Fisherman Anonymous

My husband has rediscovered one of his old hobbies . . . fishing. He can't seem to get enough of it and tries to go every spare minute that he has. I'm glad he enjoys it, and I'm glad he's got something to do to help him have an escape and a little break from things. Bring on the fishing tales.

nacho libre - the spiderman version

Ethan has developed a love for Spiderman these days! So, when my parents went on their Mexican Riviera cruise, they had to pick up one of these spiderman masks/capes. It has taken Ethan quite some time to actually want to wear it, but last night he specifically asked to wear it, and had it on for quite some time. He looks hilarious in it.

Andy's Big Catch

Andy went to Flaming Gorge Friday and Saturday to do a little fishing. He had a great time, and caught a HUGE fish. Love you babe!

Disneyland

"I want to shoot more Zurg!" This was the sentence most uttered in Disneyland this year. We rode the Buzz Light Year Astro Blaster ride very first this year, and it was by far Ethan's favorite ride. He woke up every morning and asked to shoot more Zurg. We even bought him an astro blaster gun, which the batteries are already worn out in.
Andy also likes the Astro blaster game, and is quite good at it, and even had the second highest score of the day with just a little over a million points! :)



He was also pretty excited to meet his favorite characters . . . that is until he actually got right up to them. He had his picture taken with all of them but has the same funny look each time. The only one he wouldn't go to on his own was Captain Hook. Judy had to hold him next to Hook, and he looks as though he doesn't like being near him too much.

He was a good boy though and didn't make a peep in the car on the way down. He and his cousin Charlotte rode in the back and watched movies, colored, and played with each other. They were great. We made a stop in Primm Nevada to stretch out legs and let the kids take a break on the way down. We headed to the arcade in the casino to hang out for a while, and of course Andy played the claw! He won about 8 toys, including 2 buzz lightyears, and a woody doll from toy story! Ethan LOVES them!

Ethan was also great at Disneyland, and rode pretty much every ride he could have. He wanted to do most of the walking, but we had a stroller just in case, and thank goodness we did, because nap time was in the stroller at the park. We went with Andy's parents, and his brother and his family!

On Tuesday morning, we used our Magical Morning early entry and headed in to the character breakfast right inside the park. I think the kids loved meeting the characters here, and the adults loved the yummy breakfast buffet! Charlotte was hilarious with Captain hook, and actually got under the table when he came around. She was awfully scared of him!

We certainly had a great time, and look forward to taking him back again. I think he'll like it even more next time!

One CRAZY Night!

Last night was not a fabulous night! I came home from work, and got dinner started. I had boiled potatoes, and went to drain them and spilled boiling water on my leg and burned myself pretty badly. I know . . . not the sharpest tool in the shed to spill boiling water on myself.

In the meantime, Andy has worked a million days in a row in order to take some time off for a vacation. He is extremely tired after working 10 days in a row, 13 hour shifts. Last night, he came home to a burned wife, and had to take care of everything, which ruined his plans of going to bed early. Well, we finally got to sleep, and the fire alarm went off. It rang for a minute, and then turned off by itself. We went back to bed after we inspected everything, but it happened again, and again, and again. By 12:30, we were sick of the problem. After some quick internet research, Andy learned that there might be some dust in some of the alarms. So, he went downstairs, and cleaned them all out, and the problem was solved. Well, since it was so late, and he had to be up in a few hours to go to work, I know he didn't get too much sleep last night. The good news . . . Ethan slept through the entire ordeal of the fire alarm ringing frequently last night!

Needless to say . . . I'm grateful for my hubby and the sacrifices he makes for our family! Love you babe!

Memories to Music

Andy found a new app for his phone called Top 100. It is the top 100 songs of each year from 1940 on. We had a ball the other night listening to 1989. It's amazing how 1 measure of music can bring a flood of memories, and EVERY SINGLE WORD of that particular song, even if you hadn't heard it for 20 years. It's too bad that we don't learn everything to music. How much easier would like be if we could just hear a few measures, and remember all the cool facts about everything that we've learned so far. It's no wonder that the LDS church has so many great hymns, and primary songs. They are such great teachers and reminders of all the things we believe in. I play the piano in primary, and I know that the learning that happens during singing time is the learning truths of the gospel that these kids will hold dear for the rest of their lives. Now, if we could just get all teachers of every subject to create songs that would teach all their content, how much easier life would be!

To Infinity and Beyond!

Official Haircut!

In the past, I've cut Ethan's hair, however . . . he HATES me to touch his hair, or even comb it, so I've been dreading doing it again. So, Andy took him over to Cookie Cutters to get a haircut yesterday! They did a great job. Not sure if he liked the process, but he likes the compliments!


His face cracks me up in this picture!

Spring Break

Saturday morning we got up early and decorated Easter Eggs. Ethan had a great time, but the fun was over shortly after we began.

Then we headed to Janet's house for the annual Easter party! Grandma does a great Easter egg hunt for the kids, but Ethan seemed to be a little more interested in playing in the sand box with the trucks. Typical!




Easter morning was fun, and Ethan RAN into the living room to see what the Easter Bunny had brought him. He got a "Little People" set. He's carted around the dumptruck since he opened it! LOVES IT! He also got a kite, which we haven't had time to take out yet!


On Sunday we went over to Grandma and Grandpa A's house and watched conference with them and had the traditional Ham and Au Gratin Potatoes. It was delicious, and fun to spend some time with them.

On Monday, we decided to take Ethan down to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point. I can't believe I've never been before. I LOVED it, and could have spent 2 or 3 more hours reading everything, but of course Ethan was on the move, and didn't want to spend too much time anywhere. Here he is sitting on a cute little dinosaur.


Just about at the end of the museum is the underwater exhibit. There was a really neat sea turtle hanging from the ceiling that I was interested in, and Andy was also checking it out. Ethan on the other hand was rearing to go, and turned the corner. He came back with a horrified look on his face, and his hands clenched and shouted "no"! Well, we looked around the corner, and this is what had scared the poor boy!


It was a nice relaxing weekend, and I was glad to be able to spend it with my boys! Love you guys!

Easter Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes today for our annual Easter Party tomorrow! I'm excited for the party. I know Ethan will have a ball hunting for Easter eggs!

Easter's on It's Way

While we were at the mall today, we found plenty of fun things for Ethan to do. First we rode the really fun choo choo train, and then after, we went and had a short visit with the Easter Bunny.



Lovin' this picture! The mischievous smirk is Ethan's trademark!

Bring on the Pink

I couldn't wait for 3 more weeks, so we headed to the mall today to see if we could find out if we were having a girl or a boy! Luckily, it was a girl, because we can't agree on boy names. So, little Miss Addison Lee Allen cooperated with us today, and we will be welcoming her in August! We stopped at Gymboree on our way out of the mall and purchased her first jacket. Black and white polka-dots. I know that won't surprise any of you! :) Can't wait to start decorating her room!

In the box!

For some reason, Ethan loves to just sit in boxes! So, here is the latest of him watching sesame street, in it's entire length, while sitting in a box much too small for him!

His newest highlights . . .

He starts dancing as soon as the song for Elmo's world comes on for Sesame Street.

He loves to watch the show super why, and watches episodes over and over again.

Buzz light year is his favorite toy of all time! He loves to watch toy story, and cuddles his buzz while doing so.

He will NOT wear pants these days! Hates them for some reason, and will appease me sometimes in putting them on to go places, but the minute we get home he wants to take them off.

He's not too happy about having a sibling. I keep asking if he wants a baby brother or sister and his answer is always no.

Chuck E. Cheese

A few weeks ago we decided to take Ethan to Chuck E. Cheese just to see how he would like it! He had so much fun! We ordered pizza, and then went off to play games. When the pizza arrived at the table, he had a minor tantrum, because he didn't want to eat, he wanted to play the games!

Since he is a boy, he is obsessed with guns and gun noises, and EVERYTHING he turns into a gun! So, he absolutely LOVED playing this gun arcade game with his dad!

U2, here we come!

We're pretty excited to be going to the U2 concert this year! Can't wait to see Bono and the gang, and hear them live. I'm a little worried about the fact that I'll be 7 months pregnant at this point, and will be fighting the crowds to get out to the restrooms I'm sure. Oh well, it'll be worth it!

beads 'n bliss - new items

Interchangeable charm necklace! Wear it with any outfit!


Add bliss to any book with these bookmarks!


Doll up your little angel with my new binki clips!

Ethan's 2nd Birthday Party!

Ethan had a fantastic birthday! He danced and screamed with excitement after opening each gift!

Thanks to Grandma & Grandpa A for the cute outfit, shoes, and socks! They were desperately needed!

Thanks to Grandma & Grandpa T for the drum set. I'm sure we'll have many headaches as Ethan learns to be a fabulous drummer!

We gave Ethan a tricycle and a Thomas the train! I also made Ethan's Elmo cake! It was quite the ordeal! The cake stuck to the pan the first 2 tries, so we went through several mixes, lots of eggs, and oil before a suitable cake came from the mold! :) Turned out okay though!

Happy Birthday Ethan!

I wanted to say happy birthday to my baby Ethan! Guess I can't say that anymore now that he is 2 years old! It's hard to believe how fast time goes. We'll post pictures of the party tomorrow, but I just wanted to make a list of all the cute things about my little guy!
1. We call him our little Turkey, because he is so silly
2. When he has an audience, he hams it up for them! He is totally going to be the class clown
3. He LOVES fruit snacks, and fruit roll ups!
4. He asks for ice cream for breakfast on a regular basis! I NEVER give in! Don't worry
5. He tells you whatever is on his mind, and has been known to tell people to shut up, and even that they have a fat belly! Nice huh?
6. His duckie blanket that Missy gave for him is still the favorite, but is now called the Duckster, instead of duckie!
7. His favorite foods are broccoli and asparagus! If we have either with our dinner, he will eat nothing but the veggies!
8. He hates to go to bed, but LOVES to sleep in. In fact, when I wake him up to leave for work, he points back at the crib and tells me "nap mommy, nap."
9. His favorite movie is Wall-E. It sounds like he says Wad-E. Too cute
10. Andy likes to tickle and tease him, and when Ethan's had enough his says stop it daddy, love you daddy! Like that will end it all :)
11. We went to the doctor the other day, and when she got done examining him, without any prompting from us, he said "sank you doctor!" Too cute!!!
12. Please, thanks you (sank you), and welcome are very regular words these days!
13. When we drove by the movie theater the other day, he pointed and said "the Princess and the Frog?" We took him to that movie over Christmas break, and it either traumatized him, or he liked it since he knows where he watched it at!
14. When Andy was getting in the shower the other day, Ethan slapped his naked butt and laughed!
15. When he farts, he smiles and says "I farted"
16. He loves to hug, tease, and feed Norma
17. He pointed to the moon the other night and told me he wanted to hold the moon as we walked from the grocery store
18. He still calls both Grandpa's honey
19. Grandma & Grandpa T have a golf club pen that Ethan loves to hit balls with at their house. He even holds the club correctly when he hits everything!
20. He loves to be outside playing, but the other day I asked him if he wanted to go out, and he told me it was "too cold mommy"
21. He loves to go to nursery on Sundays, and asks to go to church on a regular basis. He loves to play with other kids
22. He gives great kisses, and still will cuddle!
23. He doesn't like to play with his toys, he just likes to get them all out and make a HUGE mess. Hope this ends soon!
24. He adores Thomas the Train! He has several different thomas engines, and he carts them around with him everywhere.


There are so many other great things about my little guy, but this is a pretty good list! He is a joy, and besides the few tantrums that we've had lately, he's very pleasant to be around. We adore him, and are so happy to have him in our family! Couldn't ask for a cuter little guy!

12 weeks and counting!

We are excited to announce that baby #2 is on its way! We are 12 weeks along, and due in early August! This is going to be one EXTREMELY hot summer! I was sleeping with the windows open, and no covers when I was prego with Ethan, and that was in January! Can you imagine what June, July, and August are going to be like? I'm not looking forward to that part, but can't wait to welcome a new little addition to our home!

Jewelry Open House

A new past time, (when Andy is on graveyards, and Ethan is in bed) is to make jewelry! Anyone is more than welcome to attend! It will be at my place from 1-5 on Saturday Jan. 23rd! I've made watchbands, charms, bracelets, necklaces, baby bracelets, earrings, and also a few little things that you could buy to give away as little valentine presents, like valentine tins, and cute scrapbook covered candy bars!

If you're interested in attending, and need my address, just e-mail me and I'll send you the address and directions!

lesallen916@gmail.com!