Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

New toy...

We busted out a new toy (well, really a hand-me-down from Cousin Noah) for Aaron this week - his excersaucer. It takes up the whole living room, but he loves it and it keeps him busy!

Uncle Kyle

This is a fun week for us because Aaron's Uncle Kyle (Melissa's younger brother) is home for Christmas break from Biola University in southern California. It always feels like we can really look forward to Christmas once he is home, and this year, we have the added bonus of meeting his girlfriend, Sarah, for the first time. The good news is is that Aaron definitely approves - She put him right to sleep, (which is not always an easy task) when she held him so I took that as a good sign =) It has been fun getting to know her and have Kyle home!

He gives strength to the weary....

Okay, well I (Melissa) tend to focus on the milestones and "smiling moments" on this blog, but I have to be honest that it was one rough week around this house... I have been battling a very nasty cold and Aaron has been on a kick of waking up crying every two hours at night for well over a week (not sure if it was due to teething, shots at the doctor last week, tummy aches from the new cereal?) Yesterday both of us hit the wall, as we were both exhausted, and I honestly don't know how we managed to get through all that I had to do since one or both of us was crying on and off constantly. I consider myself a fairly strong and stable person, so I kept wondering how everyone around me seems to manage so well being a mom and staying happy and sane, as well as feeling guilty for acting like my precious boy was a burden to me that day. I literally told God that He better show up and help me if He was good and faithful as He claimed. Oddly enough, someone read aloud on the radio the end of Isaiah 40, "He gives strength to the weary... Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." I am so grateful for this promise because I am merely at the beginning of this whole motherhood thing; I know that it will not be the last time that I will need God to provide the ability beyond my own to rise above what I am dealing with. And wouldn't you know it, guess who slept 8 hours last night without a peep? Psalm 105:1 "Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples."

Chompers

Doesn't this guy look proud of himself? That's right.... Aaron cut not just one, but TWO bottom teeth this past week! We wondered if it was coming with all the drool and obsession to put everything in his mouth. It's considered a little early for a 4 month old to get teeth already, but I guess maybe he's a little anxious to start eating more solids? We're thinking giving him a T-bone steak next month.... =) Anyway, it's good to know there's a little explanation to the extra fussiness and waking up several times in the night....

Cereal

The pediatrician told us this week that we could start feeding Aaron cereal this week, and to do it with a spoon as it can help him develop in his coordination and even his speech. So as you can, Aaron probably ends up wearing more cereal than he can swallow, but he seems to like getting something a little different besides milk!

4 months old

Grandma Fox bought some Christmas outfits for Aaron and Brynn (Aaron's cousin) to wear for a special photo shoot (courtesy of our friend Joy Carmona). Brynn was a real professional and posed great - Aaron, however... Well, let's just say he needed more encouragement at times =) We did end up getting some great shots as Joy is a real professional. Anyway, here's some of the pics - It also happened to coincide on Aaron's 4 month old birthday!

Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving, we packed up for the week to visit Lee's family in Colorado! So Aaron got to hang out with his Grandma and Grandpa Stephenson....


Uncle Spencer and Aunt Heidi (Lee's sister)....

Uncle Chad (Lee's brother).....

And Grandma and Grandpa Nussbaum (Lee's grandparents), who got to meet Aaron for the first time.

We had a great time and even a little bit of snow! Aaron was a great trooper and slept for many hours in the car, which made the trip a lot smoother. I think he gets a little worried now when I put him in his car seat - like he thinks he might be stuck in there for 12 or 13 hours....

Colorado bound

Today we are headed to Colorado Springs to visit Grandpa and Grandma Stephenson for Thanksgiving. So pictures and stories to come once we are back next week. Aaron will get to see snow for the first time, as it looks like they are predicting some pretty good storms. =) Pray for us if you think of us - 12 hours in the car will be a huge accomplishment for our family!

Parking Lot mess

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures for this entry - if so, they would have been priceless.... Today, Aaron decided to have a massive, poopy explosion at Babies R Us. I finished up our purchases while Lee ran back with Aaron to the car in the parking lot to change him. I came back to the car only to find Lee shirtless (the explosion went all over the front of him) and Aaron stripped to his diaper as Lee was struggling to wipe everything with a measley package of wipies. Lee looked completely overwhelmed, and I began laughing hysterically as other customers passed by sending sympathetic looks our way. As we drove home, me being the only one clothed in the car, Lee announced that Aaron was probably "covered in poop from his butt crack to his head!"

Eating my feet

So this week, Aaron is enjoying putting his feet in his mouth every chance he gets....


Honestly, I promise he is getting enough food....

Haircut day!!

The time has come! Daddy did a good job and Mommy's trying to cope with change.

Aaron at Play

If anyone knows Lee well enough, this video perfectly displays the "intense focus" gene that he passed onto Aaron. So as you can imagine, Aaron doesn't mess around when playing!

Sheriff Aaron

Each October at church, we all dress up and go out on a big scavenger hunt. So here is a picture of us in the Wild Wild West!

cousins

Just thought everyone might like to see an updated picture of Aaron and his cousin Brynn. And as you can see, Aaron's hair is getting long and thick - out of control! We may be due for a real haircut soon.....

Women's retreat

This weekend, Aaron and I (Melissa) traveled up north to Heber for our annual women's retreat. Since there are so many newborns right now at church, we had a special cabin set aside for all the babies and their moms! So here is Aaron with Cousin Brynn (in pink of course) and their friends, Asher Frandsen (stripes), Stephen Argabright (yellow), and Santiago Tautimez (light blue).

Wait a second..... Aaron is throwing a tantrum! Let's try something....

There that's better.... I wouldn't want anyone thinking our child is anything less than perfect all the time. After all, he is a P.K. you know.... =)

Anyway, we came home very tired and missing daddy, but we had a great time! I told Aaron that this will probably be his first and last women's retreat - they only let boys come on special occasions.... =)

Chatting Aaron

Since Aaron has come along, it is getting harder to get a word in ourselves!

A special day

October 7th was a busy and special day for us! We got to dedicate Aaron formally to the Lord at church! It was a great celebration and a wonderful blessing to have so many of our friend's and family's love and support as we continue to strive to raise Aaron in the Lord's ways. Cousin Brynn was also being dedicated so that made the occasion even more fun!

It was also my (Melissa's) birthday which made the day even more special - something I will always remember about my 29th birthday.

So after such a long day of celebrating, little Aaron was really tuckered out! He didn't make it through the party and fell asleep at Grandma and Grandpa Fox's house....

Bathtime

If there is one thing that Aaron loves, it's his baths! No matter what his mood is, a bath always calms him down and brings smiles right before bedtime.

Reading with Daddy

Our pediatrician told us yesterday that it was good to begin reading with Aaron. So here is Daddy and Aaron reading about the Prodigal Son.....

Faith like a child....

Around 9pm on Tuesday night, we noticed that we all felt hot and that the air conditioner wasn't kicking on! Since it is still in the upper 90s here, we had no desire to try to tough it out, so we decided to pack up and go Grandma and Grandpa Fox's for the night to sleep. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of packing everything up and me (Melissa) starting to really fret about the possibility of an expensive problem being underway, we noticed Aaron was just grinning and smiling away. I was struck immediately at the innocence of children and how Jesus tells us in Matthew to have faith like a child. Aaron was completely oblivious to the so-called "stress" around him - such a good testimony to his worry-wart mother! So of course, we had to snap a picture to remind us of this good lesson.

and p.s. The ac is now fine - a pretty cheap fix as it was just a broken thermostat! =)

I love my swing!

This little boy (with the bad bed head) loves his swing on the fastest and hardest setting possible. In fact, we are considering buying one that goes all the way around and upside-down. So long as he's buckled in tight, right? =)

Aaron and Cousin Brynn

This past weekend, Aaron got to meet his one and only cousin, Brynn Fox! Brynn is only one week younger than Aaron so we think they will be good friends. Good thing she is moving to live near us in Mesa in a few weeks!

Smiling

At 4 weeks, Aaron began regularly smiling at us. He seems to do this the most right after he eats and has a nice full tummy!

Here we go!

Well, I'm giving in..... I'm succumbing to the peer pressure and making a blog for my son, Aaron. Anyway, hopefully this can help everyone stay updated on how he is doing with pictures and stories, especially for those out of town friends and family that don't get to see him often enough. Anyway, to sum up the past 7 weeks of his life, Aaron was born July 29, 2007 and weighed in at 7 pounds, 4 ounces and was 20 and 3/4 inches long. I'm mom (Melissa) and my husband is a very proud father named Lee. Anyway, stayed tuned - We will try our best to keep this website updated and lots of fun!