We're Booked!

I'm so excited! We have two fun vacations planned for this year, and as of today, everything is booked!


Can you guess? The first one is pretty obvious! Yes, once again, we're headed to Disneyland. It'll be a great trip. We're going with Candace, Brandon, Brevin. Our nephew Jake is also coming along with us!

The second is a little more difficult. These are some falls in Jamaica that we will be visiting when we're on our cruise. The entire fam is going! Colby & Suzanne, Mom & Dad, Brian & Colleen, and Matt & Joree!

We can't wait for our fun trips!

6 Months and growing!

Happy 6th month birthday to Ethan! I can't believe how fast the time flies. It seems like yesterday that we were up every 2 hours to feed the little guy. The doc said all was well. He weighs in at 17 lbs. 8 ounces and is 28 inches long. Now, from looking at the pictures, you may not believe this, but the doc said that he was actually "skinny" for his age. He's in the 80% for height, and 50% for weight, so that makes him thin! We feel very blessed to have such a healthy and happy little guy!

Picture Perfect

It's obvious that I am no professional photographer, but I took these pictures of Ethan today! I could not for the life of me get him to smile in them. He was too curious about the camera! But, I still think that they are quite cute!

Splish Splash he was takin' a bath!

Ethan loves bathtime, and his tub toys!

Wii Play!

For the 24th of July holiday, mom and dad came over for BBQ Turkey, and then we played a little Wii! I never thought in a million years my parents would like it sooo much, but they do, and here's the proof!

Mr. Messy

Biter bisquits! What a mess! But Ethan loves them, and guess who loves them even more . . . Norma! Yesterday, Ethan dropped it, and Norma ran right over and snatched it up in seconds. This will not be good when Ethan realizes that he can throw food at Norma and she'll catch it. He'll think it's a game, and poor Norma will get sooooo fat that she won't be able to move. She'll just lay at the bottom of the high chair and wait for her food! :)

Back to School?

Well, folks, I walked into Target and guess what I found? A back to school sale, with school supplies everywhere that the eye can wander! Now, as a kid, I enjoyed shopping for school clothes, the "trapper keepers", the care bears lunch box, etc. Remember how summer seemed soooooo long, and by the end of it, you were ready to start the adventure of the first day back to school? You put on your cutest outfit, even if it was a long sleeve wool sweater on August 25th. You had to go looking your finest. The "trapper keeper" was stocked with school supplies of every type, and life couldn't be better, plus you got to see all those friends that you hadn't seen all summer long!

Now, as a teacher, summer seems soooo short. It seems like the last day of school, which I started counting down in March, was just yesterday. And now there are back to school sales. I hadn't even thought about the concept of going back to school until I stepped foot in Target. Snaps you right back into reality! Maybe if I find a trapper keeper I'll feel a little better. The only good news is that I need a new back to school wardrobe this year. Last year, my entire school wardrobe consisted of maternity clothes. And, as comfy as they were, I'm glad that I don't have to be sporting them again this year. So, I guess I am looking forward to getting me some fun new clothes!

So, with that said, I counted! I only have 4 weeks of summer left to enjoy the lounging in pajamas, waking up at 7:30 instead of 5:30, hanging out with my little angel all day long, and wandering the isles of the hobby lobby. Yikes!

Christmas in July?

I'm so excited about Christmas this year! Ethan will be old enough to enjoy tearing the wrapping paper off of his present, and hopefully he'll enjoy the toys too! It will be so much fun to see him crawling, maybe walking, around this Christmas. We bought a little Christmas tree for him last year at the clearance sales. I went to hobby lobby the other day and looked through their christmas ornaments, and got a great idea! I could do a Disney Cars tree! So, I found some Cars showerhooks at Target and turned them into ornaments, and then I made some traffic cones, some piston cup trophies, and some checkered flags, and a road tree skirt! I'm so excited to get it put up in Ethan's room this year! Hopefully he won't tear it apart. We'll have to put a gate around it I'm sure! :)

Camping Trip!

Colby and Suzanne were here from Arizona so we decided to all go camping together. Well, I guess we really didn't camp. Mom and Dad, Colby and Suzanne and Julia stayed in the trailer, and Andy, Ethan, and I stayed in a hotel room down the street! So, we'll use the term camping loosly. Anyway, it was super fun. It just happened to be Julia's 1st birthday while we were camping. Suzanne made a really cute castle cake for her, and we had a fun birthday party. We were all decked out in tinkerbell!

The next night we went to a Gelatoria to get Gelato, and then to the duck pond. Ethan LOVED the gelato.

He also had fun watching the ducks as Andy threw bread crumbs.

Andy and I took Ethan for a little ride down a VERY bumpy slide. Those bumps aren't made for old folks like us, but it was still fun.

Happy Feet

Baby feet are adorable! Ethan's little feet are going to take him to marvelous places. They will go with him to his first day of kindergarten. They will help him run the bases after his first home run. His foot will push on the gas when he first learns how to drive a car. His feet will be with him as he walks his first date up to the door. His feet will walk along sandy beaches, take him to new and interesting places, and his feet will always be able to take him home!

"May your feet take you where your heart dreams to go."

TuTu Cute!

I've been in a crafty mood lately. Probably just because I'm bored, and I don't want to do my homework. Candace showed me how to make these cute tutu's, so I made one for Julia! She looks adorable in it.

I also made these cute aprons!

Jabber Jaws

Ethan loves to talk . . . hummmm . . . this might be a trait he picked up from his mother! Anyway, all the baby jibberish is adorable. The best is in the mornings. I put him back to bed after he eats, and he talks himself right back to sleep! Here is a sample of our little jabber jaws!

My Hot Rodders

Andy loves his hot rod . . . a '68 Ford Galaxy 500. It's fun to cruise around in, and one day we'll have it in prime condition! Ethan loves it too, even though today was his first and only experience with the hot rod! He grabbed right onto the steering wheel however, as if he were a pro!

Cuzz Buzz

Cuzz Buzz is a term we picked up from Carson, referring to Cousin! So, here is Ethan with his cuzz buzz Julia! They are having a ball in the pool at Grandma Trane's house!

Comfy?

Okay, so I was looking through my pictures tonight, and came across this one . . .

Do you believe it? Well, believe it! This was the CLEAN laundry. I guess that Norma decided it was nice and warm, and she wanted to be nice and warm too. Too funny!

Everything Eiffel

It was always a dream to go see the Eiffel tower! I love this large hunk of metal! It truly is a beautiful piece of architecture. I'm amazed at its history! It was meant to stand for 10 years after the world fair of 1889, but due to some help for military operations during both World Wars, France decided to keep it!

Here's my deep dark secret . . . the fascination is that it was probably the world's largest science experiment. Eiffel built it to send radio signals, to house a barometer, and to study wind. On the bottom of it are engraved hundreds of scientists names who have made great contributions to society!

In late June of 2004 I was able to spend quite a bit of time in Europe, and one of the most memorable places we visited was of course the Eiffel tower!


I love everything EIFFEL! My bedroom is decorated with a Paris theme, and anything Eiffel can be found here! I even have Eiffel tower jewelry! Go figure! I just love Paris, and the Eiffel Tower. What's not to love about something so beautiful!

And the view at sunset is miraculous!

The ABC's of Me

I saw this on someone else's blog and thought it was a fun idea!

A - Attached or Single - Attached for about 2 1/2 years and loving every minute!
B - Best Friend - my sweet hubby Andy
C - Clothes - T-shirt and Pajama Pants
D - Day of Choice - Saturday's and sleeping in
E - Essential Item - Chapstick! Bath & Body works Cinnamon flavored
F - Favorite Color - If you know me, then you already know it's PINK!
G - Greatest Day - It's a toss up between the day Ethan was born and the day I married Andy
H - Hometown - Good old Highland
I - Indulgence - Carrot Cake
J - January or July - Most certainly January! I love SNOW!
K - Kids - Our little Ethan!
L - Life isn't complete without - My Family
M - Marriage Date - September 16th, 2006
N- Number of Siblings - 1
O - Occupation - Science Teacher
P - Phobias - Spiders
Q - Quotes - May your feet take you where your heart dreams to go
R- Reasons to Smile - Too many to count. Mostly Ethan and Andy
S - Season - I love Christmas Time
T - Talent - Paper crafts, like scrapbooking and making cards
U - Unknown Fact - I have a pair of pink shoes that I LOVE that I bought when I was in Turkey!
V - Very Favorite Store - Hobby Lobby
W - Worst Habbit - Procrastination
X - X-rays? - I broke my wrist in 5th grade
Y - Your Favorite Food - Ice Cream
Z - Zodiac - Sagittarius

4th of July!

I'm not sure why, but the 4th of July is always a good reflection time for me, usually during the fireworks. I can't help but think of Francis Scott Key, and what images he was seeing as he wrote the Star Spangled Banner, or the many brave soldiers who have given their lives for our country's freedom. I'm so very thankful for their service. I'm also grateful for the founding fathers, and the inspiration they received in order to make our Nation great. Even though I've been a bit pesimistic about the way things have been going lately in our Country, yesterday was a good day to remember what we really have to be thankful for.

Sitting Up!

He's still a little wobbly, but our little Ethan is sitting up on his own now! He gets so excited to sit up and play with his toys. Wow, how fast they grow and change. I already packed up the closet full of clothes that don't fit him anymore. Funny how even the newborn clothes were so big when he brought him home from the hospital, and now just 5 short months later he's outgrown lots of clothes and sits up, giggles, talks, etc. Babies really are little miracles.