Holiday events

We have had a lot of fun this holiday season. You can see some of our latest happenings on Jason's site but here a few where Ethan played a major role.

Dinner party

Wednesday night we went out to dinner with the McClamroch family to TGIFs. We enjoyed some good company and manners and Ethan was most excited that Logan baked him cookies. It has been a tough holiday for both families given recent events with our grandparents and it was nice to all be together.

Serena and Logan:


Ken, Jordan and Ethan


Logan, Ethan, Jason, and Jenn



Party at Shannan and Ramin's house:

On Friday, Ethan got to spend the day with Mom and go to a great holiday party and play date and then bake cookies with Mom and Grandma. It was his last day of school until January and yet he didn't seem to miss it. He finished out the year with a bang and a party in his classroom on Thursday, another week of good behavior and an excellent progress report.

Shannan throws the best parties. With organized crafts, cookie tins and hats, ornament favors, and great coffee and company. The families were all so nice and even though Ethan was really scared and clingy, after I explained these could all be new friends, he let Ramin take him around to meet everyone. After a few minutes, he came back and hugged me and said, "Mommy, I am not shy anymore." I didn't see him much after that. We were the last to leave since these are some of our favorite play pals. Here are the pics from the day:

Posing with Mom under duress


Saying "cheese"


With our best boy pal, Nicholas


Doing a craft:


The finished product...our milk carton gingerbread house. We even managed to get some candy on it as opposed to into Ethan's mouth (see above pic).

Baking cookies

We did less than last year since I didn't feel this horrid need to try and prove I was one of those incredible Mom's that can do it all. I can't. And I have to be okay with that. Tracey once said I turned into Betty Crocker at the holidays. I decided this year was going to just be fun. I did some peanut butter treasures and those amazing butter and almond cookies in xmas shapes I did last year. Then I helped my Mom with the chocolate cupcakes and the pignoli cookies and bourbon balls. I then called it a day. I think what made it fun though was knowing Grandma was happy we were doing it. And watching Ethan powder the rum balls, add pine nuts, and use a rolling pin. He loved cutting the cookies. Jason liked stirring the batter and shaking the sugar.

Angels among us

At the holidays I try to teach the kids about the needs of others and the true meaning of the season....the birth of Christ and the sacrifices we make for fellow men. We do the food bank, buy coats for the children and usually do a giving tree. This year, we picked up a Salvation Army angel tag describing the needs of a child this Christmas. Ethan was fascinated by the tag and asked if the angel looked over us. I said it angels look over us all but especially this little girl. Then I explained how her family might not have enough money to buy her needed items and we were going to help and get her some pjs, a sweater and pants and a Dora doll that she wants. I asked him if he thought we could find stuff like that and he said, yes...in the store. And then he asked if she was his friend and I said she might not know him but it is nice to think of all people as friends. And since we had a little to spare, we were going to ensure she had a nice holiday.

Ethan's response:
Yes...we need to. You need to take money out of my piggy bank so we can buy nice things for her....let's go now. I don't need anything.

Wow...maybe I am doing something right here. After we shopped and brought the gifts back to the drop off location, Ethan said, "It was fun to buy her things. She is 3 years old like me, Daddy, and we are both three...nobody else is. I love her."

I melt.

Green days

Things have been a lot better at the homestead as of late. Ethan has had a great month at school with good reports each day and an award for good behavior. He is trying to use his words, is nicer to his teachers and friends and is working on his manners. I am not sure how much of this was enabled by our new focus on positive reinforcement and prioritizing the few things we want to make an issue over. Whatever the reason, I am very proud of him.

Ethan is working on writing his letters and numbers these days and loves reading and doing art projects. I wish I was more creative in those departments and had more time to work with him on it but he will have to deal with a Mom that is better at cleaning stalls than planning creative activities. We all have our crosses to bare.

He still makes me smile each day when he tells me how much he loves me and how I am the best mom ever, or make the best dinner ever. Or when he notices new sheets, that I have washed his favorite sweat pants or brought up his favorite car. I love how grateful he is for those little things. It makes me want to do more for him.

I know I have been remiss in posting lately so owe some juicy pics. Here are a few from last weekend's visit with the extended family:

Dinner with Dad, Joyce, Susan, Rosie and Roy:



Playing outdoors on a Sunday morning:





Ethan riding his dolphin:

Birthday party

Our neighbor across the street has a beautiful baby boy that celebrated his one year old birthday today. Trish and Brad threw a great party and if it weren't for needing naps, we may have stayed all day. The adults watched football and munched while the little kids played outside with some of the teenagers.

My boys had a nice time playing at the party with Aaron's toys (see above) and eating yummy chili and cake. Ethan even helped Aaron open some presents. Here are a few shots of the kids in their party hats. Aaron is first, then Jason and then Ethan sitting with Daddy...impatiently asking every five seconds if he can have cake.

Where does the time go?

Seems like just yesterday all he could say was "Mama" and "Why?" i read that the average toddler says why hundreds of times in one day. Where do I sign and swear to that? He is getting so smart lately, learning to write a bit, memorizing the planets (and yes, he includes Pluto), and he says the funnies things:

"I am going to play rock and roll guitar in the Jo Jo Go Go Band."

"Mommy, you are my best friend ever. When we go to bed tonight, can we play that game we played the other night where we were tickling and laughing together?"

"When I was a baby, I could drive a car better than I can now." There are so many renditions of things he says all starting with.... When I was a baby.

"Mommy, you make the best dinner ever. I love roast pot."

"It's late and we are already done for the day"

"Ooopsie Donald"

And then there are the less funny ones:

"It's no fair." How do they know? Where did that come from?
"I don't think so"
"Let's negotiate"
"No...no...no. YOU listen."

And the ones that make we want to have 3 more:

I am rubbing my brother gently and taking care of him

Ethan: Mommy, you need to keep me safe.
Me: I will always take care of you and keep you safe, Ethan.
Ethen: You need to keep me safe right now.

Bumps

Scene: Driving home from daycare in my little Mazda

Ethan: Mommy I don't like bumps.
Me: I'm sorry. The road is bumpy.
Ethan: Mommy I don't like bumps.
Me: I know Ethan, there isn't much I can do about it.
Ethan: Mommy I don't like bumps.
Me: Let's play a game. You can't talk unless you are asking a question. (Thinking: Oh my goodness, did I just encourage him to ask "Why" every five seconds. What was I thinking on that one. Smooth)
Ethan: Okay.



Time passes - oh, about 30 seconds.

Ethan: Mommy?
Me: Yes, Ethan
Ethan: I have a question
Me: Okay, what is it?
Ethan: I don't like bumps.
Me: That is not a question. That is a statement.
Ethan: Oh

Time passes - oh, about another 30 seconds

Ethan: Mommy?
Me: Yes, Ethan
Ethan: I have a statement.
Me: Okay, what is it?
Ethan: I don't like bumps.

And what do you say to that?




Some other cute ones lately. "Mommy, I have an idea"....."Let's make a plan".

So here are a few shots from this month. We got a dog named Tanner. He loves the boys and is a great dog. Here he is loving on Ethan. There is also a pic of my baby after eating an orange cupcake (Thanks for that one, Uncle Mikey. Next time you invite E over to swim, he is bringing a huge box of red food coloring. Kidding!)

Finally, here is E trying to fill Daddy's shoes.

Preschool picture day

And you can imagine how that went. Not well comes to mind. Jason screamed through the entire thing...even after they brought Ethan in to do the pic with him. Luckily, I snapped a few that morning and the drool was free.


Jason wouldn't drop the phone. Did I mention the set of lungs he has? And the will? All I can think is that this one is going to have more will than Ethan. Is that possible? I adore this pic of Ethan. He looks so handsome and sweet!


Aunt Rose, these are for you so you don't have to wait for the Christmas card!

Amazing days....

I just got done putting Ethan to bed. He told me I was the best Mom ever for no apparent reason. I melted. If he had asked for a 30k convertible sportscar after that line, it would have been parked in the driveway when he awoke. I responded that he was the best son and he said "No. I am the best Ethan." I told him that I loved him to the moon and back and round and round the stars and gave him a kiss which he promptly rubbed off. Seems he has already decided kisses are not for him. Bribery works but it doesn't have the same effect for me. I want the unsolicited kisses of yesterday. Although, he does still love butterfly kisses on his eyelids and ears. Don't ask me why but it gives me hope he hasn't outgrown his Mom yet.

So what made today so amazing? He fell down some stairs yesterday and I was neurotic and spent the night checking on him every two hours and waking him to ensure there was no concussion. At 5 am he decided to just crawl into bed with us. When JT started stirring at 7, Ethan had to run around the bed and tell Daddy Jason was up and crying and to go get him. He adores him and when he is not taking toys from him, he is very protective.

After a nice breakfast ("Mommy, thank you for such a delicious breakfast. I love your scrambled eggs. You make the best food ever!") we all went outside to play on the patio. It was such a gorgeous morning and Ethan helped me feed all the animals and got out his tricycle. He loves this thing and looks so cute in his helmet but he refuses to pedal...he just uses his feet on the pavement to propel him along. Well today I told him if he3 learned to pedal, he could have Christopher's old 2 wheeler. He stayed on that bike until he could do it up hill, down hill, turn and do figure eights. I never saw such determination. He kept yelling, "Mommy, look at me!" and when he decided he had mastered it, he said...."so when do I get the other bike?". Amazing.

We went food shopping today...nothing earth shattering but our usual stop to get an iced mocha and a chocolate milk before the chore at hand. Man he loves that and I don't know where he learned the "yes, I want it ..pretty please...pretty please" with that pleading tone. Damn he is good. Too bad I am better.

Anyway...we were buying pancake mix and Ethan was in the cart and looked up at Jeff and said "My Daddy makes the bestest pancakes." So like 3 unsolicited nice things in less than 8 hours. In between all this was the usual fights with JT, the timeouts and all the struggles with eating his dinner, taking his bath, etc. Doesn't matter though. I read a news article about a tragic event and every time I hear about something like that, I just panic inside. I try even more to enjoy every second with them and file away every incredible little thing. It just goes too fast and my mind is not a video camera. I can't remember every detail the way I want to. It all slips away over time. Just remember that the simple things are the most amazing.

Fun fun fun....until Mom and Dad pass out

We had a big time for Christopher's last weekend with us. We spent Saturday at Frankie's Fun Park and then hit a Durham Bulls Game complete with fireworks. Ethan was so excited to be able to do the big boy things that CJA can do and was thrilled to be able to spend so much quality time with Daddy. The age difference is hard on all kids since Ethan adores Christopher and we want to ensure he gets his fill while also providing some good summer age appropriate fun for Christopher. Jason is so mellow he can tag along for whatever and people watch.





Our day today started with miniature golf, some go carts, bumper boats and dinner with Jeff's friends. It was a nice time and then we headed off to the game. Here are the kids with Wool E. Bull. Yes, I am serious. Ethan has him sign his hat every time we go and they were also putting on their rally caps and turning their hats inside out. It didn't help.




Sunday we went bowling and made a nice dinner at home. Here are some shots of the bowling prowess of my crew. Jeff beat us all even with letting Jason take his last shot. And who said the WII didn't help?






Christopher leaves early tomorrow morning and the gang will all be sad. Ethan stil keeps his picture on his dresser and Jeff misses him every day that is away from us.
I will miss him too and am already planning our Christmas together in the mountains.

More b-day pics and a funny story

So Jason's teacher at school tells me that Ethan comes running at outside time to the fence to catch a glimpse of baby Jason since their playtime overlaps by a few. Since it is hot and it is summer time, Ethan approached Jason's teacher in an accusatory voice and asked loudly, "Did you put sun scream on my brother?" She says the boys hold hands through the fence as well until it is time for the younger class to go in. It amazes me how close they are and I love it! Hopefully he will share some of his b-day toys!

Ethan turns 3

Wow. It seems like yesterday that he was keeping me up all night, starting daycare, learning how to navigate stairs and requesting big boy underwear. Now, he calls himself "Mr. Independent" and wants his "allergy" (translation: privacy) when visiting the restroom. He dresses himself (although I pick the clothes to avoid any issues with harassment at school since he would only wear his favorite jammies day after day), demands a hat, certain shoes, and his belt and sunglasses....depending on if his pants have belt loops, of course.

For his birthday, Ethan asked for a party hat, cake and a birthday card. I was happy to oblige but we did also add an old fashioned sit and spin which he helped Dad to assemble and some Thomas trains for his collection.

Here are some pics of his party hat:






Helping Dad:



Jason's kickin party outfit from Aunt Susan:


His birthday seemed to last for days (reminded me a bit of mine actually). Thursday night we had Mr. Peter and Susan, Grandmother and Granddaddy Ed for dinner. We were so excited to see them since they came from so far for E's day! Andy was here putting new shoes on the horses and he even let Ethan nail on one of Easy's shoes. E was thrilled.

Friday the kids did dinner at Aunt Susan's while Mommy and Daddy went out to Angus Barn for a private dinner and wine tour (can't even possibly do this one justice with words). Earlier in the day Friday we had a Thomas the Train party at daycare with his new friends. This was followed by a few hour tour of IBM with Mommy while Daddy finished up his work. Jeff and I had made up great favor boxes shaped like a caboose and had some matching plates and napkins. Our party invitations matched as well for our official family and friend party on Saturday. I bribed Jeff to help promising him time on the Wii that he got for father's day.

Saturday brought everyone together with all 3 sets of grandparents, Aunt Susan, Unclue Mikey and Marie and Teo. We also had some great friends come and we had a super time! We ordered a really special Lightning McQueen cake which he picked out himself. For dinner we had a simple but nice catered Italian dinner (from Daniel's) and some special items from Mom as well that included her famous eggplant parmesan and meatballs. Ethan even got to beat Paw Paw at Wii bowling. He can't get the hang of golf since he just muscles it everywhere. No concept of "putt", "easy" or "lightly".

Sunday we played with Maw Maw and Paw Paw and then did a family movie night in the "Jeff Theater" and watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (compliments of Aunt Jean). Monday we went to Pullen Park with Shannon and her kids, Clare and Nicholas. Ethan got to spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house and drive his new pick up truck.

Through all this I made 28 notes about the "all about me" mentality and had a few frustrating moments as we got out of our routine. And to think, he is stuck with me all week since daycare is closed.

3 year check up

We took a trip to the pediatrician this morning to get E his physical. He was right on the money still at 50% for height and weight and doing fine on all counts. The tubes in his ears are long since gone but now that the tonsils are gone, the illnesses are fewer. After the appointment, we went to Starbucks for milk shakes and had a grown up meeting. E then asked, "Mommy...do they have a rest room here?" It was so cute. After our date, I dropped him at school and went off to work. Mr Peter is due to come over for dinner so we are looking forward to that. It is going to be a great weekend!

And next week we get our new dog, Tanner. Here are some pics from his visitation day:

My little man

We were walking back to the barn tonight after feeding the horses and cats. I was holding Jason's hand and he was doing his darndest to walk all the way back which I appreciate given his weight. Ethan was trotting back and forth in front of us when he stopped and looked up at me and said, "Mommy, I am not a little boy anymore." I smiled since all he keeps talking about lately is how big he is getting and how he is just sure he can drive the car and reach the pedals now. But I bit and I asked him, "so E, what are you then?" He started walking again (with his baby) and said clearly, "I am a MAN." Now, that is cute enough in and of itself but you add in the fact that he is hugging a lion stuffed animal and I had to sleep with him last night for 3 hours due to a thunder storm, and the sheer irony of it is poetic.

He does try to be so grownup. I love my work at home days the most although I miss carrying them into school and getting them settled. He marches in the house those evening while Jeff is still unloading Jason and tells me how many stars he got for behavior at school that day. "I got five stars today" and then he always asks, "What you doing all day, Mommy?" He always notices if I have cleaned up his toys or washed his favorite jammies or white t-shirt. He would wear them everyday if he could. He insists on us eating outside on the porch since it is warm and helps me set the table. He then tries to feed Jason, correct his brother's baby antics and thanks me for the "dee-lish-us" (with his strange Scottish accent) dinner every evening. Well, okay, most evenings. I do have to make stick fish, hot dogs, pork loin or baked chicken for that honor....and yes, need to refrain from serving brussel sprouts or asparagus. I have been doing better lately as reality has set in: it isn't worth the argument and it is okay to microwave chicken fingers when you and the husband want stuffed tilapia. Welcome to sanity.

I still love our bed time routine and laugh at his continued negotiation. "Mommy, will you lay with me 2 minutes?" followed by "No, you not going yet" and then "Mommy, tuck me in." Which, of course, I have to do multiple times since for some reason, I never seem to get it right the first time. Yes, I know I am being manipulated but I let it happen since the days he says he wants to go away from home or go live with Grandma just break my heart. The other sad part is you always have to choose. The kids go to bed at the same time and I can't be in two places as once. We read a story in the living room together and I give them their baths and kiss their faces but I can only tuck one in at night.

I think I need to clone myself so I can do all I want to and not miss a heart beat. So that I can hang onto the smell of the baby, the feeling when I kiss their eye lids, the little hands in mine, their giggles and contagious laughter. And there are the more annoying habits you also adore...the chewing on my nose, climbing on me, repeating things he shouldn't be saying (or hearing from me), kicking me out of bed when I do have to sleep with him, chasing him around the house when he decides he does not want to get dressed (99% of the time). And there are the subtler things like the constant teaching as the vast blue eyes ask "why?" over forty times on the drive home. "What's this place, Mommy?" "Does this take us to Beaver Creek?" "Are we going to meet Grandma at the gas gashion" "I see boating. Are there boats on your side too?" "Where we at?" "What they doing there?" "Why are they not working?" "Why are they working?" "Are we going to the post office?" "Why are we going to the post office?"

Need I go on? Can you teach an almost 3 year old that knows the alphabet and can spell his name to type wikipedia? Why not? "Mommy, don't say why not. You need to answer me when I am talking to you."

Disney with the Duo

We took advantage of a good opportunity and took the boys to the Disney the first week in June. I was there for a conference staying at the Disney Swan and Dolphin and Jeff, the boys and Mom and Dad came down for a long weekend. We had great weather and were able to do some nice things with the kids. They were both still free given they are under 3 so even though it was a bit old for them, they had a blast.



The first thing we did was head to the pool for a swim and a trip to Downtown Disney for dinner and shopping. We had a great dinner aboard an actual boat with some friends of ours that were still here from the conference. Ethan can't stop talking about Josh and Mr. Peter. The next morning we went to Chef Mickey's for breakfast with the characters. Ethan loved them! Jason was great with the mice but not so great with big things with "goofy ears" or "duck bills". The restaurant was at the Contemporary and we got to take the monorail which was a big deal for Ethan.



We took lots of pictures with the characters and I have posted a few here. We then went off to Magic Kingdom where we did a few rides (Pooh, Dumbo, Goofy's rollercoaster, the carousel) and a few shows like Mickey's Philharmonic. The Mah's gave us their plans as they had done the parks before us and I had a great book compliments of the Baratta's that was a huge help. I had planned the character dining ahead of time, where to eat lunch, naps in the afternoon and I think that helped to keep it all sane.

Strollers? Who needs them when you have a Grandpa?

Jason loved this little set of characters we bought him and he played with them the entire trip home. He seemed to like playing with this size a lot better since even on our last night when he saw Goofy and Pluto, he was NOT happy and would just bury his head into Jeff and bawl.



Ethan was amazingly patient waiting for his turn with the characters and really enjoyed the experience. He kept asking if we could go back and if they were coming home with us.





The hotel pool was a blast and all they boys wanted to do was get in the water and splash around. They had a waterfall that E finally went under and a slide for Jeff. Ethan just begged Jeff to take him swimming and he was really trying to paddle and kick.