Aiden at the Park

We took Aiden to Basil Griffin park here in Bowling Green on Saturday. It was a beutiful day and Aiden got all he could out of it.

Open the door, get on the floor

Everybody walk the dinosaur

(fellow 80s children will get that joke)

READY OR NOT..

HERE I....

COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First Household Devotion

Talking with one of our preachers recently he mentioned in passing that they had devotions for their children. Now we've worked with Aiden on memory verses, prayers and bible class material, but never a devotion like that. The preacher mentioned some ideas for us to try when I asked him about it, so last night was devotion #1.

Our subject was God and what God has given us. We began with a short memory verse then asked for an example of what God has given each of us.

Liz said God has given her Aiden. (She stole my answer, but I'm not bitter.)

I said God has given me a wonderful family.

Now it's Aiden's turn.

"Aiden, what's something God has given you?"

"Uh, uh.....chicken."

Hard to argue with that answer. God has given us chicken.

Multiplication

"Then God blessed them and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply...'" -Genesis 1:28

Who are we to ignore the word of God?

With that in mind, Liz and I are happy to announce to anyone who doesn't already know by my big mouth that we are expecting our second child November 7th. With God's blessing this child will be as healthy and happy as our son is.

Please be mindful of us in your prayers as we go through the pregnancy of little Arthur Aloicious...

Just kidding. That's not the name and we don't even know the gender yet. I just know how much Liz loves the name Aloicious.

The baby probably looks something like this right now...(even though this is NOT OUR ultrasound picture)

Spring Fever

Spring has arrived in South Central Kentucky, and with it the need to do more chores outside than inside. The warm weather, the sun, the dirt, the sweat, the earthworms....all good things.

Aiden was eager to help dig while we were doing some work on the roughly 5000 square feet of flower beds around our house (it's not really that much.) We spent a couple days on the front beds with plenty of work ones out back and in the patio area.

My favorite story from these first couple days doesn't involve Aiden at all, but his Aunt Ester. Ester is apparently deathly afraid of earthworms. Her maniacal and saidistic brother-in-law decided to exploit that weakness by throwing Hermie the Wormie at her while she helped with the beds. I've never seen such an explosion of athleticism nor heard quite so shrill a scream.

Aiden said she scared him. I told him, "It's OK. She just scared half of Warren County."

Aiden believes there should be some reform to child labor laws.

Yes he's seeding dandelions in my yard, but when you're cute, you can get away with a lot of stuff.

Aiden walking off the job site.

Easter 2008

Little Bunny Foo Foo
Hopping through the forest
Scooping up the field mice
And bopping them on the head

Easter was a breezy, chilly Sunday afternoon in Bowling Green this year. Several families, including ours, were invited to a potluck Easter luncheon and egg hunt at the Houchens Center for Women (a historic home in downtown BG where we just happened to have our engagement dinner.)

Aiden wasn't feeling particularly well as he was trying to work in a molar, but he still had a pretty good time.

Aiden gathers an egg after a little coercing from Momma.

I normally don't like grass this tall, but it worked great for the picture.

Ignore that my eyes are clearly shut, and this is a great picture of my family.

Aiden & Big Red

It is a well known fact that the best mascot in college sports is WKU's Big Red. What is he? Is it a he at all? It doesn't matter what Big Red is exactly, it's just a great mascot with lots of energy, fan interaction and a big round belly that kids love.

Aiden, ever since shaking Big Red's hand at the South Alabama game in February, has been obsessed with seeing Big Red again. He told everyone he met that Big Red touched his hand. Then he would wake up every morning asking us to see Big Red.

With WKU's Toppers and Lady Toppers both qualifying for the Big Dance, we had two more chances to see Big Red. We couldn't go to the men's selection party because it was on Sunday, during evening church services. So we went to the Lady's Topper's selection party on Monday night. When we got home, had a lowgrade fever and had lost his appetite. By morning, he was all better. I can only assume he had a mild case of March Madness. It's going around.

Here are some pictures: (and in case you're wondering, potty training continues to progress well.)

Urination Celebration!!!!

Aiden has peed in the potty.

Even better; Aiden has peed in the big boy potty.

Granted, it was a very small amount, but we're still celebrating. (And after WKU's home loss to South Alabama, I was looking for a reason to celebrate frankly.)

Celebrate with us. Blow a horn, twirl a noisemaker, eat some cake, whatever you feel is appropriate.

Aiden enjoying a magazine....like father, like son.

Good articles...nice photography.

What do you know? Lemurs are omnivorous.

If you look really, really, really closely you can see the actual urine.

Aren't you glad you stopped by this site to see Aiden's pee?

A New Career

In today's competitve job market, you simply cannot start career training too soon. And the jobs that were available for our parents, aren't available for our children. The manufacturting jobs that led the United States into incredible prosperity over the last five decades are largely outsourced overseas and across borders in the name of cheap labor.

Two excellent sources of income remain in this land. One being the service industry, where people are helping people with specialized training. The medical profession is a great example of this.


The other is the world of entertainment. However, with American Idol and country music's youth movement, even the singing industry is inundated with more talent then it can possibly use. Hollywood is swooning in a world of bad remakes and even worse sequels. But one art remains. One form of entertainment that is as pure today as it was centries ago at its root. That art, is the art of being a circus freak.

Freaks, ahem, entertainers like:

Siamese (Cojoined) Twins

The Bearded Lady

The Human Contortionist

Some will say that we're foolish to allow our son to pursue this type of career. After all the world of human contortionist is a very competitive industry filled with talented freaks, small meals and hours upon hours of yoga. But we decided long ago to allow Aiden to pursue any career that interested him outside of drug pushing, inappropriate filmmaking, and of course, amusement park character.

Playtime with Carter

Aiden had Carter over on Monday while Carter's mom had dinner with a friend. The two of them are pretty good at playing with each other. Aiden still isn't too keen on sharing his toys, but he can be talked out of it after some coercing.



The nights festivities included racing tractors, blowing up cavemen, playing basketball, running aimlessly, eating some homemade pizza and watching Backyardigans.

A cute little pose of both the boys.

Aiden either winning the tractor race by a wide margin, or

losing it by a wide margin. Depends on your outlook.

Watching your backyard friends, the Backyardigans!! Together in the backyard again!

But they weren't so into it that they couldn't pose for another picture.

We Should've Named Him Peter Pan

Maybe if we had named him Peter Pan instead of Aiden Christopher, then he wouldn't be growing up so doggone fast. As I told a good friend, if the above picture wasn't so cute, I'd hate it. But he is growing up. He forms more and more sentences all the time. He's saying the blessing before meals (using the "repeat-after-me" format) and while it's all fun to watch and experience it gives you that icky feeling in the pit of your stomach to know how quickly it's all passing by.

Christmas Pics

I'm the world's worst at getting pictures. I just don't want to fool with it. I'd much rather enjoy the moment then worry about catching it with my camera. In the future, I'll kick myself for this attitude.

For now, here are some of the pics we took at Christmas... (begin humming Jingle Bells here)

Here's a VERY classy looking picture of our fireplace

(notice the ambiance...oooooh)

Aiden opening a present

Aiden up close and personal

All decked out, but no snow

A Silver Lining's Got a Touch of Gray

When we decided to finally finish with our project of painting the kitchen, Aiden was so enthused he just had to help. In true Ty Pennington style, he grabbed a roller and got to work helping my primer the walls.

We painted them a nice red color which really changed the look of the room. Previously it had two types of wallpaper.

Recent parenting thought: This is no more original than it is profound, but for correction to be effective, it simply must be consistent. Any of us can think back and identify some parents who are struggling to keep their children from going ape-like. And we can also remember parents like that who only bother discilpining their children when they got angry.

It doesn't work folks. You've got to do it when it's wrong. Regardless of whether you may think it's funny, infuriating, or whatever. Consistency is key.

Cutie-Pi-Slamma Jamma

For those of you who don't get the "Cutie-Pi-Slamma-Jamma" reference, it harkens back to the University of Houston's basketball team from 1982-1984. That team featured Clyde "The Glide" Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon (both NBA All Time Greats.)
Aiden is a junior member of the fraternity.

The Great Cake Mistake

(This Post Contains a High Level of Overdramatic Language and is Not Suitable for Some Viewers. Obvious exaggerations are written in red italics...Reader discretion is advised.)

Saturday morning my dad and I left to pick up the balloons and cake for Aiden's birthday party. We went and had some breakfast at Donita's (2 egg special with city ham...yummy) then went to get the cake.
That's when things went horribly, horribly wrong.
I told them I was there to pick up a cake. They asked my name and went to the back. Then they came out and asked my name again. Then a lady came out and asked what it was we were wanting. I gave her strong details, "a 1/4 sheet, yellow cake decorated like Spongebob Squarepants with 'Happy Birthday Aiden' written on it." She went to a drawer, pulled out a sheet of paper and gulped.
This is when she pulled a knife on me and blamed me for everything. Fighting for pride and the honor of my family, I fought back. I took a couple knicks here and there, but overall I won the fight. With my knee in her back and firm grip on her black hair I demanded she get a cake and decorate it. She agreed.
I told her to take her time, we'd go get the balloons and be back. So we fetched the balloons and came back some 20-25 minutes later. In that time I called Liz to bring her up to speed and raise her heart rate considerably.
This is when Liz flew into a mad rage. She killed the neighbors toy poodle in disgust. When we arrived at the bakery we saw her drenching the building with gasoline (a real waste at 3.09 a gallon) and lighting a Zippo when I pulled her away.
The cake still wasn't ready when we got there, but she was finishing it up. We got charged full price (actually, we had a 20% off coupon) but you would think they'd step up and give us a big discount or some free donuts or something. That kind of disappointed me.
Plus the cake looked just ok. I can't help but to think if she'd have done it when she was supposed to instead of rushing, it would have looked much better.
This is when she surprised me by whipping out a tee ball bat. I didn't see it coming, so she got the first blow. Luckily the steel plate in my head and my Navy S.E.A.L. traning saved the day. A half hour of Jack Bauer level torture later, I paid my bill out of pity for an overmatched opponent.
In the end, the cake was good, the icing too sweet (a preference thing) and the day was just fine. It was a great birthday party and life goes on. But Liz has decided she'll never use that bakery again. I'm letting bygones be bygones and not saying their name on here. I don't want to trash them over an honest mistake.
But I am suing them for the cuts I got in the initial knife fight. Turns out I got a punctured spleen that caused some pretty bad problems. My superhuman healing ability kept me from dying, but I still feel I am owed some compensation. I'll be visiting the law offices of Flora Templeton Stuart this afternoon to see what is coming to me.

Birthday Party!!

Aiden's 2nd birthday party was a big success. We had a good number including several kids. Aiden had a blast and we all really appreciated everyone coming and making it a big day for him. Here's a couple pictures we snapped. A lot of our pictures were with the 35mm, so I only got a few on the digital.

This picture's a little dim, but here's Aiden with his Spongbob Squrepants balloon and Spongebob Squarepants cake. (not in picture, Spongebob Squarepants plate, napkin, cakeplate, and paper cup.)

Hard to get everyone in frame when they're spread out.

Aiden playing blocks with Uncle David.

Two Year Appointment with Doc

Aiden went to see his pediatrician today for his two year check-up. (Birthday party is tomorrow, pictures forthcoming). His doctor assures us Aiden is perfectly healthy and normal. A boy that lives on chicken nuggets and various fruits and cereals is apparently a heatlhy boy. Good to know.

His official measurements:
34 inches high
29 pounds
50 cm

(FYI, I think his length measurement is a bit off. She didn't get square on top of his head. When I laid him out there I found him to be almost an inch longer than measured. So take that for what it's worth.)

Thanks to God that Aiden is healthy, safe and secure.

The Olive Garden Incident

Liz is grimacing as she reads this, I guarantee it. But something happened Sunday night that I just can't let go. It's a condemnation of society of sorts.

We were at an Olive Garden in Nashville having dinner. Me, Liz, Aiden, Aiden's uncle David and his aunt Ester. When the pudgy couple at the table next to us emits a faint f-bomb. As Ralphy on "A Christmas Story" would say, she said the queen mother of all dirty words.

I didn't hear the first one clear. The second f-bomb I thought I heard. By the fourth one I was certain. So I morph into SuperDad.

I say, "Excuse me," as I approach the table, "but would you mind watching your language? I have a two year old son over here."

Mrs. Pudgy replies, "OH I'M SOOOOO SORRY!"

That's honestly what her reply was and it was dripping with a heavy dose of sarcasm. I thought I had been magically transported back to a third grade put down contest. I said thank you and walked away.

To my surprise, they actually stopped the cursing. But when we got to our car after dinner, they had left a note. And it read, "Maybe if your whiney son hadn't ruined our dinner we wouldn't have used such foul language."

This is where I get angry.
1) It's never, ever ok to use foul language around a child. If you're not a Christian, Catholic, Jehovah's Witness or Buddhist, I don't really care. But if you have sense enough to form words with your mouth, then you've got enough sense not to use that language around kids.

2) Aiden wasn't whiny this night. There have been nights when I wouldn't blame someone for saying something like that (well, not too much) but that night he was very good. And he was very quiet.

3) They weren't cussing because of Aiden. It's just part of their vernacular. It was everyday conversation for the Pottymouth Pudgies of Nashville, Tenn. So don't dare blame my son for your lack of class.

4) Say it to me. I know that sounds sophomoric. But honestly I wouldn't have minded them saying it to me if I would have had the opportunity to embarrass them publicly like they deserved. That's not revenge. Their behavior SHOULD have embarrassed them. It didn't. So I wanted the opportunity to fulfill karma a bit.

5) Whiny isn't spelled with an "e". I didn't know that until I just spellchecked it, but nevertheless.

There, I feel a bit better.

ROOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!!

A mere 15 days after Halloween, I have finally gotten Aiden's Halloween pictures on the blog. And they say I'm lazy.

This was a really special Halloween because it was the first time Aiden went trick or treating. He took to it like a duck to water. He didn't quite master his annunciation of "trick or treat" but he did remember most times to say thank you after getting candy.

The Not-So-Cowardly Lion, Aiden

Aiden's Buddy Carter was a cute, if not menacing, pirate.
Aiden's first Reece's Peanut Butter Cup. It lasted three bites. Lion's have big bites, you see.

So Aiden's first trick or treating Halloweeen was a great success. The only bummer was it being on a Wednesday night so we had to cut things short in order to get ready for church services that night.

His first Halloween candy was a Hershey's Kiss. Then the peanut butter cup. Then the sugar infused fit that follwed me telling him that was enough candy before church. Ah the joys of parenting.

Pick a Pumpkin from a Pumpkin Picking Patch

We took Aiden to Jackson's Orchard here in Bowling Green on the 18th to pick out his pumpkin. It was a bit cool in the evening, but he had a good time. He drank some apple cider slush, he ate some fried apple pie, he got pet goats, cattle, llamas, rabbits, and even a wallabe.

After all that, we washed his hands. Thoroughly.

THEN we hopped aboard the trailer and took a hay ride to the pumpkin patch. He didn't seem as enthused by the tractor as I thought he might be, but he enjoyed the ride plenty. Then we scoured the earth for the perfect pumpkin, while holding our noses against the stench of rotting pumpkins. And they do forevermore stink. WHEW!

Once he got his pumpkin he got to carry it on the hayride back and begrudgingly surrendered it as we loaded the cars to go home. It was a great time spent with Aiden, Liz, me, his uncle David, aunt Ester, and Grandma.

And the extra treat came from the apple pies made by Grandma and Ester. They bought the apples from Jackson's just before we left and we are all fatter for it. You have to love fall.

Step One:

Feed a random goat

Step Two:

Find a pumpkin that fits you

Step Three:

Secure said pumpkin from potential pumpkin thieves

Ride, Ride, Ride, Hitchin' a Ride

One of Aiden's favorite shows continues to be Little Einsteins. Even if Disney switched it's time slot with "My Friends, Tigger & Pooh." When we were in Texas this summer his grandmother Soledad bought him this Quincy doll from Little Einsteins. Now Quincy is bumming rides from Aiden around the living room. Good times.

The Terrible Soon-to-be-Twos are not so terrible. No doubt because Liz and I have mastered parenting. Or we have a good kid. Mostly he's just more talkative and interactive than he was before.

That's not to say that there aren't problems. There are. His favorite response is "No," because he thinks it's funny. He fancies himself to be quite the comedian. This morning, for example, when I asked if he slept well he replied, "No" with a grin on his face. Usually that's cute.

The plain old stubborness that he gets completely from his mother's side (tee hee) has also reared it's head recently. A great example of this was dinner on Tuesday night. Liz had made spaghetti (it was really good by the way.) He usually loves spaghetti because it combines his two favorite things, eating and getting absolutely filthy dirty. But he refused to eat.

Our response was to let him sit in his booster seat. He didn't have to eat, but he wasn't getting out of dinner time until we were done eating our meal. He crossed his arms and refused to look t Liz. When she asked if he wasn't going to look at her, he glanced at her, then turned his head again with pooched lips. While we stifled our laughs he continued to ignore us. It was at least 5 minutes that he didn't look at us.

I caved in after a while and let him down. But only after I was eating seconds. It seemed fair to me at the time. In retrospect I kind of undercut Liz's decree and shouldn't have.

After dinner he continued to pout. He cried. He crossed his arms. He ran to his room. He would peek out and look at Liz, cry a bit, then duck back inside his room. This display, while somewhat maddening, was very funny. But you just can't laugh at a crying child. It's mean, man. Don't do it.

I remember thinking, although I don't remember if I said it out loud, "We are in trouble." He's got an iron will for a 23 month old. What the future holds could be bad news for us. But we'll make it.

On the personal side of things I'm almost done with my part time preaching with the Gallatin Road congregation in Scottsville, Ky. They have hired a full-time evangelist to begin in November.

In the year that I have been working with the congregation (once every three weeks) I have baptized five individuals with help from the congregation and the Lord. I'm very thankful for the time I've worked with the congregation there. And am also thankful it's coming to an end so I can get back more regularly with my home congregation.

I'll also say I owe a lot to Liz in all of this. She's been very supportive and understanding while I've stretched my preaching legs a bit.

He who finds a wife finds a good thing,And obtains favor from the
LORD. -Prov 18:22