Not such a little boy anymore!

Check out the new things that E can do!! He is turning more and more into a toddler!
*clap his hands--his does this all the time now! We will clap, smile, and congatulate him when he does something good, and he is surely catching on.
*shaking head "no"--he knows what "no" means, but not the head motion with it. He will shake his head like a crazy man imitating us doing it. It really is quite precious!
*drinking through a straw--Ethan has always loved straws, but what kid doesn't right? A while ago, we started dropping whatever we were drinking into his mouth; I felt like we were feeding a bird! Just this past week we were trying to get him to actually suck out of the straw. Just a few days ago he finally did it! Such a bg boy! He has never really liked a sippy cup, so this may be the way we go!
*climbing stairs-- we do not have stairs at our house, so this was a surprise. While at my parent's house the other day, E crawled over to them and stared. We watched him as he thought about it, and then he quickly proceeded to climb. He made it all the way to the top (13 stairs) without skipping a beat! Such a bittersweet moment!
*temper tantrums--this one is not such a good one. When Ethan does not have something that he wants, he will cry loudly (no tears, of course. He is a faker!), lean over towards the ground with his upper body, and then hit the ground with both hands. Matt claimes that E looks like a gorilla doing this. I would have to agree! This is only the beginning of his trying to get our attention!
*talking back-- when I get on to Ethan for something, he will babble right back to me, with a little baby attitude. I swear, my kid is already talking back to me! I know I will not laugh at this later in his life, but right now, it is rather entertaining!

I cannot wait to see what these next 9 weeks we have together over the summer will bring!

Summer is here!

I have never been so ready for summer! Well, last year I was pretty ready as well. I was 38 weeks pregnant and ready to be a mommy! Now my baby boy is about to be 1, and I am ready to spend every single day with him. Matt is pretty stoked about me being home. He has done a super fabulous job watching Ethan at home while also working. I swear, I don't know how he does it! He complains very little, and he knows what a blessing we have with him being able to be home raising our first child.

This summer will be very different from any other summer. 1--Ethan is here and very mobile. 2--Matt will be home EVERY SINGLE DAY!! I am not going to know what to do. Matt will not be able to go off and do things. Just because he is at home does not mean that he can do whatever. He has obligations with his job, one of which is being accessible by phone (not a cell phone) during the day. Even still, having him home with me this summer will be amazing!

Over the summer I normally bring things home from school (lesson plans, books, ideas, etc). Anybody who is a teacher can understand why. During the school year there are so many other things at school that get in the way of me being able to go over and beyond with what I do in the classroom. However, I did not bring anything home this summer. My complete focus is my family. I look forward to a fun-filled, relaxing summer with my boys!

Obsessions of Ethan

It cracks me up to see the things that Ethan absolutely loves. He will crawl like crazy, scream to get our attention, and finally play so contently. Here are his loves:
*the broom--any time one of us sweeps, Ethan has to be a part of the action. I will even give him the broom, and he will mimick the act of sweeping. It is precious!
*keyboard on computer--why buy a kid toys when the grown-up toys are so much better?? Just today we pulled out the old lap top so Ethan can be like us and type on a "real" keyboard. He even knows where the desk top computer is (the office). He will crawl back there, pull himself to standing at the desk, and reach for the keyboard.
*alarm clock--this is a new thing for him this week. He has discovered my alram clock on the night stand. He must like the neon green lights and sounds it will make by pushing the buttons. He will venture off into our bedroom to snatch the alarm clock off the night stand.
*pillows--he loves to crawl over pillows; they probably are like mountains to him!
*any cabinet we will let him explore in. I can easily clean the bathroom, fold laundry, grade papers, etc as long as Ethan has some new things in front of him that he can pull out and destroy.
*pack'n'play--he treats this like a trampoline. He will jump in it and then fall down. He laughs and plays all by himself. This is where Matt will place him temporarily while Matt is on the phone with a customer.
*earrings--he has always noticed my earrings, but lately he will not take his eyes off of them! He finds them so fascinating (especially the bigger ones with little dangling pieces).