A Passion Shift

Ethan's passion for basketballs and basketball goals has cooled somewhat. He doesn't completely freak out at the sight of everyone we pass. He's moved on - to drawing balls. And it is a passion. It started out while he was playing at my friend Amy's house with Xander. They broke into her sidewalk chalk together, and life hasn't been the same since. All he wants to do is "DRAW BAAA" or "DRAW BAT" (we love baseball now too) with chalk or crayons. We've been through a full huge pad of paper and it's about time for a new box of chalk. He could seriously draw all day long. I love it!

Big News

Ethan very excited to model his new shirt...

...and his reaction when he's told that he won't be an only child in about 8 months.

Yep, we're expecting Baby Hoyle #2! It's looking like Baby H will arrive around March 10th, 2009. So far everything is going well. I am experiencing quite a bit more "morning sickness" with this one, and oh how I miss being able to take multiple naps during the day like when I was pregnant with Ethan! Not possible with an active toddler... We're very excited and would love any and all prayers that the Lord would keep knitting together this little person perfectly!

4th of July Weekend

We went to Stillwater to celebrate the 4th of July as well as several family birthdays. Ethan loved being at Papi's and Mimi's. He and Jack spent lots of time waist deep in toys, running through the sprinkler, swinging, play ball, jumping on a trampoline, and giving an occasional hug to one another (although it generally ended up in pushing). Ethan developed a new love for Papi's lemonade (he enjoyed sticking his arm in up to his elbow getting ice out), and for some reason he started eating bananas - if they were given to him by Papi. (he has hated bananas since the first time he tried them at about 8 months old) Ethan would check out Baby Claire every once and awhile, but he wasn't all that impressed that she wasn't interested in the basketball he threw at her face. Yeah, we need to work on that...

Hats

It started out with folding laundry and Ethan deciding he wanted to wear one of Chris' shirts. Since it was too long, I put one of my t-shirts on him...and that started "dress up" (in a manly sort of way of course). He found a box of hats in my closet and started putting them on. Of course I had to get my camera.

Arkansas Car Riding

I have given up trying to keep somewhat clean clothes on Ethan. If it's not food, it's dirt from outside or who knows what else. I think I could change him 15 times a day if I wanted to... My friend Sarah manages to always have clean little boys. I cannot for the life of me figure out she does that. Anyway, one day last week I had given up on clothes altogether and just let him run around in his diaper. He's much easier to wipe down that way. Chris got home and we needed to run a quick errand, so we put Ethan in the car as-is - graham cracker in hand. When I looked back at him telling us a very serious story, I couldn't help but crack up seeing him in just a diaper and no shoes. Ah, we've adjusted to AR life w/o any problems...

Sweet Innocence

We were at the mall a few days ago and we let Ethan out of his stroller to walk with us. As soon as we put him down, he started dancing to music that was playing on the outdoor speakers. He got his one arm flapping, his feet stomping up and down, bouncing and turning in circles. (you really have to see it to get the full picture...) He danced for at 3-4 minutes. People started stopping to watch and laugh. I couldn't decide if he was oblivious to the attention or was relishing in it (probably the latter), but I couldn't help but marvel at the innocence of it all. He doesn't care what people think! He's free to move as the music inspires...oh, to be that uninhibited. I wish I could be that carefree.

Oh, and we've decided to bring a hat next time we go. We'll start collecting money for his college fund...

(this picture doesn't have anything to do with dancing at the mall - it just makes me laugh)

Branson 0-8, Baby

We took our first family trip that was "kid oriented" to Silver Dollar City last weekend. Honestly, it was a little surreal for me because I still feel like the kid that should be going on trips with my parents! And I had a hard time not going on the "big people's" ride, but that has more to do with me being selfish. :) We went with our friends the Crawfords and their two fabulous little guys, Xander and Chaucer. We stayed at this amazing cabin that Xander called the "tree house". I honestly think the boys would have been completely content staying at the tree house and playing with the vacuum cleaner they had there. Seriously. But we managed to tear them away long enough to hit an outlet mall, see some of Branson, and then the following day go to SDC. Ethan wasn't too sure what to think about the balloon ride, but he loved exploring "Huck's Tree House" with his dad, and there was a water area that he managed to get soaked in. Ethan also experienced the Veggie Tales for the first time, and he was enamored. We were all worn on by the end of the weekend, but we all had a great time.

The Many Faces of Ethan

Ethan woke up in rare form the other day from his nap. He didn't want to get out of his crib. He just wanted to jump up and down, laugh and make faces at me. Of course I had to get my camera and attempt to capture the entertainment. I couldn't stop laughing at him which only encouraged him more. We're a pretty good pair - an entertainer and a thoroughly biased audience.

Little Chef

Ethan likes sitting on the counter top and helping me cook. If anything tastes bad I say that he must have added something while I wasn't looking. Lately, he's enjoyed holding a spoon, dipping it in the flour, and eating it. Yum. It keeps him quite content, so I don't complain. But I may need to get a separate thing of flour to actually cook with...

Oklahoma Trip

We went to Oklahoma a few days ago for my new niece, Claire's, baptism. It was a perfect weekend. We spent one night at Papi and Mimi's house. Ethan played in their huge backyard and ended the night with Papi spraying him down with a hose. (he LOVED it) Unfortunately I didn't get pictures of the spraying. Saturday we went to a cookout with my mom's side of the family where Ethan and Jack spent forever in the pool. The rest of the day, the boys played together and ate up being the center of attention to cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. I think Jack ate his weight in ice. I can still hear his sweet little voice saying, "ICE?!" Claire's baptism on Sunday was very special to be a part of, and of course she looked beautiful. Ethan was also able to see his Grandma Debbie briefly for lunch. He crashed on the way back home to AR...poor little guy was worn out!

Buddies

Ethan loves playing with his buddy, Xander. Every time I ask him if he wants to play with Xander, he clinches his fists next to his chest, smiles and nods his head rapidly. Needless to say, he was thrilled when he got to play with Xander at a pool. They had fun splashing in the pool, but the hose was much more fun. They took turns getting sprayed, and it involved a lot of screaming and laughing. I think us moms laughed just as much. 

Magazines

Chris showed Ethan his Sports Illustrated while waiting for dinner one night. Ethan could hardly believe how many balls were in that thing. Each page turn got an excited "BAHHHH!!!" Now he thinks that every magazine should be like S.I. He's quite sad when he goes through my RealSimple...

Portland

I had a fabulous time in Portland visiting Kobie, Travis and new little Thatcher. Thatcher is absolutely beautiful, and it was so fun watching Kobie be a momma. She is a natural. While I was there, I was able to see downtown Portland, eat amazing food, shop and managed to hit a piercing shop. On Saturday, our friend Christi flew in with her yummy little guy, Chaz. (I loved playing with him, but it really made me miss Ethan.) On Sunday, we all went to couple local vineyards and it was so incredibly beautiful. I am in love with Portland...if it weren't so far away from family, I might try and convince Chris to move us there...

Separation Anxiety...

I am in Portland, OR right now visiting one of my favorite people, Kobie, and her fabulous little guy, Thatch. Ethan is home in Bentonville. This is the first time I have ever been away from my buddy for longer than a few hours. It was excruciating leaving him, but as I went through security at the airport and rushed between gates, I was glad to just have my carry-on. It sounds like he's having a blast with his Grandma Debbie and Dad, and he only seemed to miss me yesterday. (I think that's good...) It's been really nice to be completely free to help around here, but I think I am going to be really ready to be home on Monday.

My Artist

It was rainy last week, so we had to find things to do inside. I decided to see if Ethan would like coloring. (In the past he's just eaten the crayons.) He really seemed to enjoy making his mark - especially with the purple crayon. It ended up being somewhat of an aerobic exercise for me b/c after he was done with a crayon he'd throw it over his shoulder. Those things ended up everywhere. I tried to show him that placing the crayon the table would insure it would be there when he wanted to use it again. But he'd get in his zone and crayons went flying. Maybe we have a mini-Pollock on our hands...

The Chair

Our old favorite toy, the chair, has become a hit again. The function of it is different though. Ethan used to sit quietly on it and play with the light, book, and clock. Music would play and he'd clap his hands and bounce to the beat. For the past several months, the toy has virtually been ignored...until he realized he could stand on it and then jump off. He cracked himself up for several minutes doing just that. It was pretty entertaining for me too - until he noticed a basket of "no touches" on the cabinet that suddenly he could reach with his new acquired height. The camera quickly went away and the chair was moved to a better location. I am sure this is just the beginning of the climbing.

My Big Boy

We have a park across the street from our house that Ethan and I go to almost daily. Generally, out of habit, I just carry him over there. It's easier. But a few days ago I asked him if he wanted to walk - but he had to hold my hand. He grabbed my hand and we walked side-by-side over to the park. It was a seemingly simple, ordinary act, but it hit me on the way across the street that I was walking with my son! Just a year ago he was an infant and now he's my little buddy that I do everything with. I am amazed at how much he's grown and changed. And I don't think I could have ever imagined just how nuts I would be about him and motherhood.

Basketball

Ethan is obsessed with basketballs and basketball goals. Whenever we go on walks around the neighborhood, without fail he can spot a basketball goal. (I had never noticed how many there were around here!) Last week his Grandma Debbie bought him a mini-goal for inside the house and I think it's a little piece of heaven for him. Since then soccer balls, footballs, balls for the tub, shoes, mail, sticks, and many other things have ended up caught in the net of the goal. He still stands at the edge of our yard staring wistfully at the "real" goal next door, but for now his mini-goal is great. Thanks, Grandma!

A Moment of Intensity?

In Stillwater this weekend, Ethan played a lot in the yard with his grandparents and cousin, Jack. Between the soccer ball and the slide, the boys were completely content. Luckily, my stud of a sister-in-law, Caylee, was there to catch some of it with her camera. Ethan looks so serious in this picture....like's he's planning out his next move to keep that ball away from Jack... 

Offers & Excitement

We received an offer on our house this past weekend. In a way, it came as a shock to us because we really had planned on it taking several months for anything to happen. But then, on the other hand, we weren't at all surprised because we think our house is stinkin' cute. (yes, we're waaaaay biased) We've been excited to see how God works through this whole process, and he's definitely surprising us along the way. The girl that is wanting to buy our house has to sell her house, so it's still not a "done deal". But we think we've found our new house, and we may be putting a contingent offer on the table for it this week. Craziness!