imagination

Ethan has the most active imagination ever!  I love the 2-year-old way of thinking!

The other day, he told me he was going to lock the doors.  Later I found that he had hung a rubber band on each door in our house...closets, front door, bathroom doors...you name it!  And then when he wanted to open the door...he always had to take the rubber band off first, then he would open it.  Soooo funny!

Another time, we were outside in the yard.  He found a stick and promptly dubbed it "the crocodile".  As far as I can tell, it's "the crocodile" due to the forked area that looks like a crocodile's jaw.   :)

He spent all afternoon playing with the crocodile...and even brought some friends out to join the party.  An elephant, whom he named Manny (from Ice Age) and another elephant named Diego (again from Ice Age).  Just a side note, I understood the whole elephant and mammoth relation...but how an elephant becomes a saber-tooth tiger, I just don't get!  But whatever...he understood it, so that's all that really matters!  EXCEPT when he asks me to hand him Diego and I grab the wrong toy elephant...or when he tells me to look at Manny hanging upside down, and I mistakenly look at the wrong one again.  Ooooohhhh, I got an earful then!  :)

So here is Manny (or Diego...I still can't tell!) in a pic E took himself!  He was pretty proud of himself getting him to hang upside down and wanted to document it for all time!  :)

excuses, excuses...

Today, Ethan is hollering for some help.  When I run up the stairs, asking what he needs help with, he informs me that he needs help with play-doh.  Uh...upstairs???  On the carpet??? Yeah, I ran a bit faster at this point!  Don't we all know by now that play-doh is a downstairs/kitchen table type of activity???  Seriously!!!!!  So, I as calmly as I can, while picking yellow play-doh out of my carpet, remind Ethan that we only play with it downstairs and he, refusing to help clean, says (rather non-chalalntly, I might add) "Well,  dat's what tids do, Mom."  (That's what kids do.)  

Little punk.  

I actually get this line from E a few times a day.  He dropped his milk cup the other day while trying to put it back in the fridge.  Milk sprayed out of the straw and all over the kitchen cupboards.  When I handed him a towel to help clean it up, he just said (in a way that implied that I was completely crazy to expect anything else from him), "Dat's what tids do mom...tids spill."  And then he walked away!  Didn't take the offered towel.  Didn't help wipe up - until I stopped him and told him that "Kids do, in fact, help clean up their messes...no matter what!"

Then yesterday, Ethan ran over my foot with the stroller.  It didn't hurt...but I still wanted him to realize he had run me over and at least apologize...but before I could say anything, he started in, with (yes you guessed it) "Well, dat's what tids do."  

Seriously...where does he get it?  Maybe I should change my tactics...maybe he should learn that kids get in trouble too...not just create mayhem everywhere they go.  I thought that lesson would have been well-learned by now!  But maybe this 'tid' should spend a little more time in time-out!

flippers

Here is Ethan...sneaking a chance to try on Garrett's new flippers while Garrett was still at school!

 

And here is Garrett...excited to try on the flippers before we headed off to the first day of swim team.  

 

Apparently things don't change much as they get older! 

Quick Trip

We took a QUICK TRIP to Utah last weekend!  We had so much fun visiting family and packing in an incredible amount of activities into the 3 short days we were there!

After a quick visit to meet my new nephew Porter (who is ADORABLE!!!!) and a quick bite to eat at my all time fave - Cafe Rio with my brother and sister and her hubby, Garrett, Olivia and I picked Steve and Ethan up at the airport and we made it to the tail-end of a cousin-family party.  Everyone was in town for DeLoy Heaton's funeral (Steve's grandmother).  It was so fun to catch up and see people we haven't seen in years!  The next morning, Friday, was the funeral, which was beautiful!  Lots of memories of an incredibly strong woman...what a legacy!  After the luncheon, we hung out again with Steve's siblings!  So fun for us...and even more fun for the kids!  Cousins galore!!!  My kids were in heaven!  :)

We even got to meet the famous almost sister-in-law!  Wahoo...congrats again, guys!

The next day was the baptism of Kalvin...the original reason for our trip!

It was so fun to be there and see him growing up!  I can't believe that Garrett is the next cousin to be baptized!  Time is FLYING!

These three cousins...had crazy sleepovers every night we were there!  Staying up WAY too late and giggling non-stop and loving every minute of it!  Garrett keeps asking when we're moving closer to his cousins???  Hmmm....that's a tough one!  

After the baptism, we actually blessed Olivia.  I know...crazy that we hadn't done it yet, but it seemed like the perfect time to do it, with all our family around (well, most of them!)  All of my siblings were going to be in town as well, along with all of Steve's siblings...so it seemed the perfect time to plan it!   

That afternoon, more hanging out with the family...this time with 'light-saber' sword fights, dirt bikes, food (for Ethan...the kid never stopped eating the whole trip!), and lots of memories!

Thanks again Rich and Kale for teaching even little ol' me to ride!  I'm addicted!  :)

We left that night to go up to my sister's house and spend the rest of our time with my family.  We packed in some indoor skydiving, rock climbing, and pizza before my parents flew in late that night.

The next morning we went to my sweet little nephew's baby blessing and then made a mad dash for the airport!  

I have to admit, I'm exhausted just thinking about all we did...but it was the perfect trip!  We had so much fun, made so many memories, met so many new and 'almost new' family members, and spend so much time with those we love most!  

Thanks again to everyone who let us crash at their house, or let us hang out for hours on end!  And to those of you who we didn't get to see...we'll be back in June!  This time, with MUCH more time to spend visiting everyone!  Can't wait!  

about time...

Here's to hoping that "better late than never" relates to more than just a few things in my life right now!

pure silliness...

and for some pictures, there aren't even words...

adventures in napping

This is how I found Ethan yesterday when I went to wake him up from his nap!  Apparently the bed just wasn't good enough for naptime...the floor (and partially under the bed) is just so much more comfy!  Silly boy!  He even bumped his head when he was getting up, but it didn't even faze him since he was soooo out of it!  

And yes, I KNOW!  Who wakes kids up from their naps?!?!?  I'm the worst mom ever!  You've got to love when they sleep until school pick-up time!  Nothing like loading up groggy kids in the car!  

photo shoot

I love spending time with my camera...and one of my three favorite models!

Too bad I don't know how to use my camera better...that's next on my ever-growing list of things to do!!!  Maybe one day I'll get to the list of 'my' things vs. the 'kids' things...but by then, my 3 favorite models will be all grown up!  Ahhhh...the irony!

never-ending reasons...

Reason #170-175 why we love our trampoline...

Ethan's "Super Totally Awesome" move...(his words, not mine!)

The cute poses that Mom can get  (when she actually remembers to bring out the camera)...

The hilarity in chasing your brother...and stealing his bouncy ball...

Garrett's new move!  He came home from school so excited about a new move that his buddy had shown him.  Apparently abc's and 123's and breakdancing is on the schedule this week!

Olivia loves it too...although she's slightly unsure of the ground that bounces her back!