Aeden the Wrestler

Being the middle child, Aeden has gotten a bit of a shaft when it comes to sports.  So when a mini-wrestling season came along, Bryan wanted him to try it out.  He has been twice so far.  At the end of his meet on Thursday, Bryan asked him how it went.  In a word,  "AWESOME!"  It's obvious some of the other kids have been wrestling since birth, so I was really proud of him for not getting discouraged, and for picking up on it so quickly.  My favorite is that all of the pics we have of him (most of the action shots are blurry), even when he's in a choke hold, he's smiling :)  

Aeden's Little Birthday Party

I have always tried to do parties for my kids for their birthdays, but I couldn't get my stuff together last week to have Aeden's party, so we did it this week instead. He invited 3 of his little buddies from Sunbeams, plus Zerin, Liah and Asher. His only requests were a cars party and party hats. Fair enough. We played a bunch of silly games, did presents and cake. His only complaint was how short it was (1 hour 45 minutes, it was the perfect amount of time if you ask me). It was so much fun...I love this age. Aeden blowing out his candles for the 2nd time

(he blew them out the first time before we even began singing)
Ashton, Dean, Simon and Aeden
I love how they're each doing their own "thing"... the cool look, the monster face, the hat on the ear, the cheezy grin...awesome :)

Dean and Aeden.

Ashton and Aeden.

Ashton was SO funny...this was the closest thing to a smile I could get out of him :)

Simon and Aeden

Aeden McKay turns 4!!!

Tomorrow promises to be a bit psychotic in terms of being busy with 3 doctor appointments, another thingie, not to mention all of the partying we plan on doing, but I wanted to make sure and give a shout out to my little man who is turning 4.

Aeden is, wow, how do you describe Aeden? Aeden is a living, breathing, walking, talking, LOUD, adorable little happy thought. He LOVES talking to people. If he has a thought going through his mind, you would have a better chance at stopping rain half way down than you would getting him to stop talking mid-thought. He has THE most random thoughts ever. For example, this morning, before even delivering his pre-dawn greeting, he informed me that Daddy's face does 'this' [insert scrunchy-stretched smiling face] when he ties his shoes. Good to know. He creates happiness wherever he goes...I dare you not to smile at least once while in his presence. In short, Aeden just makes the world a better place. Love you Aeden!!!

Where Aeden Wants to Serve a Mission...

I had to go get Zerin a new white shirt today for church...isn't it amazing at how quickly boys can turn nice white shirts nasty??? Anyways, so after Zerin and Liah left for school, I took the little boys to the LDS Distribution Center. While we were waiting in line, the lady that was checking us out asked Aeden if he was going on a mission someday, and he said, "Uh-huh!" Then she asked him where he wanted to go, to which Aeden responded, "I don't know where Heavenly Father wants to send me yet." Man, I love my little boy :)

More Aeden Moments...

I had to show off some more pix that my friend Courtney did, and at the same time tell you of yet more of Aeden's cute moments. This pic, by the way is him pointing to the flag on his shirt. He was so proud of his "FWAG" shirt...what a crack up :)

The other morning, he woke up early, so he came and snuggled with me on the couch while I read. Out of the blue, he asks me "Does Jesus have hangers?" I was caught a bit off guard, thinking I must have misunderstood him, so I asked him to repeat himself. He enunciated as well as a three year old can and repeated, "Does JE-SUS have hangers?" "Um, I don't know on that one buddy, why?" He pointed over to a metal star hanging on our wall that clung to nail by a little round hanger. "He has to have hangers so he can hang up all the stars." Okay, Aeden ;)

Yesterday, we went to the cemetary to try and fix this tree that they planted when Bryan's dad passed away. It got some kind of a fungus, and was underwatered, so we're trying to bring it back to life. Anyways, so while I was working on it, the kids went in the van and got wet wipes and started cleaning the birdie poopies off the headstone. Aeden, as he tenderly wiped the stone with his siblings, and in his NOTICABLY quiet sweet voice, said, "It's okay, Poppa, I cleaning off the poop!"

Aeden LOVES to talk to the baby, and he loves sharing that experience with others. He gets right up next to my tummy, takes it in his little hands, and says "Hi Baby!" in his super high quiet voice. He loves to tell any random person we meet that I am his mommy, and that this is his baby sister "Bay-WYN." One day we were at church, and I was talking to some people, and they made some comment about the baby while Aeden was standing next to me. He, without missing a beat, pulled up my shirt, and said "She's right here, you can say 'hi'." Good times :)

What are we raising here???

Okay, so it's been pretty hot here, so when Bryan caught all three of the kids wearing these hats, it was a bit strange to begin with. I just have no words...

Thank goodness for talented friends!!!

My friend Courtney took these cute pics of the kids. Asher was in kind of a crusty mood all night, and the other 3 were bouncing off the walls, but she still managed to get some darling shots! I still have more to get from her, but I couldn't wait to share these! I can't believe after 18 months, I am finally going to have a good pic of all four of my kids!!!! :)

My Aeden McKay turns 3

Anyone who has spent any amount of time around Aeden lately, understands what I mean when I say he is the People's Preschooler. The boy has a faithful following of faithful admirers...and he knows it :)

He is the happiest kid (unless he's not), and has an overabundance of exuberance...if that's possible :)

He loves getting his picture taken, but I wouldn't call him arrogant...rather, he just knows a good thing when he sees it :)

He likes trucks.

He is a little OCD when it comes to cleaning and putting things away. Wonder where that came from??? :) I'll give you a hint, it didn't come from me.

He loves Deek.

If he doesn't want to listen to what you are saying, he will cover his ears and say he can't hear me. I am usually laughing too hard to remember what I was telling him to do.

When we tell him he needs to use the big boy potty, he tells us that it's Mommy's and Daddy's job to change his diapers. The boy has a point :)

He usually talks in a REALLY loud

voice, and when you ask him to talk quietly, he'll respond with "I'm just SAYING...(and then repeat the entire conversation at the exact same volume)."

He loves wearing a tie.

He loves reading.

He enjoys taking our coffee table for a drive...it is his main mode of transportation you know.

He will call you on not paying attention to every detail of his hour long conversation with an intense

look, grabbing your face in his hands and emphatically saying, "you're not listening to me!"

He loves to go on bike rides.

He is better than a junkyard dog when it comes to protecting things and people. He is fiercely protective.

He was my biggest baby at 9 lbs 8 oz ...but by far, my easiest delivery.

He makes me laugh...HARD...every single day.

He had a perma-bump/bruise on his forehead from age 1 to age 2 1/2 until he got better at negotiating his enormous head :)

He loves his siblings...even the one he swears he doesn't like (Asher!).

He is all boy, but if Liah wants him to play house, he transforms into her little sister and will wear necklaces, purses, and any amount of makeup she's sees fit to inflict upon him.

Family prayer always begins with a wrestling match when he is around.

He unconditionally loves everyone, and isn't afraid to show it. Today, we got into a disagreement because he insisted on going across the street to say hi to the city workers that were trimming the trees.

The Truck

This is the not quite complete story of my husband's dad's truck. It is a beautiful piece of art, as any of his siblings and mom will attest to, though I'm pretty sure at least his siblings were a bit surprised when it finally emerged from the garage after 15+ years to see that it had somehow managed to shrink a bit :)

This was the truck that Bryan's dad babied. Dad was a talented improviser, and a bit of a jerry rigger, but not when it came to this truck. The interior looks like it just came off the production line. The paint job is a one of a kind (or at least it was until everyone started copying it because it looked so flippin' awesome!). And it has all sorts of little custom detailing he did himself. It is a beautiful, beautiful piece of work.

Through a series of circumstances, and for a variety of reasons, we decided to buy it from his mom, with some hesitancy. It held memories for ALL of his siblings, but especially Andy and Dallin, so it didn't seem fair that any of us should end up with it. It was Dad's baby...and doing anything with his baby without him there...that's just hard. That has been true with most of his things as we have started the sorting and cleaning process, but especially with his beloved trucks. Luckily, Dallin and Alex have born the major burden of the cleanup projects at Mom's house up to this point, and Marne has been Mom's shoulder and rock as she has gone through the house, room by room to sort through years and years of memories. It makes me glad we'll have at least five kids to spread the love around :)

And as fun as it was to dream and hope that Mom would take the truck up as her primary source of transportation, she chose the van. I guess a truck maybe isn't her most practical option at this stage of her life, but man, would she have looked cute :).

With a little nudging (and a lot of elbow grease) from his brother, Alex, last weekend it came out of the garage. It wasn't running, so they towed it to the mechanic. It had a lot of work to be done just from sitting so long, so we weren't expecting to get it back anytime soon. So when his mom came over yesterday, acting like a giddy school girl saying it was sitting in front of the shop, ready to go, we were all very surprised! She gave Bryan a ride to pick it up. He was even in the middle of making pizza (which he loves doing) and he just left! For him, that's saying something :)

When he pulled up to the house behind the wheel of the truck, I saw something I haven't seen for a while....a big, huge smile. He told me later that he felt guilty that a "thing" had made him so happy.

Now backing up for a minute, Bryan has been missing his Dad a lot lately. A couple days ago, when he finished his bookshelves, he got up to go find his dad to show him. He caught himself before he got too far, but he's just really been missing him lately. I think, more than the truck making him happy, he felt close to Dad. And when you are missing someone so bad it aches, that is truly a gift.

Now this story wouldn't be complete without telling you about Aeden. Aeden "helped" last weekend with the whole yanking the truck from the garage adventure. His helping was mostly him screaming loudly each time it moved :) So when he saw the truck in the front yard yesterday, he dropped what he was doing and ran screaming to Bryan, "THE TRUCK! THE TRUCK!" Aeden is a pretty animated kid, but I have NEVER seen him that excited about something. It was fun for Bryan to have a partner in crime, I think. Aeden wanted to take the truck out on the town, but had to settle for a ride around the block. When he asked Daddy to go again, Bryan told him we had to pay money to get a special sticker so we could drive it. Aeden was like, "It's okay, Daddy. I'll make a gicker." Later, Andy took it for a drive around the block. When he came back, Aeden mistakingly thought Andy was taking the truck (for good) and oh, he was not going to have any of that! "You CAN'T take the guck!!!" Good thing Andy has a sense of humor with Aeden's overprotectiveness :) That night, as Alex and Danelle left, Alex jokingly told Aeden to go give the truck a kiss. Without missing a beat, he ran from the house into the 20 degree weather in his jammies, and gave the front wheel well a tender loving kiss.

At least we know it will be loved well into the next generation... :)

What happens when Mom and Dad are a bit off their game:

Aeden & Asher taking Shadeau for a ride in their "boat."
Aeden & Liah teaching Asher to snort over breakfast.
Good times :)

A trip to the I Am A Child Of God exhibit at the Church Museum

Today for preschool, we went downtown to the Church I am a Child of God exhibit they have in the Church museum. It is so cute their...I wish my playroom at my new house could look like that :) I am in a rush, so the pics are out of order...oh well :) The big hit was playing doctor. All of the girls...and Aeden loved that part. Aeden in fact played doctor with the little stethescope in his hears pretty much the entire time. Afterwords, we went to the Brigham Young park on the corner of state and north temple. It is so pretty there...I wish my veggie garden could look like that :) Sorry about the sun, but I loved this first pic of Liah.

"How to listen" by Aeden

On one of our many trips to the new house this week, the kids were sitting watching the progress unfold in our newly dug basement. At one point, I looked over and saw Aeden. He was looking away from the hole, holding something up to his ear and focusing really hard! As I got closer, I could see it was a snail shell (I was relieved to learn it was empty as I am terrified of snails!) He switched ears a couple of times, his intense look never changing. One of the many times, my children have taught me.

3 Funny Stories...

Funny Story #1: Every night, the kids all jump on Daddy's lap for a bedtime story or two. Now that Zerin can read, somehow, everyone ended up on his lap this time for "Go Dog, Go." Bryan's lap was good with the break :) Funny Story #2: We went to the dentist last week, and discovered that not only are Zerin's bottom 2 teeth loose, but one of his permanant teeth is already coming in behind one of the baby teeth. The dentist tells Zerin that he has 2 weeks to get that baby tooth out, or else he'll have to pull it. So last night, Zerin was eating his "sugar daddy head" (not really sure why he calls it that, but he does), when all of the sudden...out pops one of his bottom 2 teeth! He was so excited, he could hardly stand it. The funny part of this story? It wasn't the tooth that is going to have to get pulled :)

Funny Story #3: (as told by Bryan) Liah was outside in her barefeet walking around in the backyard and stepped on a sticker (pokie thing). She was brave and dug it out herself. She didn't, however, want to put on shoes. So, she compromised with herself, and wore one shoe around for the rest of the afternoon.

Oh What Do You Do In the Summertime?

Pick Giant Weeds
Have a baby feeding party
Make a bed in the bathtub at midnight
Look cute in new school clothes.

Meet the Fam...

Meet Zerin

Age: 6 going on 35

Favorite Activity: Going on long bike rides with Daddy

Favorite Foods: Pizza, Top Ramen, Tacos, McDonalds hamburgers with nothing but the patty and bun

Biggest Fear: Eating a Vegetable

Biggest Accomplishment: Making it to the top of Grandma and Grandpa's treehouse by myself

Biggest Quirk: I have to smell everything. The fork, the monkeybars, the shoes...everything.

Biggest Talent: Climbing!

Favorite Subject in School: Math (it's easy), and Reading. I love to read.

What my mom likes best about me: Zerin can pretty much sit down and tell you, in order, every story in the Book of Mormon, all the characters, which are good guys, which are bad guys, and the morals of the stories. It is pretty incredible.

Meet Liah

Age: 4

Favorite Activity: Shopping for and trying on shoes

Favorite Foods: Broccoli, Pizza, Broccoli, and um, everything.

Biggest Fear: Alligators, and being alone

Biggest Accomplishment: Learning to ride a 2 wheeler. I am really good, my dad said so.

Biggest Quirk: I have to have pretties...especially when I am sad. Whether it's a blanket, a pillowcase, a ribbon...gotta have a pretty.

Biggest Talent: I am really good on my bike, and dancing, and making up songs

Favorite Thing to do when I'm home: I love to draw and make pictures. I make beautiful things.

What my mom likes best about me: Liah is so kind and selfless (most of the time hahaha). She worked so hard the other day earning money with her dad, and when she found out Zerin was a little short for something he wanted to buy, without a thought she handed over her hard earned cash.

Meet Aeden

Age: 2

Favorite Activity: Doing happy dance, riding bikes, jumping on the tramp, and swimming

Favorite Food: I devour pretty much everything.

Biggest Fear: Being thrown, going too high, or anything that seems scary

Biggest Accomplishment: I am 2...everything is an accomplishment.

Biggest Quirk: I cannot pass up an opportunity to cheese for the camera. Doesn't matter if I am supposed to be in the picture or not, I physically cannot restrain myself.

Biggest Talent: I make people happy.

Favorite thing to do when I'm home: I like Mommy and Daddy to read me books.

What my mom likes best about me: Aeden is our comic relief. Doesn't matter how on edge or stressed someone is, he comes up with some wacky thing and has that person laughing within seconds.

Meet Asher

Age: 7 months

Favorite Activity: Bathtime!!!

Favorite Foods: Peaches and Sweet Potatoes

Biggest Fear: Being alone

Biggest Accomplishment: I can do pushups! Not girl pushups either.

Biggest Quirk: I suck my pointer finger.

Biggest Talent: I am the world's best snuggler

Favorite thing to do when I'm home: Play with my brothers and sister with their toys.

What my mom likes best about me: Asher makes everyone he's around happy. Doesn't matter where we go, I always have a crowd around me vying for his attention.

Parades and Reunions...

We got to the Church for the Primary Parade and they asked Bryan to lead the pack. Liah and Zerin were right there at the front next to their dad...so proud! This was only Liah's 2nd official real road bike ride. Whatta girl. Bryan was beaming...like father like son :) Bryan's Dad in the Bountiful Parade with Andy and Bryan.

Some of the older kids flew ahead in front of cars and across streets against professional advice, but luckily guardian angels were on their toes that day :) Aeden didn't want to miss a thing, and even though he was going about a yard an hour, he just kept plugging along...

...until he saw THIS!

Then the older kids all came back and it was time for popcicles...good times.

Then a little later we made our way to Wanship for our Annual Hugie Family Reunion. My dad comes from a family of 9 kids, so even though not everyone can come, it's always a huge group. One of the highlights is the raffle. Everybody brings good, random or crappy things and they raffle them off. Zerin is INTO the raffle. In fact, he has been looking forward to this reunion, asking about it every morning when he wakes up just so he could be on his game for it. When the giant tub of cheeto balls was up for grabs, I've never seen him so attentive...carefully studying the numbers on his tickets...hilarious :) This year's winnings for our family include a fan necklace for Liah, Phase 10 for Zerin, and a broken electronic poker game for Aeden. Some of the kids even ventured over to feed the one-eyed horse. I was more than relieved Aeden didn't lose a hand since all the grass he was giving the horse was stuck tight in his fist :) Liah became best friends with her new cousin, Hailey (black dress) and her cousin Jade (pink dress). They followed each other everywhere. When it was time to eat and we called them to dinner, they looked at each other and said...

"We can't! We're FRIENDS!" Okay then...I can't exactly argue with that now can I :)