Raspberries

Ethan's new favorite thing is blowing raspberries. He does it constantly. This video is from when I was trying to put him to bed. I try so hard to keep a straight face so he doesn't think it is time to play, but it is so hard not to laugh. We've been trying to get him to go to bed earlier, so we've been getting him up at 7am to try and shift his schedule. After a few days of that, it seems like it just makes him tired, and he still doesn't go to bed early and stay asleep. Maybe he is just a night owl.



This is an attempt to capture how soaked his face and chest get from all the raspberries.

Sam likes to reach out and touch Ethan's head and then very slowly and carefully lean forward and touch his head to Ethan's. Ethan doesn't mind and sometimes smiles.

I can't leave out...

pictures of Ethan!

We are learning to play!

I'm balancing, not pushing, I promise!


I love my jumper!

3 Minutes to Spare

Mike's first concert with the Tempe Symphony Orchestra was last night at 7:30pm. I planned on leaving at an hour early, which means I left 50 min early. I stopped at Fry's to get a rose for Mike, was blind and had trouble finding singe stem roses, ran into someone I know, and then got on the road (with plenty of time still). Then I made a wrong turn. I called Mike, fortunately he was able to answer. Unfortunately, he couldn't wait any longer to give me my ticket and they were starting to count seats and give them away. One of the ushers said she would hold it for me. I got to the auditorium at about 7:23pm, and couldn't find parking, even in the dirt lot! Finally I found another dirt area to park in, and ran to the auditorium (leaving my camera in the car!) There were probably 100 people waiting outside the auditorium. I asked someone at the front of the line if people with tickets were still being allowed in, and they said yes. I got my ticket from the usher and entered, not knowing if there were even any seats left. I heard an usher say there were four seats available in one area and rushed over there. I sat down and about 3 minutes later every seat was taken and the concert was starting--phew!

Sorry most of these aren't great because I took them with my phone. Here is the auditorium from the ground by the stage.

Mike during intermission.
The orchestra.
Mike after the concert. My phone was almost out of batteries, so the flash wasn't working--thanks stage lights! I took better pictures with Mike's phone. While we were up here I got to meet the conductor and he was very complimentary of Mike's playing.
Yeah! A real camera! This is where the concert was. It is right on Tempe Town Lake.


We decided to meet at Fry's on the way home to get some ice cream. Unfortunately, the no batteries in my phone thing meant that we both ended up waiting at Fry's for quite awhile and never met up. Sorry Mom, but a big thank you to "Nana" for watching Ethan so we could enjoy the evening!

Meet Sam!

Sam is our neighbor that I will be babysitting. He is doing a two day preview today and tomorrow. Here he is deciding I'm okay because I know how to play peekaboo and I have cool animal books.
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Adventures in Sleep Training

We started sleep training Ethan this week. Basically, we are trying to get him to take naps without help. So, for his naps, we rock him until he is almost asleep and then put him down. If he cries, we let him cry for a few minutes, increasing the time a little each time (we've gotten to 10 once, but he usually falls asleep). Today, Mike went in to comfort him and gave him this toy. He fell right to sleep once he had it. Later in the day Ethan was fussing instead of sleeping so I gave him the toy and left. He stopped making noise and I assumed he was asleep. But then I kept hearing a crinkling noise (the toy has crinkly wings). I went in to peek on Ethan and he was playing with the toy. Eventually he started fussing, but every time I was about to go in, he would calm down. Finally, after about an hour, he is asleep, still clinging to the toy. His grabbing skills have improved significantly all of the sudden!

New Outfit

I had to share how cute he looks in this. It was hard to get a clear picture because he was wiggling a lot. Thanks for the shirt Grandma and Grandpa!

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Tech Savvy

Two things:

First, after sitting on my lap many times while I work, blog, or whatever at the computer, Ethan now consistently grabs the keyboard while sitting on my lap. Currently, he is giggling as he watches my hands type.

Second, have you seen this? The LDS Church has joined YouTube. I just watched several of the short videos and was very quickly misty-eyed and uplifted. Check it out through this link or through my sidebar (sorry the size is messed up).

Ethan Being Cute

Here are a few pictures just because he's cute.





Ethan looks a lot like his cousin Riley (Kris' son). I wish I had pictures that showed the resemblance better, but this is the only picture I could access easily on my computer.

Can you see the resemblance?

Rice Cereal

Here are the "before" pictures. Who needs cereal when you have a cool kiwi bib? This bib was the first baby gift I received (a few years ago). It is from my New Zealand family, the Salanoas.



Ethan's favorite thing about solid foods? The spoon! He kept leaning over like this, and we're not sure why.

Here is Ethan's very first experience with rice cereal:



And here is Ethan enjoying the spoon. He's already missed his mouth a few times if you can't tell. :)

Weekend with the Woodens

We were lucky this weekend to have Kris and Rebekah come stay with us (Mike's big sister and her daughter). Rebekah had a soccer tournament up in Scottsdale.

Here we are watching Rebekah play on Saturday. Her team did really well and won both games on Saturday. Her first game was at 2:15pm, and the second was at 9:00pm, so we drove around Scottsdale with Kris in between games. It was lots of fun to get out and do something different.

Here are the girls in their earlier game. It was chillier than usual here, so the night game had us all shivering.
On Sunday, Rebekah doesn't play with her team, so she and Kris spent came to church with us and spent the day at our house. Unfortunately, Rebekah's team lost both games on Sunday, but the upside was that Rebekah got to spend the day with us on Monday.

Mike took the day off on Monday so that he could come play with us. We did stop by the office though to make sure he didn't need to answer any emails or anything.

Here is Ethan filling in for Dad at work:
After leaving Mike's office we went and walked around the Mesa temple and visitor's center.
Monday morning we hiked South Mountain.
I only got candid shots of Kris and Rebekah, so sorry if you guys don't like this one.

My boys!
After our hike we went to Oregano's Pizza Bistro--Pizzookies--yum!!! (pizzookies are cookies baked in a deep dish pizza pan, served hot with ice cream on top, mmmm...)
We love visitors, and had a great weekend! Anyone needing some sunshine? We have an extra room. :)

Check-up

Here is Ethan waiting for the doctor to come check him out at his 4 month appointment. He is 23.25 in tall, 5th percentile, weighs 14 lbs 14.5 oz, 50th percentile, and has a head circumference of 43.5 cm, 75th percentile. Ethan really enjoyed his visit and laughed and smiled a lot for the doctor and nurse. (If you were reading my blog this summer, you might recall that I did a lot of reading about vaccinations. My decision was to postpone them for Ethan. This means doctor's appointments are still pleasant.) Ethan's doctor said he looks perfect, and of course I can't argue.

Coming soon: holiday weekend with Kris and Rebekah, and Ethan's first experience with rice cereal!
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I love. . .

Valentine's Day and my Valentine!
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Baby of the Year

Today has been kind of crazy, so Ethan earned the Baby of the Year award! He slept or sat patiently as I worked for over three hours. A lot of that time was on the phone and he was happy and quiet the whole time. Then he played independently for at least 45 minutes while I got ready. Then I put him in his carrier/harness while I cleaned. He fell asleep and continued to sleep on our bed while I finished (as pictured). I am so lucky!
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Sleepy

Ethan is sleepy so he is resting his head on my face. So sweet!
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Optimistic

No one knows when the economy will pick up, or even bottom out, and, in any situation, I hate not knowing! So, despite what anybody says about why Obama's plan won't work, I am choosing to be optimistic that it will.

Mike's work is dependent on new buildings being built, so his hours have been cut, yet again. I am choosing to look at the glass as half full and be thankful that we have the hours that we do. And, I am grateful for the opportunities I have to make a little money at home with my adorable baby.

Let's all cross our fingers for a stimulus package that helps!
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Sitting

This Ethan sitting on his own! He can only do it for a few seconds before tipping, but that's not bad for just shy of 4 months!
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"Poor Little Scab Nose"

Ethan's nose and Mike's nail had a little run in last night.

50 points to anyone who can identify the quote in my title. Except Lisa, you don't get any points because I'll just be disappointed if you don't know.
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I Couldn't Resist

I know I have already posted too many times today, but I just couldn't resist posting this picture.
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Songs

I sing to Ethan A LOT! I am always trying to think of more songs he hasn't heard yet. It cracks me up when he loves certain songs the first time he hears them. Examples: How Much is That Doggy in the Window? Beehives, Gunk Gunk, and Rubber Ducky (I need to get him a ducky).
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Moving

Yesterday while I was working I put Ethan down in his play yard for a few minutes. In the short time he was playing there he managed to turn and get his feet where his head had been-pretty talented!
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Mike's Concert

If you'd like to attend, call now to get tickets (or ask me and I'll get you tickets)! There are only 600 seats and there are over 100 people in the orchestra.

Ethan Update

Mike had fun taking pictures of Ethan before church on Sunday. You might notice the spiked hair--Mike enjoys giving Ethan some style.
I really did cut quite a few out of this photo shoot, but you still get to see a lot of them.








I turned these, but they turned back when I uploaded them here...



Ethan rolls over regularly now, so I was able to get a video.


Here is a video of Ethan being happy. He is a very happy kid, but is so enthralled by the camera that his smiles and laughs are hard to catch. (Notice Mike practicing in the background)