9 months

It's funny to think now that 9 months of this little man inutero went so much slower than 9 months with him here.

Ethan is growing, growing which was a bit of a surprise to his Dr as he was very anemic in his blood draw today. I thought it was strange too considering he is eating meats (in baby food form) and on iron fortified formula now, but he now has to take supplimental iron for a couple of months until he is anemia free. She said it could very well be genetic and I did suffer from anemia alot as a child and in my early teenage years.

Ethan is 20lb 5oz (50th percentile), 29 1/2 inches long (80th percentile) and has a big noggin at 46.8cm (85th percentile). He is doing great, apart from being anemic. The Dr said it will be interesting to see if his sleeping habits get better once the anemia is controlled, we'll see I guess.

Not alot has changed since last month developmentally except that he has started to squeal and communicates his frustration and want for food or other things we might have. He had his first Christmas and loved every minute of it. He was such a good boy all day. Loved his presents and his brothers presents too!

We just love this beautiful blue eyed boy. He is always getting compliments on his 'big deep blue eyes' and we sure love him to bits.

Merry Christmas 2009

Wishing you the joy of family, the happiness of friends, and the love of the Savior. May beautiful moments and happy memories surround you with joy this Christmas.

....From The Andersons....

Aussie Holiday

One of the top items on my 'to do' list is to finally get posts up of the trip to Australia... It is most likely not going to happen today or tomorrow, but soon!!

Here is a sneak peek for you....

Melting Moments

Cade was just wanting a cuddle so I lay on the bed with him laying on my chest and tummy and I had my arm behind my head to support it and Cade got up and got a pillow...

Cade: "Here you go mommy, make it comfy for you"
Me: "Oh Cade you are so sweet"
Cade: "Yeah I know"

P.S. I love melting moments those yummy white chocolate peppermint candies mmmm. There are also these yummy scrummy cookies in Australia that are called the same, so it's a given to use it as my title and for future lovey moments from such a spunky, sweet little man!!

Ding Dong Merrily On High...

I love Christmas! And for that matter I love all that pertains to Christmas. This last weekend there were a bunch of Christmas movies and such on and it got me thinking... I have particular things I really like that remind me of Christmas.

Songs, movies, shows, smells etc. So I am going to give a bit of a run down on what and why I like these things.

SONGS... most Christmas songs I know and will sing along to, but
-Ding Dong Merrily on High I think of the movie 'Little Women' and it is an all time fav. I look at those 4 girls with their Marmy and it reminds me of me and my 3 older sisters with our mum.
-Oh Holy Night this one has a spirit about it, I just find endearing, especially the way Josh Groban sings it... lovely!
-Silver Bells, to me it the essence of Christmas, the feeling you had as a child.
-Grown Up Christmas List, very poignant, Michael Buble does it the best in my opinion
-Holly Jolly Christmas, the one sung my Burl Ives, it's an oldie but a goodie!

MOVIES...
- I mentioned loving 'Little Women' this isn't traditionally a Christmas movie but it has a couple of Christmas's' in the movie and I just love, love it. Cory quickly scrolls by it if it on TV knowing I will gasp and request it!
- Speaking of Cory... he loves, 'A Christmas Story' and I hate it... 'You'll shot ya eye out'. Drive me nutso, but I didn't grow up knowing the movie and Cory did, so I am sure it has meaning to him because of that alone.
Back to likes..
'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' this was one I watched when I was young and always wanted a house decorated like the Griswold house
- 'Original Christmas Classics' you know the ones, stop motion animation...Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, Frosty the Snowman, Frosty Returns, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, Little Drummer Boy, Cricket on the Hearth
- 'It's A Wonderful Life' I was introduced to this one my first Christmas here in the States and it was great, very moving. I really enjoyed it. Made you think a bit.
- 'The Family Stone' this is my new, fav, favorite. It is such a great movie in my opinion, I was watching it on the weekend and Cory was reading a book and I go, "How can you not like this movie?" at least 5 times in 10 mins. I love how much this family love, they accept and care and although they seem misfit and moody, they are great!

SHOWS...
- We watched the 'Radio City Christmas Spectacular' it was amazing. I was exthrawled and coveting being there. I also caught a bit of a show where there were people Ice skating to Christmas songs. Talk about Christmas coming at once!! hehe

SMELLS... are something I have come to love about Christmas since moving to the States. Christmas in Australia is totally different in season and therefore different in smells as well. (more on that in another post...) I love vanillaish smells at Christmas. I went and bought myself some candles this weekend to bring that smell into my home all season long. I recommend..
- Kitchen Spice, it is such a yummy delicate smell that won't give you a headache
- Vanilla Shortbread, this is a little sweeter smelling but light enough at the same time
- Pomegranate, I so heart pomegranate smells, mmmm

How about you? What do you have favorites for at Christmas?

8 Months

Today Ethan boy is 8 months old. OH MY GOSH... 8 months. Today was a terror day for him but I do think it was that he missed his morning nap as I took the boys to playgroup, and the fact that he is teething. I can feel his bottom tooth just under the gum but that does not mean it will be poking through anytime soon (lesson learned with Cade).

Ethan this month has finally started to crawl on all fours but when he is on a slick surface he still army crawls. He loves to blow raspberries and squeal. He is fun. He also does the most darling excited sucking noise. I can't do it, it makes me cough everytime, but it sure is endearing. We love it. He kicks and smiles the most beautiful smiles when he sees you and I just love that. He is a sweet little boy (with the exception of today hehe) and is growing like a weed. We do not have his next appointment until he is 9 months but he is still a chunky monkey and we love him to bits!

On a sad note, Ethan decided he is too big (nosey and impatient) to nurse anymore. We had a good run with breast feeding and it is always so bittersweet when my boys decide they are done. I had a friend tell me to be thankful they ween themselves as it is one less thing I have to teach them not to want or get rid of, but at the same time, I love that time, I love to breastfeed and there is truly nothing like it for me.

Well, the child that has possessed my once so calm and placid boy is crying for the 100th time today... duty calls.... COME ON TEETH HURRY UP!!

Cade Turns 3!!

I am a little late with this, but life seemed to get busy this last week for some reason...

Our beautiful, handsome, happy boy turned 3 on Sunday the 8th November. We had a little Pirate Party for him after church with a few friends and he loved it! It all came together pretty well, which I was thankful for as we had had 2 really awful nights up with Ethan with what we now know was a head cold. So I am glad that sleep deprivation didn't affect the day for Cade. I had alot of fun this year in the preparation for his party. I always make his invitations and his cake and I kept the party decorations very simple this year. We didn't do games as I find it stressful to get the kids motivated to play games they are shy or uninterested in so we just got eye patches, made our pirate hats and handed out the 'treasure' from his cake. It was also really nice to just visit with the adults and we just let the kids do their own thing. I know Cade enjoyed the day, Cory and I had a great time and I think everyone else seemed to enjoy themselves.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I can not post about a growing boy without letting you know what he is up to at 3 years old. Cade is just a lovely boy. We are still as smitten as ever. He is fun, loving, caring, playful and just the most lovable 3 year old ever!! (I am ever so biased I know)
- Cade talks all the time and I find him really easy to understand, but I am not sure if that is because I am mum, but his Dr said he was doing great and that she could totally understand him, which is nice.
- He is fully potty trained, has been for over a month now.
- Cade is a great sleeper and still naps a good 2 hours a day, although I do have to lay with him for a couple of minutes until he nods off.
- He has a fantastic imagination. Wants me to role play with him.
- Cade loves TV and wants to do the things the characters are doing and if emotions are expressed he expresses them too. Very perceptive boy.
- He loves to dance and will ask to dance with me daily. I love it as I have always danced with my boys. He is a little break dancer if he dances on his own... not sure where he got that one, not from Cory or I that's for sure!
- I get daily requests to make a house, a tent or to fix his train set that Ethan the Destroyer messed up or if he can see his friends, who is coming to his house or when he can go to school.
- He has shown a keen interest in learning his colors and numbers. We try but he is a stubborn little mite and likes to get it on his own.
- Cade LOVES nursery. He lives for it. Loves to see the church steeple on the way to church and makes sure we all have seen it too.
- He is so appropriately affectionate, tells us, "I wove you so much!" all the time.
- As you might be able to tell from above, he can not say L's it is funny to hear him say every L word with a W instead.
- Cade does this pose thing when he is explaining something, he bends his leg and indicates to what he talking about with a hand on his hip and so matter-of-fact. It is hilarious and I have to bite my tongue not to laugh.
- He absolutely loves his cousins. He asks for them all the time and tells people about them.
- Cade likes to go to the Dr and when we drive past it he tells me I forgot and missed the turn. Funny boy.
- He loves his daddy to bits and greets him so lovely when he comes home.
- Cade just loves his brother and for this I am so thankful. Lately he has been telling me Ethan wants to get up and play with him when he is asleep in his crib and when Ethan finally does wake up I say, "Cade, look who's awake" and he exclaims with such excitment, "Ethan did wake up mum!"
- He knows all his animals and pretends to be them all day long. When he is done playing and he says, "Mum, I not a monkey, a puppy dog, a kitty cat, a monster, a dinosaur, I just a boy. I just Cade". It is hilarious.
- He is quick to say sorry and make things right when he has upset me or hurt Ethan etc. He is very aware and I love that he loves so beautifully.

Here are a few of Cades favorite things...
SHOWS - Caillou, Max and Ruby, Little Bear, Yo Gabba Gabba, Oswald, Thomas
MOVIES - This is a funny one. He use to love everything, it was hard to narrow down what he wanted to watch and when. Now he says everything is, "Too scary" Lately he likes Thomas (which we rented and he has requested it everyday since), Brother Bear, Charlotte's Web, Ant Bully, Wall-E, Bolt.
FOODS - He still likes my cooking, especially lasagna or spaghetti but has decided to be a little more fussy lately, so we just leave his meal on table and he comes and picks at it and it all gets eaten eventually. He loves pancakes, mac and cheese, cheese, hot dogs, raisins, grapes, apples, bananas, watermelon, chicken fries, green beans and carrots.
CLOTHES - He has a certain pair of shoes he loves, but Cory hates them. He loves to wear his Jammie's and would wear them all day if he could. He likes particular shirts, ones with cars or trucks on them are his favorite or ones with 'soccer ball game' (this is anything with a ball on it).
TOYS - He LOVES trains, cars, anything with a ship or pirates, lego, balls, ropes, fishing and horses (warsies).
SONGS - Just like with the movies, he is very picky about songs. At night he likes us to sing fun songs my mum use to sing to us, 'Jimmy Monkey', 'Hydee, Hydee Ho', 'Mumma Little Baby Loves Shortening Bread' and he says, "Monkey", "Elephant" or "Bread" for those songs. He loves 'Love Is Spoken Here' and calls that "Daddy Song". Lately he loves to sing happy birthday and it is so stinking cute. He is pretty good at it too. Last Sunday at church there were some children from a family that sang a song and Cade goes, "Ohhh mumma, it's a happy song!" We all got a chuckle out of that.

We are so blessed and fortunate to have this wonderful child in our home. I have said this since the day he was born, but he truly is a delight!

Here are a couple of favorites of mine...
Cade brand new and unnamed at this stage

3 days old, first day home

10 weeks

8 months

Cade 2 years old

Big Boy

I am so very pleased to announce....

....THIS BOY IS POTTY TRAINED!!! YAY!!!

This was our 5th and final attempt to potty train. We bought a trainset for Cade for his birthday and had it stashed away and I told Cory it was time to pull it out and display it and let that be the motivation to Cade to finally go potty. And it totally worked!!
We made a chart and put stickers on it at every potty time. He did fantastic! The first and second day I seriously thought it would be the death of me, both Cade and I have very little patience at times and therefore clash heads. We hung in there and I am so thankful we did. It was truly a bonding process for us too. Realising he can be independant in a good way was empowering for him and totally beneficial for me too. I was thinking it would be forever before he would poop on the potty, but by Friday that same week (so 4 days into it) he was pooping no problems. He has had 2 accidents since then and nothing for over a week now. He is waking dry of a morning and taking himself straight to the potty. He has also graduated from his potty and is now on the big toilet. What a big boy I have!! I am so happy with all that he had accomplished and I know he is happy with himself too, there is just a different sense about him, almost a new step in confidence and I love that.

CONGRATULATIONS my biggest little boy!!




The pictures above are from before we started to try, we made this chart and he was so proud of it. If you look at that first picture, you can see the bottom chart is covered in stickers... and so is his little potty, apparently he was running out of room.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

From the SWAT man Cade and his Kangaroo buddy Ethan!!

Ethan... photos

Well, I finally got some photos of the growing boy for those that had mentioned wanting to see some pics (Netty) hehe!!

Ethan is SOOO close to crawling. In these photos I could totally deceive and say he was as it truly looks like he is, but alas it is not so. He is constantly up on his hands and knees but when he wants to get anywhere is still army crawling. He is the master at that, very quick. I love that he is happily mobile without the pulling and climbing on things. That was Cade all over so Ethan is less of a stress (at this stage) when it comes to that! Phew!!


Enjoy the boy...






**See mum, in the second last photo you can really tell Ethan no longer has the comb over 'crazy professor hair' going on!

Ethan 7 Months

Had to share that Ethan boy is now 7 months old. Today he had his first haircut and it was needed. It was bittersweet though, him losing his 'crazy professor' hair. No more comb over for this little man. He did fantastic, was so, so good about it. No pictures as I was holding him while he was getting it cut and daddy was getting his hair cut at the same time.

Cade, at the same time was filling his pants with pee and poop!! ARGH. He has done so very well. Went poop yesterday on the potty for the first time. We went out of town for the afternoon, no accidents and he was letting us know when he needed to go to the potty and he even slept with big boy undies on all night and woke dry. Then today... oh well, what can you do?? He is back on the band wagon and doing well.

Ethan at 7 months is still a delight. He is doing better at night, a lot better, but I hope not to jinx myself with that statement. He is trying to self ween from breast feeding and I don't know how I feel about that. He was always so good about it but lately I seem to not be satisfying him as I use to. Not sure what the go is there, but I will persevere. He loves his food. Breakfast and dinner he has baby food and he just gobbles it up. He still loves the water, if he hears the water running he breaths heavy with excitement and anticipation and kicks about trying to get in there or if he is on the floor he is in the bathroom in a shot! Pretty funny. He is really getting around, he is army crawling, left, right co-ordinated. Just a matter of time before he is putting it all together and is up on his knees doing it. He really is a beautiful little boy and we just so love him and enjoy his pleasantness. Cade adores him and they are so excited to see each other after naps or being apart for any period of time. What a blessing.

Brotherly Love Hurts

See this boy... looking a bit worried...

Roll him over....




A quick 'procedure' and a few tears later...

Good thing Ethan is forgiving...

6 Months

If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times... but I simply can not believe my baby is 6 months old already!! Time has just flown by.

We had Ethan's 6 month appointment last Friday and he was 18lb 6oz (70th percentile) and 27 1/2 inches long (80th percentile).

Just for comparison for myself... Cade was 17lb 2 1/2oz (50th percentile) and 26 5/8 inches long (50th percentile) although his head was larger.

Prior to the appointment, Ethan was still like a newborn in his feeding schedule, waking every 3-4 hours and fussing, wanting to be held etc. It was not fun. On Thursday night I got up to him 9 times! 9 times! Are you kidding me! I have been really reluctant to let Ethan 'cry it out' as he has had these aspirating/choking fits and I FREAK out. Cade would always choke on food and that was scary and tainted me for life but Ethan chokes on nothing. I have since come to realise he does it for attention, when he gets worked up and wants to be picked up and held. Naughty boy!! So I have been really good about letting him settle himself during the day, which he was doing well at. He has always been a baby that likes to be put to bed awake and put himself to sleep... sweet! Since our appointment I have been trying some things differently. I have been staunch about getting him to sleep through the night. He has a last feed in the evening, about 8ish and is put to bed, sometimes awake, sometimes not. Then he seems to wake around 3ish and wants out of his bed. I have been going in, putting in his paci and making sure he isn't too hot and off to bed with me. He has done this for 3 nights now and cries for about 30 minutes and ends up nodding off and wakes for a morning feed at 6ish and then goes back to sleep for an hour or so. I can live with this and I think it is hard but is getting easier. He hasn't really been doing the choking thing, I think because I let him settle himself during the day it helps alot and he knows he isn't going to win at night. I am much stronger during the day I do notice though. Both the boys are in the same room and that stressed me about Ethan crying and waking Cade. He woke Cade the first night and since has not which is great.

Here are some particulars on what Ethan is up to at 6 months...
- Ethan is just a happy, delightful boy. A smile is NEVER far away. He has the most smiley eyes ever and we just adore him.

- Ethan LOVES Cade (and Cade LOVES Ethan). He thinks he is hilarious and we catch ourselves laughing along at the antics of Cade trying to entertain and make Ethan laugh. Ethan particularly loves when you move your head in a silly way or purposely lose eye contact and quickly regain it. He also loves you to swing your hair and jump (we found this out with my nieces while in Australia).

- Ethan has this cute habit of straightening his arm and flapping it back and forth against what he is laying by, my chest while nursing, his pillow while sleeping. It seems to be a comfort or security thing and I call it the 'whale' as that is what it is like, a whale slapping. He also waves his arm back and forth until he hits something he can hold while nursing, it is like his way of asking me to hold his hand. Very endearing.

- Ethan loves his baby food. He is quite partial to veggies and would choose those over fruits. He has a fruit with cereal at breakfast and can't quite finish it and has a veggie at night and gobbles that all. He seems to really enjoy pumpkin with pears lately. He has tried apples, pears, peaches, apples and blueberries, bananas, corn and sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin with pears, carrots, mixed vegetables.

- He has been a fantastic nurser. Up until the last 2 weeks he was great, on, feed, off. But the last 2 weeks he has been not wanting to nurse during the day, which is really what the issue was with waking so much at night I believe. He seems to rather go without than to have a bottle. He has to be starving or will only take a bottle from someone other than me or Cory. I am OK with this as to me it tells me he still wants to nurse but sometimes it is a pain to have to always have something on hand if he refuses me.

- Ethan loves to play and will spend most of his day on his tummy. Last night he was showing great progress in the crawling department as he would lift his tummy off the floor just be on tippy toes and hands. It was pretty impressive. He rolls to something if he needs to get closer but for the most part just maneuvers where he wants to be.

- He loves to be in his highchair and would stay there all day if I let him. If I am needing to vacuum or about to feed him but want to get a load of washing on, I will put him in there with a bunch of toys and he will play happily. He gets SO excited when I walk by him in it and he will kick about and wave his arms with the cutest cheesy grin.

- Ethan gets SO excited for the tub. He just LOVES the bath. While we were in Australia my mum would bath him in the laundry trough and he was in heaven. Since being home I have let the boys bath together (Cade lives for showers or baths with Ethan, hehe) and Ethan about jumps out of your arms to get in that water. He does this suck backwards like of laugh in excitement and once in the water kicks like a frog the whole time. Very cute.

- He is by far way more cuddly than Cade at the same age. He loves to snuggle in your neck and relax. I love this and so does daddy!

- Ethan loves to suck your fingers and would gum them to death if you would let him. I think this is part of his teething (no teeth yet) but it is funny.

- He has started to drop things for me to constantly pick up, cause and effect, not such a fun game for mum, but Ethan loves it!

We are just in love with our little boy and are so thankful this precious man is in our lives. He is truly loved and adored, not just by us his immediate family but by our extended family too. What a blessing it is to have those you love, loved.

How Slack Have I Been....

Don't answer that!! hehe

I am awaiting a disc of photos from my sister in Australia hence the fact that there have been no updates!! I do have some pics but they are from my last day spent in Aus so I want to get the others up first.

I have been a slacker on the home front too. Just really tired, jetlag seemed to totally kick my butt this time it seems. I can finally say I am all caught up on my housework and organising, it only took 2 weeks!!

I am very glad to be home but really, really miss my Australian life too. I think that is normal and to be expected. I miss the constant company, the help at a moments notice from a very willing Nanny and Aunties. The instant friends for Cade and the numerous open arms for a fussing Ethan. I miss the sister lunches and the family dinners (drama and all!). I miss my friends and the play dates we had, a the catch up and gossip sessions!! Oh I can feel myself getting emotional... better change the subject!!

Bout time for an update...

This little boy is.....

...ROLLING!!!




...EATING!!!




and having a great time being spoilt with cuddles and loves and constant play with cousins!!

Ethan seems to have grown in leaps and bounds the last 2 weeks. It just amazes me. He is trying so hard to pull his legs under himself in order to crawl. My goodness, do things happen quickly! He is a noisy little one and squeals and growls and chatters. His new thing is to wake in the night and make this growler noise which to me sounds like Chewbacca (good thing he is not as hairy, good thing he is so stinkin' cute as he wakes more here than at home.

He gets very excited to see me and loves then attention from his ever doting cousins and Aunties! He is one spoilt boy.

Cade has been a treasure. The poor boy is exhausted at the end of the day especially when a nap has been missed during the day. He has been in the wars and has been getting hurt easily when tired but he is a tough little mite so soldiers on. He just loves his cousins and it is hilarious, when he forgets their name he calls them honey. He says, "Hey, honey, honey... what's wrong?" when they are done playing with him. It is a crack up. We all get a laugh out of it.
He had a sleep over at my sisters last night, which wasn't planned but he wanted to stay when we went for a visit in the evening and he was a good boy apparently so I am glad for that. He is really comfortable here which I am so grateful for. He has been asking the last 2 to 3 days for Daddy and to 'go to Cade's house' but other than that, there haven't been any melt downs as yet in that regard. Daddy is very, very missed, not just by the boys but me. Oh how I miss him.

The flight over was... L.O.N.G!! 27 hours of travel all up and by the time I got some sleep, it had been about 37 hours or something since I had slept. CRAZY!! I was feeling it. I got a whole hour and a half the whole flight (15 hrs). It was not fun. But we did it. I was so exhausted when I got off the plane and when I saw mum I just about cried. I swore I was never doing it again! Too bad I have a flight home right!! It is amazing how your perspective changes with a good shower and some one to take a baby from your sore, tired arms and that a cooped up toddler can run outside to his little hearts content.

I have been busy shopping and chatting and catching up with my sisters and their families. I was particularly teary when I got to see Kallan. I held him like I never have before and just couldn't take my eyes off him. He is a dead set champ and I am thankful he has a clean bill of health and got through his cancer treatment! What a blessing to ALL of us! Here's to continued health for him.

Wow, this was way longer than I thought... more to come!!

Surprise Visitors...

...all the way from Tasmania!!!

Thursday mum had me thinking was our 'quiet, stay at home day'. The sneak had been tipped off that my good friends Tim and Helene and their cute kids were flying in and driving up to see me.



TALK ABOUT SURPRISED!!

I could not believe it.

THANK YOU SO MUCH TIM AND HELENE. I just loved, loved, loved seeing you. Time has not changed us at all I think!! Just a few kids in the mix now, you know how it is!! hehe

Cade...

...has a concussion! BOYS... what do ya do with 'em?

*He was climbing trying to get to his candy that daddy had put at the top of the stove and we hear a huge BANG followed by some little boy crying. Cory even heard it in the shower with the fan going. He was super lethargic and his eyes were dilated so off to the doctor... again... sure enough, a concussion. He walked in the door after going to the doctor with daddy and lay down by my feet and fell asleep on my foot, poor little boys I have!!

ARGH... control I do not have

Well... Ethan and Cade both came down with runny noses yesterday and I simply thought it was allergies seeing as we have been in and out of the house, between hot and cold etc but last night was AWFUL. Ethan was miserable with his sinuses and couldn't seem to breath properly. I got up to him twice an hour until 4am and then I was just exhausted and Cory took over. I took them to the doctor this afternoon and Cade simply has a bit of a cold but poor Ethan has a double ear infection! Right in time for a HUGE flight too. My poor baby. He is choking all the time on his drainage, has a runny nose and weepy eyes, a fever and all this with a double ear infection! Poor darling boy.
We have him on antibiotics and will have a quick follow up on Thursday to see how he is doing and if the doctor isn't happy with how he is doing, will give him a stronger antibiotic. He was due for his 4 month shots but we are delaying them until he is healthier, but the doctor wants these before we fly out so we'll see how quickly he heals.
I am a huge worrier, and I try to control as much as I can but this is something I obviously could not predict or control so now the worrying has set in. I worry about his little ears on the plane, the fact that we are travelling for 24 hours and 17 of these are in flight. I just hope and pray that he will be so much better before then and that we can get both our boys healthy and well and that they stay that way!!

Things Happening...

Big things have been happening this last month. We had a great 4th with Cory's family in Colorado. Jesse (Cory's brother in law) went through the Temple. We have spent the last few days in Utah. The 24th we spent at the Hinckley parade and visiting with the extended family.... and yesterday Jesse and Alisa were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple! YAY!!
We are so proud of them and it was a beautiful ceremony. We then made our way back to Taryn's where we were staying, for a luncheon for Jesse and Alisa. It was so nice to visit with all the extended family there. We are home safe and sound after some sleepless nights, a kidney stone attack ala Cory and me feeling 'not so hot' last night and part of the day today. Ethan and Cade were fantastic travellers. Ethan was an AWFUL sleeper the first 2 nights but did great last night. Cade didn't get naps both days so slept like an absolute champ each night. They are both sound alseep and I have pretty much unpacked everything.... now for the MOUNDS of washing.

This week I am busy packing, packing, packing and preparing frozen meals for a lovely hubby that is home bound while I am lucky enough to be holidaying in Australia. I am stressed to say the least, about the flight and travel with 2 little ones on my own but I hope the stress is undue and that all goes oh so smoothly!!

Something spunky for the boys...

For your chance to win the pattern to make this oh so cute and spunky "Downtown Boy" jacket just click on the link and post a comment.

Toni is AMAZING! I have no clue how she finds the time to do all she does. She did this little beauty while in labour I believe. What a woman, so efficient! She has so many wonderful creative patterns out and I just love this jacket.

Here's to a big shout out to Make It Perfect

3 months

My little Ethan was 3 months old on the 23rd and he has to be the smiliest boy ever! He is now a definite mummy's boy and if I walk by while he is with dad he watches my every move and if I stop and talk to him he gets so excited and kicks about and gives me the biggest open mouthed smiles. He really is a delightful little one. This month Ethan has

- Discovered his hands and sucks on them when a pacifier is not near or mummy is taking to long to feed him

- Drools, oh my goodness does he drool. This goes along with the hand sucking but it is like he is teething* there is so much drool

- Kicks about like crazy when he is talking to you and bulks out his chest trying to lean toward me to pick him up or when he is with daddy and wants to come to mummy

- Talks and squeals. I got the funniest squeal the other day, he was laying down and I held his hands and he pulled himself up and he squealed in delight, it was SO cute.

- Pulls himself straight up. At first I would lay him down and count, 1,2,3 and pull him slowly to a sitting position and now I count and he pulls straight to standing. He is so strong. People at church today were asking me how old he was he just looked so strong. Little stud!

- Laughs! FINALLY he has started to laugh, chuckle laugh. Cade was always chuckling, really fun belly laughs and now Ethan has started to do the same. Ethan is very reserved in sharing such chuckles but is ALWAYS smiling when he likes something. Lately I have been bouncing and swaying him on my knee and he smiles and gives a giggle in delight. He also loves to be pushed in to the air above my head. He really tenses and laughs at that. Just tonight I was blowing raspberries on his neck and he gave me THE BEST laughs to date! Oh how I love this chuckly stage!

- Been LOVING walks with Cade and mummy. On nice days we get out about twice a day for a walk around the block and Ethan really enjoys it. Sometimes he jabbers away and other times he is perfectly silent and I think he is alseep but not so when I hear Cade telling him, "No Ethan! Momma, Ethan is kicking me, Cade!" It is pretty hilarious.

- Gone swimming for the first time. This last week the weather was nice enough to get to the pool. Cory had 2 vacation days at the end of the week so we used these to get out as a family and went to the pool both days. The first day Ethan absolutely loved it, fell asleep in the pool even. The second day he didn't like it so much but had a bit of a paddle none the less. He is just like his big brother, total water baby

- Flirts! Ethan was totally flirting today with my friend, Hollys little girls. They love Ethan and were sitting behind us in church and Madison her 2 year old talks to him so he totally turned it on and wanted out of his seat so I stood him up and he was LEANING toward both her girls while they fussed over him. What a flirt he is!

I really do enjoy this stage, when your little one can respond with smiles, giggles and jabber. I have always found so much to love about each stage but if I could keep this stage a little longer, I would be a happy girl! I love the recognition that comes with this stage to, when they favor mummy or daddy over strangers. I love that feeding is so much more rhythmic and predictable too (for the most part).

I never will take for granted the blessings of a healthy happy child and I am so very thankful for this and all else that the Lord has blessed me with in what my boys bring to my life and all that they are and hope to be. I am so grateful to be able to be home with them to nurture and love them as no one else can, to see those little things each day that I wish I could freeze in time or have a camera handy for.

*Cade teethed from 12 weeks on... didn't get his first tooth until he was 10 1/2 months old, lets hope it's not the same for Ethan!