Broiler Fest

Ethan had a fun time with daddy, grandma and grandpa, Andrew and Camryn today at the Broiler Fest. This is a local, small town festival that includes parades, rides, and lots of fun!

Here is a close-up of Ethan enjoying the Kiddie Parade. Daddy said he liked the horses the best!

Cousins Andrew and Camryn loved collecting the candy.
Grandpa Les even took Ethan on a Carousal ride. What a fun day!

Books

Mom, please don't bother me while I'm trying to read!
Here, mama, you can read this book to me now.

Welcome to our world :)

Happy Memorial Day!

Ethan had his first of many summer visits up North yesterday. We stopped to buy some food for a picnic and met the rest of the family at the camper. Unfortunately, due to bad weather, we had to move the festivities to Grandma and Grandpa's house later in the day. Here are some shots of Ethan and his cousins enjoying the great outdoors at the campsite.


Can you spot Ben in the tree? Cousin Victor chilling out in the grass.
This morning Ethan must have known it was a holiday, because he slept until 9:30 which is completely unheard of, and meant that mom and dad slept until then also! What a treat! Here is Ethan modeling his new hat at breakfast.
Mom got to enjoy some time alone shopping for clothes, and then we all went out for lunch and for a nice family walk. All in all, a perfect way to spend a day off of work!

16 Months Old Today!

At the Park with cousin Victor . . . .

Mom and Aunt Michelle took the boys on a walk to the park after supper tonight. The kids really had a lot of fun! The swing was the favorite for both of them. In fact, EJC had a difficult time sharing . . .

Victor squealed with delight!
He also LOVED the slide!Addicted?

Our little problem with Ethan's yelling continues. We have exhausted every avenue of trying to remedy the problem, so I figured maybe he just has an addiction to yelling.

According to wikipedia, "the term addiction is used to describe a recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in some specific activity (yelling in this case), despite harmful consequences to the individual's health, mental state or social life."

Bingo! Ethan's yelling is causing harmful consequences to him (time-outs), to his health (the kid's got to be ruining his vocal chords), his social life (who wants to be around a yelling toddler??), and to his PARENTS' mental state.

I think we are on to something here - now, what to do about it??? I'll have to see if there is a 12 step program available!

Life with a 16 month Old

How would I describe life with my toddler?

*LOUD - (see above)

*FUN - He is really developing a little personality. He can be quite the comedian, and is a social butterfly!

*BUSY - Let's just say it's nice to have a break when he is in bed. He is pretty demanding and wants what he wants, NOW! But it's super fun to spend time with him and watch him enjoy the things he loves, like going outside and swinging, reading books, and playing with cars and trucks.

*WONDERFUL! - I can't wait to be home with him this summer!

Night Night

Ethan went to bed at his normal time tonight- around 7:00. We heard him turning his light switch off and on through the monitor after we put him down. Just now (10:15) I went up to take his picture in his new jammies (hoping to get a shot of his butt-in-the-air sleeping position - no such luck) and his light was on! It was totally bright in his room, yet he was sound asleep. It was kind of funny to see.

I love how it looks like he's giving his bunny "Eskimo Kisses"!

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Mike and Aunt Jenny!

Ethan helped celebrate Grandpa and Aunt Jenny's birthdays yesterday. We went out to eat with Victor, Oliver, Ben, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Michelle, and Aunt Jenny. We were causing quite a ruckus at the restaurant with 3 toddlers and a 4 year old, so we decided to move the party to our house after we were done with our meals. (On a side note, Ethan had to have a time-out in the car at the restaurant for YELLING very loudly, and then hitting mommy in the face! I REALLY hope this phase passes quickly!!!)
Unfortunately Ethan had to go to bed as soon as we got home, so I have no pictures of him celebrating, but here are the birthday boy and girl (above) and a cute pic of Oliver and his mommy below.