Van - Go

There are a lot of things to like about Aaron's job but the fact that we get to use a company car for a flat monthly fee has to be one of the best. When Aaron was hired on he didn't get a choice of vehicles - we were just assigned a silver van that someone else had ordered. Originally I was somewhat mortified, but its utility finally won me over. It was great to have so many seats to give everyone rides. I loved how the seats stowed away in seconds to create as much cargo room as we could posssibly want - even enough to transport our full sized couch without leaving the back open.

Well, as these perks come, they also go. The company decided that vans were too expensive (with gas prices and the constant maintenance) so Aaron was asked to turn his in. Now we have a new Dodge Journey. Cute, fun to drive, and even with a built in cooler/warner. But (and I really can't believe I am saying this) it isn't a van.

A Day with Thomas

Thomas the Train visited the Heber Valley Railroad this past weekend and we were lucky enough to find out about it in time to get tickets ! We went with Grandma and Grandpa Christensen (who had wanted to go the last several years.) The actual ride on Thomas was very leisurely and Braden enjoyed opening and closing the window shade and demanding that the rest of us "sleep" or "be awake" accordingly. We also had fun at a petting zoo (with a baby camel that tried to take a sip of my drink), a bubble area and at several train tables. Braden's only two disappointments were that he eventually had to e leave the gift shop and that he didn't get to meet diesel - the bad guy who is his favorite Thomas teh train engine. (Have I already screwed up his parenting?)

Braden with Sir Top M Hat

All of us (Grandpa and Grandma Christensen, Braden, Aaron and Natalie) after riding Thomas.

Aaron and Braden with Thomas and our fun conductor.

The DARK SIDE of our family

Star Wars, as a rite of passage, came to Aaron at age 5 (or so I am told). He loved the story and characters - but his favorite was always Darth Vader. When the Christensens gave him all of the Star Wars movies on DVD for his birthday in May, Aaron did some quick mathematical calculations and determined that Braden would be equivalenty ready for episode 4 at age 3.5 . I was a little nervous about the violence and scary scenes but if Braden was scared at all the first time he saw it, he is definitely over it now that he has chosen to watch it for our family movie night 3 weeks in a row.

When we went to the May Day festival and saw that Braden could get his picture with Star Wars characters we though he would jump at the chance. Instead he seemed a little afraid. Of course, when I thought about it- with all of those scary storm troopers and other masked villians - it made perfect sense. Except that I was totally wrong. When he finally warmed up, he ran straight for the sotrm troopers and hid from the Jedi! What is it with my family and the dark side???

Braden and Aaron with their Star Wars buddies. If Braden looks disturbed it is probably because a Jedi jumped into the picture at the last minute!

May Day

On May 16 Wheeler Farm had a May Day festival. It was fun to watch Braden old enough to really enjoy those giant bounce houses and blow up slides. We were thrilled he was finally able to climb the huge whale slide by himself - but a little surprised when he chose to dive off head first (he inherited his "no fear" attitude from Aaron). He seemed a little surprised by the result, too, and never tried it again - although he went up that slide probably 16 more times :). Braden rode a little train and got to meet several Star Wars characters 0 raising donations for "Toys for Tots." And after a nice lunch in the shade we took half a loaf of bread to feed the ducks and geese and their swarms of babies. It was a great family afternoon together!

Braden by himself in the bounce house obstacle course. It is so fun watching him grow up. Every age seems to be even more fun than the last!

The Comfy Chair

Evidently there is a Monty Python skit about a "comfy chair" used as a torture device. So when I named a specific, triple padded executive chair "the comfy chair" my coworkers laughed, I glared at them and anyone with the ability to see my past and future probably thought , "hmmm, interesting foreshaddowing..."

I used the comfy chair at work for most of my pregnancy with Braden to ease the joint pain that started in my first trimester. Not that I could complain - joint pain and back pain (and how the two combined to keep me from sleeping) were my main symptoms with Braden.

This pregnancy I decided to put off my special chair as a treat for the last trimester. I must say I was surprised at how I held up. My joints, though sore while sitting in the chair at work, weren't as sore at night. And luckly this pregnancy didn't have that same upper back pain. That is until I snuck the comfy chair back into my office 4 weeks ago! One blissful day of rest in the comfy chair and I was up most of the night with my joints and back killing me just like they did with Braden! Since then the comfy chair has been banished from my area. Anyone want to re-enact the Monty Python skit? I have the perfect prop!

Carnage at the Christensen Corral

As controversial as Aaron is, I knew it would only be a matter of time before there was some sort of attempt on his life. It finally happened a few weekends ago on a Saturday in our own home. I was tidying up the front room while Aaron was snacking in the kitchen. All at once I heard a scream of absolute shock and raced to find Aaron, the counters, the cabinets, the fridge, the floor and even the walls in the front room all splattered with something red. Blood? No - a delicious blend of tomatoes, onions and cilantro. This was the work of one of our favorite Mexican restaurants - Los Hermanos - and the weapon of choice was an exploding tub of salsa.

In the end, the only casualty was the white shirt Aaron had been wearing. Will there be another attempt? I can only assume so. Any message intended by the blast ("hey - stop hogging all the salsa" for example) was completely lost on Aaron, who, after tossing his shirt in the trash, opened the other 32 oz container we had purchased and continued his snack.

A non-artist's rendition of the gore that followed the salsa bomb. No joke. I wish I had just gotten the camera!

Breakfast with the Easter Kookaburra?

The Saturday before Easter we took Braden to Hogle Zoo for breakfast with the Easter Bunny. As it turned out, it was more like breakfast with the bunny, a kookaburra, several snakes, a few lizards, more birda and a ferret. We ate a pretty good buffet breakfast (Braden probably ate 7 sausages!) at tables while zoo workers brough around various animals for the kids to look at and touch. Braden showed his lack of fear (and common sense) when told he could touch a snake so he reached out and grabbed it. Fortunately for my poor heart the zoo member acted quickly so that the snake wouldn't grab Braden back! All in all, another great experience at the zoo.