Aloha!

We have returned from our wonderful vacation in Hawaii. The weather was beautiful and allowed us to enjoy the beach and the pool everyday. Aidan was old enough this year to truly enjoy the ocean and everything that was going on. We got plenty of rest and relaxation which was much needed. If only Spring Break came more than once a year.

View from our hotel room in Princeville

For some reason Aidan loved having Darren blow water right into face from the swim noodle. This went on for some time before Darren ran out of breath.

Aidan's shocked expression after feeling the cold water that was coming down a mountain stream into the ocean.

Darren with Aidan and Ryan (Darren's friend from MN) with Carter in backpacks going for a hike.

Aidan enjoying the lei making class at the hotel

Aidan modeling his lei (which he wore sash-style). He jumped up on the stage and yelled "Welcome to Spring Break".

At the luau, Aidan getting ready to taste poi.

After poi

Aidan is a ukulele master. He wanted to play every one he saw in the stores. We finally bought him one as a souvenir. His performance videos will be posted soon.Aidan's favorite hotel feature was the automatic footwasher. He hopped on as soon as he had one grain of sand on his toes.

Camp Out

We decided to go on a family camping trip last weekend. We had fun despite the temperature dipping into the 20's at night. Aidan enjoyed hiking outside and roasting marshmallows on the fire. Aidan even caught his first fish.

Go Mavs!

Last week, Aidan and Darren went to the Mavericks game with some friends from church. Aidan is such a good fan. I love his different expressions during the game.

Catching Up...

I have gotten a little behind on posting so here are a bunch of pictures with very little commentary.

Getting autographs from the cast of the "Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type" play.Another Stars game. The Stars scored a whooping 10 goals.Enjoying morning orange juice out of his special cupAt the church preschool Valentine's partyRelaxing on the couchSlurping up some soup

Doing some trick jumps at the pool. This is the dancing man.

Water Boy

Aidan loves the water so we have been taking advantage of the indoor swimming pool at the rec center this winter. He loves to climb on the equipment and swim in the big pool with Darren.

He doesn't like the water sprayer at the top of the stairs so he is covering his eyes.

And thanks to a guy on Darren's hockey team, Aidan now has his own set of hockey gloves. He can barely grip a stick with them on but he loves them.

Constantly Amazed

I am constantly amazed at how much Aidan is growing and changing everyday. He has been talking for a long time but now we can have actual conversations. He can put on shows with his animals that have actual dialogue and he can read back books he has only heard a couple of times. He has gone through some funny phases along the way though were he talked with funny accents, said "big ole" before everything and cheered "Yippee, Yippoo" whenever excited.
He has also found his sense of humor. He loves to dance like a goofball just to get a laugh. He has started saying things that don't make any sense and then saying "I'm just trickin' you". He also understand discipline and knows when he makes a "bad pecision" (as he calls it) and needs consequences.
He is learning so much from others and the world around him, he surprises me daily. Yesterday we were in the car and he pointed out the window and said "That is the library". I asked him how he knew that and he said "Because it has a L and a I and a B and a R..." Wow! His artistic talents have also been developing lately. When he draws a person it actually looks like a person. His specialty right now is drawing snowmen. His play has also become so much more creative.
Here are some pictures of his recent activities:

Pictures by Aidan - Left, Darren wearing a Vikings shirt. Center, snowman wearing mittens. Right, Julie

Aidan playing dominoes, he matched up all the numbers by himself.Aidan is marching around the house beating the box like a drum using a marker as a drumstick. He also wearing a cape. Why is he doing this? I am not really sure.Someone in our neighborhood was getting rid of a hockey helmet and skates that her son outgrew. The helmet has already provided Aidan with hours of free entertainment.He likes to lift up the mask and tell me "It is your son".

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia

Aidan got a chia pet puppy for Christmas. He has enjoyed taking care of it and keeping it watered over the last couple of weeks.
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