Crazy busy update

All I feel like my posts are anymore are random/rushed updates. Sorry, that is just how life seems to be around here lately. So here we go! Alyssa still loves preschool and today was pajama day which she thinks is about the BEST DAY EVER!! So she went to school and Aiden and I got to join up with our Church playgroup for a tour of a fire station and lunch at the mall after. Since Todd is off for an unexpected surgery scheduled for Monday he picked Alyssa up from school and Aiden & I got a little one on one time. He enjoyed the fire trucks and the fireman all dressed up (although from a distance)...it was a very extensive tour of the fire house & stuff on the trucks and we had a lot of fun with friends!
Todd came home from work yesterday with what turned out to be a hernia that has to be operated on Monday. Please pray for Todd, the surgery, the recovery, and all that entails. He will not be able to lift more than 15 pounds for awhile...um, like the kids :( So that alone can be a challenge for all, including little ones that do not understand. So that will bring me to another rushed, random post sometime next week I am sure. Until then, here are some pictures of what is going on around here:

Aiden "using" his fork.

Random nap time...

well, we all know by now Aiden would never actually stay still long enough to join the sleeping part of this.

What happens when I go upstairs for 25 seconds.

And here's a look at the new arms crossed pout that is becoming quite popular around here...

...and this is where he learned it.

At the fire station.

In the truck.

Looking out at the Fire truck.

Checking out the fireman from a distance.

A try at a whole group picture, of course Aiden is the only one walking out of it ;-)

Okay, that will have to do for now!!

Overdue post

It has actually been a month since I have updated this thing?? Well, our computer crashed and although we got a new one quickly, we decided on a laptop this time and I am still trying to decide if we made the right choice. I will say I am loving that I am upstairs on the couch right now instead of stuck at the armoire...but I am having trouble getting used to just a laptop. Anyways that leads to the overdue post.

Alyssa started preschool weeks ago and is loving it. She goes 3 days a week this year and we all love her teacher!! She is growing up and I am trying to make sure we have some special alone time together. Today just the 2 of us went to Starbucks for some girl time. We were sitting there (hot chocolate & blueberry muffin for her, Mocha latte for me :) and she said "Mom, is this the coffee place you go to with your friends at night?" When I told her yes, her eyes lit up and she said "Thanks for bringing me here." Every time I go out with my friends she always wants to come...so she finally had "coffee" with Mommy. It was a great afternoon!!
Aiden turns 2 on October 12th and I got his "monkey" party stuff in the mail today. He is turning into quite the little man. He loves balls, cars and trains and if he has any of these things he is pretty much a happy boy. I think he is having some separation issues lately and I am not sure where it is coming from, but he screams when I leave him places that are even familiar to him?? He also gets upset when he is away from Alyssa. Every time we get back in the car after dropping her off at preschool he cries and says "I wan(t) sissy, I wan(t) sissy!"

As for me, I have finally decided to run a half marathon. It is something I have wanted to do but wasn't sure if I could. So I signed up for one in October and have surprised myself with the training. I can't believe I actually feel good after running 11 miles...tomorrow I have to do 12. So wish me luck and say a little prayer for me!! Okay enough words, here are some pictures:

A little book reading time.

Alyssa taking a little run in the house, in her rain boots.

Aiden waiting for her to round the corner.

First day of preschool.

& with Aiden.

Hanging out at Monkey Joes.

Aiden in his new monkey rain boots (& pajamas)...I LOVE them!!

Hugging a baby. He hugs real ones this way too.

Puddle jumping!!

That may catch me up for awhile although I know I have left out a ton :)

~~Tracy~~

Bug Hunting & Muffin Making

We spent the morning on a bug hunt (which could easily be a daily event here) and then made some yummy banana chocolate chip muffins after lunch. Here is our day...

Spying the first bug of the morning, a moth.

Caught it! Notice Alyssa's backpack...is full of "bug hunting & capturing" items. We even put the caught bugs back in it until we get home.

Aiden peers at a bug through his magnifying glass as Alyssa searches for the perfect container.

Looking some more.

Nothing here.

The 2 catches of the day are moths, since the roley poley (?spelling and if that is actually the bugs name) somehow disappeared on the rocker out front.

Making muffins, Alyssa mashing the banana while Aiden...

...yep, licks the flour off the counter.

This is how a boy helps with the baking...

& makes sure all has been dumped out of the measuring cup!

Fun Tuesday morning!!

Zoo, Again :)

This week a couple of friends and I went to the Indy Zoo for the day. Alyssa was especially excited that she got to ride in Ava's van all the way in the back and sit right by her. I swear Liv's van looked like a toy store had exploded in the back end...but we rarely heard a peep out of them :) The boys on the other hand seemed to have a lot to say, or occasionally yell (yep, I am talking about Aiden). Overall it was a relaxing trip and a fun day with friends! I am blessed to have such great friends!!

Again not much to update. Todd is out with the guys tonight to see a movie and I am going to curl up with a book when I am done with this. Looking forward to my next Bible study with the girls to start. We finished our couples Bible study and have decided to split off to ladies and guys for our next one...the ladies will be doing Beth Moore's Breaking Free and the guys have narrowed it down but not quite decided on one yet (I think). Again, I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such great friends!! So, here are some pics from the zoo and a few other random shots:

Ethan, Alyssa, Ava, Emma, Hudson &...

Aiden! I just did not want to get him out of the stroller one more time!

Hudson, Alyssa & Ava in the water part of the Zoo.

Todd got these little mega block trucks at the company store with "safety tokens" earned at work...Aiden loves to push it around.

Can you say cheesy smile?

Don't want to leave Alyssa out ;-)

Okay I am off to read my new found book love, Karen Kingsbury. If you haven't read any of her books...YOU SHOULD!! She is an awesome christian writer and I have read 5 books by her in the last month since I was persuaded to start reading her fiction novels. I am completely hooked, her books have totally taken over my TV time!!

Summer's End

This morning our Pastor was talking about the new sermon series he will start next Sunday, the fall series...I was taken off guard. It doesn't seem like fall should already be around the corner. Maybe because of the weird weather, but I am sooo not ready for summer to be over. Many schools have already started here with the last few starting this week. Alyssa doesn't start preschool until September 9th, but I am already sad this will be her last year before she heads off to Kindergarten :( But this summer has been packed with some serious play!! Recently Todd took a 3 day weekend and we headed to the zoo for a day. The weather (& the kids) were great! It was Aiden's first trip to this zoo and Alyssa hasn't been there for quite a while. She said her favorite part was the dolphin show, which was Aiden's least favorite as you will see in the following pictures. I think he enjoyed the bear fight the most.

I can't think of a whole lot of updates on the kids. Just getting ready for Alyssa to start school which means a new schedule since she will go Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning. So instead of rambling on about nothing, here are some pictures:

Dolphin show, he did get better.

Bear fight that Aiden would not let us walk away from.

Awww...

This is what they are looking at...

& touching, Alyssa had her whole arm in. Aiden pulled his out whenever a shark got close.

Ring around the rosy with one of Aiden's favorite girls, Kyla.

And we all fall down!

The crew on a hike at the park, notice Alyssa is surrounded by boys (& there are 3 boys missing!)

Until this little girl,

and this little girl grow up :)
Alyssa will have them in dress up clothes very soon. Although she doesn't seem to mind all the boys. She can be all girly-girl and tomboy at the very same time. And besides all those boys are the one that will protect her on the school bus next year :)

Aiden even did some hiking on his own which was great for Mommy's back!

The ride home after a day at the park...

for both of them.