Like everyone else, the boys have been very tired holed up inside in this very cold winter. We have now officially started a countdown to spring...and Aiden's birthday...and did I mention Halloween and Christmas?

Aiden has caught a recent case of "the wants". Ever since Christmas, he is very aware that there are times that he gets lots and lots of toys. And somehow there is always just something a little bit better that he doesn't already have. However, I would say the endless stream of Star Wars figures that are in the play room, in his room, in my bathtub, and YES, even in my bed that would prove otherwise. And did I also mention the stream of toys that pile up on the floor to/from school each day. How to deal with the never ending dilemma...

On another note, I have to say how incredibly proud I am of Aiden's recent accomplishments in the pool. At the beginning of the year, Aiden started a swim class, which the teacher moved him up quickly to the next level of class. For starters, this is the 2ND swim class that Aiden has ever taken. That is why is was much to my surprise that the class he moved up to only swims in the deep end of the pool - and without assistance! For weeks on end we had many many tears, and I believe that Aiden was truly scared of swimming in the pool. As his mother, I will have to say that it is incredibly hard to push your child through something they don't enjoy because you know that it is good for them. I nearly left in tears myself after that first lesson. However, we worked with him on the weekends and practiced - and for the first time last night Aiden was very brave and conquered the pool without any tears at all! To make it even better, he is like a fish! My little boy can swim all the way from the deep end to the shallow completely unassisted. It is such a cool thing to watch him make this great transformation.

As for Kieran, he has recently been the crux of the household, waking Chris and I up at endless hours of the evening. True to toddler form, we have not been able to figure out exactly why this is happening, but when Kieran wakes up he is up and ready to play...not tired - it's full tilt boogy time. So, we are hoping this phase ends quickly as we walk around with bags under our eyes. Kieran, on the other hand, has not missed a beat. He is learning how to play as a little boy - using the barstools as his "garage" for his construction trucks just last night. He is also spitting out many words these days - "car", "truck", "more". He also loves to point to the different parts of his body, and his favorite is to show off his "bee" (belly-button). He's also filled with many faces, and often will do whatever he can to get a laugh - especially at the dinner table. I predict he is going to be the funny man of this family.

Check out what we have been up to: