holiday recap

So I started writing this long winded boring post... and I thought, nobody will stay interested enough in this thing to finish reading this.  So instead of tons of paragraphs, pictures and bullet points will solve my problem...

::  I took Birthday donuts for Ethan's birthday to his class on the Friday after his birthday... isn't his little class cute?? 

::  We started off the weekend after Ethan's Birthday at his Nana's and Papa's house in Longview...

::  We celebrated Birthdays - Ethan's and Faustino's with cake and presents... Ethan loved his cake - it had Elmo and Big Bird in a car and a truck... he was beyond excited!

 

::  We celebrated an early Christmas with my family... I was a bad mommy... and took no pictures of the festivities... **note - I gave my dad Omaha Steaks... this will make sense later in the bullet point list**

::  We enjoyed seeing our extended family and Ethan had fun playing with his second cousins.

:: We got ready for Christmas... we wrapped, we shopped... Ethan didn't feel so hot one day, and I couldn't resist a sickly Ethan picture.  Pathetically cute.  He perked up that afternoon...

::  Then we had the curse of the "bad things happen in 3's"

::  1.  The day before Christmas Eve, Faustino had to have 2 root canals.  Poor guy.

::  2.  Christmas Eve morning, my dad had a heart attack.  I was very upset.  Heart disease runs in the family.  It is scary.  Scary... but he is doing great now.  Looks like he won't be eating any of those Omaha Steaks.

::  3.  Remember the weekend before... we went to Longview... I took the Omaha Steaks...the steaks that were in the freezer in the garage.... welllllll.... I can laugh about it now, but the door to the freezer didn't shut all the way.  So our garage smelled like rotting meat, and I discovered it Christmas Eve afternoon.  So Faustino and I threw away 6 trash bags full of rotting meat.  The smell still lingers... ewwww...

::  But we managed to play in the snow

::  Ethan isn't really a fan of the snow.  But enjoyed pointing it out.  Snow! Snow! Snow! Pointing out every window...  too cute.

::  And Santa came to visit

::  And Ethan got more trains.  Which he loved.

::  And I got a camera.  After the whole freezer incident, I probably deserved coal.

::  But I am seriously excited about my camera.  I love my camera.  I really, really love my camera.  Now I need to learn how to use it...

::  We had Christmas evening at Grammy's house

::  Ethan learned how to play his new harmonica

::  And we had a very Merry Christmas

 

 

::  Faustino was on call the day after Christmas, so Ethan and I drove to McKinney for Christmas with extended family.  And amazingly, Ethan had only a 30 minute nap, and not a single melt down.  He helped unwrap, entertained us with his harmonica skills... and then he got into mischief... all boy.

 

 

 

:: And since then we have kept a low profile.  Ethan has played with his new toys and I have worked on figuring out where all this new stuff will fit organization...

:: And now, it is New Year's Eve.  Happy 2010. 

:: And thank you, God, for a healthy baby.  I will never forget last new year, at Cook Children's... with our poor, sick little Ethan.

 

::  But so this post doesn't end on the sad, sickly photo's of Ethan's allergic reaction to antibiotics we gave him for an ear infection {don't get me started on the topic...}  Let's end it with a cute Ethan photo...

no, ethan. our tree does not need a hammer taken to it...

Is this a boy thing or what??? A little construction work on our tree while I was putting in my contact lenses this morning... He seriously was going for the baseball and knocking it around.

I'll be back later with "Christmas Round 1" weekend recap...

Turning 2

Baby boy Ethan is not a baby anymore.  He is two.  I have been teary all day, because now he is a little boy... really.  Not a baby at all...

I think back to this

And this

This time last year, he wasn't even walking...that happened on 12.22.08... and now he is jumping... not to mention talking -- stringing 2 - 3 words together for cute little sentences...

But, back to turning two...  I didn't give him a party.  Why do I feel so guilty??  He had a blast tonight with my in-laws and pizza, cake, and ice cream.  But I still feel guilty.  I think it is because we have been invited to so many fun parties for Ethan's (and my friends' children) little friends.   And it is a time for the mother of the birthday child to show domestic goodness.  And really, my target cake (which was good, by the way) does not show any sort of domestic goodness.  I made no banner.  I baked no cake.  I came up with no witty themes... darling invitations, memorable goody bags. 

But I remind myself.  None of it really matters.  Because Ethan had a good time tonight... and this small family party was the right choice for us... and then we will go to Longview this weekend and have a small family celebration there.

And next year, when he can ask for a party, and name off individuals that he would like to invite to the party, we will have a party.  Is anybody else out there holding out on the mass birthday party for toddlers?  I feel like one of 3.  or maybe 4... 

oh well, right?  who cares?  this is the last time I am giving it any "air time"

So this was tonight...

And then we tried to take a family photo... this is ethan being forced to sit down... and standing up...  i am scared to say it but... "hello 2's".... the power of free will!

Happy Birthday, Ethan.  You are such a blessing to us.  We love you so much... I could go on and on... you will always be my little baby boy, even though you are growing up and turning into a little boy more and more each day.

little rudolph

seriously - how stinking cute is this? 
 
he put the dot on his nose and then insisted it stay... i showed him in the mirror how to do "antlers" but he didn't quite master it... he wore his nose all the way to Babe's to celebrated Daddy's birthday.  I think it fell off in the parking lot...

here he is with his cousin Sierra

In other news, we have our tree up at last!  Faustino picked out a nice one for us and Ethan is delighted with it.  Faustino did the lights, I did the ornaments... However, i need a topper... and I need a garland of some sort... and I am really in need of a creative solution for my display of received Christmas cards... last year I fought the double sided tape on the door frames and really don't want to do that again.  If you have a display solution... i would love if you left a little comment with it...remember... i don't have much space...

also... word on the street is that my oven will be fixed tomorrow... 15 days of no oven has got me stumped on dinners... and i know that it really shouldn't, i mean, come on... how often do I really need the oven for dinner... but when you can't have it...

what have I been up to?

Of course I have been busy... but with what??

Well, hmm... we don't have any Christmas decorations up... I haven't sent out cards yet...

I haven't been baking because our oven is broken (wait - would I have baked if it were working??)

We did go to the museum and Ethan made a new friend...

My sweet mother-in-law helped me assemble shelves in the garage to contain the "stuff" i seem to always be bustin' at the seams to contain...

I have cooked dinner, cleaned house, done laundry... organized junk... reorganized junk...

WHERE HAVE THESE DAYS GONE??? Why don't I have massive amounts of "ta-da's" to show for my effort?  Does anyone else feel like this???

Here is the lone picture I took during the week at the museum of my precious son and his new friend:

And then that was the end of this post... except, if you don't hit the 'publish post' button... then it doesn't post...

So... between then and now, still not that much exciting to report except that I lost my voice and then had to substitute at Ethan's school... for 4 year olds!  Yes, that is right, 4 year olds and no voice!  God does have a sense of humor... It was actually very fun... and they were very cute kids.  And everything I saw with the kids' learning confirmed my decision to send E to school here.  I feel so blessed that we have Ethan in such a great place for these early years...

And today was Faustino's birthday... who was post call and slept most of it!  I set up our Tivo to get Amazon on Demand movies for his birthday... and really, I am just crazy for Tivo... what a wonderful invention... so we had a really wild evening -- chinese take out and the new Harry Potter movie...and a toddler running around!  Sound fun?  Isn't that what everyone dreams their birthday to be?? 

On the agenda for Sunday:  Christmas tree and decorations (or a too-a as Ethan refers to them...I swear, he used to say tree much better than that)

Have a wonderful weekend!

music class... this year and last year

Today we could take pictures at our music class because it is the last day of the semester.  So after I loaded them on the computer, I started comparing last year's photos to this year... I am amazed at how much he has changed.  Last year he wasn't even walking until the week of Christmas!  My sweet little baby really isn't a baby anymore...

And now, playing with the same instrument last year...

wow! So tiny!

Last year with our music friends

And this year with music friends... (we are missing AnniePearl... perhaps we should have a retake)

green circle, where it is??

This is quite possibly the longest sentence Ethan has ever said. 

He has said it over and over last night, all day today, and tonight.  The reason??  We have lost the green circle.  I know, most moms don't care about all the pieces of the toys being accounted for... but I do.  I have diligently recovered them all.  The lost 'J' magnet, the pig puzzle piece.  The purple rectangle {cousin of the currently lost circle} the missing train engine, and the missing construction worker {to name just a few}.  The lost pig lingered on for nearly two weeks.  Hopefully, I will find the green circle soon... because Ethan needs to work on other five word sentences.  And I have real housework to do.

I hope that you had a nice Thanksgiving.  Aside from a runny nose, this little guy sure did.  Faustino was on call Wednesday, post-call for Turkey Day and then on call again today... poor guy.

am I really ready for this???

we are having a girl...

exited!  nervous!  how on earth will I be able to fit all this pink stuff in my house???

next step...

Give them away!

Now it tastes like November...

I am sure you think I must be obsessed with this Darby lady... because I am... but I have been itching for a while now to make her apple butter.  Because who doesn't love apple butter.  And if you don't then I love you because there is more for me...

So I picked out my apples... and I am not sure what all I got.  8 of them were galas from tom thumb {on sale, thankyouverymuch grocery game} but the other 7 were from central market.  I had Jenn on the phone with me telling me the recipe {because I didn't plan ahead, and I have no iphone to look up pertinent information like this while on the go} and I really was only paying attention to prices... looking for a variety of apples that weren't imported from God knows where that were a gazillion dollars.  All the while trying to remember the code to punch into the scale!  So here they are in there glory. 

This site does a great job of illustrating the process.  It was so easy!  Go make some apple butter! 
{my favorite part was right after I mixed up all the different apples and then added the sugar and spices...mmmm.... go ahead and dish yourself up a bowl of that goodness.  Warm but still crunchy... so sweet and spicy and tart... mmm.... maybe I should make a second batch!)

And then the really fun part... because I was feeling extra inspired... I wanted to can them.  {not because I had an excess of time or my chores were all done}  So I set out on a search for jars -- which are apparently seasonal for the summer not the fall.  Whatever.  So wal-mart didn't have them, nor did tom thumb, so I had to drive out to the dreaded Kroger because the nice one was out of my way... and sure enough, they had everything I needed.  Next trip I will plan it better so that I can go to the more appealing Kroger...{seriously, I know it sounds bratty, but this grocery store has zero rhyme or reason to it's layout.  Aisle 17 had aluminum foil, ball jars, and depends on it... RANDOM MUCH??  I have never seen anything like it.  Rotel tomatoes are across from vitamins.  Strange??  I do indeed believe so!}

So, back to the canning... I didn't do the {more difficult} pressure cooking method - my sweet mother-in-law will have to school me on that - instead I did the water bath... and it was SO EASY.  Really.  It helped to have the right tools and to read the directions on the web like, 8 times... I was so happy when I heard all 7 of my jars "tink" closed.  Success!

Now I must go clean the kitchen and living room from the canning/chili dinner/husband-watched-the-baby-so-I-could-go-see-New-Moon mess.  {ahh... New Moon... swoon.  That should have a post all of its own!}

wedding anniversary

Three years ago today...  and what a wonderful three years it has been.

weekend review

What we have been up to... hmm... this might be long, so you'd better grab a glass of iced tea... {or cup of coffee if that is your style}

 

Friday I volunteered at Ethan's school... but I missed the memo about EVERYONE in the city wearing purple {literally} And these UCC people, they bleed purple.  So I dashed to Target before my shift to add a purple scarf to my outfit.  I couldn't handle the why-doesn't-she-have-purple-on looks.  I blame the peer pressure.  To further illustrate my point, Ethan's class made posters to take to Gameday.  Crazy.  But aren't they cute?

Then after school, I got to take home the sweetest 4-year old to play with Ethan.  Ethan got a big kick out of trying to be just like him...

This was my honest attempt at trying to get the boys to calm down {Ethan needed a nap!}
so they watched {the ever annoying} Super Why.  I couldn't resist the picture.
{Ethan is tired... you can tell by the hair twirling}

Friday evening we went over to our friends house for some pizza and then we went the the JWC Informal Party that was themed "homecoming."  I squeezed my pregnant self into a cheerleader uniform and secured the skirt with a safety pin, thankful that this uniform was from the '90s and not from today... since uniforms these days are not so modest...especially for a pregnant gal.  I thought about taking some pictures, but decided that the group photo would suffice... such funny '80s and '90s outfits...would you believe that many of these are currently in stores available for purchase.  Scary.

Saturday morning Ethan and I attended a very fun birthday party at the zoo... and we love the zoo...  The highlight:  seeing the penguin up close at the party and seeing the lion roar.  Mostly, it was seeing the delight on Ethan's face during those two events.  The only zoo picture I took was of Oscar, the friendly 18 year old penguin.

Saturday evening we went out {again! crazy!} this time with Faustino's fellow residents.  The highlight of my night was seeing 3 friends from Junior League that I hadn't seen in a while... the rest of the evening, well, I should keep this blog positive... but suffice it to say that as a group, I highly doubt that we are welcome to come back to that establishment.

Then, after working on it on Sunday and Monday night, I finished the apron!  And it wasn't even that hard!

Again, like with the first one, please don't look that closely... but I really like how it turned out.  Now Darby was able to take a cute picture of herself in the apron, showing it off in all of its cuteness.  But I am pregnant.  These type of things do not hang well on a baby bump.  So, dear readers {I think I have 2} you will just get the photo of the apron on the back of the sofa.  Sorry.

Now, just please cross you fingers that someone will bid on this at auction.  If not, I will be sad.  It will be craft rejection.  {and FYI, if you do decide to make an apron - and you should - Darby is correct, mind the seam allowances or your pleat doesn't come out.  I minded... but could have done even better.}

That's it!  Long post!! 

Perhaps...

Perhaps having a little girl this time around would be pretty fun.  I am thinking this way because I just finished this: {not because I found a great storage solution that will make girl things + boy things possible in my 900 sq. foot rental house}

{pretty please, do not look too closely.  I know the things that need to be improved and I am not getting out the seam ripper to fix them.  Really, do me a favor and don't click on these and blow them up to examine my mistakes.  Thanks...}

Anyway, this was actually fun... I am sad to give it away!  I will definitely be making another one of these... and maybe this time it will just be quick and easy instead of taking days...

And soon my next project will begin... a matching Mama apron {to complete the mother/daughter apron duo} and with any luck it will go quickly.  Darby, please don't let me down... i hope it is as easy as the tutorial claims!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Additionally, I have to squeeze my pregnant self into a cheerleader uniform tonight for a costume party.  Heaven help me.  This could be very bad...

free fun... no membership required

Do you want to know my new money saving tip?  Don't go to museums and pay to see the exhibits... just play on their lawn.  Way more fun for a toddler, and you don't even have to be quiet!  After our outing on Monday that was more fun outside than inside, I decided that we would enjoy the pretty weather and find some outdoor fun.  So I drove down the street {literally, down the street.  how lucky am I that these places are so close??} to the Modern and the Kimbell.  The sculpture at the Modern that we were playing in was a blast for Ethan.  It was 10 feet wide and 67 feet tall and echoed everything... we sang songs, stomped our feet, hit the wall...  very fun.  And then we played across the street at the Kimball... so pretty and so much fun!  With all of our activity I was disappointed in the length of his nap!  It is harder and harder to wear him out!