Visit with cousin Jimmy

We went to Phoenix to visit my Dad. While we were there we had so much fun visiting with Ethan's cousin, Jimmy. They had a ton of fun cruising in their walkers. Jimmy was ready to walk so he was much faster than Ethan. He'd kind of help Ethan with his by bumping him. Ethan could only go backwards... The weather was beautiful at night so we spent a few nights eating outside and the boys loved it!

Aunt Stacey, Jimmy, Ethan

Cruising outside

Uncle Joe and Ethan

Little Jimmy

Playing so nice!

Cruising in the living room . Happy little boy!

6 months

Ethan is now half a year old. He is quite the cutie! He laughs at most anything. He has started making this growling sound constantly and thinks he is cute when he does it. He sounds like a baby dinosaur. He loves his jumper, is getting the hang of his walker and loves to sit up. He can sit up on his own if you set him that way. He isn't quite able to pull himself to the sitting position. But he sure tries! It's kind of funny to watch him doing mini sit-ups. He still has no teeth (thankfully) but they are ready to come. He is VERY clingy with mom (that's me! :) and I don't get a lot done without toting him along. We are thankful for him every day and feel so blessed to have him in our home!

These are his 6 month pics from Penny's. They asked us to sign a release so they could use them in their "book" or whatever. I didn't care because we got some free! :)

His stats will come next month - we had to reschedule his Dr. appt.

Camping

Ethan and his buddy!

- With our baby Kangaroo Friend(Yes, he's wearing a diaper!)

Ethan fell asleep on Daddy in the tent.
Next morning during breakfast.

Mom, Ethan and Nathan
Daddy and the baby fox.
Ethan is trying to jump out of my arms to get him!

He wasn't real fond of the turtle.
Daddy being silly
Roasting (BURNING marshmallows!)
Daddy Ethan and Nathan

Last weekend we went camping with some people from our ward. We went to the Tiger Safari Park. It was a lot of fun! We cooked dinner and then went on a hay ride (twice!). After which one of the employees took us to play with the baby animals. We saw a chinchilla, baby fox, a baby lemur, and my favorite - a baby kangaroo. I want one! Ethan really liked the animals. We let him touch the kangaroo and lemur. We roasted marshmallows, made smores, and had a great time! The next morning Jeff Poyner made a great breakfast with the dutch oven (yummy!). We also went on a tour of the park and saw a ton of animals. Ethan did NOT like the big turtle. He preferred his friend, the kangaroo.

Jeff wasn't feeling real good. He had what at the time we thought was a strained back/ arm / shoulder, which turned out to be a torn muscle in his back and one around his shoulder. He was pretty miserable and we ended up not finishing the animal tour. But despite his pain, we had a ton of fun! Ethan slept great, even in the cold. We left the tent top wide open so we could stare at the stars, which we did all night. It was awesome! The weather was PERFECT! I can't wait to go camping again!!!

Tired

Everyone has pictures of their child asleep in some contraption. Until now, we didn't. Ethan didn't sleep anywhere except my arms or his bed. Once in a while the car seat. But now we have a "worn out" picture of him in his jumper.

Happy Birthday Aunt Sasa

Aunt Sarah turned 17 last week. I asked her where she wanted to go for dinner. She said Outback. To most people, that would be a feasible choice - not one to balk at. In fact, I was thrilled because next to PF Changs, it's my favorite. But you see, Sarah is a vegetarian. LOL - so why she chose Outback, I'll never know. She says she likes their potatoes. And potatoes she ate. She had 1. Potato soup 2. Baked Potato 3. Baked Sweet Potato 4. Mashed Potato

Go figure! :) Happy Birthday Aunt Sarah!!! We love you!

Thanks Granny

When Ethan was first born, Granny sent him this cute outfit and hat. I never got a picture in it for her until he was too big for it. but I wanted her to see him in it anyway. Thank you Granny! We love you!!!

Shower

I felt inspired to have a baby shower for a woman in our ward that is fairly new and doesn't know a lot of people. I decided to make cup cakes instead of a cake. I also had to make a cream filled Italian Cream Cake for a dinner party my mom had. So I decided to make them all the day before. I spent ALL day making everything. The cupcakes were so yummy. I made two kinds - a vanilla cake with Cinnamon cream cheese filling and whipped frosting and then a chocolate cake with custard filling. They were great. I placed plastic wrap on them and put them in the oven for "safe keeping" over night. The next morning I knew I had a few other things to bake so I started to pre-heat the oven and went about doing other things - laundry, shower, made my bed etc. I walked into the kitchen and it was all smokey. I opened the oven and they were all burned and the plastic wrap was EVERYWHERE! Grrrr..... Where was my head! I had to make them all over again, so I just did plain ole' cupcakes. I just didn't have it in me to do them again. (Plus I was starting to get a cold and didn't feel good!) Anyway, it turned out really nice and I am so thankful I did it. I am not sure why I was personally inspired to do this for her, since I had never talked to her, but I know that she needed to have something fun in her life and am grateful I was able to help her.

Ethan had a total blast with her balloons! I don't have any pictures of her, Chris took them, but is a cute one of Ethan.

Softball & Beehives

Ethan went to his first softball game last week. We had a lot of fun. We went to cheer on two of the YW. It was one of their last games and they were so adorable! I just love these girls. I am grateful that I have been able to get to know ALL of the YW, not just the Laurels. The Beehives hold such an amazing place in my heart and I just love them! Their joy to be in YW is overpowering sometimes and I wish that it would rub off on some of the other girls who have been in for a while. It seems they have forgotten how exciting it is to be in YW, out of primary... I love you Beehives!!!

The Polings were there and offered to let Ethan use their blanket. He really liked being outside in the beautiful weather!

Bath Time

Ethan LOVES his bath time. He splashes and laughs through the whole thing. It's one of my favorite times of the day - when he is clean, smells YUMMY, and wants to cuddle after!

Green Mokawk!

I went in to tan yesterday. When I came out, this is the little boy I found... His Nana thought she'd give him his first rebellious hair do. LOL! Thanks Nana! It was actually cute. I left it for YW last night. All of the YM thought it was "TIGHT". Yeah! Ethan won the approval of the 14 year old boys! :) Just kidding.

Scooby and Scrappy

We've started calling Ethan Scrappy since he's a little version of Daddy, or Scooby. :) Next year, I am going to find or make Scooby and Scrappy costumes. I guess I'll be Velma. Ethan sure loves his daddy! His whole face lights up the second Daddy walks in. It's the sweetest look in the world. It's almost as if his life was meaningless until Dad walked in. So precious!

Happy Boy

Ethan is just such a happy little boy. (When he's with Mom or Dad of course!) His laugh or smile can light up every room in the house. We love you Ethan!!!

SIng Along

Ethan LOVES the guitar! We went to sing along at Pottery Barn with some kids. I thought Ethan would totally dig it, but we went during his nap time, so he wasn't as thrilled as I thought he'd be. He like it when the guy played the guitar, but as soon as he stopped, he got upset. This is him when Dino Odell stopped playing. LOL!

Freckled Lemonade

We went to Red Robin with Kim and Tommy for his birthday. (Happy Birthday!!!) Ethan was sitting on the table with me. I was drinking the "freckled lemonade", which is really just strawberry lemonade and sprite. Anyway, Ethan loves cold things and when he got a hold of my drink, he didn't want to let go. He started grabbing the straw and putting it in his mouth like he really knew what to do. It was so funny. (no, he didn't drink it!) But this picture looks like he's drunk. The one with daddy looks like he's having a grand ole time, after getting drunk. Thanks to Vicki! Our meal was freeeeee! Woo Hoo!!! I love Red Robin and was thrilled we ate for free!

Grateful Heart

This weekend has been an especially emotional one. My friend Erin had her baby on Friday. Her daughter, Sam, only lived 6 hours and passed. This past couple of days, especially today after the funereal has made me think about my own mortality. This feeling of gratefulness and sorrow have filled my heart in such a huge way. I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for our son, Ethan. I am grateful that I listened to the Dr.'s and my Aunt Laurie to get the C-section. Had I not, I might be experiencing the same grief Erin is going through. I am grateful that I have the knowledge of our Heavenly Father's plan for us. Without a knowledge of our Eternal purpose, I am not sure that I would be able to survive grief, of any kind. I am grateful that Ethan has come to this earth and is a part of my family. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father trusts me with his precious son. The role of being a parent is an extraordinary one. One that I am honored to fulfill. My heart goes out to all of those that aren't able to fill this divine role, because I know the struggle and heartache of not being able to. I am grateful for Ethan and love him more than I ever thought possible.