Just like his brother...

Ethan completely and utterly adores his big brother. Whatever Garrett does, Ethan thinks he should be able to do too. So, everyday when Garrett gets home from school and we are going through his folder or doing homework, Ethan seizes the chance to play with Garrett's backpack and LOVES to carry it all around the house - which is a very funny sight since the backpack is as big as Ethan! :) So I decided it was time for Ethan to have a pack of his own (well, a hand-me-down from Garrett!) but at least it was his size! So out comes the reindeer backpack (or just plain deer backpack any other time of the year)...by far one of my favorite things Garrett got when he was little (thanks again Dana!)...you should have seen him wear it through the airport when we'd travel...every single person would have to stop him and comment on his cute pack! So anyway, it is now time to pass the cuteness on to the next one and he could not be more excited!

Ethan wore it all morning when Garrett was getting ready for school yesterday...and you could just tell that in his mind, he was so excited to be just like his big brother! He even wore it for about 20 minutes after we got back from taking Garrett to school and then on and off again all day long! Oh, I love my two boys! :)

Here's a back shot...just so you can fully admire the cute pack. And of course, Ethan took advantage of the step stool as I ran for the camera during my window-washing morning! Probably not the safest endeavor for a 1-year old...but he loves it and is getting quite good at climbing...again, just like his brother!!!

Would you worry?

I don't think I mentioned before that we acquired a new scenic attraction to our street a few months back. A HUGE drilling rig set up shop right at the end of our cul-de-sac and started the whole noisy drilling process! (It actually wasn't too bad from where we were), but it was still a little unnerving having such a big thing right there...can you say property value decreasing before our very eyes?!? But, it was only supposed to be there for 2-3 months, so we figured we'd just enjoy the extra 'street lamp' on our street and ride it out. We were grateful that they took the whole thing down during the hurricane though...I couldn't help envisioning the whole thing taking flight and skewering itself into our front lawn! So anyway, the time passed and though they assembled the whole thing again after the hurricane, they later re-located it a bit further back so honestly I didn't think about it much anymore.

UNTIL TUESDAY!!!

This is what I see when I'm pulling out of my garage that afternoon.

For some reason, flames shooting up above the houses just half a block away was a little unnerving to me! Luckily, it was all under control - and yes, I drove back and got a good look at it and made sure there were people actually on-site and were noticing that there were flames sky-rocketing upward! And yes, I know my video footage skills are extremely lacking...but that was actually pretty good conisidering I had Ethan trying to climb up my leg so he could get the camera! :)

But still, that got my pulse racing for a second! Not to mention the questions from Garrett when we got home - you could tell he was quite concerned! So sad...no little boy needs to be worried about the wind shifting and his house burning down...especially when he still says in every prayer he utters before bed 'thank you that our tree landed on our fence and not in our house.' He may need therapy if we have to experience any other trauma in the near future - thank goodness hurricane season is coming to a close!

oh...and the photo above was stolen from a friends blog! I must not have taken pictures of the new lovely neighborhood attraction! So thanks Nat, I needed a pic to enhance my story...i can give you my awesome video footage if you'd like to trade! lol!

confession

yep. i'm done with book two. (new moon by stephanie meyer for those of you who missed my other post). interesting reads...though maybe i should take a break until i start #3!

vicarious living

today i helped out a friend and dropped her little girl off at her ballet class. and can i just say...it was so fun! though it only took 2 minutes out of my day...i had a great time! when else do i get the chance to help a cute little girl put on her ballet shoes and send her off to class?!? nope, for us, it's cleats and shin-guards all the way! so thanks for letting me live vicariously and live the girl-dream for a moment! of course, when i see all the cute little hair-do's that these little ballerinas were sporting, i quickly thanked my lucky stars that i have my spiky-haired, cleat-wearing boys to chase around! i wouldn't know what to do otherwise! :)

jumped on the bandwagon

yes...i just joined the millions of you who are already on this wagon...but i have just read the book twilight. and yes, 'just read' is accurate since i pretty much read the whole thing in a day. seriously, what is wrong with me? i couldn't put it down. i held off for so long, always to be the one who didn't want to read it just 'cause everyone else did...but i caved and read and i have to admit, i really enjoyed it. so bring on book two...just give me a minute to recover my house from it's neglected state and hug my kiddos so they know that i love them more than a silly book!

Priceless

So, if a picture speaks a thousand words...how much is this one worth?!?

This is Ethan with his best little buddy...they are so funny together! Seriously, they're getting so fun...kinda into the socializing stage! So instead of completely ignoring each other the whole time they're together...now they copy each other and laugh hysterically at each attempt! If one boy sits on the floor, the other follows and then they both just look at each other and laugh...then they move onto the next exciting action like nodding their heads or something! I LOVE IT! It's so fun to see them growing up! :)

This picture was taken at a friends house when we got together for a b-day lunch! Ethan would not stay out of the study - that's where the piano was - and every so often, he would shut the door and trap himself in. This is a regular game in our house...but it was even better at my friends house because she has the glass study doors! You can just see Ethan yelling for his buddy to go get help!

true love

This is Ethan lately whenever he gets up in the morning. He grabs 'Dog' and 'Key' (monkey) out of the crib and hugs them tightly as I carry the three of them down the stairs. Often, Dog and Key will get kisses on the journey down too! This one particular morning, he stayed on the couch hugging and kissing his buddies long enough for me to grab the camera and snap a picture of his good friends before he was off and running again!

word for word

Well, since I'm on the topic of writing about the things that comes out of my kids' mouths...here's another couple from Garrett...

This morning, I go and wake up Garrett. We're still pretty off-schedule from our trip and the hurricane and the 2 weeks off of school, so we're once again trying to find our morning routine. This week Garrett's been pretty groggy and slow to start in the mornings...but that's okay, it's in his genes...can't get on him too much for that, since I'm sure that's one of my traits I passed onto the kid! :) But today, after he's up and dressed, he goes and lays back on his bed. (Poor guy, I know exactly how he feels!) But I stop him right as his head hits the pillow telling him that there's not time to lay down...and this is what he says to me (not too happily, mind you!)..."You NEVER let me lay down when I want to!!!" Hmmmm...I distinctly remember the night before tucking him into bed over and over again and telling him to lay down and stay laying down! Funny that he doesn't remember that!!!

Then, as we go downstairs for breakfast and I ask him to sit at the table, he grouchily tells me that he is going to go to the bathroom first. I use this time to run upstairs and grab Ethan who is awake and ready for a quick breakfast before we head off to school, but while I'm running up the stairs, this is what I hear "I wouldn't have to go potty if you didn't wake me up." I almost tripped and fell down the stairs I started laughing so hard...I even asked him to repeat it because I was SURE I had heard him wrong...but no, that was complaint #2 against me - word for word. Seriously, I must be the world's most rotten mom! :)

twee....

Okay, so I should be posting about important things right now...but today Ethan started talking up a storm. He'd repeat things on cue and just spout out new words right and left. I'm sure no one else could ever understand him, but since he is the only person I talk to anymore between the hours of 8 am to 2 pm, every single day...I'm getting good at deciphering his developing speech!

Today, I asked him what a bird says (I haven't done this one much, so I figured he'd probably bark like a dog - his favorite animal noise by far!) But instead, he bursts out with the sweetest little 'TWEEEE' ever! It was so cute!

Our other favorite from the last few days is 'Uh Oh!' He knows exactly where and when to say it and has the cutest little sheepish grin when he causes the 'uh oh'! I'm getting a little nervous that this pattern is leading to a very annoying game of him dropping things (or throwing as is usually the case with him) and me picking things up over and over and over and over!!! Oh well, at least it will be some form of exercise for my lazy body...maybe I can add in a few lunges or squats as I'm picking up his toys - I'll be toned in no time!!!