I just posted a bunch of pictures below from the past two weeks. I have taken an unusually large amount of pictures because there have been a few big events (not even including Marsha and John's visit here, since I let Marsha take over the picture taking). So the pictures below are not comprehensive from these last two weeks because I got too tired to finish, but I will try to finish soon. In the meantime, enjoy these ones.

Sneaky Boy

Aaron has become a sneak in two ways: the first, cutest, and funniest way is that he creeps up on us (complete with slight "tchh tchh" sound effect) to tickle us.

The second, which honestly (at this point) is almost as cute, but a little more disturbing, is that he is sneaky with trying to do things he knows he's not supposed to. He'll show me out of the kitchen and tell me to sit on the couch so he can get something he's not supposed to out of the fridge. He doesn't quite have the incognito thing down yet but he's got the idea of sneakiness at least. He'll also do little things like push my head in the other direction so I can't see him while he does what he's not supposed to.

Sneaky in whatever way, he sure is cute!

All dressed up for the big trick-or-treating play group. One of the girls had us all over for a sort of mock trick-or-treating. We all brought candy and the kids went to two apartments in the same building, knocking on different doors within the apartment to get candy. Most of the kids were around the age of two so it was pretty exciting.

Aaron thought it was a pretty fun game to wedge himself into the corner there and run across the room as fast as he could. I hope he continues to enjoy himself this much as the years go by.

Whee!

Going back for more (I just love the back view of this costume!)

Seemed to enjoy it even more the second time around

Taking a rest

When we got to the party, Aaron headed straight for the baby lying on the bed. He loves babies so much. Loves to hug them and pet them, and tries to carry them around. He also loves to give them their bottles and pacifiers when he finds them not in their mouths.

Being gentle with the baby (she actually seemed to like it when he petted her head)

Taking the elevator down to trick-or-treat (that's Dash Incredible to his right, in case you can't tell)

The line up of kids at the first trick-or-treat door

Getting his first Halloween candy: a small tootsie roll

Picking out the tootsie roll stick from his molars (all the other kids ran off to get more candy from other moms but Aaron was so pleased with his score that he just opened up and enjoyed his tootsie roll right then and there)

You try with all your might to shelter your child from sugar and especially chocolate... but then there comes a time when your sweet little boy, with a mouth full of sticky chocolate, asks you to open a Snickers bar for him. And then oddly enough, you actually open it up. How could anyone resist such a cute alligator?

Mmm... Snickers goo...

The chaos of the party

Chocolate bliss

Relaxing with friend Isaac while munching on some Halloween pretzels

Aaron found his carseat in the corner of our room the other day. Since we haven't had any kind of access to a car, he hasn't used his carseat for awhile. When he found it though, he jumped in and started signing "outside!"

Chinese Chess anyone? (Reminiscent of his dad and "uncle" zach's method of twisting games... not long ago they even tried playing chess on a Chinese checkerboard.)

Aaron is really becoming quite creative with his play toys recently. Here he is using a styrofoam thing for a boat.

At a park down the street, wearing a new outfit from Grandma Lambert (thanks maj!)

I gave Aaron an apple for a snack and soon found him sitting here on a small bench underneath the busyness of the play structure. Ben and I are so pleased with these snapshots of our almost-two-year-old finding serenity in chaos.

Chillin'

Sitting with Uncle Ben at my birthday party (that's Caroline, Ben's friend, on the right)

Chowing down on some party salad, post-party

Uncle Ben indulged Aaron in playing one of his favorite games: throw the bouncy ball from the stairwell(this is inside of our apartment building)

Coming down for more

Hat

This is our printer box, which we have held onto because it's Aaron's favorite fort for hanging out in. When Grandma and Grandpa Peters were here, Grandpa Peters managed to fit himself in there, which amused Aaron (but definitely not us sophisticated adults standing by...)

Relaxing after a meal

Chugging water

Aaron and I had a great time cutting out pretty pictures from old National Geographics and other magazines to make collages and such (thanks Great Grandma and Grandpa Paulsen for the great magazines!). We also made some clay, which Aaron is using to create a modern art piece that I think he said was called "Lego my Lego, with crayons."

Well, as you can see I just posted a bunch of new pictures below. It sure is nice to have a camera again. And this one is pretty small so it's easy to take along with us wherever we may be going.

Today we went out for a pre-birthday dinner to an Ethiopian restaurant not too far away. We got there and there was a big party there so it was extremely noisy. We decided to take our food to go instead of eating there. So we rented a movie, brought the food home and partied here. I think it was much more enjoyable this way, because Aaron was entertained and we didn't have to chase him around as we would have had to in the restaurant.

We're pretty much completely moved in and settled here now. We love our apartment and it is becoming ours more and more everyday. We've broken it in by having lots of different people over, and at least one of us has peed on the carpet so that should make it official I would think. I think that one of the best things about this apartment is that every piece of furniture has a story to it. Instead of just taking a big IKEA trip to get all our furniture at the beginning of the year, we shopped Craig's List for weeks to find what we needed. We got lots of good deals and had lots of adventures hauling various pieces of furniture with a range of methods through New York City: Kami and I pushed a file cabinet in a stroller 15 blocks down Broadway at 11:00 pm, we all wedged a seven foot tall bookshelf in the back of Kami's VW convertible for a two-mile drive home, Ben and I carried a carpet and a lamp on the subway at rush hour, Brother Ben helped us carry home some brand new carpet we found in a dumpster, etc. We've had a good time.

Aaron is talking more and more everyday. He tries really hard to repeat what we're saying and it's incredibly cute. My favorite thing is when he tries to say 'pineapple' it always comes out backwards, more like 'applepine.' Hehe. The other day I caught him practicing 'up' and 'down' while he was lying on the couch. He'd say 'up' and put his arm up, then put his arm down and say 'down!' Hmm... what else does he do that's cute? He has a particular bowl and spoon that he eats with every meal now, and he won't accept substitutes without quite a struggle (which only happens when we can't find the sacred spoon... we just need to find a bunch like it and have them on hand). He loves balls, which Uncle Ben provides him with on a regular basis. For awhile he was cuddling up to this little orange plastic ball everytime he went to sleep but it got lost. He had a hard time with not having that ball to sleep with but I think he's gotten used to it. For awhile he would call "ball?" before sleeptimes, hoping that one of us could find it. No go. Uncle Ben also got him a plastic basketball hoop that he plays with all the time. He still loves his stroller but we haven't been using it much because it has been pouring rain here for about the last week. We were worried that this is the norm but everyone assures us that this is record-breaking amounts of rainfall. Phew.

Well Aaron and Ben have fallen asleep so I think I'll take advantage of my sleeping-in birthday privileges tomorrow and stay up late reading tonight. It's gotten cold here, which means that I am freezing my buttock off. What will February be like? Filled with lots of blankets, I hope.

Ben and Aaron strolling down Broadway

Ben's great aunt and uncle live about four blocks from us. They had us over for a scrumptions dinner the other night. We had a great time. Aaron was hesitant at first but soon warmed up to them and their home. He didn't want to leave by the end of the night.

Thoroughly enjoying himself after a bowl of ice cream at Tom and Jody's

Checking out the windows, with the help of Uncle Tom

We couldn't find Aaron's favorite spoon the other day so the only other utensil he would use was these chopsticks. Here he is struggling with getting them to actually put food in his mouth.

Hmm, this isn't working much better

The hand is much more efficient, anyway

Wiping up a spill ("Uh-oh," he says, as he runs for a cloth)

Aaron has really enjoyed watching old home videos of himself lately. This is one from when he was first learning to crawl up the stairs. We were sitting on the floor watching and Aaron went up to get a closer look

Pretty mesmorized

Favorite hat

All ready to go brave the NYC cold...except the tattered blue and yellow sandals he often insists on wearing (shoes are the one thing that Aaron won't budge on--sometimes he just makes up his mind that he wants to wear a certain pair. I usually don't object.)

Just a cute shot

We switched hats and Aaron thought it was pretty funny

Saying hi to the camera before our walk to church last week.

Brother Ben gave Aaron this tiny Sponge Bob mug, from which Aaron loves to drink. Ben is very patient with filling it up for him swallow after swallow.

Drinking from the tiny mug

We babysat this little boy last weekend, who cried most of the time. Aaron did all he could to comfort him. Here, he came over and sat on my lap and put his arm around Weston. Weston wasn't too comforted by it though, as you can see.