It's been a fast and interesting month so far... With the cold weather, we've more time indoors than we normally do. It's been really good for me to get stuff done around the house, and the boys have really seemed to enjoy playing together. Well, most of the time!
We had an exciting first of the month as Ethan went to the ER for the first time. He was standing on a toilet to reach the sink when he fell and hit his head. He was with a sitter, so we weren't for sure how bad it was, but that night he woke up throwing up. His eyes were fine, and to confuse the matter, Owen had thrown up two days prior due to a stomach bug. He was fine the next morning, but I still called our pediatrician who asked us to go to the ER to have him checked out. So, we spent 3 hours as a family at the local hospital. Ethan thought it was great...he got to eat food from a vending machine, watch tv and hang out with his dad. The ER is a pretty cool place in his mind! After he was checked out, the results were "inconclusive"... And just yesterday, I was sure Owen was going to head to the ER for stitches. He and Ethan after playing in the snow were hugging each other by the door while I was grabbing the last of the toys outside. The hug turned into a tackle, and Ethan fell on his back with Owen on top. Owen's face hit a paint can and blood was EVERYWHERE. I know that head wounds bleed worse than they are, but it's a different story when your baby is bleeding all over the place. Luckily, our favorite nurse/next door neighbor was home and checked him out. No stitches were needed, and he now looks like Rocky. I am so not ready for more "boy" accidents that I know are coming in the future...
We've had a lot of sword fights around here this month too. Ethan's latest obsession is Star Wars, so he dresses up as Luke and Owen is Yoda. Other than sword fighting, Owen's passion is cooking again. He does not play with any toys...just my entire kitchen. He will get every pot, pan, lid, spatula, bowl, etc and make biscuits, burgers or smoothies. (those are his specialties) It drove me crazy to have everything spread out all over the floor, but since it makes him so happy, I have given up the battle!
We've also enjoyed the snow that showed up this week. I've decided it's A LOT of working making snow play happen, but I guess those 10 minutes of happiness are worth it! Owen was not a fan of stuff at first, but once he saw that you could eat it, he was content sitting and eating snow. Ethan had no qualms about it; he jumped right into the first pile and made a snow angel. It was also very entertaining watching the neighborhood kids have a snow ball fight.
Last weekend was Ethan's 4th birthday, and it's hard to believe how fast 4 years has flown by. My firstborn has changed my life probably more dramatically than anything else ever has... It's been so fun to watch his passions shift from sports to superheroes to Star Wars, his artistic talent grown, and his imagination run wild. He's guarded around new people and new situations, but he's super loyal and loves new experiences with a little prodding. He's not overly affectionate, but when he is, you know he means it! Oh, and he's a total sucker for blonds. I have watched in complete amazement my little, reserved son go completely goofy the minute he sees a cute blond girl. At one point he was even running in circles hitting himself on the head. Not something this mom is ready for! I'm so excited to see him continue to develop and see how the Lord uses and molds his character. 
To celebrate Ethan's birthday, we kicked off the day with his choice of breakfast: biscuits and bacon. We then had family come for lunch. He requested everything-bagels with cream cheese and turkey, and salt and vinegar chips for lunch. (he's definitely my kid!) He had a blast playing with his grandparents and cousins before his party...
Since his 3 year birthday party was canceled due to the flu, we decided to "do it big" and have a super hero party at Jump Zone. It was hilarious watching three Spidermen walk in the door together and have no clue who the kid was underneath! I think all the kids had fun running around, and Ethan definitely enjoyed all his friends and family in one place showering him with gifts. I think we all left completely wiped out but with lots of good memories. Thanks to everyone who came and made it such a special day!
