Sister, Sister, Brother

We were thrilled to spend the weekend with Ciala and Lauren.  Collectively, we were determined not to let the gloomy weather forecasted for Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday spoil our fun.  Footraces with Kona and trampoline time were cut short as the winds picked up and thunder bellowed.  When we spotted bolts of lightning, we simply moved the party indoors.

Piles of pillows, blankets and the upstairs futon mattress were arranged downstairs to set the stage for a weekend of games and movies.  Though he did not yet meet the minimum age requirement for the "sleepover" portion of the weekend, Aiden loved being held, being rocked, and playing with his big sisters.  Ciala was gracefully tolerant of Aiden spitting up on one of her favorite shirts, and Lauren only laughed as Aiden enclosed several strands of her hair in his relentless grip and pulled.

The weekend came to a close entirely too quickly, leaving the five of us (and Kona!) excited for our next visit.

Our first photo of the three McBride siblings.

Party time with Dad (Aiden is temporarily partied out).

Ciala's calmness brings Aiden to peaceful sleep.

Lauren and Aiden pace to quell his fussiness.

Lauren and Ciala assist Aiden during "tummy time".

Ciala's an experienced big sister...

And Lauren is catching on quickly.

Aiden enjoys the view over Ciala's shoulder.

Exhaustion overcomes enthusiasm.

Happy Belated Birthday, Clyde!

April 6th marked Clyde's 33rd birthday.  We were able to celebrate with two very special people who traveled all the way from Colorado: Mom and Dad McBride!  As is typical with Clyde and me, we neglected to take many photos until the end of the trip.

Mom (Shirley), Dad (Milo) and Aiden.

Bath time!

Squeaky clean...

Dad calming down a fussy Aiden.

All better...

Clyde and Mom.

Mom and Dad enjoy our warm April weather.

Three generations of Clyde: (Clyde III, Clyde IV, and Clyde V).

Aiden enjoys his Grandma.

Clyde, Meg and Aiden.

Meg and Mom.

Aiden finds out his grandparents must soon return to Colorado.

He hates to say "goodbye".

April Fooled

Aiden in an "all out" nap.

Kona and playmate Abby snooze under the trampoline.

Though he is, today, only 4 weeks old, young Aiden appears to grasp the concept of April Fools' Day (or perhaps more appropriately, April Fools' Eve).  As evening fell upon the last day of March, Clyde and I were surprised and delighted by Aiden's marked display of calm, relaxed behavior.  Maybe we'll get a good night's sleep tonight!  We retired to bed early, as the week had been long and Clyde had an early morning of boots and utes PT to look forward to (physical training in boots and utilities) the following morning.  Though it was not yet officially April, Aiden sprang his parent-targeted prank into action. 

For several hours, the exhibition of lung capacity and vocal endurance astounded us.  The month of April arrived as the jabs of tiny arms and kicks of tiny legs carried an unprecedented power.  We worked quickly to check all known sources of potential discomfort but found none to be the culprit.  We kept waiting for Aiden to tire, but his relentless howling indicated that he is in better shape than I am.  Morning arrived and Clyde prepared to run, low-crawl, and flip huge, heavy tires in the rain-thickened mud as I continued the marathon of Mommy attempts to comfort our disgruntled little one.  And as the sun peeked upon the horizon, Aiden's eyelids lowered, his voice quieted and his breathing slowed.  He fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.  I looked upon the day ahead in search of energy and motivation to be productive--hey, at least I didn't have to run sprints carrying another Marine over my shoulders, right (sorry, Clyde!)? 

"Rest" assured I will not be so easily fooled, tonight.  Here's hoping the weekend will be all-out relaxing, and we can all be energized for the week ahead!

Aiden stretches and wakes from this afternoon's nap (his face soon went back to normal!).