Pictures from the past

Baby's first Christmas :)

Enjoying crawling all around the house

Here is how he got around the first few weeks of walking!

He took his first few steps on his first birthday. 

A very special gift for mama & daddy.

The lovely cake Abuela Vangie made for him.

This was when Aiden was about a year and 3 months.

He hasn't lost that expression of wonder...

All mixed-up

It isn't always things that little children say that makes me laugh, sometimes its the things that I blurt without paying much attention. Lately I've been warning A to stop breaking his toe-nails or take his hand out of his mouth or not to dig his nose (yes! I can't believe it either!)
... And very often it sounds like this...
Aiden! stop picking your toes!
or
Aiden! I've already told you hundreds of times to not put your mouth in your fingers.
and this morning, I heard myself scolding him such
I've already warned you that if you touch your shoes and put your mouth inside your hands, you will have to come and wash your shoes each time!
And then I paused...
Maybe I just need a break!

egg-shells

A few years ago (read about 12) I got an easy multiple choice test in biology. The question read, which of the following is not biodegradable: Cotton, Glass, Egg shells. Honestly, I would have liked to say that I chose option B. But then I got thinking of how glass is made from silica, and that should someday become bio-fuel... on the other hand I never saw a decomposed egg-shell. So I chose C.

Fast forward all those few years... Today I put in some garlic bulbs into a pot, hoping that something will someday sprout (hopefully if we're there to take care of it) and as I hunched over to mix fertilisers into the soil, I noticed white specks. Turned out to be the home-made fertilisers I had used years ago... among them egg-shells.

Now I'm beginning to think that perhaps I wasn't all that wrong in that biology test...

My little agro-helper.

Tales and tails

A few days ago, we were reading from our very favourite pre-K social science book, What Do People Do All Day and I introduced Aiden to some of the 'working' characters of the book. (Here is a terrible picture of the top of the page, that doesn't do justice to Richard Scarry, or Kodak, or the lovely teacher talking about the book!!) 

Anyway,  Aiden and I started talking about farmer Alfalfa, Blacksmith Fox, Stitches the tailor, Grocer Cat, Mommy and Huckle (not in the picture). I asked him,
"What do you think Farmer Alfalfa does?"
"Why, he drives a tractor!"  
"And what does Blacksmith Fox do?"
"He bangs!"
"What does Stitches the tailor do?"
"He tails!"
I thought that was pretty innovative. I burst out laughing and he cut me out, "Mama, don't laugh!" 
Needless to state, he guessed that Stitches, well, stitches.

Late night telephonic conversations!

Last night as we lay to sleep, Aiden (hoping that his daddy would come back soon) started chatting excitedly  with me about the black car he saw the other day...
~Mama, you remember the black car we saw on the road?
~Hmm.. I mumbled faintly opening an eye.
~The front tyres were up in the air, because a tow truck was towing it away..
~Hmmm... I mumbled again.
Then a wonderful idea struck me! (yes! I loooove those moments!) I opened both eyes, leaned on my elbow and said to him
~Why don't you tell Jesus all about the black car and the tow truck? He'd love to hear from you.
~O.k. He replied, interested in the idea.
He pulled his little legs up the wall and started to tell Jesus all about the car, and how it couldn't move because the tow truck was pulling it away... after few minutes that ended in a softer tone, he said
o.k. Jesus, talk to you later. Bye!! ~

To forgive... or not?

As parents we taught our son to ask us forgiveness when he wrongs us, whether he realizes it or not. We felt that simply saying the word 'Sorry!' was too shallow, too fast and too easy to say. Rather we give him a moment to think about what he did, reflect on how it was wrong and ask for forgiveness. Following that we have a time of 'restitution' i.e. cuddles, hugs and laughs. It has worked very well at home.

I came across this lovely article written by one of my very favorite authors Dennis Rainey on forgiveness.
Here is a little extract:

Forgiveness doesn’t mean:

• Excusing what someone did to you
• Forgetting what happened
• Denying, or stuffing, your feelings
• Reconciling instantly every time

For the complete article, (including what forgiveness is) click here.

God bless and reward you as you pursue forgiveness!

Of Guacamole & classical music

Today as I was working in the kitchen, Aiden asked me what I was doing. I told him I was making Gucamole. He then announced that he was '10 years old' and he should help me. Very well, I replied and gave him some things to do. So together we made Guacamole, a famous Mexican dish, out of (very expensive) avocados of the south.

Later I let him taste his 'hardly work' while he was listening to some wonderful vocals by the Turetsky Choir.