A Christmas Story

Sweden turned this boy into a pirate loving, knight-action figure maniac!

Gifts galore!

Thank you Em and Johnny for the piano and GUITAR

A tired boy look!

The infamous Pirate Scooby Doo

With Aiden Christmas has always been, at least, interesting would be the word. Wether it was the first Christmas that we weren't expecting him to be here for, or the this one, he keeps me guessing and loving every minute of it. TO be expected he decided he would sleep in on Christmas morning! Seriously I was up at 4am and he finally had to be woken up around 6:30 since everyone would get here around 7. He absolutely died over his Scooby Doo Pirate Ship- I mean it really isn't a ship, its a fort but this kid has waned this thing for over 6 months and told every living soul (and Santa we visited) that this is what he wanted. When the nana and papa arrived he opened like 2 things and then just wanted to play so we let him and then gently coaxed the other 9 million gifts out of him. We had a really great day, slow, great food for breakfast and dinner and we loved seeing Christmas through Aiden's eyes. It truly is a different experience as a parent. The Monday after we were all home together and got to put away things, clean out things and purge for the new year. Aiden gets very easily distracted with all the new birthday and Christmas presents but he plays with each one slowly and lovingly. This week him and I have been lazy, putting away Christmas was sad for him and he told me "he really likes lights and is sad they have to go". But we talked about how this time of year comes back again. So now it has been little adventured, lots of pirates and knights playing and some long afternoon naps. I am so lucky.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (I haven't explained that holiday yet to him- way too confusing!)

Birthday Extra Time!

Aiden turned the BIG 3 on Dec. 20th this year. I am learning how to balance the whole birthday before Christmas thing and I just roll with whatever happens. This year he had a real "friend and family" birthday party at Galaxy Gymnastics Sunday afternoon. THe cake was amazing (thank you Auntie Em and Cake is the Best Part), the superhero capes a success (yah for no sew pinterest ideas) and a very blessed and happy boy. He has wanted to be three for so long that it was very difficult to explain even after the party he had a few more days...so we just let it go! Monday Aiden went to daycare so he could have a party with his friends, and was given a huge new sandbox with digging equipment for the backyard- woohooo! Tuesday was our first mommy and Aiden day where as Aiden says, " we get to stay together." So for his real birthday we packed a picnic and

just the two of us went to the park for the afternoon. That night Kellin and I took him to Chevy's and had a little treat just the three of us. Then the birthday celebrating was over...finally right? OH no of course presents keep coming in the mail and then the Christmas parties have started....so this kid just keeps on getting. At least he says thank you and I love him so for it. SO finally he is THREE and all is well in his world because three is very important:)

November Time Really Flies

So I'm sitting here on December 2nd very early in the morning (my only quiet time that is mine:) wondering what the heck happened to a whole month. I know I even took some pictures but are they even uploaded to a computer....Nope. I can barely remember the month without looking at a calendar. So to let you know we are alive.....we had a busy November, but a nice get-away weekend to Tahoe with mom and dad over the three day weekend. We had a visit from my college roomie Kathleen to start off our Thanksgiving week-off and Aiden and I got to hang out and do lots together. Every weekend was full....every night had meetings and here we are at December. Aiden is very happy the Christmas is here and that means his birthday too, and he really wants to be 3 like his friend Wyatt- so it should be good. He is developing quite the opinion about EVERYTHING! People kept saying he is so good at two, three might be different and if this last 2 weeks has been an indicator.....I am going to get gray hair. He just has an opinion about his dinner eating, his movie watching, his clothes, if he wants to go pee, the list goes on and on and I sort of got used to making every decision for him:) So now we are transitioning to you have the right to make that choice but there are consequences for every choice-tough lessons for a then "sometimes" emotional three year old. So here's to a happy holidays, hopefully getting some pictures up and a chance to say Hello!

Boo! 2011

Seriously they are so cute. We had a great time eating dinner, walking around and then coming back for fun with the family aunts, uncles, grammas, grandpas, great grammas and great grandpas- NOthing like Halloween with the kids! Aiden had a little costume change after being a knight which he liked, thank goodness. Then it was on to skeleton pajamas and Super Why capes. Overall a very successful night.

Pumkpkin Patch 2011

This year we decided to go back to Hawes because Aiden would be able to do more and my parents hadn't been there. It was a great Sunday afternoon. I love the changes they made where one price for everything and really the $12 was worth it. Aiden loved it so much and there was so much to do. WE were there for 3 hours and we probably could have done another hour or two if he wasn't needing a nap at the end. I love fall and I love taking this kids picture, today was a bit warm and Aiden wasn't up much for smiling at the camera because he just wanted to play mom! We are so lucky and it will be a memory for a long time!

Air Show- our way this year

Our chairs
My adorable son

Some amazing shots

Aiden telling me "I'm tired of saying cheese:...thank god for the girls in this picture otherwise I would have deleted it!

So instead of paying to go this year...we drove out to the Z&H Dersch jobsite while the boys all stayed and watched football at the Chandlers' - the boys were happy, the kids were happy and we didn't have to be worried about any of them getting lost. It was awesome and they thought it was pretty cool, sometimes scary, sometimes neat and VERY LOUD! IN two years when it comes back, we will be ready again!

The Reception

The party really getting going-Robyn anyone?

The Ekman siblings- Asa, Niklas, Josefin, Claes and Sandra



Claes and Monika
- can't wait for her to open a bakery

Sandra and Peter (Aiden loves Peter!) Can't wait for them to come to the U.S. -right?

The beautiful couple's first dance

Finally a group shot! 11:00pm

Cake time

The older brother and sister chat

Aiden's pal Roger

I mean look at this courtyard

Aiden of course has no clue where he is playing- just being a bad guy...

The intimate reception dining area

Together.....2011

First off let us start with that we feel bad for the Swedes who came to our very warm wedding in July, outside with a bunch of Americans and we had buffet! Just joking. This wedding was at an old castle that was just amazing. A Swedish wedding is more intimate- this was 65 people and we sat in this room where the food (And booze) was amazing for 6 hours while there was many courses of food and wine, speeches, songs, programs that look like books, kisses, videos of the bachelor and bachelorette parties (so not like ours) and so much new that it was awesome. Everyone was so kind and amazed that we were there and they took a lot of time to welcome us, say there speeches in English and to include us in everything. Some new things for us were the fact that you don't sit by your significant other- even if married- you sit by new people and it is so cool because you have to talk and you become so engaged in the whole event. We caught on to most of the cheers rituals and kissing the couple things quickly, and it was a beautiful evening. Aiden did pretty well in the baby room (he was the only toddler because it was not a wedding for children just babies) until the 8 babies sort of melted down together, and all the Swedish got to him, so he joined dinner for one dessert course and then fell asleep with the Ipad and Scooby Doo (PS- the Ipad was the greatest addition to our trip). He played with Roger (Josefin's dad) forever bad guys and he loved the princess - Josefin and the pink Princesses (Asa and Sandra - her sisters). Of course he was loved by all and we were constantly being asked if he was ours:) The wedding was moved to the top floor of the castle for cake and after-dinner drinks and of course the DANCING. The dancing was so much fun and we stayed for awhile but we had a very early leave (5:30am) so we retired about 1:00ish - our rooms were under the dance floor though so we heard most of the songs still:)

IN the morning we quietly awoke and re-packed our car and left, sadly for a 3 hour trip to Gotenborg. It was again a beautiful drive and so different from the city life we had left a few days ago. We are so not in a city setting with trains, and busses and including walking time- we just get up and go to the car-always. Leaving Gotenborg was easy, London was a cinch and the plane ride home the first 5 hours , slow! Then AIden fell asleep and it went faster and we arrived to San Francisco. We felt okay until about Dunnigan and then the jet lag really caught up with Kellin and myself, so it was the longest 2 hours of my life. At 11:15pm on Sunday we rolled into showers, bed, and prayed Aiden would sleep. He did well till about 2:30am- ate some cereal, watched 2 innings of Giants baseball and went back to bed. I awoke and went to Day 1 of work and Kellin and Aiden took it easy Monday.

All in all in was an amazing trip. We have recovered fairly well. Early to bed this week, but early to rise so that has been nice. I can't believe I was in Europe last weekend and here this one! I am so proud of us for going, it was a big turning point for us from where we were two years and two months ago. To be there for Josefin was a dream come true and the start of something really special for us as a family. We can't wait to go back and we can't wait for them to come (June 2012) less than a year from now! Thank you for reading if you stuck around all this time!

Pretty good lookin'

Some pretty good looking people were at this wedding :)

Swedish Drive

We ventured out of Stockholm alone....in a very packed station wagon and headed to Linkopling....we made it in the time we were supposed to and with everyone. It was a beautiful drive and we ended up at this amazing golf course were of course the newlyweds were putting us up for the night with them and the sisters. We were so fortunate to be with them and be a part of everything. The next morning we had an amazing breakfast and watched as an amazing Swedish sunny day was in store for the wedding. We found the castle where the reception was and our rooms, hurridly got dressed in our suits and dresses and headed to an amazing church for the ceremony. The wedding ceremony was in this amazing old church with just beautiful pieces everywhere. Everything was so perfect, the singing amazing, the couple looked stunning and similar to what we were used to- just not in English- :) We knew the main idea and it was beautiful. Josefin was a stunning bride and she just looked like she was as happy as I had ever seen her. Very special to be a part of and important to me that she came to our wedding day and we got to be at hers.