I'm Trying to Be Like Mommy

We can't forget me! Of course, Aidan wants to copy me, too. Here he is wearing my glasses and sitting in my chair.

He is especially fascinated whenever I do girlie things. Like put on makeup. Or wear earrings. Much to my husband's chagrin!

I'm Trying to Be Like Daddy

The other day, Mike sat down on the couch with a book. Next thing we know, (and completely un-prompted), Aidan had walked over, opened the drawer, pulled out the phone book, climbed up next to his dad, and started to "read"!

Aidan also insists on shoveling whenever Mike does. (Which, c'mon folks, is like every day. We live in Minnesota!!!)

This shows how "helpful" Aidan is!

I love that my son loves his dad!

A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words

The other day was really tough. Aidan was tired but refused to nap. Instead, I learned first-hand why you should NOT let your son "look at" books in his crib when he is "trying to fall asleep."

And if I simply title this one "My Day," will every mother of a toddler understand???

Ten Seconds

Literally. I was three feet away from Aidan, paying some bills while he played in the kitchen. Suddenly, I notice a sound that I wasn't expecting: the microwave going. I dash over and yank open the door to find a cloud of smoke. Yes, my son had climbed up, opened the microwave, put in the remote control to our CD player, and pressed start.

It was only in the microwave for ten seconds. And it's officially dead.

Notice the melted spot down by the word "Sony" and the warping by the "iPod" and "CD" buttons. Sigh.

May it rest in peace.

Cross Country Skiing

No, this isn't us. But that's only because I forgot my camera! We met up with some of Mike's co-workers today and made 2 awesome discoveries.

First, the Quarry Hill Nature Center in Rochester is amazing! It's FULL of all sorts of hands-on displays: bones, shells, furs, turtles, books, etc. Plus, it has tons of tanks with fish, turtles, bees, snakes, etc. with steps for little people to climb on so they can look right at the animals. And best of all, not only is it open all year round, but it's FREE! Aidan had a blast playing in the displays all morning while Mike and I took turns making the second discovery, which is:

Cross country skiing is fun! It sure challenges your balance, but it is so fun to feel like you're floating! We got quite a workout, and we each fell (Mike once, me twice). I didn't realize that it's different from regular skiing because you stay in pre-cut grooves. (Look closely at the picture above if you don't know what I'm talking about.) But we really enjoyed it! We didn't even wear our coats, just a few layers of clothing, and even though it was 4 degrees outside, we were just the right temperature. I'm pretty sure we will be going back there again!

Pomp and Circumstance

After four years of online classes in the evenings, Mike finished his Master's Degree! He defended his thesis in November, which he passed with flying colors. So last week, we were able to drive out to South Dakota for his graduation ceremony!

I sat alone...Aidan was sick and stayed home with his grandma, and Mike's dad is a professor at SDSU, so he wore his gown also and sat with the other professors.But all of us are so proud of Mike! Way to go, honey - you're amazing!

Luckily we were able to stay at my in-law's house that weekend: while we were gone, Rochester had a HUGE storm (15 inches of snow in one day!), and the freeway back was closed. We ended up getting to stay an extra day waiting for the road to open again. Aidan loved the time with his grandparents. Here he is trying to fill his grandpa's shoes!

P.S. More new posts below!

First Black Eye

The other day, Aidan grabbed a stocking. Unfortunately, it was attached to the stocking holder, which came off the mantle and smacked him under the eye. Poor little guy gave himself his first black eye!
(He fine, though. I mean, I even got a grin for the picture!)