Friday, March 9, 2012



Dean has found Ethan's tickle spots. I love his little laugh.











Yesterday, March 8th, Ethan took his first steps. As you can see, he was thrilled at his new accomplishments. We are very proud of him.










Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Mystery guest

We were recently playing a game of dominos at the kitchen table and noticed a little hand suddenly creeping up onto the table...who could it be?





Hmmm, now there are TWO little hands...




And a head...



He tried and tried, but Ethan wasn't tall enough to see over the edge... so we soon picked him up and let him "help" with the game...not too much longer till he will be playing it with us.





Happy Thanksgiving Ethan!!

My mom got to join us for Thanksgiving (my father was out of the country) and decided to get Ethan a special bib. It was so cute - it had a turkey on it that said "I'm stuffed". So funny!




A new tradition that I started a few years ago is making everyone their very own turkey placemat. Ethan therefore got his placemat, made by tracing out his little hand print and foot print. It was complete with a drawn on Huggie Size 3 diaper, a bib and a little pacifier in the beak. It was HILARIOUS and so fun to make!






And here are all of our turkey placemats, together as one whole turkey family...



And here is our little turkey, trying to help us make the food for Thanksgiving dinner. He was GREAT at finding the jiffy cornmix, flour, sugar, canned corn, canned pumpkin...really anything that was sitting in the cabinets, he found it...


It was a perfect day, filled with love, fun and food!!






Link to see Ethan eating his cake

Not sure if this will work or not, but hopefully you can see it.





https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.195129250547375.48360.163781277015506&type=1#!/photo.php?v=331214990225797

Ethan's birthday party!!

As some of you heard, we had a little party for our sweet little Ethan on December 3 in the cafeteria of Dean's school. It was really special, because it was his FIRST ( I know, duh!) birthday but also because my mom got to share in the day, as she was visiting with us from Missouri. Below are some pictures of that fun-filled time - ENJOY!












We made two cakes for the day - the monkey cake was for everyone to eat and the panda cake (you'll see it later) was for Ethan to tear into. My mom used to make all of our cakes, so it was really important to me that I make Ethan's cake(s) as well. Super fun and only mild hand cramping! YAY!












Lilly, one of Ethan's friends, made sure to come over and say Hi right when she got there. I didn't get a picture of it, but right before this shot she had put her little forehead to Ethan's and whispered something to him. SO SWEET!!!!








A picture of all the food and drinks - there was puppy chow (the people kind), oreos, caramel popcorn, chips and salsa, little smokies, piggies in a blanket and meatballs. Needless to say, there was plenty.












The theme was jungle, so we had little jungle plates, napkins, streamers, etc. Very festive. (:









To make sure the little ones had fun, we had a puppet making station and a cookie decorating station. I was quite impressed with all the creations that the kids (and adults) came up with!









The little guy of honor - Ethan himself. You can't see it completely, but his shirt has a monkey on it with the number one. My friend, Kim, does embroidery and made his onesie for him for the day. THANK YOU KIM!!! He looked super adorable in it!!!





















Our good friend Emily and Davy brought some other games for everyone to play, should they get bored. It was GREAT!











Everyone ate and played for a while, then it was time for the cake. We stripped Ethan down to his bib, diapers and socks, and plopped him in his high chair. At first, Ethan was unsure of what to do with the cake, but once he got a good taste of the frosting, there was no holding him back.











He kept shoveling it in till he couldn't see or sit up straight...I mean, he just looks exhausted in this picture!!











This is the panda that I made, mid attack from Ethan.











What a happy little baby.














However, that smile quickly turned to big crocodile tears when it was time for him to get cleaned up and open presents...











We changed him, fed him some milk and Dean sat with him to open gifts...not sure if you can tell, but Ethan was absolutely EXHAUSTED by this point...











All the kids were helping Ethan explore and play with his new toys - it was really fun! Soon after, it was time for clean-up (thank you to everyone who stayed and pitched in! It was a HUGE help!!!) and good-byes.






And here is the end of the day, after Ethan had a nap, a change of clothes, and the chance to play with one of his special balloons that had his name on it. What a WONDERFUL day!!! Thank you so much to everyone who came! We really appreciate it!!!









Thursday, November 10, 2011

Gone Skunk Huntin'

We recently found a little four legged creature in our house on Halloween... I mean, can Ethan get any CUTER? It's a great thing, being parents...we have total control of what he gets to wear...I mean, what kind of parents dress their child up to be a skunk?

Um, yah, that would be Dean and me...





Introducing Mr. Ethan the Skunk!




Dean, holding Ethan in front of the church

where we went for a fun night of games, food, candy and friends.



This little skunk sure is smart...

he was able to find where we keep the puff snacks!!! Sneaky, sneaky...




Here is a video of Ethan, getting used to his skunky-self. Enjoy!