Thanksgiving 2009

We just got home from a great 5 day Thanksgiving break in Mena! It was nice to have more than just our usual couple of days to spend there and see everyone. Ayden had a blast playing with his cousins and spending time with his aunts, uncles, grandparents, and great-grandparents! I did not take even a fraction of the number of pictures I normally do, but it's because my child is ever-so-active and catching him being still before the camera flashes is next to impossible :) I also didn't take any pics of the very cute babies we saw over the weekend (Evergrace, Daxx, Finleigh, and Gavin) so you'll just have to take my word for it--they are all super adorable! I will try to remember next time to take more pics because they are all getting so big! Here are a few of the random great shots from our trip!

Thanksgiving Family Pic

My homeade Chocolate Chip Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies :)
3 super-cute cousins!
Emery Jai, Ayden, and Guice

Playing with the big kids!

2 cute boys!

Playing in the leaves!

So much fun!

Playing at the park

Cutie Emery Jai!

Me getting ready to drive my dad's new camaro!

Silly Ayden!

Tonight when we thought Ayden was playing quietly in his room...he was actually up to something else, lol! He came running into the living room like this! We laughed so hard! I guess this is the beginning of him learning to dress himself! LOL!

Saying "Off, momma! Off!"

That's right- count 'em--He was wearing SEVEN shirts!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

At least at the Anderson house! Yes, it's true, I have broken even my own record by putting the tree up 2 weeks after Halloween! I am so ready for Christmas this year! Of course everyone who knows me knows that I love everything about Christmas (I had a Christmas wedding for goodness sakes!)-from driving around at night looking at lights, to listening to Christmas music, decorating the tree, and shopping for, wrapping, and giving gifts--I honestly love it all! I have such warm and sentimental memories of Christmas as a child and I am very much looking forward to passing those memories on the Ayden.

I love the giving spirit that's in the air and it's very important to us to teach Ayden the importance of giving to those less fortunate, and Christmas is a perfect time to start that lesson. We have adopted a 3 year old boy from the Angel Tree and I'm going to let Ayden choose a toy for him. I know Ayden doesn't totally understand the concept but this is a tradition I want to carry on every year and I hope he grows to love it. I have also volunteered to bake and decorate cookies for children at the NWA Children's Shelter, which again, Ayden is really too young to help or understand what we are doing, but I am hoping that by talking about what I am doing will help him begin to understand (in his very limited 2 year old way!) what it means to help others.

We are also starting another new tradition this year- staying home for Christmas Eve and Christmas day instead of going to Mena. We are going to spend the weekend before in Mena with all our extended family. I am very excited about reading Ayden "The Night Before Christmas" and the story of the birth of Christ from the Bible like my Mom always did on Christmas Eve. This will also be our first year to leave cookies for Santa and have Ayden's big Santa gifts sitting out under the tree when we wakes up. I absolutely can't wait!!

Here are pictures of our tree and stockings. I took Ayden to the Hallmark store and let him choose his own ornament this year, and he chose Thomas the Train--so cute! I really thought he would pick Mickey or Pooh, but he was all about the train! I also made us all new personalized stockings using stockings I bought on sale at Fred's in Mena a couple years ago and scrapbook sticker letters--super cheap and they turned out pretty cute! Andy and Gunner are sharing a stocking because we only had 4 holders :)

Our tree :)

Hanging his train ornament

Love the glow of Christmas lights!

Ayden's 3rd Christmas ornament!

The stockings are hung...

Our miniature tree and Christmas village

Our little MAN

Our 27 month old little man has recently acquired a new interest...and I wasn't so sure I wanted to blog about it but it has just gotten so funny and embarrassing all at once that I just feel the need to share. The interest? Women's breasts, or "boobies" as he so bluntly calls them :) He has known what they are and what they are called for a long time now (he did after all have a 7 month relationship with mine :) but lately he feels the need to point them out every chance he gets...and not just mine--complete strangers as well, including manequins in stores. This past Sunday we were invited over for lunch to the home of one of Chris' co-workers, and less than an hour into our visit Ayden had already grabbed his wife's breasts and proclaimed "boobies!"

Then today, we were in the women's underwear section at Walmart and while I was looking for my size in some thick slipper socks, Ayden became obsessed with the rack of bras right beside us and the models on the pictures. He started very loudly saying "naked! boobies! naked! boobies!" OVER and OVER and OVER. To make matters worse, a woman walking by stopped to marvel at how cute he was and to hear what he was saying...that is until she realized what he was saying and just politely smiled and said, "well thats a man for you!" Then as we were leaving the underwear department Ayden became very upset yelling "I want naked! I want naked!" again...OVER and OVER and OVER. I didn't know whether to laugh or to hide. The truth is, it's all completely innocent and really very hilarious, no matter how male stereo-typical it is-- but my question to any fellow mother of boys is, How would you handle this situation? I don't want to teach him that there is any shame in any body part, but the grabbing of aquaintances breasts and screaming "naked boobies" in Walmart seems a little too extreme. So, when you are finished laughing....advice please?

Random cute Ayden pics!

All bundled up for the first cold day in NWA!

2 hats and 2 drums...what else could a boy possibly need?

Guy time with daddy!

His little "nest" he built with couch cushions, benches and
his blue chair (bumbo seat) that he MUST have in his room at all times!

Ayden's 1st trip to the Dentist!

Ayden and I just got home from his very first dentist appointment! I was super nervous about it because #1- he hates to have anyone touch his mouth or nose, and #2 the appointment fell right during naptime! But this very good pediatric dentist, recommended by my sis-in-law Amy takes 4 months to get into, so rescheduling was not an option! First off the Dr. and staff were awesome! It was a very playful and relaxed atmosphere, with toys everywhere and TV's in the ceiling above each chair! Ayden did amazingly well while the dentist examined and counted his teeth. He laid perfectly still and opened up wide for him...I could hardly believe it! But after the dentist was finished they decided that since he did so well they would go ahead and give him a cleaning...and that was when Ayden showed his true colors!! The second the hygienist touched his teeth, he screamed like sometime was chopping off his arm, I was so embarrassed! No amount of chocolate-flavored teeth cleaner was going to convince him to let her clean his teeth! He hopped off the table, promptly asked for the sticker they had promised him and a new toothbrush, and was on his way!! The good news is, the dentist said his teeth were perfect with no cavities! We go back in 6 months to try the cleaning again! The dentist did say that most children under 3 do not tolerate cleanings. In the meantime we'll just keep brushing away!

Getting ready for Santa!

Nature trail hike

Today we took Ayden and the dogs out for some exercise on a little nature trail in Bella Vista. It's amazing that in just the last week most of the leaves have fallen and it is really starting to look like winter! It was a very pretty trail, but would've been much prettier 2 weeks ago! The dogs and Ayden wore themselves out running around, and we wore ourselves out keeping up with them!

All the boys in the backseat!

No pretty leaves anymore! :(

Little hiker :)

Come on, Mom and Dad!!

He loved all the bridges on the trail! We had to go

over them several times :)

Fall family photos!

Last weekend Jenny took some great family pics of us at the beautiful U of A campus. Ayden was in full two-year old form--he was much more interested in running around and playing than standing still and smiling. Sooo....the few smiles we did get from him are from us tickling him or everyone in the background jumping around acting crazy to get him to laugh! There are a few where he has teary eyes and that would be when his daddy had had enough of his behavior. Enough said! :) He actually behaved the best when we took pics of him and Jenny and Kyle's baby, Finleigh. He loves her! They all turned out super cute though and I don't know how I'll pick my favorite!

Halloween 2009!

We all had a great Halloween weekend! Friday afternoon I took Ayden to the Walmart Home Office where Chris works and we trick-or-treated some of Chris' co-workers. Ayden made the cutest little cowboy ever! On Saturday we went to the U of A campus and got some family pictures taken by my friend Jenny, and then spent the rest of the day at her sister and brother-in-law's house for a Halloween party. They have a huge Halloween extravaganza at their house every year, decorating the outside and setting up a haunted house type thing for the trick or treaters to walk through. We took all the little ones trick-or-treating early, and then relaxed inside while our husband's dressed up and spent the evening outside scaring all the trick-or-treaters. I think, no I know, they had more fun than the kids! It was a lot of fun and we made some great memories!

My cute little cowboy

Daddy and the cowboy

Cowboy Ayden, Kangaroo Isabel, and Ladybug Finleigh
CUTIE PIES!

Oh no, he found their candy stash!

Me with Jenny and her sister Karyn and the

little ones getting ready to go trick or treating

Ayden trick-or-treating his first house

Getting ready to trick-or-treat at Daddy's work

Daddy and Ayden at the office

Mommy and Ayden

More pics from the party