Picnics, Firetrucks and a Birthday Boy!

We have had a bit going on just the last weekend but it's been slow otherwise.
We went up to the Tacoma Mall to go to Motherhood Maternity to get some jeans because mine didn't fit from the last time, too stretched out. So I decided to treat Aaron to a ride. He could choose anything he wanted, and this is what he chose:


On Mother's Day, Chuck had to work the weekend...come to think of it, he had to work last Mother's Day as well...but we went to visit him at the hospital and took him lunch after church that day. Looks like Aaron is learning early! (Sorry they're so grainy, I didn't want to blind everyone in the room by using my flash!)


Lately we've been working on using a spoon the correct way...

And a couple weeks ago, while Chuck was in Boston, it was really nice and Aaron and I played outside all morning. On our trip back to Washington, a few of the things we were contracted to bring back were some John Deere tractors and an old Tonka truck and he's been all about them ever since! After we got done playing, I decided that it would be a great day to have our first picnic. We just had it in the front yard, I brought out a nice, fluffy blanket and made us some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and got some milk and juice for each of us and grabbed the Goldfish crackers. It was so nice out. Aaron wasn't quite sure what to think about eating outside on the blanket, he didn't want to sit at all at first and was looking at me like I had two heads, but when I sat and took my shoes off and started eating he started to think it was okay.


Not much happened between then and now. Except our vacation got canceled... Basically Chuck NEEDED to be on night float for someone else this last week so he told his supervisor he'd do it as long as he got, not only his schedule vacation week off (at the end of the month, technically the beginning of the new school year), but wanted the whole week before as well. He needed to use one more week of vacation before this current school year was out. So she granted that request. Well, I told him I'd be on board as long has he could bargain for a couple extra days in addition so he could drive back with us at the time we had originally planned to leave. She gave him that too!!! He hasn't had more than 9 days off in a row since medical school!! It's amazing!
So last week was night float, a.k.a. week of h-e-double-hockey-sticks. It's not only hard on him because his schedule is all wacky, but it's hard on me and Aaron because we have to be so quiet while we are at the house. And we have to be at the house for some of the time because knowing me, I'd find things to spend money on, and we can't have that!!! We have a lot of things coming up in the next month that will cost us plenty! Needless to say, being quiet isn't my strong suit, nor is it Aaron's. He's a toddler, he plays, he yells, he screams sometimes, and it's tough! Plus, we don't get to see Chuck very much because about 10 minutes after he gets home in the morning he's off to bed for the rest of the day and then we get to see him for about 2 hours in the evening before he goes back to work. He's a team effort to get through night float week!
But Thursday night/Friday morning was his last night (day, whatever). So, in effort to try to keep him up so he could sleep all night like a normal person, we dragged him to a bit of bounce so he could see what that was like and then we called the local fire department. And we got to go!!! It was so much fun, just the three of us. Lots of pictures! He LOVED it!
This is the nice lady that lead us around:

He got to go in quite a few of them!
He even got a sticker and hat.


He liked sticking his hand in the horn. This yellow one was the stepchild of the bunch, they were borrowing it from another county because a lady caused them to crash another one. She said it would be two months until they got it back...I wouldn't want that bill!!!
The wheels were huge and I let him touch them because they aren't as dirty as the ones on our vehicles...
He explored all over

We even got to meet the fire chief!!

Then, of course, was the big boy's birthday!!! We decided to open a couple gifts Friday night because he was having his party on Saturday and didn't want him to be so enamored with his trains that he wouldn't pay attention to his guests. We'll get to that...
Please don't pay attention to the singing, I'm not a vocalist...









Then the next morning Chuck woke up at 5am because of his crazy schedule, so he made us homemade bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits.

Aaron's friend, Victoria, turned 4 last week and she just happened to have her party on Saturday as well. We were super busy. This kid had never painted before, let alone with watercolors. He didn't quite get it, but he had fun!

Then it was time for his own party. We had lots of great friends come and celebrate out big boy! It was so much fun!


Then it was cake time, Kade reminded us of that!! Aaron had a super special birthday cake.


Since I put the Thomas on there, the kid was literally reaching through the fire to get to the train...it was a bit scary! He didn't eat a lick of cake, too busy with the train...
We had a great time the rest of the afternoon and then opened even more gifts! He got some Tonka trucks that talk, a golf set, books, and CLOTHES!!! He really needed new clothes!

He just wanted to show Miss Jenna his new train (which he didn't let go of all afternoon after the cake) and she wanted to share with Aaron a cool new hat she and Frank got for him. Too funny!





Then I had to have Chuck take a picture of me and Aaron together. We hardly ever get a picture together!