My Two Monkeys!

May pics

2010-05-30T22:32:00.001-07:00

A New Home

2010-05-30T22:13:00.000-07:00

As of May 29, 2010 we have moved into our new house that we are buying. Hooray. We are about 20 minutes away from where we used to live in Helendale. We now officially live in Victorville. I really like our new house. It is a one story, 4 bedrooms. It has 2300 square feet. The really cool part is that it was a model home, so it has nice upgrades. But, what's even better is that the house came with all the furniture. Really nice stuff, like out of a Bombay company or Pier 1 Import store.

We are settling in. Almost done with the kitchens, bath and master bedroom. Important thing is we all have a place to sleep. Which i might add that we took a great nap today. the house is quite peaceful. We only have a few hitches, the master shower only trickles water, and we have ants, yuk!!!! Shane bought bait things and spray for the perimeter of the house.

good thing is the boys are adjusting even amongst the chaotic mess. so tired, I will post some pics of the new place soon.

Trains, Trains and more Trains!

2010-05-07T20:45:00.000-07:00

On the diesel train
Connor sportin' Daddy's hat
Connor going walking crazy. He is so independent now that he is walking, he won't allow you to hold his hand.

Connor petting a bulldog named Lulu. He was fascinated by her. She had medical issues and couldn't walk so she rode in the wagon.
The old-fashioned fire engine. Beautiful!

The guys who owns this car must love trains even more than Aedyn, if that's possible.

A bus turned into a train complete with whistle and bell.

Aedn could sit there and watch the trains for hours.

Daddy looking at the toys with his boys
Aedyn engineering one of the displays that not only had a train but, a helicopter, and a car. Really great hands on for kids!
Connor admiring the trains
more trains
Looking at one of the displays

As you may well know Aedyn loves, no, is obsessed, with trains! He lives and breathes trains. So to further fuel the fire we decided to attend a train festival called Railroad Days in downtown Brea,Ca. They had tons of model train displays all the way from Z to O to standard size. Completely awesome. I think Connor has caught the bug too, he loved looking at the choo choos.There was a little kid size train to ride on, and old-fashioned fire engine with a dalmation doggie to boot. Oh, and we rode a trolley bus around the corner to see and get on a real diesel engine! We bought some cute train material to turn into a blanket and maybe pillows or a valance for Aedyn's room. We are redoing it in, what else, TRAINS! It was quite a beautiful and entertaining day, ending with some good music and ice cream.

Just some new pics!

2010-04-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

Aedyn & Daddy sitting on a train
Train ride

Connor loves his Unkey Jon
Full steam ahead

Easter 2010

2010-04-10T13:55:00.001-07:00

So the last couple of weekends were filled with fun and enjoyment. On Sunday, March 28th we went down to Riverside to ride on the Riverside live steamers, where a family member owns an engine, and offered for us to hang out on the trains for a few hours. As expected Aedyn was really excited, so was Daddy! Connor enjoyed himself as well, just chillin' on the choo choo!

Easter weekend was fun too! On Saturday morning we went to a local park for an egg hunt, which was less like a hunt more like a free-for-all. Both boys had fun. When we got home we dyed some eggs, and painted some window hangings. On Sunday morning, it was apparent that the Easter Bunny had hopped by our house, and we had an actual indoor Easter egg hunt, Aedyn had to definitely search for the eggs. Later we headed up the mountain for a family Easter brunch and yet another egg hunt, which Aedyn went wild. Good weekend overall!

Walking Poetry

2010-03-31T21:16:00.000-07:00

Life with children is absolutely amazing. I have worked with and cared for children a lot in my life and I love teaching children and seeing the light bulbs turn on, but it is so different so see your child evolve every minute of his life. It is miraculous, it truly is!

Aedyn is doing pretty well with potty training. He has his good days and bad days; bad days come usually when out of his element. Right now we are trying the timed effort, meaning we are trying to take him to the potty before he goes in his pants, by taking him about every 3o minutes, in which he goes every time we sit him on the pot. He is still learning how to recognize the feeling before actually going, but if he does go in his pants, he says something right away and starts heading to the bathroom, so we are progessing. This is why they call it potty "training", right?

Connor is walking! Not exclusively, but he can definitely toddle his way around the house quite easily now. I still haven't caught him on camera yet, he's a little unpredictable. But we are so proud, Shane and I both got to see his first 4 steps together. You should see the look on his face when he walks, it's as if he is flying! He is so pleased with himself.

Here comes a little pat on the back for Shane and I, tonight we dicussed poetry with our children during dinner. Yep, you heard me, Poetry! Aedyn can recite several poems. And Connor follows along with certain poems and acts them out with us by making noises and movements with the words. It blew us away when I started reciting a poem and Aedyn jumped right in and finished the lines. The poems I am talking about are not your average nursery rhymes. We are so proud.

So, I will leave you with a poem the boys practice reciting that is appropriate for today's weather:

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor You.
But when the leaves hang trembling
The wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?
Neither You nor I.
But when the trees bow down their heads
The wind is passing by.

by Christina Georgina Rossetti

New Happenings in Our World

2010-03-18T22:20:00.000-07:00

Jelly Boys!

Talk to the hand!
Drinking from big boy cup
Mr. Dimples

The boys are growing up so quick, they both have hit some milestones. Let's start with Aedyn: his biggest milestone is potty training. I finally bought big boy undies for him ( Thomas the train and Mickey Mouse) and we just casually started one afternoon. I suggested he put the undies on, of course he chose Thomas, and that was it. We started giving him a pez candy for #1,but have moved onto candy corn, this seems to be the key motivation. He gets a hershey kiss for #2, we've only given 1 of these out so far. We are really proud of him, but what is better is he is really proud of himself, every time he goes potty he comes running out of the bathroom saying"Look at me, look at me"!
He is also drinking out of a regular cup. He has the most impeccable memory and is such a sponge when it comes to retaining knowledge. He's learning to count his numbers in order, and can recognize numbers 1-5. He knows all his shapes, even the hard ones; like octagon, pentagon, trapezoid. He is a really big help around the house, he loves to help with the dishwasher, give food to the dogs, vacuum, help with the laundry. For most of the time Aedyn is a joyous, happy, child, who continuously makes us laugh! He amazes us everyday!

Connor is developing very fast too. He is 33" tall, and weighs 27 lbs. He is really lanky, and although 18 months fit around his waist, all pants and sleeves on his shirts are too short. He wears mostly a size 2T. Boy he is a good eater, we call him our carnivore. He loves to eat meat, whereas Aedyn shies away and goes for the sweets and bread, and Connor doesn't really like sweet. Yesterday, I put a cookie in front of him and he didn't eat it. Just over the last few days he has learned to use his fork and spoon when eating. Before, he would just hold the spoon in his one hand and pick up his food in the other hand. Connor is really starting to talk more. He is at the mimicking stage, but has a nice long list of words that he uses at his discretion. He is so funny, he loves to make animals noises; pig, cow and elephant are his favorite. He can also use signs to communicate what he wants, like please, more and thank you.

We are convinced that Connor will be a lefty, like his Aunty Kathy. He loves to give out kisses and hugs. He is buliding his patience and attention span. He loves now to sit and actually read the books with us, not just look at the pics. Many a time I wouldn't hear him and go to find him sitting in the book corner reading books. And he actually helps build towers with blocks not just knocks them down. He is probably the world's fastest crawler, meaning he has decided not to walk yet. I mean that, he has all the muscle coordination and mental capacity, he cruises everywhere and will walk if he's holding onto us, even is it is the edge of our shirt or the very tip of our pinky finger, but when we let go he plops to the floor. He'll stand up on his own and just stand anywhere from15- 30 seconds but won't take a step. He did try to take a step yesterday though.This is our biggest frustration with him. In his own time; he was a late crawler too. My bet is when he's ready he won't walk, he'll run! Connor is a very curious child and will probably always be. He is very silly and loves to dance. Actually both boys LOVE to dance, they love music (actually recognize classical pieces of art and music, when heard and seen in random places). They love to hear Mommy and Daddy sing to them!

Both Aedyn and Connor surprise us everyday with their intelligence, sense of humor, and talents. We are so blessed! We are IN LOVE with our children. Life is beautiful!

Hocus Pocus - Aedyn trying a bit of Magic

2010-03-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

Aedyn was trying out some magic, he seemed a bit frustrated that it wasn't working.

The elephant herd

2010-03-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

February 2010 - Trip to Disney with Nina and Brian

2010-03-18T20:43:00.000-07:00

Aedyn calls this ride the Hungry Caterpillar, after the book
Looks like Connor was having fun

Boys hoping the balloon ride will open again
waiting for brother to finish riding the bumper bugs

Aedyn riding the bumper bugs with Brian
Horsies!

This picture was taken on the Pinnochio ride, after it broke down. We still don't know whether or not it stopped because we all tried to cram into one buggy, or something else happened. IT was extremely funny. We laughed so hard, so we had to capture the moment.
I know this is blurry but fun, Aedyn riding on the teacups with Nina. Shane and Brian were in another teacup spinning out of control, it almost made me dizzy.

Shane's new tattoo

2010-03-18T14:42:00.001-07:00

So, also in January Shane received his bachelor's degree. In order to celebrate he decided to get the tattoo he has been wanting for about 10 years now. It is located on his left shoulder. The man is a palladin, a medieval knight, the surrounding knotted tree represents his strength and rooted character. the wolf represents his lifelong companion, ME, and the shield has part of the Moore family crest(dancing Lion), and also both Boys' names. there is also a "D" on the cross part of the sword. And the celtic knot on the knight's soldier is the Father's Celtic knot representing Shane. He had to have it done in 2 sessions, the first 2 pics are the result of his first session, and the 2nd 2 pics show the finished product with the shading and detail. I think it turned out great!

Aedyn + Connor = BROTHERS!

2010-03-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

Connor gives out kisses like their candy

Caught him intensely watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
A

January 2010

2010-03-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

So January was a busy month too. We decided to go to D-land on New Year’s day, and it wasn’t very crowded, good for us. I caught a gorgeous sunset on my I-phone on the way there. We have a least 3 family birthdays in January so first we celebrated our niece, Angela’s birthday at Shakey’s in Redlands. Short and fun. Aedyn kind of went crazy in the arcade area, he kept trying to take away everyones balls who was playing skeeball. Then, we celebrated my Mom’s 60th birthday. It was a really fun day and night, thanks to Heather (sis-sis-in-law-ish, LOL)watching the kiddos we got to spend time, just adults, at the Melting Pot, YUMMMMMY! Then, the next weekend we celebrated Kaitlyn’s 16th birthday with a family gathering. Looks like we took another trip to Disney with Kat, Jon, and Mom, helping them check rides and attractions off their Great Ride-Off list. We had a nice visit with Dad and Helen too before Dad had his knee surgery, the only pooper was we discovered that the really yummy Chinese restaurant up here ( 1 out of 4 restaurants) closed down. Wait - yet another trip to the Land, this time we got to say hey to Pluto.

Boys singing in the car on the way to D-land

Waiting for the train, and snow on Main street
Cousins! :)
The birthday Girl, a TEENAGER! OMG!

Connor chillin' with Uncle Sean (little blury, sorry)
Soone with a fabulous hat
Ballons for the birthday girl!
The dessert course at Melting Pot
STEAMY! YUM!

Bump Away Uncle Jon
We love to watch the flag ceremony honoring the military.
Connor is either pooping or he's a little nervous!

Ride-a-thon

Ready, set, trains gone!

Playtime with Grandpa and Grandma
Meeting Pluto, he was a little cautious
Kisses for Grammy
First ride on the Teacups, he had a blast, so did Aedyn!( Believe it or not, I took this picture while they were moving and somehow it came out)

Aedyn with Pluto

Christmas Season 2009

2010-03-16T21:18:00.001-07:00

Aedyn and Connor sporting their dino Pj's, a gift form Cuz aunt Nina and Cuz Uncle Brian
Getting to experience a little snow in the mountains
Connor and Uncle Sean
Aedyn reading Dinosaur train with Aunt Jen
Aedyn reading Dinosaur train with Grandpa (I think we all got a turn to read that night)
Connor and Aunty Jen
Choo! Choo!

Boys will be boys, they had a blast tearing the wrapping paper

The Moore family Christmas begins, with 2 little "Moore"men waiting impatiently - hehe
Boys in their new personalized rocking chairs.
Rock out!
Planes, trains and automobiles
OOOOHH!
Christmas stockings
Aedyn checking out the surprises that Santa left for the family Christmas morning
"Walk a mile in My Boots"
Look Mommy, I did it!
Aedyn making special ornaments for Christmas presents
The caroling group serenading a neighbor with Silent night
We also attended Kat and Jon's annual Caroling party. Had a blast. Shane stayed home because he was feeling icky, so the boys had me running in circles, but Aunty KaKa and Uncle Jon and several party guests helped me out.

Ohh, we went specifically to see the Electrical Parade, which now only shows during the summer and the Christmas time at DCA.
We took one last trip to Disney for Christmas before our passes were blocked.
Wherever we go Aedyn always finds the trains.:)

Aedyn got to color, he was ecstatic to color the train.
We took time to visit Santa Claus!

Kathy graduated with her Master's degree.
Connor just stared in amazement, but kept his hands off the ornaments.
Aedyn pitched in when he woke up from his nap.

After the Parade we decided to put up and decorate the tree.
The boys were troupers in the cold.
Victorville has a Christmas parade. We went to see Kaityn "throw the flag", and Amber play in the marching band. It was Really cold that morning!
Fireworks at the Mission Inn

Our first Christmas event of 2009, we ventured to Riverside to see the Christmas Lighting ceremony at the Mission Inn.

Catching Up - November 2009

2010-03-16T17:10:00.000-07:00

Me and the little man!
Me, Ma, n' Kat at X-mas time in the Land.
Me n' Shane in a rare photo together.
Watching the Merry Christmas Parade
Pooped!
One of my favorite pictures, Aedyn loves his uncle Jon!
Daddy, Connor, and Uncle Jon getting crazy on the caterpillar ride
Aedyn getting giggly on the spinning Ladybugs
The Tram
Look into my eyes
Aedyn playing outside at Uncle Sean and Aunt Jen's house for Sean Jr.'s birthday
The morning of Connor's 1st birthday
I love my books!
Spaghetti Giggles, hehehe

So some of the other things that happened in November was that Connor finally started pulling up and standing. We attended several family birthdays, went to D-land several times, enjoyed Thanksgiving with family,saw the kids show Baby Banana with Aunt Kathy, brought in the Christmas season at the Mission Inn in Riverside. Wow, trying to remember these things months later is hard. I am getting old.

November 2009 - Connor's 1st Birthday!

2010-03-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

Connor's special smash cake
Connor enjoying his smash cake
Connor exploring his cake
Daddy, Aedyn and Mommy helping Connor open his gifts
Family at Connor's birthday
Connor chillin' with Grammy Bev while watching " Connor's First Year video"
Uncle Jon and Connor
Smiley Boy
Hugs for cousin Willow
Dinnertime
homemade Birthday decor
Cousins Willow and Brayden playing with the birthday boy.
Grandpa Moore and Connor
Grandma Helen helping Connor open gifts
Uncle Sean and Connor being silly :)
Frosting Boy
Daddy, Connor, and Mommy
Sesame Street Gang cupcakes made by Aunt Jen ( turned out pretty good)
Uncle Sean and Connor
Grandpa and Grandma Young with Connor
Mommy and Connor waking up on his 1st birthday
The Birthday Boy! I'm ONE!

So the last post, besides the video I just uploaded, was all the way back in October for Halloween. The Holidays took over. Between birthdays, special holiday events, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's we were pretty busy. Well, let's see it has been about 5 months since I have written in the blog. Sorry to those who have been looking for updates. So much has happened and I guess it just got overwhelming to try to post everything so I will try to hit the highlights using pictures and Facebook posts, starting with November of 2009.

The biggest event in November is our Connor Patrick turned 1 year old! I couldn't believe how fast the year flew by. We had 2 nice gatherings with family and Connor got spoiled with gifts, cakes, and love. We decided to have a Mickey Mouse themed birthday, go figure, and I made a special smash cake for him, and a pair of Mickey Mouse pants cake for the rest of us, and homemade Mickey decor. I also made a video slideshow of Connor's first year!

Aedyn-o-saurus

2010-01-12T09:31:00.000-08:00

Trick Or Treat - Our Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T12:11:00.000-08:00

A RECENT TRIP TO DISNEY!

2009-10-29T20:58:00.001-07:00

Hot Diggety Dog!

2009-10-28T09:44:00.001-07:00

Balance, tolerance, compromise, LOVE

2009-10-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

Had to write a few things down about life today; not necessarily what is going on, but my thoughts of lessons and realizations I have about life in general and what I hope to gain, accomplish, and learn.

One is Balance. Learn to balance everyday chores, juggling schedules, caring, playing, and loving (my)children, giving and spending time with my husband, giving and spending time with extended family members is not an easy task. Everyone has to learn how to do this. Now that I will be opening the daycare again, the art of balancing all these things will be an even harder task. I hope I do it with patience and grace.

Second, is tolerance. It has been brought to my attention that I am a very determined and demanding person. That I have an expectation of how I accomplish tasks in my life, and expect others to accept my way of things. I am trying my hardest to learn to be tolerant of other people's ideas and thoughts about things that are important to me in my life.

Compromise, kind of goes with the idea of tolerance. Learning to compromise and deviate from what I think it right is not an easy task for me. I guess you would cal this stubbornness. But, I want to be a person whose is able to compromise with an open heart, yet not compromise so much that I am compromising who I am! Again, it is a unique balance I think!

LOVE! I am doing my best just to love and accept everyone in my life; Love everyone for who they are and what they have to share with me and my family. Learning to count my blessings in ALL circumstances is a lesson I am still learning.

Harvest Festival

2009-10-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

Silly Boys!
Yeah! WE MADE IT!

TOO PRECIOUS!
COW + TRAINS = HAPPY BOY!
The pumpkin gatherer. He actually tried to pick up the really big ones, but after several attempts went happily back to the smaller pumpkin. Actually he was in awe of the huge tractor behind the pumpkins you don't see.
BELIEVE OR NOT BUT THEY DIDN'T SPILL THE BEANS!
HALF WAY THROUGH THE CORN MAZE
ahhhhhh, cute!
Drive that tractor! too cute, it matched his shirt!

This last weekend, October 3rd, we went to a Harvest Festival in Moorpark with the boys and Nina and Brian. We had a great time. It was such a beautiful fall day. The Underwood Family farms is such a great place to go. They have all kinds of animals and games and music. So much fun! We actually went there one year ago, lots has changed since then.

We listened to a group called the Hollow trees, then visited some animals, played on the wooden train, watched the piglet races, walked through the corn maze (we made it through the whole maze this year, but we followed an employee to get to the haystack center), let the boys play in bean box, let the ALL the boys take a cow train ride, then took a horse drawn wagon ride around the farm. A wonderfully beautiful day.

It didn't end there. We went back to Nina and Brian's place for some relaxation, good conversation and pizza, YUM!

Happy 2nd Birthday Aedyn!

2009-09-21T22:31:00.000-07:00

Messy boy, chomping down on his Birthday cake.
Aedyn in his new playhouse
Riding in the wagon, one of his favorite things to do outside
Trying to get the kazoo to work
Birthday Blowout, haha
This was Aedyn this morning when we woke him up by singing Happy birthday to him. So cute, he was cuddling Tigger.
The Blue cake I made, turned out great I thought!
Aedyn checking out one of his new gifts!
It was definitely a Blue's Clues birthday.
A rare moment where Mommy was in front of the camera instead of behind. But Aedyn was happy because he was coloring!

Aedyn had a wonderful birthday! Can't believe it has been 2 years!
We celebrated over 2 days with 2 parties. The first was in the mountains at Dad and Helen's; all who were there Grandma and Grandpa Young, Aunt Soone, and Angela, Aunt Kat and Uncle Jon, Aunt Jen, Janie and Sean, Uncle Doug, Aunt Debbie, and Sean, and Josh, Catie, and Daniel joined our party too! I loved that we had a handful of kids to celebrate with us. I really tried to focus on events that would make Aedyn happy. We had sandwiches and chips and spaghetti salad (thanks Soone), and fruit. We first ate lunch, then did some coloring of Blues Clues characters (Blue, Slippery, Steve, Mailbox all showed up), then we watched a Blues Clues video. It was wonderful watching all the kids sit in silence for 30 minutes.

Then Aedyn's favorite part of the party, we did a Blue's Clues style scavenger hunt and all the kids had their Handy Dandy notebook. It was the cutest thing after searching for the clues, he would open his notebook scribble down the clue, close his notebook and put his crayon back in the spiral part and get ready to find the next clue. He knew exactly what to do, so smart our boy! Well, the next event was the pinata, of which Aedyn would not participate( I know he loves to hit at a pinata, he has done so at other parties), but he would not let go of his notebook to pick up the bat, so he tried to hit it with his crayon which didn't work. He didn't even want to pick up the goodies after they fell out because it would require putting down the notebook. Silly Boy!

Then it was time for presents and cake. He still wouldn't put down the notebook so he didn't open his gifts really, Mommy and Daddy had to do that. He made out with some really cool things. He loves his vaccum!!!! Cake time, of course he sat down to eat his cupake, he loves cake. But here's the kicker, he still didn't put down his book, instead Grandma fed it to him, oh my how messy! Overall, it was a great day. He loved spending time with family and playing!

Sunday we ceelbrated with family too! Grammy Bev, Grandma and Grandpa Moore, Cuz Aunt Nina and Cuz Uncle Brian, Aunt Jen, Uncle Jason, Kaitlyn and Brayden. This birthday celebration was a little more low key, which I think was for the best. He actually slept until 3 pm,one hour longer than normal. We had pizza which was yummy! He still got to play with his cousin Brayden which he loved. They sat at Aedyn's new Elmo table and chairs and colored together and play with balloons. He was all wound up and still wouldn't sit down to open his gifts, so Mommy and Daddy had to do the job again. I must say though he took an especially keen interest in Kaitlyn's gift to him, Firetruck and tractor books with wheels! Two of his favorite things together, books and trucks!!!!! He also loved his playhouse that we got him, played in it as soon as we brought it in! It has a doorbell, a mailslot, a phone, opening doors and windows. He loves to play house. We then ate the Blues Cake I made (it turned out great). A happy yet quieter day!

Aedyn's actual Birth Day wa very low key. Grammy stayed the day with us we just stayed at home played with his new toys, let him nap, and let him play some more! We had thought about going to Disneyland but we were not up to it, everyone was too tired.

Aedyn had a great 2nd birthday!

More pics just for Fun!

2009-09-18T22:42:00.001-07:00

Cheese!
Slobbery smiles, my favorite
Get him Connor! They love to play with each other.
Happy Boy!
Hello Mickey
future concert pianist
mommy and connor waiting for the train
doesn't he look so cute in his hat? first time he would wear a hat since he was just a couple of months old.
CuzUncle Brian putting Connor night night!

Hello Blog World

2009-09-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

Aedyn having a blast at the Ball game!
It's my fireman knight!
Connor and Aedyn Gangin' up on Daddy!
Where is Aedyn?
The good part about moving, always a box to play in!
Waterpark with Grandpa
My two boys:)
Soaking wet
MMMMMM Ice cream!
Hats off to you!

Wow! I know it had been a while since I have updated my blog. About a month to be exact. So we have moved and life has been crazy; not just the moving aspect, but trying to keep up with all the events going on, and planning for Aedyn's birthday!

Let's start with moving. Finally, we have almost all the pictures on the walls. We just need to put up the pics and mementos in Aedyn's room, Shane's swords, a few other loose items here and there. It has been really hard to do anything. Trying to unpack with the boys is crazy, especially in their rooms, because as I was unpacking they had to play with everything. Boys will be boys.

We have had a lot of events happening lately, like cooking green chile in the mountains, a Mary Kay pampering Day for me, as well as seeing my Mom and Kat's play, Our Anniversary, our niece Jamie's birthday, Jon's birthday, Nina and Jen's birthday. Jamie's 16th birthday was really cool because we celebrated at a Dodgers game. Aedyn had a blast! Connor was a little frighted though because the crowd was loud.

Let's see, planning for Aedyn's birthday, has been fun, yet tedious. We decided to do 2 parties this year with smaller group because he has seemed to get overwhelmed with a lot of attention on him. Anyhow, we are celebrating in the mountains tomorrow and here at our house on Sunday. We decided to have Blues Clues party well because he loves Blues' Clues. We are going to do a scavenger hunt for clues, some coloring pages of Blue, a pinata, pin the paw on Blue, etc.
And I am making 2 cakes. One is cupcake cake in the shape of a pawprint, and the other is an actual Blue puppy cake. We should have fun. I can't wait to see his face when he sees all the blues clues everywhere.

So here are some pics form the last few months as well.

I didn't even post 4th of July!

2009-08-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July. Will post more about our day and will post more pics later. Hopefully this will quench everyone's appetite for pictures. haha.

Over a month!

2009-08-14T09:37:00.001-07:00

OMG! It has been over a month since I have posted anything on our blog. Well, so much has changed. Let's see, Shane has a new job, we have left Simi Valley and now live in a new city of Helendale, in a new house. I think the hardest thing is leaving that house that so much happened. Our children were born there, meaning they were born in Simi and that's where they came home, that's where all of Aedyn's firsts happened. That house holds so many wonderful memories for us, and Simi was such a wonderful city to live in. So many things for us to experience as a family, like the Kids Club, Baby n' me classes, the Farmers market, the outdoor mall with free summer concerts, the beautiful parks. Our life changed for the better in that house. Part of our hearts will always be there.

For the last month things have been so crazy, Shane getting the job offer, us deciding whether or not to take it and move. So Shane is the Director of IT at the Oro Grande school district in the high desert. It's a new opportunity with room to grow. Shane did like working at FM Global but there really wasn't an opportunity for him to advance any time soon. He is doing all kinds of new things, still dealing with computers, but new interesting stuff.

We spent the last four weekends driving back and forth between Simi and the desert trying to find a home, and once we found one, coming and signing the paperwork, etc. During the week we started packing and tried to get as much done as we could. Gosh, moving is so much work. It's not just the packing, it's the organizing, it's the calling for utilities, it's the tying up the loose ends, all while taking care of the two boys! I have been really tired. Shane has been really stressed, leaving a job that you have been at for 7 years can be scary.

So the boys have dealt really well with all the changes. Kids are quite resilent. But, I do believe it has pushed Aedyn into his terrible twos a couple of months early. He is getting very obstinate, and time outs are more often than they used to be. But, on the other hand his cooperation is better because of his receptive language and cognition. He loves to help and feels quite proud of himself when he accomplishes a task. He is talking so much, and using lots of two and tree word phrases like" Hi Daddy!" "Blues Clues, please" "read Noo Noo book". His memory is great too. He is able to remember people and places he has only seen a couple of times. He is a problem solver when he wants to be, but gets frustrated easily. Overall he is a very locing child, and I get kisses everyday.

Connor is great too. He is rolling everywhere to get places, not quite crawling. He will push up on his hands and lift his belly or he'll pull his legs up on knees, but he hasn't quite put the two together. But, he just sat up all by himself two days ago. he was laying on his back, ther was something by his feet he wanted so he did a sideways crunch(situp) and then pushed up with his hands. That was pretty impressive. He has a great sense of humor and a great laugh. He loves to babble (talk all day)! But he also has a very fast temper. He is a funny boy!

Better get back to unpacking! Will post pictures soon, although I haven't been taking a whole lot of those either! Soon! Adieu!

The Weekend of Concerts and the Beach

2009-06-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

Connor chillin' and groovin' with Nina.
Aedyn found some friends at the mall.
Aedyn going into the ocean for the 1st time
He was cold, shivering, but he LOVED it!
Aunty Kathy and Connor (she's using him as a shield from the wind!haha)
(a little fuzzy, Jon, Kat and Aedyn building sandcastles so Aedyn could knock them down)

You can tell it's definitely summer, because everynight this last weekend we were outside at one event or another. This last weekend was great! Full of activities! Thursday, we went to our outdoor concert event at the mall with Nina and Brian where they played some great oldies this week. Friday, we went to an outdoor kids concert, Charlotte Diamond, in Moorpark which was fun. We listen to her music in mommy and me classes, like I Am A Pizza!

Then, Kat and Jon came out late Saturday afternoon and we went to yet another outdoor concert, this time Oak Park, for a Queen cover band called Queen Nation. They were awesome, but it was a long walk to get to the park. We had soo much fun, escpecially Aedyn playing with bubbles. We stayed up late to play some games with Kat and Jon. They brought this new game called Pass the Popcorn, it rocked! Gotta get it! It was amazing that we stayed up until at least midnight! We missed them so much!

The next morning we went to the beach for the first time with Aedyn and Connor. I was so excited! The weather was supposed to be sunny and hot, but that was for Simi not where we ended up to going, Channel islands, so we could take the dogs. It was quite chilly and windy.
Aedyn loves to dig in the dirt so I thought he would love the beach. HE DID NOT like the sand. He didn't want to step in it or play with it at first. I convinced him to eventually help me build a sandcastle. Then, Shane took him to the water. He was scared at first but after he got in, he didn't want to get out, he kept trying to go further out so the waves could hit him. We had to force him out of the freezing water. Connor did like the feel of the sand on his feet though! We didn't stay long because it was so cold but just long enough to have had an adventure. I got a few pictures, but not enough to capture te entire experience. We are so grateful Jon was there with his camera to capture those moments! After we all had lunch at In N' Out, said goodbye to Aunty and Uncle, and then home for naps.

I really relish every moment we get to spend with our family and relish the love and laughter that radiates from our children and the people that surround them.

Father's Day Sunday

2009-06-23T11:18:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, Father's Day, we all woke up around 8:30 am and enjoyed some orange cinnamon rolls(Shane's favorite), and then Shane read his virtual card I made him (a PP slideshow) where he learned he was getting a massage that morning. After Shane's massage, Dad drove out to join us for brunch at Eggs N' Things (one of our favorite local eateries). Delicious! Then, we headed to Griffith Park at the Travel Town train museum. I think all the guys had a great time! Aedyn was soooo excited to see all the choo choos. We even got to take a ride on a miniature train around the museum grounds. It was such a gorgeous day out!

The perfect day for a perfect Father, my hubby!

Father's Day Saturday Celebration

2009-06-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

This is the second year that Shane has celebrated being a father, and wow looking at the pics from last year seems so nostalgic. We went from a family of 3 to 4 overnight. Aedyn was so little, (well little for Aedyn) then. We spent Saturday up at Mom and Dad Moore's. We just hung out with the family(Mom, Dad, Jason, Kaitlyn, Brayden, Nina, Brian, Charity, Amber, Willow), ate good food (the shrimp rocked), played games, let the little ones run around, opened gifts. The boys made some trinkets for Daddy at Kids Club and Mommy and me class. I got Shane a silver ring that says DAD and has all three of their birthstones (diamond, sapphire, topaz). We ended the day by eating a ridiculously giant chocolate cake form Claim Jumper.

It was great day, a little windy, but fun!

IAC PICNIC

2009-06-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

On June 7th we attended the IAC southern California picnic. Mom and our niece, Amber came too. It was actually our first event that we attended with the IAC. Even though we never completed an adoption through them,( and still have an entirely paid for adoption just waiting for us), we wanted to go and experience the community of families who have adopted. It was a great June day in so.cal. gloomy yet warm enough to be pleasant. They had hot dogs with the fixins', and everyone brought a side dish or dessert, or drinks. I must say the new potato salad recipe was a hit , it was totally gone by the first hour.

It was at a park in Long Beach. So there was plenty of places for the kids to explore, like the pond(lake), playground and swings, they even had a bouncy house, but Aedyn is still too small. We got to see some of the people who helped us along our journey like Jennifer bliss who did our homestudy, Lane Mashal who was our coordinator, and Kathleen, the last counselor we spoke with before going on HOLD. It was great! They were shocked to see we had another baby, and that we didn't adopt through them, haha! Of course we told them I delivered Connor.

It was a great experience getting to talk to other adoptive families about their journeys. Everyone has a story, every story is different, and every family is unique and special! Open adoption is truly a beautiful experience and it touched my heart to see so many happy families!

The last few weekends

2009-06-15T11:45:00.001-07:00

Angela's first communion, May 31st!
Angela at her church in the mountains waiting to walk inside to take her first communion. (In my opinion she looked the most beautiful, pure and innocent, not overdone looking like she was getting married!)
Grandpa and Aedyn. That day he learned to say grandpa!
Aedyn sporting the tie like Uncle Jon! Cool!
Cousin summer and Connor!
Aedyn loves his stick pony!
Amber, our niece, stayed with us for about 2 weeks to start off her summer. We had a blast. She is so helpful, funny, and intelligent! It was great having her here!
Amber and Aedyn at a FREE outdoor concert at Simi Town Center. That night they played latin jazz. We went the next Thursday too and the band was more of a swing/ Dixieland jazz band.
Amber got up to learn how to do the Merengue'.
The IAC picnic on June 7th in Long Beach. (check out its own blog post)
A ride on the Mark Twain the weekend before (after the IAC picnic).
Connor in the big boy highchair for the first time! He did quite well! My gosh he is long!
Connor was dancing to the groove of the music from the new parade!
Daddy and Aedyn on the bus shuttle we had to take; June 14th @ D-land = so crazy!
Aedyn and Connor with Grammy at D-land waiting for the fireworks!

Update for Connor

2009-06-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

Trying to keep up with his growth.
Connor is seven months today, but he comfortable wears any size from 6-12 months right now.

Connor had 2 top teeth now. They eased in fairly quick and without too much pain. He has eaten all the fruits and veggies that are pureed by Gerber and has had no allergic reaction. He, like his brother, loves sweet potatoes and bananas, and pretty much gobbles down his meals!

His hair seems to be a little darker tone these last couple of days, and much fuzzier!

He loves to smile at everything and everyone. He watches every thing like a hawk, as if studying for some research project, or like there will be questions at the end of the day.

He also constantly tries to talk and is quite proficient at it.
We do believe he said purposely both MAMA and DADA!

He loves to make raspberries and gurgling sounds.

Sentimental Journey

2009-06-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

So the last couple of days I have been weepy over little things Aedyn and Connor have accomplished. Just last night as we ate dinner as a family we realized it was time to move Connor to the High chair (he is almost bouncing out of his Bumbo) and move Aedyn permanently to a Booster seat at the table. I can't believe how fast they are growing. Not knowing if we are ever going to have another baby as well, I relish feeding Connor his bottles. I know what beautiful blessings my children are, and I do believe that Shane and I treasure every moment we can with them everyday. I thank the Lord everyday for giving me my children when His time was right! He knew that the journey we endured was for the reason of truly appreciating His miracles!
Our journey has brought both Shane and I closer to God, and in return closer to our children.

And although we dream of the future; soccer practice, hockey games, recitals, first bike rides, first day of school, and eventually high school and college graduation, and weddings, we take time in the present to enjoy their moments that fill our hearts and souls with joy!

Random Pics from May

2009-06-04T15:22:00.001-07:00

At mommy and me class
Hooked!

In Toon town, Donald's boat
AAHHHH! Brothers!
Beep! Beep! Get out of the way, Aedyn's at the wheel!
1st time in big boy high chair
happy boy!
peter pan flight
Choo! Choo!
Climbing. Aedyn is climbing on everything nowadays, but especially the sofa!
Cruising on the Pirate ship.
Cheese!

Mother's Day 2009

2009-06-04T15:01:00.000-07:00

Me and my boys on Mother's Day!
Tuckered from the long Day.
Grammy and Connor.
Aedyn and Daddy cooling off in the shade.
At the Park. Our original plan was to go to the beach, but Aedyn was still not feeling well so we decided to take a short trip to the park.
Open Heart ring that Shane gave me for Mother's Day.
My charm bracelet the boys got me. It has a "#1 Mom" charm, and two boy silhouette heads with Aedyn and Connor's names and birthdays.:)
Connor and Mommy chillin'

We started our morning with a Mother's Day coloring fest!

Aedyn's Birthfamily Memorial Day Visit

2009-05-27T18:39:00.000-07:00

Shane, Aedyn, Amber, Connor, Dee (Cingular commercial, bars?!)
Aedyn and his birth Uncle Michael
Dairy Queen, Yum! Visiting with paternal birthfamily (b-gma Bobbie, b-mom Amber, Aedyn, Shane, & b-uncle little Paul)
Aedyn at the park with birthaunts Samantha and Kayla
Aedyn playing the Dinosaur game with b-gma Kelli
Aedyn walking with B-gpa Larry and Daddy
Breakfast with maternal birthfamily
Birthfamily portrait (Micheal, Kelli, Connor, Amber, Larry, Aedyn)
Aedyn with his Birthmom, Amber!

Paternal Birthfamily photo (Dee,Bobbie,Paul,Aedyn, Kayla, Amber, lil' Paul, Shane and Shirley)
Tupperware fun!
Just a swingin'
Fun at the park!
First photo with Aedyn's paternal birthfamily!

So here we go, I tried to post about our weekend before but all my text was lost, :(.
On Friday, May 22 we drove 10 hours up to Reno, NV to visit with Aedyn's birthfamily. Believe or not, there was not one meltdown or fit thrown on the enitre way, (thanks to portable DVD player and Blue's Clues and plenty of snacks). we got to our hotel, which was great around 4:30 pm and settled in for the night.

The next day, Saturday the 23rd, we went swimming in the pool, which felt like warm bathwater, so nice. This was Connor's first time and I forgot the camera :(! But, nonetheless we had a great time. We headed back to the room to try to get Aedyn to take a nap, but he did not! We got ready and headed into Fernley, of course this is when both boys decided to sleep.
We picked up some KFC and headed to the intown park where Awdyn's aternal birthfamily and Amber were waiting. to give Aedyn some time to wake up we ate lunch first then let him play.
Everyone was sooo excited to see him. Birthgrandma Bobbie, Paul, birthuncle lil'Paul, birthaunt Samantha were there to play with Aedyn on the playground! He loved having everone giving him their undivided attention! He played on the swings, and slide and climbed around. We remained nearby but let them play to get as much time with him as possible. Every few minutes he would call out Momma or Dadda to check to make sure we were there. He had a great time! A little later, birthant Kayla and Shirley, Paul's mom, came by. They bought Aedyn a wonderful gift of the Alphabet caterpillar and Bubbles, his favorite! After getting tired and hot we headed over to
Dairy Queen for ice cream. I think lil' Paul shared his entire ice cream cone with Aedyn. We then said our goodbyes, took a few photos and headed back to the hotel! It was a fun visit!

The next morning we headed over to Fernley again to drop off our adoption DVD with Bobbie and family(we forgot them the day before). we said goodbye again, but not before we needed a jump for the car! (I left the GPS system on and it drained the battery, oops!) we then headed just outside of town to Kelli and Larry's house.

Once we got there, we enjoyed some yummy BBQ! I neve had Korean style cut ribs before, they were delicious! we just talked and laughed and visited. Birthuncle Michael took a real fancy to Connor and Aedyn loved playing with all the toys that Birthgrandma Kelli got for him. I think his favorite was the chalk and drawing outside. we then watched the DVD together and all laughed and cried together. Aedyn loved then playing outside with balls with Michael, he couldn't stop laughing. One of the funniest moments was Aedyn sitting in the dog's water. A great memory was looking at their family photo albums of when Amber was little. Aedyn felt so comfortable and had fun that day. The day began to wind down so we headed back to the hotel.

The next morning Amber, Kelli, and Larry joined us for breakfast. We laughed and talked. Aedyn ate an entire giant muffin, he must of been hungry. We headed to the parking structure to say goodbye (only after getting another jump so the car would start). It was a nice goodbye, loving and happy!

So, back to California we went without any hitches until about 30 minutes from home. But we curbed that by entertaining Connor(who was the fussy one at that point) with bodily noises. Oh, the things parents will do to soothe their children!

We must say we are so glad we had this birthfamily visit, and the only dissapointing part was that Hugh, Aedyn's birthfather, was not able to be there. But, Everything turned out great, better than we had hoped:)!

Connor's first veggie!

2009-05-13T17:59:00.000-07:00

Connor is 6 months old today, WOW! Time flies. Anyhow, he is doing well, still working on rolling over from back to tummy and he doesn't seem interested in crawling yet. Lazy boy! But he does love to eat, thus his first veggie, Green Beans! He also loves to laugh, giggle, blow raspberries, gurgle and suck and chew on anything that gets near his mouth!

We Finally Finalized!

2009-05-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah! It's final! It's over! The roller coaster adoption journey has come to a full and complete stop!

We finalized Aedyn's adoption at about 2 pm Friday, May 8,2009! He will forever be OUR son Aedyn James Moore!!!!

We can't believe we actually made it! The feeling of disbelief that it's over and the pure joy of being his FOREVER Parents is overwhelming.

A small group of family joined us to witness our Miracle; Grammy Bev, Granny Moore, Aunty Kathy, CuzAunt Nina, and CuzUncle Brian. It was so wonderful to have them there to share that moment with us.

It has been quite a journey that we couldn't have gone through without the support, love, and prayers of all our family and friends! Thank you from the depth of our souls!

Our Forever Family of Four can now live each day with peace of mind and joy and love in our hearts!

Connor giving a raspberry

2009-05-02T19:25:00.001-07:00

Connor's clues

2009-05-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

More Photos from April

2009-05-02T13:32:00.001-07:00

The boys are growing so quickly. Aedyn is 19 months and Connor is almost 6 months old. We got Aedyn's haircut today for the Court finalization, he looks so handsome. Connor is getting so big, always smiling, and consistently sleeping through the night, but still only peach fuzz on top. Aedyn is always talking up a storm, most of the time we understand him, but sometimes he gets so excited and ahead of himself it sounds like babble. He always understands everything we say, even if he doesn't always listen. Connor is almost sitting up by himself without flopping over, and he can still roll over from front to back, but is learning to go from back to front. He loves to be sung to, like Aedyn, and he has a great sense of humor. Aedyn is coloring really proficiently, and asks to color all the time. He'll even color by himself while I feed Connor and Not eat the crayons! Oh and he left his handy work all over Connor's bedroom door.
The other day Aedyn crawled up on the couch with Connor, (not holding him, Connor was already on the sofa) and sat next to him holding his hand. It was a beautiful moment, so of course i took a picture.

Moore Family Photo

2009-05-01T14:20:00.001-07:00

Shane's birthday weekend

2009-05-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

So my hubby turned 37 on the 26th of April, which means I am getting old! haha! His birthday celebration actually started on April 16th when I surprised Shane with an early birthday gift and took him to see Ron White, while Nina and Brian watched the boys, (thanks again guys). He loved it and was absolutely surprised. We then celebrated on Friday the 24th by going to a movie while my Mom watched the boys that night. We saw The Soloist, and if you haven't seen it yet, go, it is a must! The celebration continued on Saturday the 25th with the Moore family with a picnic in the park. It was a be-a-u-tiful day in Simi, sunny and slightly windy. We had Baja Fresh which turned out to be a real winner and played croquet and frisbee. I think everyone had a great time. Then we headed back to our house for gifts and praline spice cake and coffee. YUM!

The next day we headed to Disneyland t meet up with Dad and Helen and Kat and Jon. it was a very busy day there, it must be all the promotions they have going on. So anyhow, we ate lunch, hung out around Bugsland, let Aedyn play in the water maze thing, headed over to Disneyland shopped a bit(but found nothing that appeased Shane), we watched and Shane participated in the flag ceremony they have at Main Street, then headed home.

I think it was great birthday weekend overall!

Easter Family Pics

2009-05-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

Easter Weekend

2009-05-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

So I know I am behind in blogging and keeping up with what is going on around here. So here it goes. On Easter weekend we celebrated my stepbrother Doug's birthday on Saturday. We went over to Mary Anne and Josh's place to meet up with everyone. Had a great time letting Aedyn play with his cousins, although the Jeep made me a bit nervous. Connor got showered with attention, especially from Catie!! We finally got to meet Daniel, and he is an absolute doll! After eating, being merry, Doug opening gifts, and eating cake, the kids opened Easter baskets(well Connor got a bunny) from Grandma and Grandpa Young. We did have a bit of a scare, we lost Aedyn in the house for about 2 minutes, we found him in Catie's room in the closet. He loves to play in Connor's closet, opening and shutting the doors.

The next day was Easter and it was a busy day. We woke up late, the boys let us sleep in until 8:30 am. we got up, ate breakfast, then got ready for the day. We put the boys in matching outfits. Mom, Kat, Jon and Heather came up and we all went to church for easter service, which is not a typical Easter service with the pastor Francis Chan. But through the boys being fussy, Aedyn missing his nap(not a smart move on our part), we got through the service and headed home. Nina and Brian joined us then for dinner. I already had a roast in the crockpot and fix scalloped potatoes, salad and asparagus. During dinner Aedyn and Connor opened their Easter baskets from Grammy Bev. We had brownies for dessert and then the Riverside crowd headed home, Nina and Brian hung out and we played some games. After Aedyn got up form his nap the boys opened Easter baskets from us and the Easter bunny, and we headed outside for some family photos and sidewalk chalk drawing. I wanted to be able to have Aedyn hunt for eggs , but it just didn't happen. Overall it was a great Easter!

Happy Easter Everyone!

2009-04-11T20:25:00.000-07:00

De ja vu! (post about Connor)

2009-04-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

Semi-sitting up
Matchmaker, matchmaker.hahahaha
Exersaucing!
hey who is that bumbo baby?
Connor's very first taste of rice cereal.
Bubble beard!
A great pic of Kaitlyn and Connor!
Connor chillin' with Uncle Jason and Kaitlyn.

So, as I was looking through the pictures I wanted to put into this post about Connor, it was like having De ja vu. I could go back and find very similar pictures of Aedyn at this same age.

So Connor is growing by leaps and bounds, too. He has started eating rice cereal and he loves it. He gets very cranky if you don't get the spoon in his mouth fast enough. So suffice it to say he's getting chubby especially in his legs.

He has held his own bottle and he tries to sit up by himself, but plops over. We're still working on that one. He has his first go at the Exersaucer and his feet touch the bottom already, yikes he might be taller than Aedyn. In fact I looked at Aedyn's 4 month checkup stats and saw at this same age he was a pound and half heavier and 1 3/4 inches shorter than Connor is now.

Connor loves to be sung too, loves Row your boat, five little ducks, and wheels on the bus, anything that moves his arms around. he loves peekaboo. He loves to hear Daddy's multitude of silly sounds.

His head must be very ticklish, because every time we go to take off his shirt over his head he giggles. He's got a great crooked smile, with 2 front bottom teeth. He sucks on his fingers and thumbs constantly, he will not take a binky. He loves to be in the thick of things, (code for he hates to be by himself if he can't see you, and sometimes seeing you isn't enough he has to be held). Definitely not the independent self-discovery person that Aedyn is and was.

Oh but the greatest thing ever, consistently Connor is sleeping through the night anywhere between 7-9 hours. He startles, and still has the falling reflex so he still likes to be put down swaddled sometimes, so we are training him to be put down unswaddled with the sleep positioner, and hopefully soon we can put him down without swaddling and without the positioner.

Adventures of Aedyn

2009-04-07T23:52:00.000-07:00

I love flowers!
His new big wheel bike Grammy got him, it's great we can help steer him.
Surfin' USA!

Handy Manny, he was a little more excited about him from a distance.
Aedyn, Daddy& Connor

Wow! so much is happening around here on a daily basis that it's hard to keep up.

Well let's start with Aedyn and all the new things- talking constantly, new favorite word is DOOR, he points to them all day long where ever we are. Not only must he tell us he must also inform any person who is nearby that a door is located near them. Other words he uses frequently and infrequently, (depends on his mood)- table, chair, window, shoe, nose, turtle, brother, bath, book, BALL (he mastered this one a while ago), Ba-ball (for basketball), color, sandwich, duck, Caw (which is the sound he makes whenever he sees a crow). He is also using words to name people, just the other day he said Connor, Nina and Aunt Kathy. He is using two word phrases also, like thank you, "it's good", and "a clue", and "blu'es clues" (he is obsessed with Blue's Clues, my fault I guess). I know he says more words i can't think of them now.

What word melted my heart more than anything he said the other day; I had put Aedyn in his high chair for breakfast, sat down to feed him cereal and he leaned over put his hand on my shoulder and patted me and said "MAMA" as clear as day! He had said it sort of before, and had responded to my name appropriately in a command, like if shane has said "give mommy the book" he would bring it to me, but this was different; I saw the light bulb go off and the connection was there. I cried but quickly stopped as to not frighten him away from using the word again. I have been waiting for this moment for he has been saying Daddy for such a long time now I was getting a little jealous, haha.

Let's see other new Aedyn adventures, he loves to play basketball with his mini b-ball hoop, he likes to count things and look at numbers, he can peddle his tricycle, with help, he can put on (sometimes) and take off his own shoes, he can almost climb up the slide ladder by himself. I find i have less pictures of Aedyn accomplishing all these things because he is always moving, he's hard to keep up with, he loves to color. He had he first whack at a pinata about 2 weeks ago, he love it, he had a stick an was allowed to hit with it, he can also put his shapes in the correct shape hole in his cookied jar. His favorite activity is still reading books. we read books all day long, sometimes I feel sorry for his other toys.

So, the next big thing to tackle is potty training, we feel he is ready. The Sign - he stood up in the bathtub then squatted down and proceeded to pee. He knew he needed to peepee so he changed position, that's sign enough for me. I bought him a potty today!

The good and bad of having a social life (my kinda social life)

2009-03-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

Being a stay-at-home Mom is the most rewarding job I have ever had. As to be expected sometimes it is necessary to get out of the house in order to have adult conversation before going crazy. So, I found this Kids CLub, it's free, and a Mommy and me class, free, that the boys and I both enjoy on Wed. and Fri. These are wonderful groups to be a part of, Aedyn gets the social interaction he needs to start learning good habits of sharing, waiting our turn, keeping our hands to ourselves,all the activity manners, listening, following directions, etc. Connor gets the chance to be amused by watching others. I get adult conversation,and I get to show off my boys!!!!! This is the great part.

The downfall is being exposed to all the germs! Aedyn, followed by Connor, has been sick 2 times already since enjoying these activities. It's frustrating.

Aedyn woke up this morning whining and crying, which he never does, so I knew he was sick. He had a 103.9 temperature. We have done all the things to make him feel better, cool tepid bath, dose of motrin, cool cloths, plenty of fluids which seemed to have worked, because his temperature went down to 102.7. He seems to be ok, eating and drinking just fine, playing quietly, with what else but his books, cookie jar, and ball popper.

So Connor also has a slight temp. of 100.1, but it could be due to teething, he is chewing on everything, and slobbering everywhere. We'll see if he follows in his big brother's footsteps.

So the dilemma is to be social or not. Well, seeing as though I missed the registration for the Mommy and me class this month(just realized this) my mind is made up for me!

Finalization Date for Aedyn's adoption

2009-03-19T23:17:00.000-07:00

WOW! We have set a court date for the finalization of Aedyn's adoption! It is Friday, May 8th at 1:30 pm, the Friday before Mother's Day. It will be held at the same court with the same judge who made the ruling for our trial. (Please note, the tribe still can appeal during the time we are waiting for the finalization hearing, but we continue to pray that they see the light and give up.)

There were moments when I thought this might never come. Just to be writing this feels surreal!

We have the right to have as many family members and friends present for the finalization. We want EVERYONE who can take the time off to be there!!! Our family and friends have been our rocks and shoulders to lean during our difficult yet rewarding journey. It is sooooo important to share this with all of YOU who have been there in thought, flesh, and in prayer; to witness the legal bonding of our FOREVER FAMILY, to witness the legal introduction of OUR SON,
AEDYN JAMES MOORE!

Checkups

2009-03-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

The boys had their checkup today, Aedyn's 18 month and Connor's 4 month. They both were troopers, we were at the doctor's office for a total of 2 hours. yikes! They handled it well though, only got cranky toward the end! Connor got 4 shots, and Aedyn got 2, we'll go back in about 2-3 weeks to get the other 2 he needed, he was just getting too squirmy. They both cried for about a minute and then were fine! They are both now sleeping.

so here's the statistics:
Aedyn - 18 months - 30 lbs. exactly - 35 inches - and is in the 93-95 percentile for weight and height

Connor - 4 months - 15 lbs 14 oz (almost 16 lbs OMG) - 27 inches - and is in the 75th for weight and 95th for height.

Further explanation

2009-03-14T22:52:00.000-07:00

Shane made me aware that the last post was very vague and left a lot of questions. So here it is

After about a year and half we finally have a court decision about our Aedyn. The judge ruled in our favor. Simply put, the judge ruled that Aedyn is NOT an indian child so therefore the the ICWA does not apply and the tribe's placement preference request is denied and they do not have the right to intervene in our adoption.

Unfortunately there is a BUT, the tribe can appeal. They have 60 days to do so. We hope they will just quit, but you never know! On the 61st day we can finalize our adoption in court, if there has not been an appeal. So even though we have won this battle, there is the possibility that the war might continue!

Thank God We have won this hurdle! It is a happy day in our household and for our family and for our birthparents, who have been troopers through this entire process.
We are grateful, joyous, and Blessed!

WE WON!

2009-03-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

A VERY HAPPY DAY IN THE MOORE HOUSEHOLD!

Connor's first tooth

2009-03-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

So Connor was sucking on my finger yesterday, mighty vehemently i might add, and I felt a sharp poke. Connor first bottom tooth just broke through the gum. Hooray, for the little guy!

Fun with Reagan

2009-03-09T23:30:00.000-07:00

My mom came up this weekend to celebrate my birthday with me. What a fun and relaxed weekend it was. We just went with the flow. Had some yummy breakfast, naptime for the boys, then headed out to the Reagan library here in Simi. They were having a free medieval rennaisance festival thing ( i love free stuff). We got there kind of late, but I don't think the boys could have handled more time. They had jousting, blacksmithing, musical entertainment, and tons of arts and crafts and games from the medieval period for the kids. The best part though was the view from the lawn, gorgeous!! The sky was a beautful azure, it was breezy and sunny and you could see forever! It was a great day.

Today I was finally able to get a massage that I have waited for at least 6 months to get, while Mom stayed with the boys. Kat bought me a massage at Massage Envy while i was pregnant, she thought I would enjoy a prenatal massage, but they would not let me have one because I had gestational diabetes. So today was the day I redeemed my gift card. It was well worth the wait! I could have a massage everyday!

Missing my hubby & a trip down memory lane(life without kids)

2009-03-05T22:55:00.000-08:00

Our very first trip to Disneyland together
Our very first date (I was 18, Shane was 23)
Mountain music festival in Lake Arrowhead
Our first dance as husband and wife!
Shane and I at his basic training graduation (he still makes me hot!)

(Nostalgic pictures, Ahh those were the days!)

It's late, I have just put Connor down for the WHOLE night, I hope, and I am missing Shane.

The last few days have been good, the boys have behaved themselves, but when 6pm rolls around the house seems quiet without Shane. Thank goodness he's coming home tomorrow, not because I am exhausted, I'm not, just because our home, our family, is not complete without him.

My thoughts as I laid Aedyn down in his crib tonight was, "why would anyone chose to parent alone?" (my thoughts strayed towards the crazy octuplet mom). I thought this because although I have enjoyed every moment by myself with the boys it's so much more joyous to share their daily accomplishments with Daddy.

I miss Shane, not just the Daddy part but my husband part,too. It's lonely to go to bed without him, (Ollie doesn't give very good goodnight kisses). I know his trips back east are necessary to keep our family going because his job demands it, and we are so blessed for him to have a job that supports our family. It is a sacrifice for him to have to leave and miss time with his boys, but he does it now just as he did when he joined the Army to support our family then, with dignity and love.

Well, he'll be home late tomorrow night. Until then my love!

We miss you Daddy!

2009-03-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

They really do like to play together. Connor just usually stares at Aedyn half smiling/half concentrating, and Aedyn showers Connor with kisses and hugs.
Aunt Kathy would be so proud!
Well, after I put Aedyn to bed for the night I decided to take the opportunity to wash bottles because Connor was play contently in the pack n'play. Well the chimes got quiet on the play mat so I went to check on Connor and found this. I just had to take a picture. The thing is Connor won't take a binky, he won't keep it in his mouth no matter how hard we try. He is constantly sucking on his hands and his thumb, and we (mainly Shane) is always trying to take it out and substitute the binky, but Connor won't have any part of it. (Yes Shane I am still trying to keep his thumb out of his mouth)
Playing in the bouncy, ie. the baby lazyboy.(it vibrates)
Hey Dad, I can color! Well, mostly I scribble a little bit and then play the "back in bowl" game with the crayons!

You'll notice in the pictures that the boys didn't get out of their PJ's. It was a rainy kinda Pj day, plus they were matching( both outfits had Mr. Fix-it on them) I wanted them to look as cute as long as possible.

Showing those pearly whites

2009-03-04T15:09:00.000-08:00

Aedyn is a regular old slobber monster - maybe it's the fact that he's getting in several molars. He has two coming in on each side, both upper and lower. It's only when he laughs real loud that i can get a good look, God knows the days of checking his teeth by sticking my finger in his mouth are gone. This face cracks me up because I say "cheese" and he flashes me a great big cheesy smile! Oh by the way, he loves to brush his teeth!

Fun with Grandpa Young

2009-03-04T14:52:00.000-08:00

So while Shane is back east for work, my Dad decided to come pay me and the boys visit. He came yesterday to spend some quality time with Aedyn and Connor and to lend me a hand when needed, and also for some adult conversation. We had a great time! After having a yummy lunch from The Hat(pastrami sandwhich, YUM!) we ventured over to the park where Aedyn proceeded to run Grandpa ragged(grandpa had to keep chasing him and blocking him from running into the pond because Aedyn was following the ducks and geese) So funny! Connor of course was sleeping in his carseat, but enjoyed the sunshine! The rest of our time together was laid back and joyous. Thanks Dad/Grandpa. We love you!

Hi Daddy! We miss you!

2009-03-03T13:15:00.001-08:00

We Love You Daddy!

Spinning Aedyn in the chair

2009-03-03T13:07:00.000-08:00

connor giggling

2009-03-03T09:50:00.000-08:00

While I have the chance

2009-02-28T05:05:00.000-08:00

It feels like I haven't blogged in forever. I guess it's because of my new addiction to Facebook. It's so quick and easy compared to blogging. But here I am at 5 in the morning, Connor got up at 4 and I put him back to bed about 15 minutes ago, so i thought I would take advantage now to blog a little.
I want to confess to some new obsessions I have and things I have been thinking about and that I strive for for my family.

First obsession is Facebook as mentioned before; LOVE IT!

My new obsession: watching Jon and Kate plus 8 I know some people don't like it, but I now admit I think I have seen all episodes and was happy when the new season started. I love to watch the family grow up. It definitely gives me hope to get through the day when Aedyn is having a little tantrum because i won't let him eat dog food and at the same time Connor is crying for lunch; I think that knowing that they do it everyday with 8 kids i can most definitely do it with 2.
I also had a revelation; it's different when it's your own kids. When I was teaching and running my home daycare handling lots of kids at once it was no problem, but it's different when it's your own, much harder to be steadfast and firm especially when all I want to do is play and kiss and cuddle them.

Another new mental obsession: I am also inspired to try to start planning a party or an actual ceremony for a renewal of our wedding vows. I think it would be neat. It might not happen for a few years but am planning in my mind for a lovely event anyway. It would not only be a commitment to each other, but we will make verbal commitments to our children for their everyday happiness and for their futures, too.

Another confession, I want another baby, most likely through adoption, not anytime soon maybe in 2 years, but I know in my heart we are not done. Shane worries about being too old; he keeps comparing his age when Aedyn will graduate from high school to his parents age when he graduated from high school. We'll never be that young when our children hit that milestone so might as well embrace it and have more!!!!

Connor is 3 months old

2009-02-13T12:45:00.000-08:00

Wow time does fly! I am shocked at how big he is getting. He is almost out of the 3-6 months clothes. He is so long, and he has to weigh at least 12.5 lbs.
Connor is so alert; at our baby n' me class we went to this morning he was awake the whole time listening to the songs and books, watching all the people, and reacting with glee when I did fingerplays with him.
He coos and ah goos like crazy. I even got a giggle out of him by tickling his chin. He loves to talk and will mimic the sounds you make.
He recognizes all of our voices and he loves when Aedyn lays down beside him during tummy time.
He is overall a very pleasant baby, but definitely more clingy and needs more cuddle time than Aedyn did at this age.
We feel so lucky to have been blessed with two wonderful sons!

Embedding

2009-02-09T12:29:00.000-08:00

I just figured out the easiest way to post videos in the blog, hooray!
so here's another video or two:)

video Connor rolling over

2009-02-09T11:59:00.000-08:00

click on the link below to view Connor rolling over

Connor rolled over!

2009-02-09T11:04:00.000-08:00

Chillin'
After he rolled over
In the middle of rolling over
Before he rolled over (we think Connor will have red hair, at least strawberry blonde, the angle of this picture makes his hair really seem red).

On Saturday February 7th Connor rolled over from his tummy to his back for the first time. He is just 3 months so it shocked me. I had put him on his tummy on the floor to practice his neck strengthening skills and he did so well, then he just got a little flustered started kick his legs and pushing up on his arms and he rolled over. Of course I didn't get it on film so I rolled him back to his tummy so he could try again and he did it again, at least 6-7 more times BOTH WAYS!

For those of you who have Facebook I will upload a picture of Connor rolling over. I'll try to post it here but it usually doesn't work anymore.

Who knew Disneyland could be so upsetting?

2009-02-09T08:20:00.000-08:00

Kat relaxing with her nephews
Plastic man Aedyn (still smiling even in the rain covered in plastic)

Well, the weather man wasn't quite right about the percentage of rain in Anaheim yesterday. So when we got to the park, like good little troopers we packed up the boys in the stroller bundled and covered in ponchos. We met Kat at the entrance gate to D-land but never went in. She had been there earlier; it was sunny skies then gradually got cloudier and eventually started raining. She didn't want to stay to get wet so we agreed to go back to her house to have lunch and hang out.

What is even sadder than rain at D-land on your birthday? Getting into an accident in the d-land parking lot. Kat had a little fender bender with a metal gate. They were ok, car was not it had to be towed; just a terrible thing to happen on your birthday. But the day ended nice with lunch, movie, and Wii at Kat and Jon's.

My sissy!

2009-02-08T08:41:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my sister is 30 years old, I thought it would never happen. I always knew I would grow older but thought my sis would stay young forever. Well, obviously she looks a lot younger than 30, whereas when I turned 30 someone commented on how I looked like her mom! People i am only 2 years older than her!

Today is her birthday and we are meeting her at D-land to enjoy the day and celebrate her being 30 years young!

I just want to say that I love my sis! She is a strong, beautiful (inside and out), intelligent, kind, warmhearted, funny woman. I am proud of the person she has become, she inspires me on a daily basis. My life is better because she is a part of it. I love her very much, she is my best friend. How awesome is that to have your sister for your best friend!

Happy Birthday, Kat!

My funny boys

2009-02-01T22:02:00.000-08:00

Aedyn and Daddy
Daddy and Connor
Aedyn helping Mommy do laundry

Mr. Buckethead
Smiling Connor

Silly brothers

Amber's visit

2009-02-01T21:30:00.000-08:00

Amber and Aedyn, weeeeeeeee!
Aedyn and Amber (she commented on heavy he was)
Amber meeting and holding Connor
Shane, Amber, and Squishyface (as Amber has nicknamed him)
Aedyn and his birthmommy, Amber
Aedyn checking out Amber's special heart locket that her grandma got her that has pictures of Aedyn in it.
Beautiful! This is the word that describes this picture for me, because open adoption is just beautiful to us!

So finally after over a year we had a wonderful visit with Amber. She drove down this weekend with her friend Ben, which was convenient for us for the court hearing. Our planned visit was really set for Saturday but because she drove with us to and from the courthouse she was able to see Aedyn Friday night as well. Saturday was quite laid back, we just hung out talking, watching Aedyn play, Nina and Brian came over and we played a game of Cranium, more Aedyn playing, cooking, eating Potato soup, etc. Amber gave us a couple of kid friendly cook books that belonged to her growing up, which we will have fun exploring. It was a very relaxed happy day. Aedyn on Friday night gave Amber a kiss goodbye, a beautiful moment to remember. Although on Saturday night he was being stingy with his kisses with everyone. It was bittersweet when they had to go, but we know that there will be more visits just as happy as this one. Knowing Amber is truly a blessing and she feels like family, who IS family.

Court Hearing

2009-01-31T22:42:00.000-08:00

We had our court hearing/trial on Friday. It was an extremely long, stressful, anxious, and emotional day. We, meaning Shane, me, and Amber, got to the court house early and we had to wait for quite awhile to go into the courtroom because there were lots of people on the docket. We didn't actually get into the courtroom until about 10:30 or 11am. The main issue at stake and discussed was is Aedyn an "indian child" according to the description of the ICWA. After 16 months the tribe still did not make Aedyn or Hugh a member, which by law then states that Aedyn is not an indian child. Everything is very technical about this subject. Our lawyer feels good about everything that we have presented. The final result at the end of the day is our lawyer gave a verbal closing statement, and the tribes lawyer wanted to give written closing statement. The judge gave him 2 weeks to complete and file it by February 17th, which then our lawyer has two weeks to write a written rebuttal and file it by March 2. On March 3 our case will then be considered submitted and the judge may formally make a decision of which she can take 90 days to make.
We did have a glimpse of hope that the tribe may be willing to settle and allow the adoption to go forth with a post adoption agreement for visitation with the tribe. We are willing to explore this option so that it may guarantee that Aedyn will be our son forever.

Sleep

2009-01-23T09:48:00.000-08:00

OMG! Hallelujah! Amen!
Connor slept through the night from about 10:30 pm to 6am.
Woohoo!We realized the miracle happened when Shane's alarm went off and I hadn't been up before that!
Let's see if it happens again,or if it was a flook. Aedyn started sleeping through the night around 3 months, Connor is now 10 weeks.

Me and My Boys

2009-01-16T09:13:00.001-08:00

The next member of Future Plumbers of America

2009-01-15T09:59:00.000-08:00

Everyone is growing! Connor is 2 months & Aedyn is almost 16 months

2009-01-14T14:01:00.000-08:00

Aedyn using the TV remote control as a cell phone
Connor chillin' with Daddy
Aedyn doing his daily chore of dishwasher loading. That's right folks, child labor! haha!

Well, Connor turned 2 months yesterday and we had his checkup. He is now 24 inches (90th percentile) and 11 lbs 10 ounces (60 percentile). The doctor says he is looking good and growing well. He had his immunizations yesterday so he has been a bit under the weather but still eating and sleeping well!He now tracks objects with his eyes with ease and with socially smile at you and respond back with coos and ahh goos! He has the cutest little crooked smile. He loves to be sung to and he loves to snuggle close to our chests!

Aedyn on the other hand, who usually comes to us to tell us he is ready for a nap decided yesterday he would not take any naps!!! UUGGHH! I tried 3 times, and even though when we were snuggling he was falling asleep he decide dto pitch a fit once in his crib. So last night he had an early bath and went to bed a little early without a fuss. Thank God! Aedyn is now trying to sign the ABC's everytime we sing the song, and he can do the signs for "more, yes, please, apple,smart,and all done". Aedyn has his own sign for when he wants to watch Blues Clues, he point to his head like he's thinking, it's so adorable. Most adorable is Aedyn dancing, he loves to turn in circles, and do this squat move!

The best part Aedyn loves Connor! He loves to give him kisses and hugs and loves to bring him things, which comes in handy when Mommy has dropped the binky or burp rag.

Random photos during Christmastime

2009-01-13T23:16:00.000-08:00

Connor's very 1st ornament!
Connor with his stocking on Christmas morning!
Aedyn on Christmas morning with his stocking
Shane with a friend, Ashley, at Kat and Jon's caroling party
Aedyn at our neighborhood Christmas house
Brothers :)
Trapped!

Update on resolutions!

2009-01-08T09:52:00.000-08:00

Started doing the exercise bit of my getting healthy goals! Starting Monday I started walking about 1 1/2 to 2 miles a day with the boys in the Caddy stroller. It is quite a production getting them ready, especially since it has been chilly out and we all needed to bundle up!
Yesterday we went to the Mall, did a Kids Club event they have there, walked about 4-5 laps around our outdoors mall then had a healthy lunch at Souplantation!

Feels good!

Aedyn sandwich!

2009-01-08T09:49:00.000-08:00

Nina and Brian making an Aedyn sandwich on New Years!

Holiday Happenings!

2009-01-08T09:07:00.000-08:00

Connor meeting Aunt Soone
Connor Chillin's with Grandma.
Angela in her new hat!
Aedyn opening gifts at the mountains! He got a Bounce and Spin pony!
The view through the town of Running Springs!
Our family waiting in anticipation for Christmas to start!
Aedyn riding on his new tricycle!
Aedyn opening his basketball hoop!
Aedyn and Brayden enjoying a Christmas snack together!

Ok so I am behind on posting for the holidays. We had a lovely time at Mom and Dad's and the rest of the Moore Clan on Christmas day. As our family is extended, opening gifts (because the tradition is to open one at a time) becomes longer, and an all day event! I believe we started at 10:30 and finished by 5pm.
The next day I would not want to repeat ever, at least not until 7:30 pm when we finally got to Dad and Helen's house in the mountains. It took us 6 hours!!!!! It had just snowed on Christmas Day and all the "flatlanders", as Dad calls the people who come us to gawk at the snow, made the drive a nightmare. By the time we got there it was dark and both boys were screaming but Shane got us there safely.
Finally when we got there we had a nice time, opening gifts, spending time with family, talking, laughing! Then we got in the car the next late afternoon to go home, and it took us 1 hour to get through town to get to the highway (it normally takes about 10-15 minutes if that). All the people who came up for day to see the snow were leaving to go home so there was traffic again, so we opted to return to the mountain house and wait it out for another 3-4 hours until traffic died down. We finally left a 9 pm and pulled into the driveway at 11pm. Lesson learned!
Shane took New Year's week off as well so we were able to relax, go to D-land, and just enjoy our boys! Aedyn had the greatest time at D-land, he ran around Big Thunder Ranch and saw Santa, but not up close, and then he made himself at home on the Mark Twain by running around. He would look out to the water and scream "Duck" whenever he saw one. It was hilarious!
New Year's eve Nina and Brian came over, we played games, watched movies, ate junk food, and just enjoyed each other's company!

Overall the holidays were great, and the boys got spolied!

Resolutions!

2009-01-04T11:11:00.000-08:00

Need I say that one of my resolutions is getting healthier! Since I had the baby I lost 20 pounds, but I really need to lose a lot more to get to a healthy BMI percentage. So eating healthier( like I did when I was pregnant) and exercising more are the obvious goals.

Other resolutions
1) being a better and more compassionate listener to my husband.
2) being a more understanding and open communicator with family
3) commit to creating more opportunities for my sons to get one on one time with extended family members
4) attend church more often so that we can help our children know God, and have a religious base.
5) scrapbook and keep up with our growing boys and family events
6) be a more patient, kind, and loving person to those I share my daily life with and also to those that are complete strangers.
7) Be the best Mommy and Wife I can possibly be!

Boyz in the Hoods

2009-01-01T00:26:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T00:06:00.000-08:00

Everyone have a fun and safe New Year!
May 2009 bring everyone peace, love, and joy!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-26T07:22:00.000-08:00

I know I am a day late but didn't have time the day before to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! Yesterday was a long but very fun and festive day with the Moore's. We were planning on going up the mountains to my Dad's house this morning but we are still waiting to hear if chains are required( because of a snow storm yesterday )to get to his house. If so then our plans will be spoiled:(

Southern California had a white Christmas, go figure! Will post more later, trying to get a few more winks in before Aedyn is up for the day!

An early Christmas celebration

2008-12-23T22:45:00.000-08:00

Matching Pj's, even the dogs were dressed to the 9's.
The mousepad Shane received.
Special mickey gloves in our stocking
"I'll have my people call your people!" haha!

Today we celebrated an early Christmas with Mom, Kat, Jon, and Heather (Jon's sis) because they were all heading up to Salinas to see Kat's in-laws for the holidays. We had a nice brunch of apple streusel cake and breakfast casserole and mimosa. We then opened gifts. My favorite was of course our matching Pj's that Mom made. It's a tradition that I love. The boys then woke up from their naps and we opened their gifts too! Aedyn's favorite was the Mickey Mouse play cell phone from Grammy. Instead of doing specific gifts for each other we chose to do a gift exchange. I think everyone's favorite was from Kat and Jon, a personalized mousepad and mug. Shane ended up with this gift which is perfect because the mousepad will replace the one from last year I made for him. We then had some traditional fixin's of ham, scalloped potatoes, and green beans for lunch. The day ended with reading a short reader's theatre play of the story of Christmas that Kat wrote. It was a perfect day of holiday cheer and yuletide glee!

Ho!Ho!Ho!

2008-12-16T14:14:00.001-08:00

We bit the bullet and visited Santa. I am proud to say we joined the league of parents who have gone through the rite of passage of the screaming toddler on Santa's lap. If you notice Aedyn looks scared to death, his eyes are wide open and a little red because the second before he was screaming and crying. We did not anticipate him being so frightened, he clung onto Shane when we were trying to put Aedyn in Santa's lap. On the other hand Connor smiled as soon as we put him in Santa's arm, he must of been pooping! haha! We just couldn't miss this opportunity.

My Christmas Wish

2008-12-14T16:27:00.000-08:00

Aedyn kissing Connor

The other evening Shane and I were watching a Christmas movie called Blizzard, a surprisingly enjoyable movie where the key moral centered around the beauty of friendship. The movie really touched my heart and made me realize my Christmas wish this year.

My wish is for our boys, Aedyn and Connor, not only to be wonderful brothers to each other, but to cherish each other and be life long friends.

Moore's 2nd Annual Cookie Day - December 7th

2008-12-13T11:34:00.000-08:00

The fruits of our labor, piles of cookies, YUM!
The grand master of Cookie day! Mom made us all aprons to wear for our special day, each couple had matching pictures on the front. They were so much fun!
Nina and Brian oohing and ahhing over Connor in their fancy smancy aprons.
Jen and Jason making Snickerdoodles!
Shane turning out some awesome Hawaiians, aloha!
Dad and Kaitlyn working on the Pitzelles!
Charity and Willow figuring out the butter cookie machine!

Playtime

2008-12-13T11:27:00.001-08:00

" I'm so tired, all this playing has worn me out!"
Look into my eyes.
What's that?
Connor at playtime, learning to focus and track things with his eyes!

BATHTIME

2008-12-12T22:27:00.001-08:00

All snuggled up in his Pooh robe.
Bathtime isn't Connor's favorite activity, but this was his first bath so things might get better, he might end up like Aedyn where he loves the bath so much we have to drag him out of the tub!

Connor's 1st trip to Disneyland

2008-12-12T22:05:00.001-08:00

It's a tradition for our family to get a set of Mickey ears when visiting Disneyland for the first time. Aedyn was 5 weeks old for his first Disney trip and Connor has his brother beat by 2 weeks; he was 3 weeks when we went on December 4th.

Our family, with Grammy Bev in front of the big Christmas tree on Main Street.
A silly picture in front of the tree, we considered sending this one with our Christmas cards.
Aedyn climbing through the swinging tube in Brother Bears play area at California Adventure.
Aedyn Going down the slide with the help of Aunty Kathy.
In front of California Adventure, they change the letters of "CALIFORNIA" to be festive for the holidays.

The Short Bus

2008-12-11T23:10:00.001-08:00

Normally I wouldn't post this because Aedyn is upset in the picture, but he really was half crying half laughing. He was playing and fell backward into his block bus. We laughed because he fell into the "short bus" and his butt got stuck!

Connor is One month!

2008-12-11T18:16:00.000-08:00

Connor holding his own binky!
Connor and Aedyn in their matching Christmas outfits!

Wow! One month has flown by. I can't believe how time has passed. Connor is getting bigger but still looks small. We call him our little peanut! He is definitely demanding when he's hungry. He has started smiling and recognizes our voices. He is a pretty good sleeper and we have established somewhat of a schedule. He is lifting his head a lot and follows and tracks things with his eyes superbly, although he still goes a little crossed eyed at times. He also seems to respond to Aedyn's voice too! Which by the way, Aedyn adores his little brother, he is constantly wanting to touch, hug and kiss him.

A Day at the Park

2008-12-11T17:54:00.000-08:00

Talking with the ducks!
Just a swingin'

It was a beautiful warm balmy day here in Simi Valley. The sky was blue with scattered clouds, the temp. was about 80 degrees, and there was a slight breeze. So to take advantage of one of the last days of fall me and the boys headed to the park. It's funny because everything logistic has to be planned out now when we go out: so first take out the stroller, second put in the diaper bag, purse, jackets, drinks, etc., third load Aedyn into the stroller, fourth strap on the Bjourn carrier (only had the single stroller), fifth put Connor into the carrier, and off we went.

So we headed over to the toddler playground and Aedyn praticed walking up stairs, ramps, and sliding down the slide. Then we headed over to the swings and Aedyn squealed with delight. Then we walked around (of course Aedyn helped pushed the stroller), then we took a rest and watched some senior citizens play shuffle board, strolled down to see the ducks, then headed for home. The whole time Connor slept, and Aedyn of course was as pleasant as could be.

After returning home both boys ate lunch and ventured off to sleepytown. SMILE!

Putting up the Christmas tree

2008-12-03T18:51:00.000-08:00

Aedyn hanging ornaments

Daddy putting up the tree topper

Yesterday we put up the tree; a few days later than we normally do. It's harder to get things done with 2 small children. We are learning to be realistic about what can be accomplished and to be patient about it. Aedyn was awake when we started putting on the ornaments. We must say we were quite impressed and surprised how well behaved Aedyn was around he tree. He even got the notion that we put things on the tree just by watching us.

Brayden's Birthday and Connor meeting more family

2008-12-03T12:00:00.001-08:00

CuzAunt Nina and CuzUncle Brian with Connor

Birthday Boy
Cake, YUM!
Opening Gifts
Kaitlyn and Brayden
Willow practicing the flute
Birthday Lunch
Willow snuggling with Connor
Meeting Aunt Jen
Meeting Aunt Charity
Meeting Grandpa for the first time

This last Sunday, November 30, was our nephew Brayden's first birthday. My how time flies! Aedyn got to play with his cousin and Connor met family. It was actually our first big outing, meaning driving more than 30 minutes, since Connor was born. He surprised us and slept the entire 2 1/2 hour drive. It was a great day.

Our first Christmas event this season

2008-12-03T11:50:00.000-08:00

Mommy's elves
Let it Snow!
Look Daddy it's snowing!
Little Elf
Big Elf

Well, because we were in the hospital during our town's Christmas tree lighting we decided to go the next week to experience the "magical" snow. We dressed the boys in matching outfits, the were so adorable! Makes my heart melt.