Ethan's summer so far...

People are always commenting on what a "happy boy" Ethan is.  He loves life and glows with joy.  His little light is one of the brightest I've seen.  If he notices me looking worried or stressed, he will say "just be happy mom."  He is my happy boy.  Bennett was having a 'moment' in the car and Ethan said as calm as can be..."babies just cry mom."  So matter of fact that I had to just laugh.  His new saying..."that is just ridiculous."  When I ask him "where do you get your sillies from because mommy isn't that funny."  He looked at me point blank and said "Nana."  The kid cracks me up.  

  He has had such a great summer.  I haven't been the best at posting pictures, but here a few so far from our summer with little captions.  

 3 year photos

he has been wanting to learn to snorkel at the pool...too bad the kid size doesn't work very well

all boy!  

 

This picture was taken when Bennett was only a few weeks old and I was a very tired mommy.  But Ethan can make you have fun and be silly no matter what!  I think we took 30 silly phone pictures that day!

Ethan and David have a little vegetable garden in our back yard.  Their strawberries might be small...but they are the sweetest you've ever eaten!  We now have tomatoes and cucumber!

He wore this necklace of his cousins for a week solid.  David just loved it!  

If I had to sum up his summer favorite times...this would be it!  Catching lightening bugs.  Can you tell he is happy?  David and Ethan have a method to catch them and letting them go.  I could sit and watch them run our backyard for hours.  Both having the best time.  So sweet.  

Ethan attending cooking camp at his school for a week.  This was his chef's hat.  His teacher wrote on his daily notes that she is amazed at how shy he seems, but has the best belly laughs and can really  let loose and have fun and be silly.  I think she nailed it on the head:)

He asks every day to hold "Bennett Stone."  He call his brother by his full name.  Bennett might just go by his full name one day if Ethan has his way!  Grandpa just calls his "Stone."  

Swimming!  He has had the best time meeting up with his buddies at the pool.  He loves to dive for dive rings and swim nonstop.  I have to tell him to "stay above the water for a while."  He would swim until he literally would pass out asleep most days.

He still loves his sandbox

We have to go check out "Daddy's House" almost every day.  David is building a house down the street from ours, and Ethan has to keep a close eye on the progress.  

David has several remote control sail boats and Ethan has loved going with David to the lakes behind our house to sail them.  They did this more in the late spring when we had windy days.  I need to catch a photo of this.

so true...

Bennett at 4 Months...

Our Baby Bennett is now 4 months old.  I had forgotten how much fun it is to watch them wake up from the newborn stage and become aware of the world around them.  I feel like every picture I take of him he is in the activity gym....but he loves it.  Bennett loves to cooo and squeal- he will be a talker.

During tummy time he turns himself in complete circles playing with toys.  The first time he rolled from tummy to back I missed it.  I was in the other room folding laundry.  I remember crying with Ethan when I missed him rolling while I was a work.  I had to laugh that despite now that I only working one day a week...I still missed a first - because of laundry no less.  Ethan was so excited over Bennett's rolling.  He is loving Bennett being more and more interactive.  In fact Ethan gets all of Bennett's big laughs and squeals these days.

Bennett's dark hair fell out and his blond hair is growing in.  He is very intrigued with watching his big brother play.  He loves his hands and sucks on his fingers and thumbs.  He loves to be strolled around the neighborhood.  He has started to enjoy the pool.  I am now trying to get him on a 4 hour schedule and have a nap time.  I think this is the hardest thing about having two kids:  balancing sleep for Bennett and playtime outside of the house for Ethan.  Hopefully, as Bennett gets older and naps less this will be easier to balance.

I am still on my MSPI diet:  milk and soy free.  Some days are easier than others.  I think honestly the worst part of the diet is the self blame you put on yourself when your baby is fussy.  If he is fussy or upset I always question my diet.  I had tried to reintroduce soy, but cut it back out.  I will say the moment I can eat pizza and yogurt again, I will be a very happy woman.

I have returned to work a few days after Bennett turned 4 Months.  I must say Ethan seemed to take it harder than Bennett did.  Someone once told me "the older your kids get, the more they need you.  When they become teenagers, they say they don't but they do more than ever."  Anyhow, work has been great and makes me grateful and count my blessings every time I go.  Its been great to catch up with friends and coworkers and talk about my boys of course!

4 month chair photos

all fired up...Ethan turns 3!!!

We celebrated Ethan's 3rd birthday with a fire station party.  The party was on his actual birthday, so we blew birthday candles out at every meal!  It was a gorgeous, cool June day to have an outside birthday party.  All of Ethan's friends and family met at our local fire station.  The firemen were soooo nice and the kiddos loved sitting in the fire engines, pulling horns, pushing buttons.  I got a little nervous a time or two that Ethan might actually start an engine or have a ladder pop out.  

We then invited everyone to our backyard to eat hot dogs, cake, and bounce in the bouncy house.  When it came time to blow out the candles, we had to try 3 different types of candles because of the wind.  Finally... third time was the charm!  Lucky number 3, huh?  Ethan was thrilled when everyone sang and he got to blow out his candles.  I tear up every time he blows out candles at all of his birthday parties.  He has turned from baby to boy even more this year.  David and I are so proud of the little boy he has become.  

After our guests left, Ethan opened his gifts with family.  His favorite was a new bicycle from Papa!  He loved practicing riding his new spider man bike--- just like his Daddy's first bike--- inside the house with his fireman hat on.  

I can't wait to see what this year holds for him.  He amazes us every day.  Thank you for everyone who came and celebrated our sweet boy with us.  

breakfast :  singing and candles

opening his first gift before the party

first soccer shoes!

to go along with new goals!

the invitation

cupcakes

table for our little guests

3 gifts for a 3 year old

cake

welcome sign

at the firestation

loved honking the very loud horn

singing happy birthday day

L to R: Dotti, me, Bennett, Papa, Nana, and Ethan

loved my new bubble maker from Grandma & Grandpa

opening gifts

new fireman suit! 

insisted on wearing the fireman hat backwards:)

new bike!

party favor bags

top 10...

Even though I am still enjoying every second of maternity leave,  I would like to take a minute to brag.  I am so excited that my NICU has just been named by US News and World Report a top 10 NICU.  I know how hard my friends and coworkers work and how passionate we are about the babies.  I have to brag a wee little bit because I'm so proud.

ROUNDS: A message from the Vice Chancellor (06/7/12)