Fisherman's for breakfast.My favorite thing from Fisherman's, their french toast. :) This is the pier, where the restaurant is located. It is also a fishing pier.The views from on the pier. We have walked this pier so many times......Jason used to surf right where he is looking. :)Then we headed to Camp Pendleton to see where Jason used to work.Jason's old office building. I dropped Jason off at this spot many mornings, before dawn, to go on hikes, up all those mountains. Jason, relaxing. Something he does not get much time to do! Monday night we met up with Pam and Tom again and went out to dinner. They have three boys, their youngest is 19, and they are really sweet boys. So we really picked their brains on raising boys! :) TUESDAY - Time to go home. We stopped at a view point on the way to the airport.Goodbye San Clemente. We both feel like we want to move back now, much to our families dismay. :( We will see though, things change daily around here..... Subscribe to: Posts (Atom) About Me Erin We are a Marine military family, raising 3 little kids. We are trying to savor each moment of our kids being little, since we are always being told "They won't be little forever." But, when you have cleaned up pee off the floor for the 5th time in one day, rescued kids swinging from 4 poster beds,answered 100 million questions and dragged all three of them screaming through a store, it is sometimes hard to remember that! :) This blog is our attempt to write down the craziness of having a family, it helps us treasure the moments. 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