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!!!

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!

Ethan's first tooth

We are happy to report that Ethan does not need dentures...at least, not yet. He has officially gotten his first tooth, the front lower left one. We can see the lower right tooth lurking under his little gums so I think it will be making an appearance any day, but for now, Ethan is happy as a clam, with his one little tooth.

A whole bunch of pictures!!!

Ethan is getting bigger and learning more all the time- we have encountered so many "firsts" lately, that it feels like he is changing and becoming more independent every day. So, below are some pictures of those "firsts" but also just some pictures of his amazing little smile.

First up - some dear friends of ours, Hugh and Laura Hale, got Ethan an adorable little baseball outfit. Below Ethan is sporting his athletic self with us.

I mean, can he GET any cuter? Such a sweet little guy...




And just this last week, Ethan decided to try out his legs and stand up for the first time in his crib after one of his naps. I grabbed the camera quickly and took a picture of his super proud little face...

And yet another first - Ethan's first haircut. I have been cutting Dean's hair for a little over 2 years now, but I gotta say - cutting a squirming little baby's hair is a bit more difficult. We had to coerce him into submission through many peach puffs and toys. Here's a picture of my newest client at "Christin's Salon".

Earlier this month, Ethan and I took a trip out to Missouri to see my family as my father was preparing to go overseas for a few months and I wanted to see him before he left. While there, Ethan made a new friend with a little kitty named Gus. It was pretty funny, because Gus was literally wanting to play with Ethan's toys and at one point, took a toy away from Ethan so he could play with it... needless to say, Ethan loved every bit of it as our kitties back here in Tennessee aren't so open to his crawling, drooling, laughing little self.

Here is Gus and Ethan, playing with a toy from Nana Thomas.

And here, Gus decided Ethan was more comfortable to sleep on then the floor...seriously, didn't stage this at all - Gus just came up to Ethan and laid on him. Ethan was LOVING it!!!

Also a few weeks ago, Ethan and I got the chance to go spend the day with a wonderful friend of mine, Nicole, her husband, Ben, and their new little girl, Adalyn. It was a BLAST and reminded me of just how much I have missed my dear Nicole....here is a shot of us with our little babies after a fun day in the sun.

And here is little Ethan, smiling for the camera with his new favorite stuffed animal, "Mr. Bear".

I hope you've enjoyed these pictures! We'll try and post some videos of Ethan in the next week or two! :)

Hmmm - maybe I can grab the tail?

Ethan has been slowly realizing that there are two other things that live in our house - and that they are furry, soft and fast! And while Ethan loves the cats and smiles every time he sees them, the cats...well, the cats are still working on their love for this newfound noise maker - whom we call Ethan.

Below, Ethan was trying to sneak up on Mylo but Mylo's "kid radar" picked him up before Ethan could plan his attack...

BUSTED!

Play time with mommy!

Here are some random shots of our sweet little boy...he was being silly, so I thought to take a couple pics...

Who knew that wooden spoons could be so fun to play with? We also really enjoy tupperware, water bottles - really anything that can be chewed on...

I See You!

We recently had to lower Ethan's crib down because he is getting where he can lift himself a bit and we didn't want him testing the laws of gravity when it comes to getting out of his crib. But with this change in altitude, Ethan's bumpers were blocking his view to the door, so he couldn't see us when we came in...to which he quickly remedied that situation and was super proud of his discovery that you can squish the bumpers and Ta-Daaaaaa - I SEE YOU!!!

Time with the Great Grandparents

July was a super busy time for our little family as we headed up the eastern side of the U.S. to visit with both sides of our family. We had the great priveledge of introducing Ethan (who was seven months old at the time) to his great grandparents, and below are some pictures of that.

This picture is of the great grandkids on Dean's side of the family sitting with Dean's grandma and grandpa. From left to right is our niece Kayley, nephew Samuel, little Ethan sitting in the lap of his great grandma Musser and then great grandpa Musser.

In case you didn't know, Ethan's middle name is Paul and comes from this wonderful man, great grandpa Paul Musser.


Ethan hamming it up with great grandma Musser.




While up North, we were able to go up to Connecticut to be there for my grandma's 90th birthday party. Here Ethan is loving on his great grandma Stefanowicz. He loved being held by her, even though his face looks a little weird in this picture.