Mommy's Big Score

Pete came home last night and mentioned that some of the people at his office were taking thier kids to see the Playhouse Disney Tour. So I googled it and discovered that tickets just went on sale for a November tour date in Fairfax. I scored us 3 floor tickets to see Mickey Mouse, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins and Winnie the Pooh. I think Pete may already regret mentioning it :-)

Fire Station Open House

I don't know where to start or how to try to capture the absolute glee AJ experienced Sunday at the annual Ashburn Fire Station Open House. He was all grins and running around trying to take it all in - he never stopped!

We started in line for the fire engine rides. We climbed to the top of the truck and they drove us around Ashburn for 5 minutes or so, trying out the sirens and lights and making AJ squeal and yell "weeeoooo weeeoooo" along with the sirens. Some kids got scared up there but not AJ - he held on to the edge and let the wind blow in his air.

After the ride, AJ got to check out the inside of the fire truck and ambulance. He kept saying "wow" at each new stop.

Our last stop was to check out the fire hose training station where AJ got to get his very own firefighter hat. Once he had his gear he got to take the hose, with a little help, and blast it at the wooden animals in the field. Even Pete got in on the game.

Road Trip to the Vineyard

It was the most beautiful weather out today - sunny and 75 - so we decided to take a top down road trip. Of course, before we could get very far, AJ had to help Daddy back the convertible out of the garage.

We enjoyed the 45 minute drive through the country to the vineyard at LaGrange in Haymarket and even saw cows and horses along the way.

Once we got to the vineyard AJ made quick friends with anyone who had a puppy dog and Pete and I enjoyed tasting the 12 or so wines from the vineyard with Pete's work friend Angie who works weekends at the vineyard. We had a picnic lunch, visited with friends, bought some wine for home and called it a day. We all had a great time and AJ really wore himself out running around for nearly 3 hours outside. He wore me out too!

AJ tried out his sunglasses for the cruising part of the outing but didn't keep them on more than a few minutes. He was still awful cute :-)

Salsa Rocks

We recently discovered that AJ likes chips and salsa. Yes, the spicy mexican stuff. I guess you can blame that one on the fact that while some pregnant women spend the first trimester with morning sickness, I craved mexican food and ate at Chipotle. Anyway, at a recent dinner out AJ decided the plain chips weren't fun and he wanted to share what Mommy and Daddy were eating. We expected a wrinkled nose and spitting it out but he went back for more. So yesterday he snacked on chips and salsa with Mommy. He has yet to learn that double dipping is not cool. :-)

Attack of Newspapers

After Mother's Day dinner we had a treat - strawberry ice cream and cake - that AJ helped both his Mommy and Jamma finish off. He ate with such gusto that we had to strip his clothes off and let him play in his diaper for the remanining hour before bed. Turns out, a little strawberry ice cream, and the sugar from it, go a looooong way. AJ was bouncing off walls until bedtime. He jumped on the newspaper and we aren't sure if he attacked it or it attacked him but whichever it was loud, lots of yelling and ripping. It was a mess and he crashed hard at bedtime. It was actually entertaining to watch!

Happy Mother's Day

Here is a picture of the inside of the Mothers Day card AJ made for Mommy at school.

Pretty sweet huh? (even if he does look a bit like he is posing for a mugshot!)

Rainy Days

I am thrilled that it has been raining for 3 days because the pollen isn't floating around I can once again breath. AJ isn't so happy about it. He keeps asking to go outside and play and doesn't like being told no. This morning after Pete told him we had to stay inside to play he went and put on Daddy's shoes and tried to let himself out the back door and onto the deck.

Bad news for AJ is that we are supposed to get rain for a few more days. Fingers are crossed there may be a break in it during the day tomorrow. By then the house will be torn apart and we will be stir crazy from captivity :-)

Homemade Blueberry Muffins

Mommy made blueberry muffins.

AJ likes to eat the top of the muffin first - Yum!

Bedtime Stories

When AJ was a tiny little guy there weren't many things I loved more than reading to him before bed - then he started to grow. For a while bedtime reading was more trying to get through a few pages with a wiggly boy squirming off her lap and generally refusing to listen. So for a couple of months Mommy admitted defeat and didn't bother. A few weeks back, AJ started to show serious interest in books again and not just at bedtime which made Mommy VERY happy. Credit must be given to the wonderful teachers at school who read to AJ and his buddies every day and introduced him to books about tractors :-)

Our current favorite before bed is a set of 4 books about the Cars characters - Doc, Sally, Mater and Lightening McQueen - that Gramma Lynn got us. AJ likes you to read them all each night but often only gets a couple of pages into the 3rd or 4th one and closes it announcing "the end". We know he listens when you read because tonight we got the page in the Lightening McQueen book where Lightening says "ka chow" and flashes his lightening bolt and AJ beat us to the punch saying " ka dow" with great gusto. It even made Pete laugh when we realized he was making an attempt at "ka chow". Pretty darned cute.

Well Excuse Me!

AJ is getting very vocal - whether he wants to go outside, have some milk, or watch movie Cars. In the last couple of days he started saying "scuse me". I know where he gets it from - his Mommy and his teacher Ms. Sally are both trying to teach him some manners and say "excuse me" often.

AJ's use of "scuse me" is kind of funny though. He says it when he wants you to move or wants your attention - for example, I was sitting on the bed with him while he pushed his car around. Well apparantly I got in his way so he puts his hand on my leg, gives me a very gentle push and says "scuse me mommy". I chuckled and didn't move right away and his response was to say it again, with some irritation and annoyance in his voice. So I hopped up and he resumed pushing his car around the bed. He hasn't yet said it when he wants to interupt someone, but I have a feeling that is coming.

We see his personality and persistence in so much he does these days. This past weekend he learned that if Mommy says "no", go ask Daddy and vice versa. I brought him inside because he was throwing dirt after I asked him not to. We weren't in the house 2 minutes and AJ found Pete, grabbed his hand and led him to the door saying "outside daddy?" in a questioning tone. Daddy stood firm with Mommy and within minutes he came back over to Mommy to try again. Sometimes he is too cute and it is hard but as Pete says "you're in charge Mommy".

We did have a breakthrough while outside playing in the yard with the neighbors tonight. AJ started to wander to their front yard and usually won't respond to me calling his name or worse, once he hears me he hauls toward the street in a sprint so I have to dash after him. Tonight I called his name and asked him to come back, he turned around, stopped and said "ok" and marched back over. I was slightly shocked! YIPEE!

Sunday Afternoon at Airplane Park

There is a great park, made to look like Dulles airport complete with a baggage truck and little mock planes, up the road near the grocery store. Seems funny to drive to the park when there are many close to home but this one has everything just the right size for AJ to climb around, slide and play with minimal assistance. He loves the freedom and we love that there is a fence around it preventing him from dashing off which he has been known to do. The ground is also made of recyled tire stuff so it has some give and unlike mulch, it can't be picked up and thrown - the source of a couple of recent park meltdowns lately :-)

So here are some snapshots of AJ enjoying the park with Mommy & Daddy. He loves to "drive" the vehicles and go down the slide on his own, sometimes face first! Another nice benefit of the park - there is an ice cream shop right next to it and AJ really likes strawberry ice cream. Sometimes, he evens shares a few bites of mommy's serving with mommy!

Heres What an Arm Load of Cars Looks Like

Some of you have heard AJ screech in frustration while I am on the phone. 99% of the time he makes that frustrated noise because he is trying to carry around all of his little Cars characters at once. Inevitably a car will hit the floor and when he bends over to pick it up another will fall out of his arms starting frustrating dance of picking up cars and dropping them again. I have gotten him a little rubbermaid bin and a Cars logo tote bag to carry them around thinking that an alternative to his little arms would be attractive but he shows no interest. We speculate often on where this stubborn streak comes from :-)

So, here is AJ with his arms loaded up BEFORE the cars start hitting the ground.

Washing The Car

Pete decided to make good use of the wonderful weather and wash one of the cars yesterday. AJ was happy to get slathered in suncreen and try out his new water sandals in anticipation of providing lots of help. He enjoyed chasing the water down the driveway and it turns out he is very good at pointing out the spots Daddy may have missed.

Welcome To Our Blog!

In an attempt to be friendly with technology, I'm taking a leap here and starting a family blog. Many girlfriends have told me this is as easy as sending out an email with pictures - we will see :-)

I'm hoping to keep this updated enough to satisfy the many friends and family who make up AJ's fan club. Check back for updates!