Happy New Year

So...we have a lot of catching up to do. My apologies to everyone for being MIA for the last few months. I am embarrassed. So I will start where we left off.

Thanksgiving

We were fortunate to return to Michigan for Thanksgiving this year and were able to see both sides of the family. Ethan and I had an extended stay at Grandma Lucy's house where we were able to visit, spend more time playing with Kaylee, and even visit Santa at the mall.

Ethan learned a few new things in Michigan this visit. Cats no longer say "Meow", they say "Meow, HISSSSSS". Grandma Lucy's cat hissed at Ethan the entire visit so now if you ask him what kitty cats say that is the answer you will get. Ethan loved all of Granddad's exotic pets. He liked the snakes and lizards but insisted Granddad "Put snake back." He liked them behind the glass. Good boy.

The Santa visit did not go as well this year as it did last. Ethan loved the decorations, reindeer, stars, and kids, but was terrified of Santa. He did not cry but the best we could do was to have him stand 5 feet in front of Santa while I jumped up and down wildly to try to make him laugh. We got the picture but he was not laughing. In the same mall visit Ethan picked out his own Christmas ornament for the year. One of the kiosks in the center of the mall was selling ornaments for personalization. Ethan saw a football ornament and at a lightening pace snatched it up saying "Throw football Momma!" and in a classic slow moment lunge I saw myself trying to grab the ornament before it shattered on the floor. I was unsuccessful. Needless to say the buy what you break rule was enforced that day. I did however take them up on the free personalization to always remember the year Ethan picked out the now broken football for the tree.

Baby

Yes, most of you have heard by now, we are expecting #2 around June 28, 2009. We could not be more excited about this news. We do not know the sex of the baby and as of today do not plan on finding out until they deliver another little cone head saying "IT'S A ______!" Sorry :( We do know the name, boy or girl but are not sharing that either. Aren't we fun!

Christmas

We were home for Christmas this year. Grandma and Grandpa Hurford were able to join us for the week. Ethan was very excited, yet a little overwhelmed, about his gifts. The ohhhs and ahhhs however of the morning made everything worth it.

Vacation

On December 30 we made a very uncharacteristic decision to book a trip to Florida due to a spontaneous invitation from the Fino and Welch families. The stars aligned and Patrick was able to escape from work so on December 31 we departed for the sunny, and might I add warm, state of Florida. (Yes, fellow mothers I had less than 24 hours to get a dog sitter, pack the family, book travel, etc. but I proved to myself it can be done.)

We had an amazing and relaxing time soaking up the sun, playing with Ethan in the pool, throwing sea shells into the ocean (for two hours every day- we were the limiting factor there), and even taking Ethan to Disney World! (Thanks Michele!)

I do not recommend Disney World for children under the age of 4 but Ethan was great. I think he had fun but at his age I don't know that he was able to take it all in. A lot to see. He loved his sucker and Mickey ears though!

Ethan

Ethan has gone through the full transition of being a little boy. He has been talking in sentences for a few months and gives his opinion on everything! He has a GREAT personality and is hilarious! He is sarcastic (gets it from his father), determined, particular, and very bright. It is very fun to watch him pretend play, mimic things, solve problems, and just experience life. Some of his favorites now are playing tag with Bella (they are still best friends) and riding her like a horse, playing hide and seek, playing with his trains, water play, and painting. He can count to 15, knows all his colors, and can identify the letters of the alphabet and the corresponding pictures that begin with the letter.

Needless to say we are busy but having a ton of fun!


We hope everyone had a safe and wonderful holiday and are blessed in 2009!



The little man




Snow Gear- for our only snowfall so far




Opening presents




Oh, the fun of Christmas morning!



Jumping into the pool



Finding Coconuts



The family at sunset- although it looks a little dark



Throwing Sea Shells into the ocean




Ethan's first visit to Magic Kingdom



The highlight of Walt Disney- Blue Pooh sucker and Mickey ears

Happy Halloween!

Disco Ethan was out in full force last night. He had a blast! First we carved his pumpkin and then went to a party hosted by a neighbor. Ethan loved spending time with all of the big kids. When it was time to "Trick or Treat" away he went! He RAN all the way around our block going from house to house with all of the kids. Up the stairs, down the hills, jumping in leaf piles along the way, grabbing his "hair hat" (as he called it) laughing and screaming the entire time. He was the life of the party! He had perfected his dance moves and saying "DISCO!" while pointing his finger in the air and made good use of his skills to entertain the crowd. We had such a wonderful evening watching our little guy have the time of his life.



Carving Pumpkins



"DISCO!"



Leading the "Trick or Treat" Gang

Lessons for the Week

I have learned:

1. Don't leave your child unattended in the next room while you are running late making lunch for daycare. Even if you think he is just washing his hands for the tenth time or (only acceptable because we were running late) unrolling the toilet paper. He did say "PAPER!". I have learned that if you underestimate the child who is starting to potty train he will not only lift the lid of the toilet seat, unravel all the toilet paper, but also put ALL the "PAPER!" in the toilet. Thank God we haven't mastered the flush. Secondary learning experience, keep rubber gloves at home for "fishing expeditions".




2. That door knob child protection is available and should be used. Ethan can not only open and close doors, he can do it to any door in the house. Ethan knows where the dog treats are in the pantry. He decided to get the dog treats and "Treat" Emma to God only knows how many fat patties. If you are asking yourself where I was, I was 10 feet away in the kitchen! The kid is CIA material. Stealth like. I should have been suspicious of the dogs being more than eager to endure Ethan's abuse, I mean love.



3. Don't listen to a single darn book or chart that tells you what level your kid is at or what they should be doing. That works for the first eight weeks of the eating, sleeping, and pooping schedule (yes, I said poop. I swore I never would but try to get Ethan's French teacher to understand what a bowel movement is, or to try to tell your one year old "YEAH- You had a bowel movement on the big boy toilet!" Yes, I said poop.) This kid thinks he is five. He wants to play with the kindergartners and older kids who live around us. As he says, "NO Babies". We also now need to move him to the big bed. He is eating his crib and knows how to scale the side.



Forget getting my Masters, I need to do more homework on raising an independent, strong-willed little man!

The Sweetest Little Boy

I was reminded this evening of how innocent, gentle, and kind hearted our little boy is.

Tonight I read his bedtime stories and just as we were getting ready to get into the rocker to say prayers and snuggle, the dogs started barking. After winding down this startled both of us. Ethan settled back down and drank his milk. I said goodnight and put him to bed. Just as I got to the stairs the dogs began to bark again. Ethan was hysterical, startled and scared. I ran back upstairs.

I decided that it would be a perfect evening to snuggle with my son and rock him to sleep, which at this age normally only happens when he is not feeling well. I rocked him for quite awhile, thinking the whole time about life and everything that has been on my mind. His little body relaxed as if he were asleep.

As he laid on my chest, I gave him a big hug and whispered, "I love you Buddy." He then picked his head up off my shoulder, took out his pacifier and gave me a big kiss. I whispered, "Thank you Buddy." After giving me another kiss he went into his crib and went to sleep.

As you can imagine, my eyes were filled with tears and I was reminded again of how complete my life truly is.

Eating at the Big Boys Table

Yes, it is true. Ethan has officially moved out of the high chair and up to the big table. He is so proud of himself to be eating with Mom and Dad on his own chair. He insists on using his silverware and does very well with it. He even uses a real plate for most meals. I probably should reconsider this one if I want to keep a full set of china.

His only issue: He thinks it is hilarious to put his foot on the table. We have tried telling him no, casually removing it EVERY stinkin time he puts it up there, and ignoring the behavior and laughter. It seems to be getting better but boy is this kid stubborn!

Otherwise, things are good. Ethan is having a few issues with allergies and his asthma. We are still doing the nebulizer treatments every night and today he started an allergy medication. Over the weekend, as Patrick's and my allergies are kicking up, we noticed Ethan sneezing, rubbing his eyes until they were red, and having a dry cough again. I called the doctor today so they are hoping this works to keep all of his symptoms and his asthma under control. He is trooper though, never whines about any of it.

Ethan's summer love is his boats. We ride our bike almost every night down to the sound to watch all the boats. He just loves it! It has gotten to the point now that after dinner every night he points at the back door and says "Boat?" or "Where's the boat?" How can I argue with that!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Hurford!

We just wanted to wish Grandpa a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! We hope you had a wonderful day. Sorry your card is a little late :)

Ethan's Kitchen is Open for Business

Come one, come all! Ethan's kitchen is open for business. We have now set up a playroom for Ethan in the basement complete with his new kitchen. He LOVES it! It is a guaranteed 20 minutes of uninterrupted playtime (which Mom and Dad LOVE).

Here is short clip of Ethan in his kitchen. It is so funny how he loves to pretend at such a young age. Eating fake bread, drinking air (coffee), stirring a pot of air (soup), etc. It is just another reminder of how quickly he has gone from being a baby to a little boy.



Lately, Ethan is also singing songs. He know "Row, Row, Row, BOAT!" (Row, Row, Row your Boat), the Quack, Quack song (The Wiggles), "Ashes, Ashes, DOWN!" (Ring around the Rosie). We are also working up a special rendition for football season. He has "O", "H",__, "O" with hand movements. Almost ready...

Ethan's Discovery at Church

Ethan had an eventful morning at church. A bit more truthful, we had our hands full at church today. Ethan discovered the echo in church. As usual like good Catholics should ;) we arrived 10 minutes before church to settle in and pray. In that short time, Ethan discovered that if he did "fast feet" (dancing in the pew), fake coughed, fake sneezed, and ultimately yelled, it would echo throughout the church. It was quite entertaining the first few times but then the Deacon started waving to Ethan. He had not only been noticed but mass was about to begin. Out came the pacifier. That only lasted until he discovered it was fun to drop on the pew to make noise. Then the event that got him out of church. He threw the pacifier across the center aisle into the opposing pews. We promptly decided to head to the back.

At offering we decided to try again and joined Daddy back in the pew. We just made it until communion and then took the long walk straight out of church. Let's just say Ethan showed God all his talents at church today.

Independence Day Celebrations

At the starting line



Ready to race



Can I go again?

This Fourth of July we celebrated our independence by staying home and enjoying our family. Patrick left for Germany yesterday for two weeks so we decided to relax and spend as much time with Ethan as possible on the 4th.

We were busy though. Ethan ran his first race on Friday. Yes, a legitimate 25 yrd dash. We decided to attend the Village of Larchmont 4th of July festivities. It was an old-fashioned community gathering with kids races, water balloon toss, a fire engine to hose down the kids (I think it was riot control just in case), free watermelon and hot dogs, and parent relays. Ethan was so tired when we arrived but once he saw all the kids away he went! Then it was his shining moment! As they called the pre-k kids up to race he decided he was running too. It took everything to hold him on the starting line until they said go but on the count of three away he went! He was by far the youngest little guy and although he finished last, by the cheers of the crowd, he was the winner! He ran the entire 25 yards in a straight line all the way to the finish! He was awarded a third place ribbon (which I thought was a little unfair given his age disadvantage, but at least this is still America where in the real world everyone doesn't win). He proceeded to run the next two races lagging behind the older age groups and then was quickly distracted by a dog passing by. Oh the joy of being one!

I am sad to say we have no video of the actual event because we did not bring our video camera. We had no idea what to expect from the gathering. I also have no good photos because I was chasing Ethan in the races and did not think to pull it out. (DAH!)

We also discovered Ethan LOVES blueberries! He ate half a pint yesterday by himself.

Other than that, we are having a nice summer. Busy as always but trying to relax and enjoy life and our little boy every moment we can.

Hello again!

Ethan at his music class


Daddy's new bike with a bonus for Ethan


Best Friends


BUBBLES!


Ethan's Sandbox



It's been a while but we are all still here. Busy, busy, busy. But what else is new, this is the American lifestyle!

Ethan is definitely a toddler, although he will always be my baby. He know all his animal sounds now, jumps, runs, climbs, eats with utensils, speaks a few two to three word sentences, identifies food and counts to three. That's only what I can think about. The child is crazy! But the source of every bit of joy in our days. He is so much fun!

Patrick just celebrated the big 3-0! We had a surprise party in the city after work on Thursday. He was shocked! Literally could not place his own parents when he saw them. The look was priceless. I felt bad though, he was expecting a romantic dinner with yours truly- I am sure he was disappointed not to have the anticipated event:)

Otherwise, nothing too new and exciting. Grandma Lucy came to visit last month to give Patrick and I a chance to get away for the weekend. It was wonderful. The only disappointment was that we were so looking forward to sleeping in but found ourselves waking up at 5AM out of habit. Luckily we were able to stay in bed.

This summer is passing by too quickly. We are hoping to return to Michigan before September. Patrick has a few work commitments, possibly going to Germany, to take care of before we can set any official plans. Otherwise we find ourselves playing in Ethan's sand box and blowing bubbles on the weekend. Oh how Ethan loves his bubbles! There is nothing cuter than to here that little boy squeal "BUBBLES!" as they blow off the wand!

Anyways, I will try to be better in the future about posts...

Our first family destination vacation

We took our first family destination vacation to Siesta Key, FL with the Fino's. The Welch family was kind enough to take us in for the weekend. Patrick had a wonderful time golfing and I was very fortunate to have five wonderful days with Ethan.

Ethan LOVED the pool and the ocean. He was definitely not afraid of the water and enjoyed jumping in off the side saying "GO" with every jump. He also loved the waterfall and ledge where he could watch various objects go overboard, circle and pop out of the water for him to retrieve. He also enjoyed the geckos.

After our vacation though Patrick and I quickly decided we needed a VACATION- a relaxing one for both of us. Grandma Lucy is coming at the end of the month. I am a little hesitant to leave Ethan but I know he will be in great hands and once I sip a strong margarita the world will just slow down. I can't wait!

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

Good Morning Birthday Boy!


Party Soccer


That's YUMMY!


Birthday Boy


This is fun!


Destroyed!


Thank you for my cards!


How many attorneys and ex-Navy Seals does it take to assemble a toy? Ok, bad joke.


Cousins


Where is my after party?







I don't care what anyone says, this big boy will always be my baby.

Saturday was Ethan's first birthday. Despite being diagnosed with a double ear infection at 5:00PM Friday evening, Ethan was a little champion on his birthday! We started the day with his music class where everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to him. He always gets a kick out of hearing his name in a song. Then we spent the day with him enjoying the nice weather and his new wagon. The party started at 4:30PM and by 5:00PM everyone was here, eating and having fun.

Ethan was too excited to eat but had fun following the big kids and kissing the babies. Then came cake time. He had his eggless, milkless, cupcake (they were even good) in front of him but he had no idea what to think. First a little frosting on the finger to stare at, then a little frosting in his hair. Then a lot more frosting in his hair. His "King" hat was ripped apart and finally he destroyed the cupcake! It was quite humorous. Everything a one year old should do with a cupcake.

He was not too interested in his gifts so we let the other kids, and Mommy, open them. Bows, balloons and the cards were more fun for him.

Finally it was time for bed but the poor little guy literally twitched from the sugar until he finally crashed. What a day!

Now the reality is that my baby is one and not a baby any more. He is such a big boy running around, dancing, jabbering non-stop (I wonder where he gets that from), making animal noises, and testing his parents. It has been such an amazing year to watch this little helpless baby turn into a sassy little toddler. Time passes by far too quickly. I continue to learn to cherish every day.

Anyways... Happy Birthday Ethan! May this next year be full of new learning experiences, fun, growth, and memories.

We love you!

First Haircut

Getting ready for the first cut.


No problem, the Wiggles are on!




Such a good boy.




Just curious



Ethan's new look



After three people last weekend complimented our beautiful little girl we decided it was time for Ethan's first haircut. Yesterday we went to Sharkey's Cuts for Kids armed with the camera, video camera, plenty of toys and snacks, and an open mind to a new experience. We only needed the cameras because Ethan did great!

Ethan sat in the jeep shaped chair, watched the wiggles, and played with a balloon the entire time the stylist miraculously cut the hair on his wiggling head. No tears, no screaming, he didn't even try to get up. Only dancing and curiously trying to follow the scissors.

The cut is great except he looks like such a big boy now! Patrick and I just can't believe how big our little guy is and now he looks even bigger!

Happy Easter

The smile from an Easter suprise!




Ethan's new basket


What's in this egg?


Are there any more?


Ethan's monkey even fits!


The cheesy family picture


Happy boy


We hope everyone had a Happy Easter! We had a wonderful Easter today. We went to church this morning where Ethan and the little boy behind us ended up trying to kiss eachother. The other boy's grandfather quickly put a stop to that- it was rather humorous. The Finos came over for dinner and enjoyed watching Ethan's first Easter egg hunt with us.

The hunt was not much of a hunt, more like a find. Ethan's face when he entered the room and saw all the new toys and eggs was priceless. Grin from ear to ear. It certainly made it all worth it. So with two video cameras rolling and the digital camera snapping we caught nearly all the fun moments.