Celebration Overload

Wow! What a week!

Since I last wrote, our computer crashed so I can't upload any pictures right now. As soon as we get the regular laptop back up and running again, I promise to post pictures of Aidan's birthday and baptism.

So, my mom has been here for two weeks now. She leaves today. Poor thing has been working like crazy to help me out. I'm sure she'll be glad to go home so she can rest and get back to her own routine!

Aidan's birthday was a huge success. Pat's parents came out and we all went to Blue Ridge Grill for dinner. Yummy! Afterward, we came home and Aidan opened his birthday presents. The Little Tykes tent we gave him and the Little People Bus mom gave him were huge hits. He also received a lot of books that he has been looking at and that I will begin to read him at bedtime. I know he'll like them all. And he received a table and bench set and soccer goal that he loves! Right before his birthday he got a trike that he has been wheeling up and down the pipestem on and loving every minute of it. Now if it was be sunny for a while!!!!

My sister Amy and her family arrived on Friday and we celebrated Aidan's birthday a little more. Then, on Saturday, my sister Gini arrived and we celebrated Aidan's birthday a little more! Then, on Sunday, we went to St. Matthew's in Sterling for Aidan's baptism (awesome! and the sermon was all about Aidan and his baptism!) where he screamed during the baptism but I got to pour the water on his head! Wow! I was so choked up during the entire ceremony! We had an Open House following the service and Aidan received many more gifts--all of them very special! After Aidan opened his Baptism gifts, we celebrated my nephew Tyler's 9th birthday! I'm a little concerned that Aidan will think life is a little boring once all of the celebrating ends!

My sisters left on Monday and my mom leaves today. We will then begin the process of getting back to a routine and trying to get organized! We have one more person coming to visit before I return to work. My dad arrives on June 1st and that will be a nice quiet visit so that Grampa Dave can get to know his youngest grandson. After that, to the beach for a couple of days and then it's back to work for me!

This past week has been awesome for Aidan and his English vocabulary. He says the usuals: bye-bye, more, love you, peas mama/daddy, night-night. . .but he is also now beginning to sing the alphabet song, says "oh cool!" (where did that come from???), stop that! (to the dogs), Amen, and a host of other words. He understands so much already that he will respond to anything we say. He constantly asks what things are by pointing and says "Da" and we tell him and you can see his littel mind working to memorize the words. It's incredible.

I'm kind of glad we aren't going anywhere this summer. It will be good to be quiet and be homebodies for a few months. Next year will be soon enough to take Aidan on a longer trip and to begin seeing more of the country. For now, we'll concentrate on getting into a good home routine, getting his social security number and US passport and learning more English.

More soon!