Butchy Clause

This past weekend we had our Christmas in Sarasota with Mark’s parents. Sam and baby Abigail flew down from Louisville and we got to spend time with them. Because Steve works for UPS he is banned from taking time off before Christmas so he couldn’t come. We had such a good time. Abby and Aiden were too cute together and it reminded us of how much we miss seeing them.
The big plan was to take the kids to the mall to see Santa. It was like a scene from the Christmas story. The line was wrapped around in a loop. After I went to investigate I also discovered that the cheapest Santa picture package was $20.00. So we weighed the options and quickly left. Later on Mark’s uncle showed up with a Santa outfit that he had for years. We dressed up ole Butch and made a Butchy-Clause. The pictures below paint a very clear picture of what went down.
I would also like to add just how cute my niece is. She is a hoot. Baby girl Abby has the whole package. She has the looks and definitely has a personality! I can’t wait to see her again.

Kicking off the season

This weekend we kicked off the holiday season. On Friday night we took Aiden to see Santa. It was past Aiden's bedtime so we were taking bets on how he would act. Mark walked him up to Santa, set him in his lap and Aiden smiled. It was very cute. He was feeling his red velvet suit, and looking for the jingle bells up santa's sleeve that he would occasionally ring.



Then on Saturday, we went to the Celebration of lights parade downtown with Dana. Once again Aiden had a great time and it ended up not being as cold as it was supposed to be. We came with fuzzy hats, scarves, and blankets and at one point had to take them off because we got hot.
This is Aiden in his cute hat with Dana.


Today we went to the Christmas tree farm, picked out, and cut down our own tree. Then we ventured into Walmart to try to start shopping, took a look around at all the madness and soon left to try again later.


Tonight Aiden watched as we put the lights on the tree and was completely satisfied. What a little trooper.

His father's son

Aiden continues to grow and change on a daily basis leaving me with mixed emotions of excitement in what is next to come and sadness of what has already passed. This passed week he realized just how strong his vocal cords can be. Our house is now filled with the sweet sounds of baby squeals, but at times baby screams. On a regular basis Aiden is a happy baby and very content however there are times when sweet Aiden does not get his way and you would think that the world is coming to a crashing end. It gives me glimpses of what the toddler years are going to be like with him. I have already begun praying for patience during these times.



Aiden is working on the crawling thing but has yet to get that left leg going. This is something that I am currently obsessed over and I know before I now it he will be everywhere into everything, so I am trying not to worry about it.

We recently had our first teething cookie and for a first time mom this was a very nerve racking experience. The two teeth that Aiden continues to sport are his secret weapon. The little dude can bite like you would not believe. So instead of kind of sucking on the little dissolving cookie, our Aiden bites chunks off. This results in a gagging child, a mommy with her finger in the back of a throat and cookie and slobber everywhere. We have tried this twice and are presently putting the cookie thing on hold.



He changes everyday and we are having so much fun with him!

Pre-Thanksgiving

So we decided that the Holidays started early for us this year. Friday night My Aunt and Uncle and cousin came and stayed with us. We had fun hanging out all night and just being goofy. Then on Saturday we had a big pre-Thanksgiving day bash out at our house with a bunch of our friends and family. Everyone brought food. Mark fried a turkey and my mom made ham. We ate too many starches and desserts, but it was so good! After the food settled, the kids ran around, the babies napped and the adults played kickball! It was wonderful to have everyone over and reminded us how truly thankful for all of our friends and family! We love you guys! Here are some pictures of some of the little ones. I didn’t take as many pictures as I would have liked but I was too busy enjoying myself, and at least one of the kids was always napping. For Thanksgiving we are off to Nana and Grumpa's in Sarasota. This will be Aiden's first trip there! Pray for a safe, quiet trip!

This is Aiden and his cousin Alexa. This was their first meeting.


The only picture I had of Jackson and Adah playing in the hammock.


Ranen crawled all over the place. What a little man!


Aiden and Clark having some quality tummy time!

Post Halloween

I have gotten behind on my blogger responsibilities. For Halloween we went to the Alley's house and they had a fun little fall party. All kids dressed up, and Carey dressed up like her ninja hubby Spencer. Everyone was too cute. These are pictures of most of the little ones, Aiden and sweet Libby, and Aiden and his buddy Clark.

Pumpkin Patch

This weekend we took Aiden to the Pumpkin Patch. He was really into the little pumpkins, and was amazed by all the things going on. It was a nice family outing.

Fall Fun

So… in celebration of Fall,and to amuse myself Aiden and I had a early morning costume photo shoot. Many of our friends have shared costumes with us so there are lots to choose from. Needless to say we had a great time up until Aiden stuck a fall leaf in his mouth. After that incident I decided that the photo shoot was over. I am not into sticking fingers down my child's throat to retrieve things.

Quack, Quack, mom!


Our little pumpkin.


Baby green giant



Little Bitty Kitty and Coletrane




This is such a fun age to me. Aiden is extremely interactive and loves to smile and laugh. He also loves to grab my face and kiss me. This is my favorite.

This weekend Mark’s parents came to visit. We had fun up until Sunday morning at 2am when poor Aiden was so stopped up he could not breathe. He went back to sleep at about 6am only after screaming for 4 hours off and on. The rest of the day was not much better. He was hard to console and not much made him happy. I also think that more teeth are adding to the mix.

Check out more pictures that our friend Julie took. Thanks Julie- I love them!

Now I will finish my random thoughts as I have a sick, sleeping baby in my lap. To sleep in my lap while I play blogger, and after his 3 hour nap this aftenoon lets me know that he really is tuckered out.

It's Friday!

Work is going very well. Aiden loves it and so do I. My class started this week and I have the cutest little kids. They are extremely little compared to the kids I have been teaching for the past couple of years so that has taken some getting used to. The other thing that I am used to is having maybe 2 parents show up for orientation. This is not the case at Celebration. Laura, (my co-teacher) and I had close to 40 family members in our room at one time this past Tuesday. Moms, Dads, Grandma's and they all brought their video camera's and camera's. I felt like breathing into a paper bag at one point, but it ended very well. I had 3 mom's ask to be our room mom. It is so nice to have parent involvement.
Aiden is coming home completely worn out from his day. He goes to bed at about 7:30 and I am struggling to wake him up to go to school in the morning. Mark and I usually bring him into our room in the morning and he continues to sleep with the lights on, the news on the t.v. and Mark and I calling his name to wake him up. He is his father's son.

The other thing that happened this week is that Aiden had two little teeth cut through his bottom gum. Today they were hurting him some but with a few teething tablets and baby tylenol we were on our way to smiley land. He is such a sweet boy!

School Days

Aiden and I both started school this week. On Sunday we had our first faculty meeting of the year at Golden Eagle. I don't think that I have ever worked with such a lovely group of women. They all seem so genuine and kindhearted. Working in a christian environment really makes a tremendous difference. Aiden's teacher's name is Ms. Venita and she is such a wonderful woman. She has five children of her own and used to have an in home day care. She is one of those people that you can instantly tell how much she loves God. So I never worried about leaving Aiden. In fact I wouldn't worry about leaving him with anyone on staff. He did pretty good. Whenever I would peek in (as I did often) he was always being well taken care of.

This is how I found him today when I came to pick him up. He was taking a stroll with his good buddy Noah, flirting with some nearby teachers. Noah is my friend Laura's little boy. We are co-teaching together this year, and this is the first time either of us have left the boys. It has been nice to have someone who understands why you can't concentrate on anything but him for the first part of the day. Yeah for Celebration Baptist!

These are the days of our lives...

Hello out there! So here is the latest Kagy scoop. That cute rolling over thing that Aiden was doin'- not so cute anymore. Before his rolling trick, at bed time he would just conk out with his arms in the air and his legs spread wide. Now, he rolls. Then he gets MAD!!! He gets on his stomach and gets stuck and screams. Our bedtime routine has not been so routine. I keep telling myself "this too shall pass." Lately Mark has had to work quite a bit due to the upcoming football season. Well this has not made his sweet Coletrane very happy. I think he is feeling a bit neglected. I was always very proud of the fact that we had a puppy that never chewed anything up. I thought that after a year we were in the clear. I was wrong. He chewed his dog bed that I made him to pieces. There was stuffing everywhere, then he chewed a travel size bar of soap and box up out of Mark's suitcase. Then he walked across the living room the other day with Mark's referee hat in his mouth - chewed to shreds. The funny thing was that he did it with such ease like "what are you going to do about this?" Dumb mutt. Don't tell Mark I said that. :-)Finally I have contracted a disease over the past couple of years that I like to call stupid ear syndrome. Every 6 months or so I seem to develop major ear infections. I take all precautionary measures but the still form. They swell up and close shut and I can't hear a thing. Not to mention it is extremely painful. That is what I have done this week. SO I am done being a sissy. That's what's up with the Kagy's.

My Space junkie

One of our friends posted a blog about his wife creating a my space account a while back. I commented and at the time could not really understand what the big deal was about. Since then I have completely become captivated by this . You can really get carried away with how much time you spend on it. It is completely addicting. You can look at one persons page then move to another, then another. Before you know it, you are communicating with someone you haven't seen in ten years. I can't stop- I need a 12 step program- maybe I should call Dr. Phil. Hello-my name is Danielle (sniff, sniff), and I am a My space junkie.
Add me! www.myspace.com/dkagy

Mr. Snugs

Lately Aiden has really taken to this stuffed giraffe/blanket. When he gets upset Mark or I will place the blanket on him or in his arm and he will almost instantly calm down. I was calling this his "lovey." I have since decided that lovey was pretty girly so now he will be known as Snugs as in Snuggles. Here is Aiden with Snugs and also with Aunt Lauren.

I had fun at your house last night Lidy!

Roly Poly Aiden

For so long Aiden has been in the squishy little infant stage. He didn't really do much, just really liked to be held. This was okay with me for I envisioned having a little boy that loved to snuggle with his mama. Now all of a sudden he is turning into a big boy right under my nose! Now instead of being held he would much rather play on the floor so he can look around. He also turns his head to anything that is making noise. This may be the dog, it may be Mark. He just wants to check it out. Just the other day I had to put away some of his sleepers that he is too long for and it made me realize how fast the past three months have gone. I know I've said this over and over- but it is a hard thing to accept. They do grow up.

His latest accomplishment happened yesterday. I guess he decided that he was tired of looking at those silly baby toys and he rolled over to his tummy. Since then he refuses to lay still. Whether he is on his back or his tummy he is trying to rock to roll to the other side. He hasn't done it since, but he is working on it. I guess all that eating he has been doing has made him into a little strong man. It made me think of this song that I heard the Dixie Chics sing once.

Roly Poly eatin' corn and taters
Hungry every minute of the day
Roly Poly gnawin' on a biscuit
As long as he can chew it it's okay

He can eat an apple pie and never even bat an eye
He likes anything from soup to hay
Roly Poly,
Daddy's little fatty
I bet he's going to be a man some day

Roly Poly, scarmbled eggs for breakfest
Bread and jelly twenty times a day
Roly Poly, eats a hearty dinner
He needs lots strength to sing and play

He's up at dawn to do the chores
Runs both ways to all the stores
He works up an appetite that way
Ro-oly Poly
Daddy's little fatty
Fatty's going to be a man some day

"Fatty's going to be a man some day." Yikes!

Home Sweet Home

We returned from our trip Thursday afternoon around 4:30. The trip back took a little while longer but we had to add another stop for a diaper emergency, and I do mean emergency. We also stopped at a Chik-fil-a called a Dwarf House. It was very bizarre. You had to wait to be seated and then the waitress handed you a menu that had all of the exact same things on it as a regular Chik-fil-a. Then they serve your food on plates instead of trays. It was nice- I just don't recommend it if you are on the go. The only difference was that you wait a little while longer.

The last day of our vacation we went to Cherokee, North Carolina. The hour and a half trip took three hours to get there. Aiden and ABigail decided that they didn't want to be in the car that day and proceeded to tag team us with the crying. By the end of the drive I was convinced that I may need something stronger than a coke at lunch. We played for a while in the town and then headed back. Our vacation flew by. We had so much fun with the family, but at the same time it was kind of sad because Steve and Sam live so far away the next time I see Abby she may be walking!

All good things must come to an end at least for a little while.

Vogel State Park

Today we took off to Vogel State Park. It was only about 30 minutes from our cabin. We walked the shortest of all the hikes. It was only about a mile. The other hikes were much longer at 4, 8, and 12 miles, and much more intense. Half way through you could cut off the main trail and walk down to the bottom of a small waterfall. It wasn't very big but it was beautiful. The babes did a wonderful job and loved the sound of the waterfall. There was so much to look at they barely made a peep the whole time. There was so much beautiflu scenery to take in and the weather was absolutely perfect and humidity free.The park also had a beach area. By the end of all of the fun with two babies, we were ready for lunch. We didn't know a lot about the park so we did not bring our lunch so we went into the town and ate lunch.

After lunch we went back to Blue Ridge and we went to an ice cream store that made their own waffle cones and ice cream. It was YUMMY! We were then full as little ticks and went home to nap and relax.

Aiden was born three months ago today! It has flown by.

Settler Mania

Today we hung out around the cabin. Aiden is still adjusting so I spent most of the day trying to make or keep him happy. The word vacation is taking on a new meaning for me. Steve decided that he wanted to go canoeing. So the boys took off looking for some places to go. Two hours later, and after a trip to North Carolina (not on purpose), they came home without any luck and had some lunch.

This afternoon we played several rounds of Settlers of Catan. Abby and Aiden are in training and are going to be ready to take on even Carey Mitchell soon. Everyone had enough smack talk and we went down the mountain. Mark, Steve, Sam and I went. At the bottom of the mountain there was a slow moving river. We took off our shoes and socks and walked in the freezing water. Mainly Steve and Mark did and Sam and I sat on a rock and tested the water with our toes. The water was quite chilly.

After some dinner we relaxed in the hot tub and now Mark and his parents are playing Catan AGAIN!!!

Tomorrow we are off to Vogel State Park. No more laziness. We are off to see a waterfall.

We made it

Well, all of us made it in one piece to the cabin. We got here yesterday. Aiden did very well on the way up. He whined off and on for the first hour and then slept the rest of the way with the exception of stopping to eat. We were so excited to see our beautiful house and to meet our sweet Abigail. Let me tell you... she is something else. She loves to talk and has such a wonderful disposition. She has the most fabulous eyes and loves to use them to flirt.

Today Aiden was a cranky pants! He fussed all day. We went to an orchard that was supposed to be one of the largest in the southeast. I was thinking I may get to get up close to some kind of fruit bush or maybe even a tree. No way. It was a tourist trap and mainly just a fruity gift shop. We did buy a bag of white peaches. They are so yummy. I highly recommend them. So after that we went to the down town area that has tons of shops and ate at a fifties themed cafe. All of the food items stuck to the theme like "Bird is the word" chicken sandwich, "Big Bad John hamburger", and the "Suzy Q sloppy Joe." It was a hole in the wall but very good. They were also known for there world famous malt shakes. Go figure.

We went home shortly after that. The babies were done.

We saw a turkey went we got home outside.

I hope Aiden straightens up tomorrow.

Like a little weed

Aiden is growing like a little weed. I am amazed at how much he changes in a span of a week. He goes from just sitting and staring one day to smiling and attempting to laugh the next. He is turning into a pretty content little boy. When he does fuss he is either tired or hungry. Isn't that when most boys fuss?

So the other day he was on the changing table and I was talking to him about something, and he was getting very excited. His eyes were wide, and legs were kicking away. Then out of no where he let out the most high pitched squeal I ever heard. Well, this startled him and he took a deep breath in. I was also shocked but then flashed him a big smile, and in return I received a huge gummy smile. So I thought it would be funny to squeal back at him. Well then he sqealed back at me. It was quite entertaining and went on for the next five minutes or so. I thought about getting the video camera but I knew the moment would be lost.

This weekend we will be heading to Blueridge, Georgia to a cabin to stay a week with Mark's parents, and his brother Steve, his wife Sam, and our sweet new niece that was born just a couple hours after Aiden, Abigail. I can't wait to meet her! I will try to post pictures through out the week. Until then I have some packing and praying to do. 6 hours with Aiden in the car. Am I extremely brave, or just crazy?

OUCH!

Today was Aiden's 2 month check up. He is 2 1/2 months ols and he weighs 12 pounds and 14 ounces. He screamed the entire time the doctor was checking him out. I read him a book and he finally calmed down. Then the mean ole nurse came in and gave him four shots. Mark held his arms and the nurse did her dirty work. He screamed so hard that there was no sound coming out. Mark picked him up and he was completely done with his fit. He is such a trooper!

When we were through with our Doctor visit we went to see my friend Laura and her kids. Her little boy Noah is the happiest baby I have ever been around. He is 2 months older than Aiden.
He is really into Aiden and I don't think Aiden even knows he is alive. So Noah will try to grab Aiden's nose or ear and Aiden will fuss. Good times. Here are some pictures of the two of them hangin' out. I think little boys are so much fun. I can't wait to see what they will be like in a couple of years. My opinion may change. We shall see.

Happy 4th of July!

This fourth of July we did what many other Americans did. We hung out by the pool and grilled out. We went to our friend Brandon's house at the coast and swam in his pool. This was Aiden's first time in the pool and he really enjoyed it. After we coated him from head to toe with Baby spf 50 we floated around and cooled off. Thankfully the pool did have one patch of shade. This was so nice. Aiden slept the whole way home. He was tuckered out! After he woke up we played and sang songs and I got a taste of his first laugh. It was too cute! He soon hit the bed and slept all night long. Sleeping babies... What a blessing!

Later that night we heard the sound of fireworks going off outside so we ran outside and witnessed our own fireworks display. Living in the middle of no where can have its advantages. People bought their own fireworks and they were shooting them off from three different directions. We had such a good day!