To catch up on what we've been up to, here are a bunch of pictures:
Sam moved! :( Ethan is much lonelier during the day--I'm just not as much fun as Sam was. We hope he is enjoying Illinois!
Ethan has turned into a blanket baby and carries his blanket all over, and in very creative ways.
It is cool enough for us to spend a lot of time outside now! We actually have to wear long sleeves and pants pretty much all the time! Ethan is enjoying getting to go outside where he can eat rocks, play in his sandbox, and run all over the yard.
Last Saturday was our ward Christmas party (Santa pictures to come). After that we went over to a community Winter Festival. They dumped a bunch of snow in a parking lot and even created a place for kids to sled!
Ethan was pretty tired, and apparently unimpressed by the snow. I don't know how he squats like this for so long, but he just sat there in this position until we picked him up.
The only time he would smile is when I would kick my toe into the snow sending it flying into his face.
He did like the glowing necklace they gave him.
And the big inflatable slide Mike somehow got him up on. (There were lots of inflatable play places, carnival food and games, a concert, etc. and it was free! I hope they make this festival a tradition!)
I love this picture! If Mike ever looks at the blog, he'll be annoyed I posted it--good thing he doesn't read this.
Ethan likes this new top from Grandma Abegg. For some reason one night, every time he pushed the handle down, he would put his hands up in the air while the top spun.
Putting his whole body into pushing it down:
Boxes, a boy's best friend.
I walked over and found him inside this box. It was on its side because Kiwi had knocked it over to sleep in--silly boys!
On Monday we made plans to go take family pictures at the Mesa temple. Of course that was the day that we got rain (I think the last time it rained was in August when I was in Utah). So, we went Tuesday instead, but by the time Mike was able to get there after work, it was already dark. Not bad for a night picture that we took with the help of a tripod and self-timer!
Ethan is almost 14 months old and we still swaddle him before he goes to sleep--biggest baby burrito ever. Now when he is tired, he will sometimes go lay down on his blanket like he is saying, "I'm ready; swaddle me!" I usually swaddle him on the couch so when he saw the blanket spread out, he walked right over and leaned against it.
We still go to the Children's Museum weekly. Last week Ethan got to paint for the first time. He is very good at dipping the brush, but mostly wanted to shake it, so we didn't paint for too long. Just long enough for him to cover his leg and get a few big globs on his head.
Other happenings:
I never blogged about my birthday, but I had a great one-25! Mike took me out to dinner and shopping! I got birthday money from a few family members and it was so fun to get to splurge on something for myself! On my actual birthday, which was a Sunday, Mike watched Ethan and I spent hours sitting in bed reading a good book. I miss being able to do that!
I am on the board of directors for my HOA, and we just put our management company out to bid. I have collected, and am working on reviewing, about 20 proposals. That took awhile. I also planned/organized a community garage sale.
We have spent just about every Saturday in a football haze. BYU beat Utah--a great way to end the season! I will miss watching all the games, but it will be good for us to start being productive on Saturdays again!
We've also been very slowly getting Christmas decorations up. I insist on getting a live Christmas tree every year. I actually decorated it by myself this year, and it only took me 5 days! :) This is kind of a goofy looking tree, but I really like it because it was grown less than 2 miles from my home at a local nursery. I like supporting local businesses and I think it has extra character being grown here in the desert. Plus, it was only $10!
I am still working an office job from home, so that is keeping me busy as I try to finish up a project by this week. I am also conducting trainings internally and externally for a new company website. Last week I went to Tucson for a day, but most of the trainings are/will be in Phoenix.
We are keeping busy, but having fun!
Leg 12, 7.1 miles, "very hard":
Leg 24, 7.8 miles, "very hard":
Leg 36, 3 miles, "easy":
I am excited to finally know the legs that I will be running. I think it will be fun to have an easy 3 miler at the end and be the one to cross the finish line. I am scared for a long uphill run on my second leg. Mostly, I am getting more motivated to start training again. I haven't been running much since my 10k in November because Mike isn't home when it is light very often. Time to fix my jogging stroller and get in shape!
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