Friday, June 19, 2009
Happy 5th Anniversary!
It's hard to believe that five years have already flown by. Patrick and I can hardly believe the time that has passed. It has been a busy and eventful five years and we are happy to report that we can't imagine our lives any other way. We are so blessed to have each other, two (well almost) beautiful little boys, and the love and support of all our family and friends. The only downside to the reflection of the last few years has been that either camera quality has gone down or we are starting to look old!
Happy Birthday Patrick
Happy Birthday Patrick! (June 12) We quietly celebrated this year as a family. Ethan had a ton of fun baking a cake for Daddy, decorating, and celebrating. He has learned how to sing "Happy Birthday" and serenaded Patrick as soon as he returned from work. I wish I had it on video, it was priceless! Patrick picked a birthday meal of bbq chicken on the grill and green beans with homemade carrot cake, of course! The boys had fun with their birthday crowns and Patrick shared the spotlight with Ethan to blow out candles together on their cake. We can't wait for another birthday or should I say "Birth Day" very soon.
Birthday Crowns
Celebrate!
Blowing out candles, for the 47th time :)
Birthday Crowns
Celebrate!
Blowing out candles, for the 47th time :)
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Ready for #2
We are all ready for #2. I think Ethan is the most anxious one in this bunch. He understands that his baby brother is in Mommy's belly but is having a hard time with the concept of the wait and understanding that the baby is coming soon. When I leave he asks if I will bring the baby home. When he hears the train he sometimes asks if the baby is on it. Sometimes he asks if he can ride the train to the city to get the baby and every morning he asks if the baby is home yet.
Yesterday we made a countdown train to help him understand when the baby will be here. We remove a ring every morning, before feeding Bo who is doing very well, and I think he understands that when the rings are gone the baby will be here. The only thing that needs to happen now is #2 needs to arrive on or before the due date or my plan is foiled. I think this is working for Ethan because he was able to explain the "Baby Brother Train" to Daddy and Eileen (our sitter). I just think there are too many darn rings left :)
And for all those who are curious... with the recent Jaba the Hut comments and Big Momma references, here is a pic of the ginormous belly. It's worth a good laugh.
37.5 weeks
Yesterday we made a countdown train to help him understand when the baby will be here. We remove a ring every morning, before feeding Bo who is doing very well, and I think he understands that when the rings are gone the baby will be here. The only thing that needs to happen now is #2 needs to arrive on or before the due date or my plan is foiled. I think this is working for Ethan because he was able to explain the "Baby Brother Train" to Daddy and Eileen (our sitter). I just think there are too many darn rings left :)
And for all those who are curious... with the recent Jaba the Hut comments and Big Momma references, here is a pic of the ginormous belly. It's worth a good laugh.
37.5 weeks
I blame Disney...
On Monday the gardeners were here to do their weekly duties and as usual, Ethan was keeping track of their progress. When it was time for the blowers to clean up there was a change to the normal routine. Mr. Mike, the owner, usually runs the blower but Monday one of his young Hispanic workers was on blower duty. Ethan immediately started asking, "Who's that?" I told him it was one of Mr. Mike's workers. He then asked, "What's he doing?" He knew what he was doing but I answered. He once again asked, "Who's that?" Again, I gave my standard answer. He took a moment then turned to me and said, "NO Momma, that's Manny!"
For those of you who don't know, Handy Manny is a cartoon on Disney where Manny is a young Hispanic handyman who fixes anything for anyone. Talk about teaching young children racial stereotyping! Ethan would certainly be dismissed from a Supreme Court nomination for this one. I blame Disney!
For those of you who don't know, Handy Manny is a cartoon on Disney where Manny is a young Hispanic handyman who fixes anything for anyone. Talk about teaching young children racial stereotyping! Ethan would certainly be dismissed from a Supreme Court nomination for this one. I blame Disney!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Our new addition- don't get too excited
Welcome to our nuthouse Bo! I really don't know what he is more excited about, his new flag or his new fish. Ethan got his first fish today. I was very skeptical that the fish he picked would make it home. Of course he picked the sickliest looking fish the store had. I tried to convince him to get a different one but the protest to keep Bo was overwhelming. Let's put it this way, after examining the container up close the cashier, unprompted, felt the need to share that if anything happened in 14 days I could bring him back so I should keep the receipt. But, after a healthy lunch of McDonalds (wink, wink), Ethan dumped Bo into his new home. To my surprise the fish perked right up and actually even looks 100% better.
After waking from his nap the first thing we had to do was "wake up" Bo and watch him. Then we were off to wave our flag. Friday fun!
UPDATE: The fish's name has changed again. First it was Kitty Cat Milk (same name he claims will be his baby brother's), then "X", he had settled on Bo for most of the day but now his name is just Mr. Fish.
After waking from his nap the first thing we had to do was "wake up" Bo and watch him. Then we were off to wave our flag. Friday fun!
UPDATE: The fish's name has changed again. First it was Kitty Cat Milk (same name he claims will be his baby brother's), then "X", he had settled on Bo for most of the day but now his name is just Mr. Fish.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Ethan Updates- for the last two months...
I hope you can all sense that I am hiding my head in shame. I would like to blame work or baby preperation or anything other excuse I could come up with but I have no good one.
Everything at our house is busy, crazy, fun, exciting, and great as we are awaiting the arrival of #2 and watching Ethan grow up far too quickly. Ethan is such a big boy now! As of the end of March he is potty trained! YEAH!!!!! He has done such an awesome job whether at home, in the car, at the doctor's office, the zoo, you name it! His vocabulary amazes us on a daily basis and his personality is hysterical. He is too smart for his own good and definitely keeps us on our toes!
A few stories to share:
- Ethan is great at sharing but also at telling others how to. If I have something he wants but it is either something he can not have or something that he is too anxious to wait for he will say very sternly, "Share Momma/ Daddy!"
- His favorite sayings, "Look at THAT!" or "What was T-H-A-T!"
-After painting his Easter artwork on the front door he scratched some of the paint during a tantrum. The next morning when showing Daddy his work he said, "Look Dadda, I ruined it!"
-One night at dinner he made Patrick feel awful. He told Patrick, "I go to bed when Dadda come home from work."
-One Sunday morning we were getting ready for Church and told Ethan we were going to go pray to Jesus, he said, "NO!, My Jesus!"
- I officially have a back seat driver. (Thank God I know better than to curse anymore with a little parrot around) If a car in front of us stops or is slow he will yell, "Come on man!", "Come on Dude", "GO!" or a number of other things. My favorite was one day in the McDonald's drive through we were waiting in line. From the back seat Ethan yells, "Come on people! Momma, honk the horn!"
- He is starting to tell knock knock jokes. His favorites: Knock, Knock, Who's there? Nobody! and Knock, Knock, Who's there?, Ethan, Ethan who? Ethan Hurford
-Ethan now prays every night by himself saying "God Bless______, God Bless______,......" He is very good about blessing EVERYTHING from Momma, Daddy, himself, Emma, Bella, Trains, Trucks, Thomas (the train), animals, kids you name it. One night I suggested baby brother, his response, "NO!, God Bless Gordon (another train)!" Since then he blesses baby brother every night though.
- Ethan is very sweet about the idea of baby brother. He kisses my belly and tries to squeeze it to hug the baby, he will tell you how he will share his toys with the baby and teach him to play baseball, and likes to feel the baby move. The two things we have to get over is that he is convinced that the baby is in my belly but will arrive on a train and when asked where everyone in the family sits at dinner insists that the baby will sit in the cupboard- doors closed.
- Ethan got a rocket (like the big kids) to play with outside. Don't worry it is soft foam that doesn't hurt even in the event of a direct hit- thanks Patrick for testing that. Daddy liked it so much that the two of them would argue outside with Ethan telling Daddy, "It's my turn now!" To end the arguments I bought a second rocket for Patrick, as a joke, for his birthday. Ethan and I hid it in the closet to save it. I quickly learned Ethan can't keep a secret. When Ethan saw Patrick he immediately started telling him about his "Rocket Birthday". I told Patrick I had no idea what he was talking about but Ethan quickly went to the office saying "Yes Momma, it's in the closet! Remember?" There went that surprise! But the boys are happy now not to share.
I wish I could think of more right now but my baby brain is failing me. We are having so much fun with the little man. He is just growing up too quickly. It is so weird to have a complete conversation with him but we are so proud of his development. There is so much joy in witnessing his thought process and the way he focuses and contemplates his decisions, listening to his ideas and observing the way he pretends with the greatest little imagination I have seen. It don't know how it gets any better!
Number two is doing great. They estimate him to be "long and lean" and think he will weigh less than Ethan did. We shall see. He is an active little guy though and feels strong. We are full term now so any day we will hopefully announce the birth of the newest Hurford.
The dogs are good. Miss Bella had to go on Prozac (it was very difficult for me to pay money for that junk after selling Zoloft for so many years) for her anxiety. She has always had her issues but lately has gotten worse with her hemmorhagic gastritis. Any change in routine or environment has an effect on her. I think she is really sensing the upcoming events due to all the baby stuff returning in the house and the changes in my schedule. Knowing that we will also have a number of visitors and the obvious fact that the next few months will be crazy the vet felt this was our best option. We shall see. Emma is still a happy lab as long as dinner is on time.
Otherwise, I think we are up to date. I will really try to keep up from now on especially with the new baby!
Everything at our house is busy, crazy, fun, exciting, and great as we are awaiting the arrival of #2 and watching Ethan grow up far too quickly. Ethan is such a big boy now! As of the end of March he is potty trained! YEAH!!!!! He has done such an awesome job whether at home, in the car, at the doctor's office, the zoo, you name it! His vocabulary amazes us on a daily basis and his personality is hysterical. He is too smart for his own good and definitely keeps us on our toes!
A few stories to share:
- Ethan is great at sharing but also at telling others how to. If I have something he wants but it is either something he can not have or something that he is too anxious to wait for he will say very sternly, "Share Momma/ Daddy!"
- His favorite sayings, "Look at THAT!" or "What was T-H-A-T!"
-After painting his Easter artwork on the front door he scratched some of the paint during a tantrum. The next morning when showing Daddy his work he said, "Look Dadda, I ruined it!"
-One night at dinner he made Patrick feel awful. He told Patrick, "I go to bed when Dadda come home from work."
-One Sunday morning we were getting ready for Church and told Ethan we were going to go pray to Jesus, he said, "NO!, My Jesus!"
- I officially have a back seat driver. (Thank God I know better than to curse anymore with a little parrot around) If a car in front of us stops or is slow he will yell, "Come on man!", "Come on Dude", "GO!" or a number of other things. My favorite was one day in the McDonald's drive through we were waiting in line. From the back seat Ethan yells, "Come on people! Momma, honk the horn!"
- He is starting to tell knock knock jokes. His favorites: Knock, Knock, Who's there? Nobody! and Knock, Knock, Who's there?, Ethan, Ethan who? Ethan Hurford
-Ethan now prays every night by himself saying "God Bless______, God Bless______,......" He is very good about blessing EVERYTHING from Momma, Daddy, himself, Emma, Bella, Trains, Trucks, Thomas (the train), animals, kids you name it. One night I suggested baby brother, his response, "NO!, God Bless Gordon (another train)!" Since then he blesses baby brother every night though.
- Ethan is very sweet about the idea of baby brother. He kisses my belly and tries to squeeze it to hug the baby, he will tell you how he will share his toys with the baby and teach him to play baseball, and likes to feel the baby move. The two things we have to get over is that he is convinced that the baby is in my belly but will arrive on a train and when asked where everyone in the family sits at dinner insists that the baby will sit in the cupboard- doors closed.
- Ethan got a rocket (like the big kids) to play with outside. Don't worry it is soft foam that doesn't hurt even in the event of a direct hit- thanks Patrick for testing that. Daddy liked it so much that the two of them would argue outside with Ethan telling Daddy, "It's my turn now!" To end the arguments I bought a second rocket for Patrick, as a joke, for his birthday. Ethan and I hid it in the closet to save it. I quickly learned Ethan can't keep a secret. When Ethan saw Patrick he immediately started telling him about his "Rocket Birthday". I told Patrick I had no idea what he was talking about but Ethan quickly went to the office saying "Yes Momma, it's in the closet! Remember?" There went that surprise! But the boys are happy now not to share.
I wish I could think of more right now but my baby brain is failing me. We are having so much fun with the little man. He is just growing up too quickly. It is so weird to have a complete conversation with him but we are so proud of his development. There is so much joy in witnessing his thought process and the way he focuses and contemplates his decisions, listening to his ideas and observing the way he pretends with the greatest little imagination I have seen. It don't know how it gets any better!
Number two is doing great. They estimate him to be "long and lean" and think he will weigh less than Ethan did. We shall see. He is an active little guy though and feels strong. We are full term now so any day we will hopefully announce the birth of the newest Hurford.
The dogs are good. Miss Bella had to go on Prozac (it was very difficult for me to pay money for that junk after selling Zoloft for so many years) for her anxiety. She has always had her issues but lately has gotten worse with her hemmorhagic gastritis. Any change in routine or environment has an effect on her. I think she is really sensing the upcoming events due to all the baby stuff returning in the house and the changes in my schedule. Knowing that we will also have a number of visitors and the obvious fact that the next few months will be crazy the vet felt this was our best option. We shall see. Emma is still a happy lab as long as dinner is on time.
Otherwise, I think we are up to date. I will really try to keep up from now on especially with the new baby!
Happy 2nd Birthday Ethan
Happy 2nd Birthday Ethan!
The future baller
Happy boy with his Thomas cake
Oh- More Thomas stuff...
The great egg hunt
Ok- so I'm a little behind...
Ethan's 2nd Birthday was very low key this year but very successful. His birthday this year fell on Easter Sunday so we decided to give him a birthday weekend! We predominantly celebrated on Saturday but continued the party on Sunday. Saturday morning Ethan woke up to balloons everywhere, a birthday crown, and the beginning of his presents. His little face was so precious as he rounded the corner coming down the stairs and saw all his decorations. He was beaming from ear to ear!
We did not have a party but Grandma Lucy was here to celebrate for the week and Uncle Brian, Aunt Michele and Baby Oliver came over on Sunday to share Easter dinner, celebrate Ethan's birthday and witness the great Easter Egg Hunt! Ethan loved all of his gifts: his new basketball hoop, picnic table, Thomas the Train tracks, buildings and new cars, bubble mower, and everything else he was spoiled with.
Ethan had a lot of fun blowing out his candles this year. I think we sang "Happy Birthday" about 400 times in two days and the candle is reduced to a stump! He enjoyed his Thomas birthday cake though by digging in to an entire car all by himself! Yes, I made the cake and am happy I did. I will however mention that the cake could have probably fed 20 kids and took about an hour and a half to frost. Thank God he requires eggless cake or I may not put in the effort next year.
It was an exciting fun filled weekend devoted to doing whatever the little man wanted to do. If you ask him now how old he is he will tell you "Four!"- he thinks he is hilarious. He has quite the sense of humor and will happily tell you not only his "age" (he knows he is two), but also that he is a genius. Daddy taught him that.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Deleted Videos
I promise I will update soon (within the next few days) however I wanted to let everyone know that I will no longer be posting video on the blog until I figure out a way to do it other than you tube. A creepy individual apparently subscribed to view my videos and from their profile it seems they only view/subscribe to kids videos. I was naive in not realizing anyone could subscribe to your videos and get notification of new videos once they discover your account.
I have permanently deleted my you tube account so any previous posts with video attachments will not work.
I am sorry to do this however I wish to take every precaution to keep pictures and our family news as private as possible while still being able to share it with all of you. Thank you for your understanding.
I have permanently deleted my you tube account so any previous posts with video attachments will not work.
I am sorry to do this however I wish to take every precaution to keep pictures and our family news as private as possible while still being able to share it with all of you. Thank you for your understanding.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Update...
I am racking my brain for updates but the best my brain can give me are bullet points and pictures so here goes:
- The belly is getting big. As of March 8 we can watch the baby move. It is pretty amazing. The little guy is EXTREMELY active. At our last ob appointment she had a hard time finding the heartbeat for more than two seconds. I told her he was active, her comment, "You aren't kidding." She finally gave up and guessed the heartbeat between 140 and 150. We are currently at 24 weeks 2 days (but who's counting) and are measuring at 25 weeks.
- Ethan has discovered that his Mommy and Daddy have names other than Mommy and Daddy. When he can't get our attention fast enough you hear, "Mommy... Mommy... Mommy... BETH!" or "Daddy...Daddy...Daddy...PAT!" We are working on this issue. Although it is concerning it is quite hard not to laugh.
- Thomas the Train has invaded our home. Yes we have officially been sucked into the Thomas empire. That train must have a golden grille and wheels for the scam he is running on all of us suckers who buy these overpriced pieces of wood. Yes, I am jealous I can't create such a genius scam. By the way, if anyone knows anyone getting rid of this stuff please let me know. I scour ebay and craig's list on a regular basis.
- Ethan continues to progress physically and intellectually. He is singing the ABC's, knows his opposites, colors, and continues to count to twenty, although he finds himself hilarious by mixing up the numbers. His favorite combo, "One, Two,...Five" followed by uncontrolled laughter. He is catching the football and pitching very well. He still kicks his leg up for dramatic effect at the end of the pitch. He loves to pretend, play "I spy", and is doing a great job with associations. One of his train books has a car carrying grain. He stopped the story one day and started repeating "Grain". He got out of bed and got his John Deere tractor book and turned to the page with a combine and grain and said "Grain". I explained how the combine harvests the grain, puts it in the bin, the tractor takes it to the train (yes I skipped the truck and processing part), the train takes it to the factory and the factory makes cereal. He will now tell you the story of what happens to grain. It is truly amazing though how he associates and connects things. He also has most of his books memorized so he will "read" them to you or if you stop on any word in the book he will say the next word or words.
- Ethan had his first visit to the ER for injury on March 1. He fell into the edge of the coffee table in the living room. The gash in his lip went horizontally across the inside, down the front of the lip and horizontally back across the front of the lip creating a nice little flap that gushed blood. After bleeding for over an hour despite ice and pressure and an ER consult it was determined that he would not need stitches. He was hilarious in the ER and won the accolade of best patient of the night. The doctor and nurse were impressed how Ethan explained the monitor and his heartbeat and identified the giraffe reflex hammer. Of course it took stickers to get him to give it up. He never cried once and the total ER time was one hour. I will never go to another ER as long as we live here. By the way, this is our delivering hospital with the lobster dinner.
Other than that, here are some pics from the last few weeks. Enjoy.
Family shot in Central Park
Ethan and Daddy
Ethan loves to run on Bow Bridge. It makes a great noise. (This is one of my favorite pictures)
Tickets please!
Fun in the park.
- The belly is getting big. As of March 8 we can watch the baby move. It is pretty amazing. The little guy is EXTREMELY active. At our last ob appointment she had a hard time finding the heartbeat for more than two seconds. I told her he was active, her comment, "You aren't kidding." She finally gave up and guessed the heartbeat between 140 and 150. We are currently at 24 weeks 2 days (but who's counting) and are measuring at 25 weeks.
- Ethan has discovered that his Mommy and Daddy have names other than Mommy and Daddy. When he can't get our attention fast enough you hear, "Mommy... Mommy... Mommy... BETH!" or "Daddy...Daddy...Daddy...PAT!" We are working on this issue. Although it is concerning it is quite hard not to laugh.
- Thomas the Train has invaded our home. Yes we have officially been sucked into the Thomas empire. That train must have a golden grille and wheels for the scam he is running on all of us suckers who buy these overpriced pieces of wood. Yes, I am jealous I can't create such a genius scam. By the way, if anyone knows anyone getting rid of this stuff please let me know. I scour ebay and craig's list on a regular basis.
- Ethan continues to progress physically and intellectually. He is singing the ABC's, knows his opposites, colors, and continues to count to twenty, although he finds himself hilarious by mixing up the numbers. His favorite combo, "One, Two,...Five" followed by uncontrolled laughter. He is catching the football and pitching very well. He still kicks his leg up for dramatic effect at the end of the pitch. He loves to pretend, play "I spy", and is doing a great job with associations. One of his train books has a car carrying grain. He stopped the story one day and started repeating "Grain". He got out of bed and got his John Deere tractor book and turned to the page with a combine and grain and said "Grain". I explained how the combine harvests the grain, puts it in the bin, the tractor takes it to the train (yes I skipped the truck and processing part), the train takes it to the factory and the factory makes cereal. He will now tell you the story of what happens to grain. It is truly amazing though how he associates and connects things. He also has most of his books memorized so he will "read" them to you or if you stop on any word in the book he will say the next word or words.
- Ethan had his first visit to the ER for injury on March 1. He fell into the edge of the coffee table in the living room. The gash in his lip went horizontally across the inside, down the front of the lip and horizontally back across the front of the lip creating a nice little flap that gushed blood. After bleeding for over an hour despite ice and pressure and an ER consult it was determined that he would not need stitches. He was hilarious in the ER and won the accolade of best patient of the night. The doctor and nurse were impressed how Ethan explained the monitor and his heartbeat and identified the giraffe reflex hammer. Of course it took stickers to get him to give it up. He never cried once and the total ER time was one hour. I will never go to another ER as long as we live here. By the way, this is our delivering hospital with the lobster dinner.
Other than that, here are some pics from the last few weeks. Enjoy.
Family shot in Central Park
Ethan and Daddy
Ethan loves to run on Bow Bridge. It makes a great noise. (This is one of my favorite pictures)
Tickets please!
Fun in the park.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monkey Trouble
I discovered today how I am going to make my first million.
Although Ethan is a joy 99% of the time, we have entered the terrible twos with a furry! As I was changing a dirty diaper and getting dressed this morning (which is always a battle of "I do it!") Ethan decided to lay still long enough to remove the dirty diaper and then make a break for it. With cat-like reflexes I caught him and was able to wipe off, let's say, the solid matter before he wiggled free. He proceeded to run around with his footie pjs dangling in the breeze and bare bottomed. After a short time of trying to corral my little streaker, I explained to him that I would wait until he was ready to get dressed. I stood up and turned my back for no more than ten seconds. At that time I heard the dreaded, "ALL WET!"
"All WET!" was right! But much worse than expected. Being laundry day, I had already stripped his bed and had his pillows and stuffed animals piled on his little potterybarn chair (I only brand drop because you all know what these little embroidered overpriced chairs look like). Yes, there he was standing in front of the pile pointing at the puddle that quickly dissipated into the fabric and foam. I can't type my thoughts at that moment but I quickly grabbed his hand and escorted him to the bathroom telling him that we do not go potty on chairs, we go potty in the big boy potty. To which he replied- Here's the kicker:
"Not Ethie, Monkey did it! Monkey peed in chair!"
That ladies and gentlemen is how I am going to make a million if I can just get that damn monkey to replicate his act.
Needless to say, I was dumbfounded by my 22 month old's wit and imagination. I quickly explained to him how naughty monkey was and that we needed to give monkey a time out. He quickly agreed and even got dressed to go help put monkey in time out. He carefully explained to monkey that he was in time out for going potty on the chair. He made monkey say he was sorry and even hugged him. After giving monkey a bath, we showed monkey and kitty how to use the big boy potty. I can't take any chances. If this is what the monkey does, God only knows where or what the kitty will do.
So if anyone knows how to tame a wild monkey, please let me know.
Naughty Monkey
Oh yeah, and did I mention we are having another boy! We couldn't be happier!
Although Ethan is a joy 99% of the time, we have entered the terrible twos with a furry! As I was changing a dirty diaper and getting dressed this morning (which is always a battle of "I do it!") Ethan decided to lay still long enough to remove the dirty diaper and then make a break for it. With cat-like reflexes I caught him and was able to wipe off, let's say, the solid matter before he wiggled free. He proceeded to run around with his footie pjs dangling in the breeze and bare bottomed. After a short time of trying to corral my little streaker, I explained to him that I would wait until he was ready to get dressed. I stood up and turned my back for no more than ten seconds. At that time I heard the dreaded, "ALL WET!"
"All WET!" was right! But much worse than expected. Being laundry day, I had already stripped his bed and had his pillows and stuffed animals piled on his little potterybarn chair (I only brand drop because you all know what these little embroidered overpriced chairs look like). Yes, there he was standing in front of the pile pointing at the puddle that quickly dissipated into the fabric and foam. I can't type my thoughts at that moment but I quickly grabbed his hand and escorted him to the bathroom telling him that we do not go potty on chairs, we go potty in the big boy potty. To which he replied- Here's the kicker:
"Not Ethie, Monkey did it! Monkey peed in chair!"
That ladies and gentlemen is how I am going to make a million if I can just get that damn monkey to replicate his act.
Needless to say, I was dumbfounded by my 22 month old's wit and imagination. I quickly explained to him how naughty monkey was and that we needed to give monkey a time out. He quickly agreed and even got dressed to go help put monkey in time out. He carefully explained to monkey that he was in time out for going potty on the chair. He made monkey say he was sorry and even hugged him. After giving monkey a bath, we showed monkey and kitty how to use the big boy potty. I can't take any chances. If this is what the monkey does, God only knows where or what the kitty will do.
So if anyone knows how to tame a wild monkey, please let me know.
Naughty Monkey
Oh yeah, and did I mention we are having another boy! We couldn't be happier!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Dog Tag
Bella has loved Ethan since the day we brought him home. The two are actually quite adorable together. Besides laying together and playing "Horsie" as Ethan calls it (until Bella bucks him off- and he laughs hysterically), Ethan and Bella play tag almost every night! They take turns chasing each other. Either Ethan terrorizes her with his train chasing her through the halls or she runs with a toy for him to catch her. Here is a video of how well they play. Bella, your patience is paying off! You now have a new playmate. (Notice Emma in the background just trying to stay out of the way.)
Crafty Boy
Ethan has been very creative around the house over the last week. First we baked bread from scratch. Ethan loved kneading the dough and watching it rise. His second favorite task was punching down the dough but his favorite thing was eating his bread. The entire week we ate bread and every time he saw the loaf he exclaimed, "I made that!"
We of course had to bake cookies two days later. Natural progression. His favorite things were spooning the dough and licking the beaters. It is nice making everything eggless- no threat of salmonella poisoning. Bring on the cookie dough!
Finally, Ethan loves to paint. The green monster though now loves to paint his hand and put hand prints on everything. He is very respectful about waiting until he nearly done painting before he makes a total mess. It is hilarious!
The only other news here was I fell on the ice last week and bruised my placenta. The good news is there is no sign of abruption. The truth is Ethan also jumped on my stomach so I think that is the bruising they saw. The ultrasound showed though that the baby looks great! Getting very big and is very active. I can even feel it kick now. So, other than agitating my back, everything is fine and the baby is growing as expected.
Big helper in the kitchen
Look what I made!
Eating his bread
The green monster
We of course had to bake cookies two days later. Natural progression. His favorite things were spooning the dough and licking the beaters. It is nice making everything eggless- no threat of salmonella poisoning. Bring on the cookie dough!
Finally, Ethan loves to paint. The green monster though now loves to paint his hand and put hand prints on everything. He is very respectful about waiting until he nearly done painting before he makes a total mess. It is hilarious!
The only other news here was I fell on the ice last week and bruised my placenta. The good news is there is no sign of abruption. The truth is Ethan also jumped on my stomach so I think that is the bruising they saw. The ultrasound showed though that the baby looks great! Getting very big and is very active. I can even feel it kick now. So, other than agitating my back, everything is fine and the baby is growing as expected.
Big helper in the kitchen
Look what I made!
Eating his bread
The green monster
Friday, January 9, 2009
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
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
Saturday, November 1, 2008
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
Carving Pumpkins
"DISCO!"
Leading the "Trick or Treat" Gang
Thursday, October 16, 2008
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!
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!
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