After nap, Tais Nub, Ethan and Aleah stopped over to head the our favorite place, The Morton Arboretum. However, with the road construction, by the time they arrived, it was 10 minutes to closing time so we decided to head to Sonny Acres to try to meet up with some friends. We were late. These are just some snapshots from our trip.
A morning with Roan. Choua got up with him. When I returned home, they were both still in their pj's, Roan's playroom was a mess, and his diaper had not been changed yet, but at least he had been fed breakfast. I'm not complaining...I was pleasantly happy when I returned.
I quickly changed Roan's diaper, cleaned him up, dressed him, while Choua started lunch. While we were waiting for lunch, Roan and I watched Blue's Clues and it was so hilarious to watch him singing and guessing things. He really is talking a lot more now. I know I shouldn't be so proud...after all, he is almost 2.5, but it's quite an achievement for us. We've been working really hard and reading, pointing things out, and repeating things. I also find that I am listening a lot more and acknowledging what he is saying even though it's not perfect. I'm also calmly correcting him if he calls an object by the wrong name. For example, all fruits, except bananas are "apple".
Then we played with magnets, colored, danced, hugged, and sang...and then ta da! Lunch was ready!
Roan loves to lounge and watch DVDs, while eating his blankie, until a song comes on and then he has to get up and dance and sing.
I love this sweater from Crewcuts. It has suede elbow patches. Alas, I cannot justify $68 for a toddler's sweater. Momma is saving up for a D300!
I had the great honor of doing my very first maternity with J and K. They were just the cutest couple! They definitely had the glow of expecting first-time parents. I was a little more reserved than I imagined myself to be as this was my first, but I was really pleased with the results from the shoot. My favorite shot could not be included as it shows a little skin so I think I'll need to get permission to post it. These are just a few that I have had a chance to resize for the web.
They live right on the route of the Chicago Marathon and had an awesome view of the race AND the city. Hmmmm...seems like the water is a little too green. I'll need to look at that more. It's not St. Paddy's Day anymore...it shouldn't be that green.
Choua and I decided that we needed to be more in control of our money. With debit cards, it's so easy to spend away and then realize at the end of the week that we've got nothing to show for the money we've spent. Unfortunately for us though, we can see the money wasting away on our bodies. I should have added to my post about our anniversary "...and 25 pounds later."
Anyways, we are on cash only. Luckily, we've always believed in paying ourselves first so we've got one thing going for us. It pains us that we'll be in the market for another car in a year or so. It's nice to be payment-free (except for my SL). Our budget is pretty lax, but we'll re-evaluate after a couple of months.
It's funny, because I am so much more stingy now that I have to think of where I am spending my money. No more impulse buying for me. It's going well though. I am saving up for one final lens...maybe a Christmas gift?
Roan and I went to the Morton Arboretum again. This membership has been the one that we have used the most. It basically paid for itself after two visits. By the time we left today, it was almost 90 degrees...and that was before noon! I think this may be the last weekend we'll have Summer weather in Fall.
I really wanted to get some pictures of Roan with the Halloween decorations here, but when I set him on top of a hay bail, he looked at me and said, "Sacairwee." This was the best that I could do.
This was huge pumpkin that had a face craved on it. I think the dark color was actually mold. It was gross. Roan touched it and said, "Eewie."
I tried to adjust the LAB color to make the background in the picture below more colorful as the full sun bleached it of any color in the real world. I think I may have gone too far.
The picture below is what I mean by the full sun bleaching the picture.
Next time, remember to visit the ball on the water last. He was drenched within the first two minutes. Usually, I bring extra clothes just in case there are water opportunities, but I knew there really weren't any here. I was wrong.
Above, another one I tried the LAB adjustment on. There must be something I can do to leave it more realistic looking.
Nothing special about the above picture, but I love that it shows his eyelashes. You can double click on the picture and it should enlarge it...if you care. :) After playing for about 1.5 hours, we stopped on the big treehouse to have a snack.
Roan loves Cheetohs! I tried to only let him have Baked Cheetohs. It's better, right?
"Eewie".
"Ummm..."
Roan is a really picky eater, but the stuff he does like to eat. He eats a lot of!
He also likes to share his food with his Mommy.
A few more shots from Aleah's shoot:
Can you believe that she gets mistaken for a little boy a lot? ...even in pink dresses?
Roan recently has been mentioning his cousins more. It's funny, he calls them all "Ethan" though. That must be his word for "cousin". I feel so guilty for staying here when we could be closer to his grandparents and most of his cousins if we would have just stayed in MN. Roan loves being with his cousins. I swear, he should have been a second child.
Can you tell I have that guilt thing going on a lot? Roan was a surprise. After Choua and I got married, we decided that if it happened, it happened. We didn't know if we would be able to conceive since neither of had experienced a pregnancy that resulfted from either of us. Little did we know that it would happen so quickly. I was having morning sickness on our 1st year anniversary.
We get asked all of the time, when we will try again. I don't know what Choua says and maybe he doesn't get it as much because he's, well, Choua. I've kind of been blaming him, even though I've been saying that "we're not ready". The truth is, it was probably easier for me to say that and blame him than it was to face my own feelings on it.
For as long as I can remember, I've really only wanted two or three. He came into our marriage, thinking four. He kids around with me a lot so I don't know what his real number is, but lately, it's one. I think having a child has limited him more than he thought it would. I think he idealized fatherhood.
Lately, for me, I've been thinking of having more. In fact, everytime, Aunt Flo comes to visit, I feel a little sad that she's here, even though, in my heart, I'm so thankful she showed up. Yesterday, I came to the conclusion that I do really want one or two more. I want Roan to experience having siblings--all of the joys and craziness that comes from it. I mean, I can't imagine life without my siblings.
I used to daydream as a child that I was an only child or a twin. I was embarrassed that I came from such a large family. Of course, I grew up in Appleton, WI and my elemenatry school consisted of one Hmong family...us. Now it feels incomplete when one of us is missing. Six really is not that much when you are adults.
Of course, seeing as I want a late spring or summer baby, it probably won't happen this year. I think Choua and I should actually plan for a child this time.
And then one from Roan's bath because I just love his little bubble goatee.
After dinner with my friend on Friday night, we turned in early so that I could run some errands before Roan and I left for Wisconsin. I got my camera looked at at a local camera store. It was a rough look at, but it seems to still be functioning and to a hobbyist, like myself, I guess that's good enough.
We met up with cousins, Aleah (above) and Ethan, and Tais Nub at a little fair near their town. Aleah put on her rockstar grin. Roan was not very good at waiting in line so we didn't really go on any rides.
Roan loved the pony ride. So much so that he decided that he would just stay put until we forced him off. Luckily, there was about three minutes between his ride and the next customers. He was content to just be sitting on the horse even though it wasn't moving. He kept petting the horse's main.
I was too cheap to pay for feed and I didn't really want him feeding the animals anyways so he tried to feed it the hay that it was already eating on. The camel didn't really care for more hay.
On Sunday, I took some pictures of Aleah. I'll post them up later, but I loved how this captured them interacting together.
I had to open up my lens all of the way to keep the SS fast enough so that's why I couldn't get both of them in focus at the same time.
Ethan came down the stairs and he changed into shorts. He was carrying his shirt because he had some sort of reaction which was probably from rolling around in the grass. Roan thought it was wonderful so he came over and started pulling his shirt off. I indulged him. 
They were dancing around, pretending to be rock stars.
I love these pictures and so will they one day when they are old farts like myself.
Roan loved playing with Laug Tom too. I think this is such a cute snapshot.
Ethan was posing for me. I have a series of shots of him doing kung fu poses. Little boys! :)
