Please ignore my haircut... and Merry Christmas!

Before
After
Ethan didn't want to pose for a picture with his presents-- the blinds cord was WAY more interesting!
He was really heartbroken :(
Daddy gave him some of his candy to calm him down...
It's working....
                        It worked!

We had a fun Christmas together-- Ethan's second. And yes, his FATHER decided to cut his hair a few days before Christmas, so please ignore the "girl bangs." I comb it and gel it before we go out in public:) I always love spending time with family at this time of year and the joy we get to see on each others' faces. Celebrating Christ's birth is truly wonderful! And, just think, next year, I'll have TWO kids to buy for! 

An update on Ethan's stats: 15-month check-up

28 lbs 11 oz

His doctor says he's amazed at his continued growth. He also observed him as being a "daredevil," "extremely curious," and "EXTREMELY fearless." Yah, I could've told him that!

I found a Peanut...

Odd happenings

I had a rather odd experience today. We decided to take a lunch break to Peter Piper Pizza-- we never get to go on family outings, so we thought we'd treat ourselves. Joe took Ethan to the play area as I was finishing eating (yes, I can be a bit of a pig, I know). As I got up to start cleaning off our table, I noticed a tall, thin, black man walk into the restaurant. I felt his eyes on me from the moment he walked in as he strolled down the isle. He walked over to me and said, "Hey, do you work here?" I'd been worried that he'd spotted me alone and was going to try to sell me something. "No," was my obvious reply. "So, uh, what's your name?" was his attempt at a smooth transition. "Bethany," I answered. "My name's Daniel," he said. I made a small attempt at a smile and continued cleaning our table, hoping he'd go away. "So, do you have a boyfriend?" he questioned. Really? Had this guy just randomly walked by Peter Piper Pizza, spotted me, then walked in simply to try to hit on me? How odd. "No," I responded. "But I have a husband." "Oh, sorry," was his sheepish reply. He then turned around and walked back out of the restaurant. At this point, though feeling a bit weird, I have to admit I felt a bit flattered as well. I finished cleaning up, then I walked over to my family. I told the story to Joe, thinking he'd be proud that his wife "still had it." Instead, he was a bit freaked out that I'd given him my name. Okay, he knows my first name. What the heck can he do with that? I don't think he can do much. Anyway, then he was all paranoid as we walked out to our car, saying he thought the guy might try to follow us home or something. Man, and I thought I was the paranoid one. Then, I got to thinking. What if this man was a bad man? What if he was intentionally seeking lone women in an attempt to somehow lure them outside and then take them? Why else had he randomly come inside, his whole intent obviously to talk to me? I was first thankful that I was married and could have that as my excuse, and second I was thankful that I was happily married and had the morals and standards that wouldn't even allow me to consider to stray. What could have happened to me today if I had not been married-- or said that I wasn't? Would he somehow have been able to persuade me outside? What could have happened to me? I know this is all purely conjecture. Maybe he really was a decent guy seeking a relationship with a decent girl (that being me, of course:). Who knows? But, maybe not. I guess I'll never know, and perhaps I don't want to, anyway.

Better late than never...

Ethan's 2nd Halloween! Cutest horse ever!

First haircut!

            BEFORE

LOOK AT THOSE CURLY ENDS!
                             EATIN' BABY PUFFS & WATCHIN' BABY VIDEO
UP CLOSE & PERSONAL
TA DA! ORANGE SNACK FACE & ALL!
CLEANED UP & READY TO GO...

I gave my sweet, tiny infant (yes, that's still how I see him-- all 27+ pounds) his first haircut yesterday, before church. I'm not sure why, but it was really hard for me. Really hard. I think I view it as him growing up. He's not the little baby I still see him as. Now, he looks like a little boy. ("What did he look like before?" you may ask. "A baby," I tell myself.) He looks handsome still, but just in a little boy way and not a little baby way. When did he grow up? It makes me sad. I knew it would happen eventually. 

I love you, my baby. My sweet, little BOY.

Sleepin' on the job...

Spidey

Here is our pet spider. She lives in front of our house. She has attached her intricate web to our outside lamp, which lamp also becomes her bed during the day. She has created and re-created this beautiful web, as wind or people or who-knows-what have destroyed it in parts. We call her Spidey-- the much-original name my brother has given her. I never thought I'd enjoy having this spider as a pet.  We think she brings us good tidings from Saint Halloween... if there was such a saint (which I'm almost positive he would be a devil in disguise, if there was one).  My dear husband and son feed this pet, our pet spider. They catch bugs and place them on her sticky web. I have come to appreciate some of God's simple and harmless creations (as my husband has assured me this spider IS harmless), and not be so quick to squash everything with too many legs and pin-head sized brains (for if I did, I'm afraid too many people in the world would fall into the latter category...). She is a wonderful bug-catcher, and eats all those really annoying bugs that I have yet to come to appreciate. Her web-making skills in and of themselves are simply amazing-- beyond words. So Spidey, if you will-- please stay a while longer. You've taught me so much already.

KACHOW!

I awoke this morning to the musical sounds of my barely-one-year-old son's whines, and how do you think I found him? Bare-chested. Shirtless. Without blouse.

"How did this happen?" I ask myself. "And, why?" 

Then, I notice the over-sized belly and the barely-there love handles. LOVE HANDLES. "Is he trying to show his love for me? This must be it," I conclude. "What a loving son I have!"

  

Or, maybe it's something else. Maybe he was testing his skills and found that one of them included the art of removing clothing-- quite an art for a barely-one-year-old, I'd say. He did a fabulous job, if I do say so myself. Which I do. Though, I can't help but hope it's not a premonition of some future career endeavor....

"Maybe he has something against Disney?" I wonder. The "Cars" pajama top may have been too much for him. Perhaps he thought he was fighting against "The Man," though I'm not too sure just how Disney fits into that category. Maybe he will explain it to me one day. It's obviously beyond my limited comprehension.

"Could he be an environmentalist? At such a young age? Is this his way of fighting against the pollution-causing, gas-guzzling automobiles that crowd our streets and highways?" What a BRILLIANT child I have. And so concerned for the earth. Must've been watching too many "Go Green" commercials.  

Or, perhaps he was bored. He WAS in a crib, after all, with only two crib toys and no other form of entertainment. Why NOT take off his shirt? 

Then, I decide, he could have been hot. With outside temperatures still at or above 100 degrees, long-sleeve pajama tops perhaps are not on top of his things-to-wear list. Dumb parents. Poor baby.

I guess I will really never know why or how my sweet little baby managed this task-- this task I find so amazing. But, I think I will stick with conclusion number one: he LOVES me.

 

Am I totally CRAZY??

I've decided to do something totally and completely terrifying.... I'm writing a book!! This may not seem like a big deal to most of you, but to me, it's huge. I woke up early a week ago, with the lovely sounds of my husband emptying the trash cans at 5:15 in the morning (he leaves for work early and had procrastinated taking out the trash the night before and so promised to do it before work). After all the ruckus, I, of course, could not get back to sleep. As I lay there, for some reason unbeknownst to me, I had a book idea pop into my sleepy, little brain, followed with what I'd write for the preface, and on into the first chapter. It was incredibly odd, as I haven't even been thinking about writing a book any time soon. It's always been a goal and dream of mine, but it was something I would do "someday"-- when things settled down a bit in my life. Perhaps I'm supposed to write it now, as things will probably only get crazier... Who knows??... I started writing it that day, with the permission of my friend, Korrena, whose true life story the book will be based on. I guess my life hasn't been interesting enough, so my brain sought someone else's whose life has been full of drama! It's loosely based on her life, though I've taken many creative liberties of my own. Anyway, we'll see if I can keep up with it all and have the stamina to finish!

The Stats are In...

Here are the one-year-old stats:

Weight: 26 1/2 pounds (90th percentile)

Height: 32 1/2 inches (97th percentile)

So, I really thought he actually weighed a bit more (around 28 pounds), but he's still no small thing! Everything went great at the check-up, and my doctor gave him an excellent bill of health! Once again, he mentioned how extremely active Ethan is, and really, really determined to get what he wants! Yah, like I didn't know that already!

Happy Birthday, My Sweet Ethan

Ethan is now a beautiful, wonderful one-year-old! We had a fun party today with family and a few friends. I made Ethan's cake, which took FOREVER, by the way. Now I see why they charge so much for the ones at the store! 

We played a little game with facts about Ethan, and of course his Grandma Goodale (my mom) won! The guests also filled out a message to Ethan on little pieces of paper, about why they loved him. He'll get to read them when he's older. 

He wasn't too sure about his cake, at first. Then, once he tasted it, he seemed to enjoy it, though he was still pretty polite about it all, and he smacked his little lips quite a bit! It was his first experience with sugar, so I was glad he didn't go too crazy over it! I specifically made an applesauce cake so it would be a bit healthier. 

I'm really amazed that my little baby is already a year old. I treasure him and love him more and more every single day that I get to be his mother. I often wonder why I was so blessed to have such a beautiful, wonderful, perfect child. He is truly a gift from heaven. 

PuNk bAbY

He's my...

Gotta love those bathtub letters.... Didn't know they stuck to babies, too! 

Check out the video of him, crawling as fast as he can to get to the bathtub. He does this every night, after we undress him in his room. He LOVES the bath and can hardly wait to get in! I know, I know. He's gonna kill us when he sees this in a few years.... Gotta love that tan line!

Hangin' with Mrs. Mitchell

Two pasty-white ladies and a tan, little man
  Kisses from Tiff... ahhhhhh.... 
        The boys

    My tall boy... and little, not-so-tall Dryden:)
He's a walker!
      Lovin' all the new, fun stuff!

Ethan and I visited Tiff Mitchell's house today-- her BRAND NEW house, that is! They were finally able to move out of the in-law's and get their own place. It's beautiful, too! Ethan had so much fun, and walked quite a bit there (I think it had something to do with the fact that there was actually ROOM for him to walk around there!). Dryden and Ethan actually played together and helped to entertain each other. Tiff made us yummy chicken tacos for lunch. I found out that Ethan will eat grapes-- so nice to go other places and let them give your kid food to try. I've been so stuck on giving him baby food too much, when he can very well eat regular food. I've got to break myself of the habit! Congrats, Tiff & Jayson, on the new home!