Our little Bubba J

In our house, Jeff Dunham is a favorite!  If you don't know him, Mr. Dunham is a ventriloquist comedian who has different characters that complete his skits and Bubba J is one of them.  Aiden even enjoys watching when its on t.v.! Here is a picture of good ol' Bubba J....

So the story is that Adam left his boots out in the living room one day and Aiden climbed into them. Adam had also left his hat laying in the living room and when he saw Aiden wearing his boots he put the hat on his head to make the outfit complete.  I thought it was cute so I started snapping some pictures and we looked at them later that day. When we came across this one we both said the same thing..."Its Bubba J!"  Let me say no more, rather I will just share our little Bubba J with you...

We've gotten a few good laughs from this as we usually do from Aiden's silliness!! Here are a few more from that day...

Home Sweet NEW Home

We are now in the new house and loving it!  A big thanks to Grandma and Papa for coming to help us out!  We didn't have much of a traditional thanksgiving with all of the moving that was going on, but instead we all went out to Cracker Barrel and in the end it was just as nice to spend time with some family and each other no matter where we were.  I couldn't go without a picture though, this was the first Thanksgiving that Aiden spent with Daddy and that Adam and I were able to be together since before we were married! We had a lot to be thankful for this year!

An Early Meeting with the Big Man

A couple weekends ago Daddy needed to go the the Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, so we all headed out for the day.  It just happened to also be the opening day of Santa's Wonderland and the arrival of the Big Man!  While Daddy did what he needed Mommy and Aiden stood in line for a pass to see Santa Claus.  Aiden sat on his lap last year, but didn't really know what was going on because at 2.5 months old all you ever really do is sit in someones lap!! Anyway, mommy was excited to see Aiden's reaction this year so while we waited we explored Santa's Wonderland and did some shopping!  We saw reindeer and a train, nut crackers and Elves, and lots of lights!! Aiden especially likes the lights, he always has. He was finding many things to point and look at and then it was time to get back in line so we headed that way and daddy met us there.

While we were standing in line, a couple Elves brought Aiden a candy cane which he REALLY enjoyed munching on!  And then Mommy insisted on a picture by the big Nut Cracker! Soon it would be Aiden's turn to sit with Santa!! 

When it was time for Aiden to meet with Santa, he held Daddy's hand and walked right up to the big man himself.  He got up on his lap just fine...and then Santa spoke!  Aiden didn't know what to think about that! The more Santa talked to him, the more Aiden wanted away from him!!  Santa suggested that Mommy and Daddy come back and we could all get our picture taken together.  So that's what we did and Aiden was just fine with Santa keeping his distance!  We had fun as a family that day and maybe next year Aiden will want to try meeting Santa again!

With warm hearts this holiday season - Much love from Em & the Boys

Happy Fall Y'all

Take a Walk on Paths of Crisp, Dry Leaves that Flame with Color and Crackle with Laughter

Here is Aiden enjoying some fresh crisp air on a beautiful fall day.  The leaves on the trees behind our house this year were exquisite, as were many of the leaves on trees surrounding where we live.I had planned to get more pictures of them but with October getting so cold, they all seemed to have fallen off early!! We enjoyed them while they lasted though and look forward to them again next year!

Bubble Wrap and Boxes are Back!

Home is where friendships are formed and families are grown; where joy is shared and true love is known; where memories are made and seeds of life are sown.

Last week we had the home inspection done at the new house and I was able to get a few pictures while we were there.  The inspection went great with only minor issues and we close on 30 November!! So...the bubble wrap and boxes are back out at our place and we find ourselves most productive once Aiden has gone to bed for the night.  We've chosen to rent our current house for now and sell it later sometime before we leave Missouri.  God is great for providing us the opportunity to have two homes, when some aren't even blessed with one.  We are looking forward to a new place to start making memories that will last forever like some of the ones we've made in our very first home.  As Aiden's second Christmas approaches and we will be celebrating in the new home, he has already been told not to expect being in a new home every Christmas! There will be more pictures soon once I can get some of  the inside! But if you get too anxious too see our new place before I get new pictures posted, then you're more than welcome to come visit and see it for yourself!! 

Back View

Views from the Deck

Ferociously Cute...

And I ain't Lion!!

Here's some of the fun we had on Halloween

Aiden went trick-or-treating at the Hospital where daddy works, this was good practice for the real thing!

He figured out quickly that if they were distracted by how cute he was he could take a couple extra pieces of candy!!

Grandma came to visit for the weekend and on Saturday morning we got a special surprise trick that was actually a treat because Nana came to visit too!!

Aiden's first real trick-or-treat at the neighbors house

Daddy teaching Aiden the basics

Helping himself at Ms Lindseys house!

And he couldn't leave without playing with the dogs and getting a hug!

At the house down the street Aiden was greeted by a scary clown and a vampire...

This was his reaction...he was cautious but not too scared to get some candy anyway!

And of course before bed he had to check out the stash!!

-Emily

Cutting Edge Fun

Here are some pictures from our afternoon of cutting edge fun...carving pumpkins. We didn't carve our pumpkins last year since Aiden was too little, but this year he dug right in and helped mommy take the guts out then stir the seeds in the bowl with the scooper! When daddy started the carving Adien liked giving the chunks to the dogs and for that, Lilly was thankful! We even cleaned the seeds, smothered them in salt, baked them in the oven and had a yummy treat later that day.

Reenlistment & the New Job

Here are some pictures of Adam's recent reenlistment for 6 more years in the Army. He was able to reenlist for us to stay here at Ft. Leonard Wood for another year or two, maybe even more! I had no idea that I would need to stand by his side, but I was told to "get up there" because if it weren't for me continually standing by his side and supporting his decisions that the Army might loose an excellent soldier. We were very proud of Adam that day, as we are all the time for the sacrifices he has made and still makes for our family and our country.

Adam received another challenge coin from the hospital commander and Aiden was happy to hold it for Daddy.

One of Adam's soldiers even made his a cake. B.O.H.I.C.A. it states...Bend Over Here It Comes Again!

On official Army (Brat) Business, Aiden helps Daddy in his new office. Adam is now the NCOIC of the Behavioral Medicine Division at General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital, or GLWACH as its called around these parts! There were lots of new things to investigate and Aiden even broke it in just right by spilling some of his juice on the floor to help Daddy feel right at home!

The Man Shower

Last month Adam was invited to a "Man Shower." Yes, a baby shower for the dad instead of the mom! The dad didn't want to play games or get "cute" gifts...he simply wanted diapers and friends to come hang out around the bonfire and the keg! But my husband couldn't just simply go with a package of diapers, he had to make it real manly. He wrapped the package of diapers in construction tape and stacked a few cans of formula on top, which also needed to be wrapped in construction tape. And gee, what better to hold it all together with that good ol' duct tape!! He even made a duct tape handle at the top, for easy carrying of course! There was no tag, but better yet he wrote on the duct tape with a sharpie marker. I gotta give him credit, he did a great job! I'm thinking with the holidays coming up, that Adam should go work for Santa in the gift wrap department at the North Pole!!

He was so proud of his work!

I was told when Adam got home, that the parents thought it was so cool that they didn't even want to open the gift! :)

The Holter

If you hadn't already heard, last month Aiden saw both a cardiologist and a neurologist. At his one year doctors appointment, the doctor heard a heart murmur which was a new finding. At the time, Aiden had also passed out a few times during crying. We discussed both with the doctor and he referred us to both specialists to make sure the two were not serious and related issues. In order to do so, the cardiologist put Aiden on a 24 hour holter monitor to track his heart rate and rhythm and to see what his heart would do in the event that he had a passing out episode. Aiden did excellent with the holter monitor on. After leaving the doctors office we took him to lunch and to Toys R Us, where having it clipped to the back of his pants didn't seem to bother him at all! When we got home, he went about playing with his toys, reading books and all the other things we normally do. The clip that attached the monitor the back of his pants finally became a difficult thing for him, so daddy made him a special strap to wear over his shoulder. He couldn't have a bath that night, but I don't even think he noticed! We're so proud of him for being so cooperative with everything we needed him to do!

Since then, the cardiologist has explained to us that Aiden has an innocent heart murmur that he will either out grow or will have his whole life and will probably never have a complication with. Also, he has high vagal tone which is likely the cause of the low heart rate when he was first born. The holter monitor results showed that he still has a low heart rate, especially at times of rest. The Doctor didn't seem concerned about the high vagal tone, instead just gave us a few things to watch for and be aware of in someone who has that. The neurologist said that he didn't think the passing out had to do with Aiden being seizure prone and that we don't need to worry unless we see it happen without being provoked by crying. He said that if he were turning white before passing out it could be related to his heart, but since he turns purple before passing out and goes limp instead of stiff its not heart related. He gave us some information on breath holding spells and said that he thinks its something he's doing without even realizing he's doing it. His advice was to avoid reacting and making a big deal when it happens and it should stop. Aiden hasn't had this happen since the middle of September so we're now hopeful that it was just a phase that is now over!

Blessings to All this November,

Em and the Boys

Big Year, Big Adventures

In an effort to STILL get all caught up, I finally got most of the pictures from October onto the new computer! BUT we still have pictures from the last part of the month on the camera that haven't even made it to the computer yet. So...here are a few from the first of the month. Since Aiden is a whole big year old, he figure he should be having big adventures as well. The fire station had an open house during fire safety week and I thought Aiden would like go since almost every time we go to the commissary the fire truck is there and we have to stop and look! The firefighters are always in the store though, so we never get to see inside. At the open house, the trucks had their doors open and we were free to climb up and explore. Daddy explained to Aiden that the yellow trucks are best, so having his picture taken in the big yellow truck was a must. We also got some goodies and saw the talking fire hydrant...who Aiden was intrigued by but kept his distance from. Here are some pictures from Aiden's first visit to the fire station:

Lil Punkin

All of a sudden...there it was again!! Aiden was due for having his pictures taken once more! We already had some wonderful pictures that were taken of him by his god mother early in September and I capture so many shots of him that we figured we didn't need to go all out and have too many taken. But I did have a coupon for a local place, so we went ahead and had a couple more taken. I figure, you can never have too many when your kid is as cute as ours! :) Since it was that time of year we had some taken with the fall background and her he is...our cute lil punkin himself...

A couple weeks ago we also took that cute lil punkin of ours to the pumkin patch. Last year, he had no idea what was going on. I have pictures of him sound asleep with his tiny pumpkin in him tiny little lap! This year was much more fun! The first thing we did at the pumpkin patch was venture through the corn maze. Unfortunately it had been very rainy prior to this day, so the maze was VERY muddy. Daddy had to hold Aiden, but it turned out alright because then they could navigate together. Once we made it out, we took a walk past the goats on our way the the hay rack ride that would take us out to the patch. Aiden was interested in the barrel train but wasn't quite big enough to go on his own and neither mommy or daddy thought that they could get back out if they even would have attempted to get in! So we headed out to the patch to pick out the perfect pumpkins. Luckily we were able to get to a wagon before they were gone and as you can see in the pictures Aiden was very helpful in pulling the wagon back from the field. Aiden even got to pick his own pumpkin from a pile of pre-picked ones and did a wonderful job, I must say! We decided to cut our time short and not do the few other things we could have done there that day as we realized it was way past lunch time and nap time. As soon as we pulled out of the driveway Aiden was fast asleep and mommy and daddy enjoyed a quiet ride home!