Happy 1st Birthday, Ethan!

Ethan's Birthday Cake

We had a party last weekend for our little guy's first birthday. First birthdays are so fun and everything is brand new, so it's a blast to watch and sit back and enjoy your child during their party. We had a sun-catcher craft for the older kids (and adults) to paint and also a Finding Nemo pinata from our neighbors next door. We had several people over, both friends and family, and got to use our new, bigger, table too. The day was perfect weather, a little hot, but we put up our new shade awning on the back porch over the table, so that was great.

Just a little blogging tidbit, one of my first posts was Ashleigh's first birthday (the second, actually), and I didn't imagine I'd be still blogging three years later, but here I am! Enjoy the pictures and video of Ethan's first piece of cake! Although he was hesitant starting, you can see from the picture that he got into his cake and loved it once he realized what it was.

Ethan's Gray Blanket Pictures

Starting with Ethan's first week, I've took a monthly picture of him in a diaper on our gray blanket to see the small changes that happen from month-to-month. I love how expressive he gets, the older he is. I saw this idea from my friend, Amy, who had a one-page collage layout of a random baby on an 81/2"x 11" sheet of paper at her house. If I were really photo savy, I'd find a way to overlap them on top of one another so they morph into one another, but as you parents know, we just don't have the time to devote to figuring that out, so here they are. Seems like I barely have time to blog anymore, but I will get a post up soon from Ethan's birthday party last weekend. It was a fun time and we're blessed with many friends and family who live close!

Ethan 1-week old!

Ethan 1-month

Ethan 2-months

Ethan 3-months

Ethan 4-months

Ethan 5-months

Ethan 6-months

Ethan 7-months

Ethan 8-months

Ethan 9-months

Ethan 10-months

Ethan 11-months

Ethan 12-months

Zoo Day and Time with Friends

Watching the Gorilla have lunch

Ashleigh and Rob drumming

Ashleigh in front of the lorikeets

Once Rob and the kids got to feeling better, we went to the Denver Zoo on Rob's last vacation day last week. It was fun and the weather was cool, but pleasant. We packed a picnic lunch and ate by the gorillas after they had been fed. I was a little bummed that Rob had spent half of his vacation sick and not feeling much up to doing anything, but was thankful that I didn't catch what he and the kids had. I planned some daytrips in lieu of the San Diego trip we originally had in mind, but decided it would be too long of a trip driving with two little ones and that we could save a lot of money by planning local trips and going camping. Good thing we didn't end up going! Between stomach bugs and the fact that the friends we were going out there to visit have already moved back here, it wouldn't have been a good trip. Here's the full story - pretty crazy what our friends are going through right now! (May 9th posting)

Some good news is Rob got an unexpected 1-week bonus right before our vacation, so we had fun going furniture shopping together on his vacation and found a dining room table we liked on Saturday that can seat 8 people. Our current table is kind of laughable when we host because it's the smallest, cheapest table that American Furniture carries. Made to seat 4 and we sometimes squeeze 8 around it. Looking forward to getting that at the end of this week. We had 8 people over for dinner on Saturday, two families from our old small group, and put the kids out outside on the deck and 6 of us, plus Ethan's highchair, were crammed around the table. It's fun, and we make it work, but we're definitely looking forward to having more room. We also had dinner last night in Northglenn with my good friend from Seattle, Ann, and her 4-yr old daughter who were in town visiting her family.

Ethan is finally big enough to graduate from the blow-up tub and to take baths in the big tub with his big sister. He absolutely adores her and loves taking baths together (plus it saves Mom lots of time too!) He can also go all the way upstairs now, but can't get down. He has yet to take that first step, but Ashleigh was 15 mo before that happened. I think with your first, you want them to grow up and do the next thing and look forward to it so much, but with your second, you almost hold them back wanting them to stay as they are and not change yet!

My kids LOVE bath time together!

Making waves

Camping at the Sand Dunes

Our campsite at the Sand Dunes - what a view!

Rob has some time off now and we decided to go camping at the sand dunes the day after Memorial Day through Friday - three nights. Let's just say camping with small kids is hard enough when everyone is feeling well, but when everyone is sick, camping becomes quite the challenge! I was the only one who stayed well during our trip. The bug started with Ethan who threw up about an hour after going to bed Tuesday night. We thought it was the India curry chicken we made for dinner - just a case of having weird foods he hadn't had before. But when Ethan threw up again Wednesday night, about an hour after going to bed again, we were thinking it was something else. When Rob got sick Thursday morning, we knew it wasn't just weird foods, but an actual virus. Between illnesses and the 30 mph wind we were dealing with Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon and evening, this trip ranked right up there as probably the worst camp-out we've ever had.

Our first night's dinner together - India curry chicken

We did have a good day of hiking on Wednesday and hiked the 1/2 mile to Zapata Falls. The last bit of the hike, you have to brave the cold water and hike on the submerged rocks upstream through the creek, but the foot numbness is worth the view of the falls from below (notice the giant icicle next to the falls). We also had a picnic lunch Wednesday at San Luis lake and saw a bunch of pelicans on the lake, but between Ethan's big blowout diaper and washing clothes out of our drinking water bottles and the constant wind blowing, we didn't get any pictures. Funny how my picture taking tapered off after the first day. Just didn't feel like taking too many pictures after Ethan and Rob were sick Thursday and Friday.

Janice at the base of Zapata Falls

Looking up Zapata Falls (giant icicle on the left and the falls are on the right)

Janice, Ashleigh, Rob, and Ethan hiking along the creek to the falls

On Thursday, Ashleigh and I hiked down to the dunes to play in the sand by the creek and wade through the water while Rob and Ethan rested and I did get some cute pictures from that trip. Ashleigh said later on the way home that her favorite part of the trip was hiking down to the dunes with mommy, and even though she was throwing up on Friday morning (3 times in all), she was still really sad to leave to go home, which almost makes it all worth it! I know we're developing a love of camping in our kids at an early age and it's always special taking your children camping to the same place where you loved to camp as a kid.

Ashleigh on our hike to the dunes

Ashleigh playing in the sand making sand castles along the path

Ashleigh took this picture of me by the creek - not bad for a 3-yr old!