Home Sweet Home...For Sale

We've decided to put our home on the market. After almost 4 years here, we've decided that we're ready for something a little bigger. I didn't realize how attached to our house I had gotten till we've started talking about selling it. It's been such a great place to start our family... Walks to the downtown square and farmer's market have been so fun. Hopefully we can find another house in the neighborhood. If you know of anyone that's looking for a great home, have them give us a call. :)

14 Months

Oh, my child is a ham! He loves putting on hats, sunglasses...anything...and then performing for whomever will watch. I have no idea where he gets it...Chris.... :) We've enjoyed actually being healthy this past month, and have been visit to family and hang out with friends. He's perfecting his ball throwing and kicking. Being outside is at the top of his list of things to do, and as long as he has a stick in his hand, he's happy. Bath time has become a favorite again too. (we went through a stretch there where he was not a fan) After dinner he's started chanting "baa-time" and when the water starts running you'd think it was Christmas. With as much time as we've spent outside (in the dirt) it's a very good thing he enjoys "baa-time".

The Boys

We had friends and their boys over for dinner. Dinner was very quick because the backyard was calling. I heard stories of wrestling, boys being dragged behind the wagon, and trips down the gully to retrieve balls. I think it was good that moms stayed inside.

A New Friend

Few things actually stop Ethan in his tracks when he is on the move, but the emergence of this new "friend" really threw him for a loop. He couldn't seem to ever really get away from this thing chasing him. He kept looking at my like "make this thing go away". It was quite entertaining.

Hugs & Kisses

Ethan was in a particularly affectionate mood on this day, so I thought I would get a rare picture of the two of us. There's not much better than a hug from this guy...

Hats

Ethan loves hats. Well, anything that goes on his head that could resemble a hat. Favorites are shirts, pants, tupperwear, a headband of mine (much to his dad's disdain), and of course real baseball hats. We went to eat at Firehouse Subs this week and they give all kids a fireman's hat. He wore it throughout the whole dinner and played with it in the car on the way home. His arms are just barely long enough to reach the top of his head, so it's caused a little frustration trying to get things up there. But he's realized all he has to do is carry it to me, give me "puppy dog eyes" and I will put it on his head for him. Smart kid.

The Foo Fighters

Chris and I went to see the Foo Fighters in concert this past weekend. It was a little weird being out at night, without a kid, AND going to a concert. It was almost like the "old days". We had a great time being together and the FF put on a fabulous show. I am thoroughly amazed that Dave Grohl has a voice after putting that kind of performance night after night. If you squint, you can see him in the picture. Kind of. Seeing them live really renewed my love for them. Now I am ready for another concert!

Diaper Fun

With the stomach flu (as mentioned in my last post) has come A LOT of blow-out diapers and, in turn, a lot of laundry. During this particular major diaper and clothes change, I let Ethan play in his room while I cleaned everything up. I thought he was entertaining himself well...and he was...by pulling every single diaper out of his drawer. It was another one of those moments where I couldn't help but laugh. That caused my little ham to start showing off by making funny faces and dancing around. So out came the camera and this is what I caught. 

Family, The Flu, A Car Date

We went to OK last weekend, and it was so good to see family and eat some of my mom's good cookin'. Jon, Katie, Chris and I all went to the OSU basketball game while Mimi and Papi watched the boys. This was the first time that they both seemed to acknowledge the other's presence while playing. Sunday, Chris' mom came for a visit and while she was there Ethan got the stomach flu. In turn, he passed it on to her, both my parents, Chris and me. The second half of the time there was spend taking turns in bed while someone watched Ethan (who remarkably was in great mood in spite of a messed up tummy). Before everyone else got sick, Ethan enjoyed playing in the backyard with Papi, and he took his first car date with the little girl next door. She drove him around in her little motorized Jeep and Ethan was in heaven. He screamed and held on to the car when I tried to take him out. Not a typical ending to a first date, but what can you do?

Brushing Teeth

Ethan is fascinated with teeth brushing. Unfortunately, it's more interesting for him to watch other people do it rather than have his own teeth brushed. (it's caused a few battles of the will) But on this Saturday morning it seemed liked a good idea to be just like his dad. I had to capture the moment...

13 Months

February has been an interesting month. Ethan and I caught BOTH strains of the flu just two weeks apart, so we've spent most of the month in quarantine. We have had fun moments too. He got into his first "fight" at play group. You think his eye looks bad...you should see the other kid's. (okay, not really) He's started mimicking words and phrases more. My favorite is when he is told "no touch", he repeats it and puts his hands down at his side (most of the time). He loves playing with balls and has started kicking his soccer ball around the house (but only with his right foot). He also loves his stuffed puppy dogs, and patting his belly when asked where his tummy is. He's developed a STRONG southern accent when saying "bye" - it's more Mississippi than Arkansas... And we've also started to see the emergence of a strong will. The other day when he didn't get his way, he walked over to me, got on his hands and knees, and started banging his head on the floor while screaming (it was on the carpet - don't worry grandparents). It kind of took me off guard. Then I couldn't help but laugh, and then I remembered I was the mom who probably should be using this moment to teach him something...but I wasn't sure what to do. This parenting thing is HARD.

Snow

I can't believe I forgot to post Ethan's first play in the snow. (We certainly didn't have to worry about losing him - his orange clothes glowed... Sadly, Chris insisted on balancing out all the orange with some crimson and cream.) Ethan seemed pretty indifferent about the snow. He kept getting frustrated because he couldn't walk in it. Maybe next year will be more fun.

The Kissing Game

Ethan has started playing a new game. From a distance, he'll catch my eye, start laughing, and then run towards me with arms wide open. (oh yeah, talk about melting a mom's heart) Once in my arms, he proceeds to give me a big 'ole kiss. The only thing is that his "kiss" is open-mouth and ALL tongue. With face like this, it's impossible to resist...so I have just had to get used to my makeup on the lower half of my face being completely gone by the end of the day. It's so worth it.

Good times with TP

And we've found the toilet paper roll. It's amazing what common things to us can be so much fun to little ones! Whenever I caught him playing with the TP, of course I had to run and get my camera. I am sure the laughing and picture snapping seemed to encourage this new play toy. Poor kid has to be so confused b/c now that we had a good photo-op, the TP is now "no touch". This can't be good parenting....

Textures

Over the past several weeks, Ethan has become infatuated with soft, fuzzy things. He has a stuffed bunny that he LOVES walking around rubbing on his face. It only poses a problem when things like a wall or table gets in his way. He usually ends up on his back with a puzzled look on his face, but thankfully the bunny is very stuffed and keeps his face protected. He also has fallen in love with a brown blanket that his cousin Alyssa gave to me last year. He pulls it onto the floor and then falls face into it. He'll rub his face on it and smile. (I think I interrupted a moment to take the above picture...) With cold season here and his continuously runny nose, this blanket has been christened with his snot. Now the blanket belongs to him.

1 Year Old

I can't believe my little guy is a year old... The time has flown by! This past year has truly been amazing as we have watched him go from a TINY 5 lb 11 oz baby to a constantly moving and smiling toddler. Chris and I feel so blessed to have this little man in our lives.

It's about time.

It's taken me way too long to get some of our Christmas pictures up. We started the holiday out with a few traditions of our own. The three of us went on a carriage ride in the square and opened gifts together on the 23rd. We were able to see Chris' family on the 23rd as well. We spent the rest of the Christmas holiday with my family in OK and had a fabulous time. Ethan and Jack seemed to enjoy passing each other on the run. Jack wasn't real sure what to think about having another little person around taking away his Mimi and Papi, but he seemed to get used to it. We had a blast watching the little guys play, eating tons of Mimi's amazing food, sitting in front of Papi's fire, opening gifts, and laughing together. I don't think it could have been any more perfect!

An "I am old" moment...

A local gym is offering a free, 21-day trial, so last week I went in for my first appointment. An employee there was taking down my information and proceeded to make some small talk. He asked if I was from the area, and I told him that I was from OK. He said that he was originally from Muskogee, so I thought that he might know a good friend of mine that grew up there. When I asked him and he said no, I realized he might be too young to know her. So I asked his age - he was EIGHTEEN! My quick math skills told me that he was ELEVEN years younger than me!! Of course he wouldn't know my friend - when she was in high school he would be like six. I couldn't stop laughing as I realized that someone 11 years my junior could be a trainer at a gym. I had finally gotten used to the idea that I am a mom, but now I am just feeling old...

The 3 Crazy H Ranch

We spent some time with Pa Pa David a few weeks ago, and Ethan was able to check out some ranch life. A fresh batch of baby goats were born, and Ethan enjoyed playing with one of them. He kept trying to "kiss" the poor goat - which means open mouth with a little tongue. He was also able to see his cousin's new horse, some sheep, cows and ducks. (it was so much better than looking at pictures of animals in books!) Ethan also was really captivated by his Pa Pa's chest hair... Is that weird?!

11 Months Old

I have several other things that I need to post (gotta keep this chronologically straight), but I couldn't help but post this picture taken by my super talented sister in law, Caylee. (she's a photographer for hire...) Anyway, I loved this picture and had to get it on the blog.

While I am here I might as well talk about the E-Train turning 11 months old and what fun last month was. Between being at both grandparent's houses, Ethan has had a lot of room to practice his walking. It still amazes me how well he's getting around. We've only managed to break two bowls and get numerous bruises in the process. He's on a HUGE "Daddy kick" - he cries every morning when Chris leaves for work. Sometimes I wonder if he even likes me...then I remind myself that I have been watching too much "Family Guy". (Stewie is always trying to commit matricide...) Anyway, Ethan is a daddy's boy. We also spent some time at Pa Pa David's ranch where Ethan petted/licked a new baby goat. He attended his first funeral - Chris' grandma passed away. (this does not fall under the "fun month" category) And he was able to spend a lot of time with both sets of cousins. It's been a busy month, and we're looking forward to another wild and crazy year!