The Smiths in Napa

Family!

2009-04-25T17:44:00.000-07:00

Aidan's cousins came to visit during spring break. Whew - it was a whirlwind weekend of fun and noise at the San Leandro house. Here's Emily taking a coloring break.

Little Bubba was walking and drooling (as usual).

The grandparents enjoyed seeing their grandchildren. We wish Taylor could have been there!

T-Rex and fish at Golden Gate Park

2009-04-25T17:37:00.001-07:00

We visited the new Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. What a treat to see T-Rex and all the fish. Aidan wasn't quite sure of it all...

Blue eggs rule

2009-04-25T17:33:00.001-07:00

Some of you might know that Aidan's favorite color is blue. Well, what color did he dye his Easter eggs? Why, of course, BLUE! We had dozens of varying shades of blue eggs. At least, Aidan is consistent.

Bubble Bath Boy

2009-03-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

This photo of Aidan just cracks me up! He loves bubble baths and playing in the water.

Big bike for our big boy!

2009-01-25T21:17:00.000-08:00

The birthday boy got a big bike for his 4th birthday! We snuck it into the house after he went to bed. It took him a LONG time before he saw the bike in the kitchen! He was so excited!

Don't you like his bicycling shoes?!

Happy 4th Birthday Aidan!

2009-01-25T21:12:00.000-08:00

Aidan celebrated his 4th birthday with several of his friends at the Napa Fire Department. Our tour was led by Captain Doug.

Everyone loved the 110 foot ladder truck especially me!

Merry Christmas to You!

2008-12-25T15:23:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas. Here are a few snapshots of our December.

Aidan helped make a gingerbread house, Koulourakia (a Greek cookie) and pumpkin cream pie. Yummy!

My bowties boys! Aidan was a willing participant in his preschool Christmas program.

Aidan also was in the children's Christmas program at our church. He even had a line, "A campfire!", which he spoke with great precision and gusto.

Pumpkins and Ponies

2008-11-16T14:15:00.000-08:00

Aidan had a blast at the pumpkin patch. He picked out pumpkins for all of us. However, he didn't like my Cinderella pumpkin because the stem poked him. Aidan also had more pony rides at our church's fall family festival. He rode them several times and looked like a natural out there.

Harvest Time

2008-11-16T14:08:00.000-08:00

In September, we harvested our merlot grapes. Aidan was Mark's assistant out in the vineyards. He helped by tasting the grapes and putting them in the bin! The other grapes were harvested in October...more photos to follow. I'm a bit behind on the blog.

Celebrating Tammy's Birthday on the Wine Train

2008-09-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

"Transportation" was the theme for the month of September. We celebrated my birthday on the Napa Valley Wine Train. Out of a couple hundred people, Aidan was the only child aboard the train! We had a very lovely "white tablecloth" lunch. The chef accommodated Aidan with some pasta noodles. Aidan loved every minute of it. And I had a wonderful birthday with my two boys.

In the Big City

2008-09-27T22:16:00.000-07:00

We spent Labor Day weekend in the City! We stayed near Union Square. What fun! Aidan insisted on riding a "city" bus --umm, that would mean riding MUNI! Yikes! So, Mark and I sucked it up and got onto Muni a few times. Aidan loved it.

We also had fun kite flying at Chrissy Field. What a fabulous weekend in the City! We miss San Francisco!

I wanna be a cowboy!

2008-08-23T13:35:00.001-07:00

After living in Napa for over 5 years, we finally made it to the Napa Town and Country Fair. Surprisingly, Aidan insisted on a pony ride! I was almost positive he was going to meltdown when he was placed on the pony. However, Aidan LOVED every minute of it! He was a natural and kept grinning. His pony's name was Romeo:-)

Sullen Soccer Star

2008-08-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

Aidan started soccer this summer. So I guess that means I'm an official "soccer mom" driving around in my Volvo station wagon?! Aidan seemed ok with the game but only time will tell. I think I kicked the ball as much as he did!

Meeting Baby Taylor

2008-08-23T13:22:00.001-07:00

We flew to Denver in early August to finally meet our new niece/cousin, Taylor. Aidan had a blast on the plane with a Curious George movie and a piece of gum. Aidan loved Baby Taylor and was very gentle with her. He held her foot in the car to comfort her! Aaah, what a nice cousin. We visited the Rocky Mountain National Park and we were in awe of the beauty. We can't wait to visit Uncle Marc, Ontie Debbie and Taylor again!

Aidan gets hooked on fishing

2008-08-23T13:14:00.001-07:00

At the end of July, we took a weekend trip with the Sohns to McCloud. Mark and Mike spent some time on the McCloud River. Aidan had a couple of outings too where he caught rainbow trout. I think Aidan's fish were bigger than the ones Mark hooked!

4th of July in Napa

2008-07-13T14:50:00.001-07:00

Uncle Patrick, Auntie Brenda and Kaitlin visited us for 4th of July. Aidan loved hangin' with his cousin, "Kiki". He was her shadow for the entire weekend! We went to the fireworks but Aidan stayed for about 5 minutes and had to leave. Poor little guy! It was just too noisy for him. We also took a stroll on Napa's new River Walk. Aidan wasn't much into photo-taking. He was too busy running off.

Corn boy!

2008-07-13T14:48:00.001-07:00

Aidan loves corn on the cob. Corn by itself doesn't cut it! The corn must be on the cob.

Artist in Training

2008-07-13T14:44:00.000-07:00

Aidan ventured outside his normal medium of crayons and rubber stamps to finger painting. He enjoyed squeezing out the paint and squishing the paint between his fingers. My little artist!

Campin' at Pt. Reyes

2008-06-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

The grandparent's came over to help us get ready for our Memorial Day camping trip to Point Reyes. Aidan loved the tent and when we finally arrived in Point Reyes, he absolutely loved camping and sleeping in his little sleeping bag.

We also made a visit to Cowgirl Creamery and the Pt. Reyes lighthouse. The lighthouse was totally socked in with fog. Aidan was a bit of a grump. We had to carry him for about a mile since he refused to walk. Mom and Dad survived 2 nights of camping in cold, wet weather. No more camping till next year!

Banana bread boy

2008-05-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning, Aidan asked Dad for some banana bread for breakfast. Dad said, "There's no banana bread today." Aidan matter-of-factly responded, "I need to talk to Mom about that!" So the pressure was on...this morning, I made banana bread! Aidan couldn't even wait for me to cut the bread. He started digging a small hole in the side of the loaf as he munched away.

Buggapalooza

2008-05-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

Aidan loves to collect roly polys and ladybugs. We bought him a cute bug box for his bug collection. The bugs eventually "meet their maker" in the box. You'll find Aidan in the early evenings outside the house with his face glued to the sidewalk looking for bugs...sigh...you know how much I love nature and bugs?!

Aidan the Farmer

2008-04-26T21:37:00.000-07:00

Today, we planted corn and tomatoes in our backyard. Aidan insisted on this corn plant at the store. He was quite proud of

it. Aidan was very busy with his dirt digging, mud making and water spraying.

Nighttime Fun

2008-04-10T21:55:00.000-07:00

Aidan has a bit of fun before bedtime. He loves his ViewMaster. I always wanted one of these toys when I was a kid but never got one. Aidan has 2! When Aidan is asleep, I always "take a turn" with his ViewMaster. He's checking out a "Cars" reel.

Doesn't Aidan look like he's ready to give a presentation on "10 Easy Ways to Drive Your Parents Crazy"?! Brainey boy with his whiteboard!

Three Little Piggies

2008-04-10T21:44:00.000-07:00

We headed to San Leandro last Sunday to visit Uncle Keith, Ontie Linda and Kay-Kay and most importantly, meet our new nephew, Mason. Aidan and Kay-Kay had a blast with their piggie banks. Uncle Keith emptied his pockets of his loose change and a few bills! Mason was just adorable and made a lot of funny baby sounds. We'll have to go to Vegas this summer for a visit before Mason gets too big.

Baby Sohn visits Aidan

2008-04-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

Noah Sohn and his parents came for a visit today. Aidan showed Noah how to lick the frosting off of cupcakes avoiding the cake part. Of course, it was very nice to see Mike and Janine too:-)

2008-03-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

Katie came over to babysit Aidan a couple of weeks ago so we could go out on a date.

Spring is here in Napa

2008-03-22T14:28:00.001-07:00

Well, the grapevines are coming out of their long winter sleep. We had bud break a week ago and now, we actually have first leaf on our petite verdot and merlot vines now.

Another Yee joins the blogging community

2008-03-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, I had to follow my sisters' lead in starting a blog. I've been horrible at taking photos of Aidan this year so hopefully, this blog will get me kickstarted. Some of you might remember when I use to do crazy things to my hair in college?! I had some fun with Aidan during bathtime.