So proud...

My son is stubborn....really stubborn. He does not like to do things that he does not want to do. So, when we try to practice something or teach him new things, I have to take advantage of when he's in "the right mood." Thank God for his preschool teachers because he rarely wants to listen to me teach him anything. Given all of this, I get excited when he tells me he wants to write his name, or even try to write his name. For Ken's birthday card, he told me he was going to write his name all by himself....and he did!
Now, I know it's backwards, we're still working on making the D not look like a P, and he goes a little overboard with the lines on the E, but he was quite proud of himself!!
To add to my surprise, he told me he wanted to write on the envelope - he wrote this and I didn't even have to tell him how to spell it. "Dap" was impressed too :)He just continues to surprise me with what a smarty-pants he is (when he decides he wants to be and wants me to know!)

Happy Birthday Grandma!

We went to Grandma & Grandpa Frank's house last weekend for a fun BBQ for Grandma's birthday! Ayden insisted on picking out his own present and wrapping it himself....he even wanted to open it for her :) We couldn't find any birthday candles, but my mom insisted that Ayden had to have a candle to help her blow out, so we had to settle for a jar candle in the middle of the lemon bundt cake.

They have an ATV for Ayden at their house, but it needed a new battery, so he got to ride it using "daddy power."

Ayden has been obsessed with the idea of climbing trees lately. I have no idea where it came from - probably from a friend at school. He has asked numerous times if we will teach him how to climb a tree. When we are in a parking lot, he goes over to the trees to try to climb the trunk. Since our neighborhood (and pretty much everywhere around us) is such a new area, we don't have any "climbable" trees. Well, he found that Grandma's house has lots of trees to climb. Aunt Dominique kept a watchful eye and helpful shove to get him into the little tree on the patio.

So proud of himself!

It was time to move on to a bigger tree

He needed the long-armed help of Uncle Matthew for this one!

Fun day at the zoo

Last weekend, we spent a great day at the zoo and the park with Grandpa and Grandma Jill!
The little man!Both of my boys checking out the flamingoes.Petting a skinkHe said, "Look, I a zookeeper!"

After a picnic lunch in the park, he played a little T-ball

and moved on to some pitching - he even hit a few!

We tired him out!

He needed a ride back to the car

I thought he was taking a nap...

...but apparently he was playing "dress up"
This is why he doesn't dress himself :)