December Fun

December is definitely one of our favorite times of the year. We love everything about the Christmas season... and now with a baby it makes everything so much more special. Being able to start family traditions, seeing Ethan "experience" Christmas, and being able to teach him the whole meaning of Christmas is so exciting! So far this month we have been able to see the whole family... Jeff's side and mine... which is quite an accomplishment! We have had plenty of hot chocolate, lots of Christmas music, an abundance of baking... which means lots of eating, and just a lot of great family time!

Ethan loves looking at the Christmas tree... and loves to unwrap presents that aren't his!

We were able to visit with Julie, Clay, & Troy

Daddy & Ethan in Julian

At the Del in Coronado

A Visit with Santa

Well I must say Ethan's 1st visit with Santa was successful! No tears... no real signs of excitement either, but we made it! We went with Michelle and the boys last week and I really wasn't sure what I was getting my self into. We went to the Temecula Mall because Michelle seems to have better luck there than in Escondido Mall. On Easter we went to Escondido and ended up with a super creepy picture with the Easter Bunny... plus we had to pay $25 for the silly picture.

So we lined up with everyone else, but when the guy asked if we wanted to buy a picture.... we kindly said no. Which the man replied... "ok, just a visit enjoy". That was it... the kids were able to sit with Santa... give him their list (except for Ethan), and the best part Michelle & I were able to take our own pictures! You can't beat FREE!! Ethan just kept staring at Santa and you could tell he was thinking "who they heck are you", but he did great and he loved the lollipop he got at the end.... even though he couldn't eat it (he loved holding it)!

Carson & Parker with Santa

Lots to catch up on!

Well as you can tell our blog has been neglected A LOT!!! So here are a lot of new posts that get you up to date with out little family! Hope you enjoy!

Thanksgiving 2009

This was a great Thanksgiving. We spent time as a family and with our family. We started out day with a nice walk on the beach. This is something we love doing on Thanksgiving and Christmas and we were looking forward to being able to do it with Ethan. He loves playing in the sand... as you can tell he played hard!! Maybe next time I will bring something for him to play in other than his pajamas! After our morning walk we got ready and headed to my parents house for our Thanksgiving lunch/ dinner! The only thing Ethan would even try were the mashed potatoes and a little pumpkin pie.... other than that he just played with his food! He loved the day anyway!

Ethan & his daddy!

A perfect morning at the beach!

Our little family!

My little "sweet potato"

Breast Cancer 3-Day

Well there are definitely toooo many pictures to post for this one!! The 3-day was another successful and amazing event! This year was a little bit different especially since our team only had 2 members! But we definitely made the best of it! I love being a "walker" This isn't an easy task... it's something you can't really even put into words. You take a few months preparing as well as fundraising, but when you are out with the other walkers and your feet start to hurt, your body starts to feel tired, and you just want to " be done" you see a woman holding a sign. She is thanking you for walking because she is now a survivor. These women and men have been through so much. They have been through something so scary and painful..... walking is the least I can do to help them! A sore feet and maybe a blister or two is nothing compared to what these woman and men have gone through! I LOVE this walk and I am glad I can contribute in some way!!

The spirit of the 3- Day

This year we had lots of support from my family as well as Ethan. He came decked out in his gear and of course he was a big hit with all of the walkers!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me in this journey every year!! I made my goal of raising $2,300... do date I am up to $2,472 dollars! I would not be able to do it alone. The San Diego walk raised over 9 million dollars that will go toward breast cancer research! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!

This sign always makes me laugh... no need to restate the obvious!

There's my little guy...."Fight like a girl"

I love seeing all of the outfits people come up with

Andrew & I at Torrey Pines..... Team Theresa's Sisters of Hope"

I really have no words for this one!

Carson was a great supporter this year!! He even made a hat!

Some more of the cute little supporter on the route

All done..... saluting the survivors and remembering those who are no longer with us!

Ethan is 10 months!

It's hard to believe that 10 months ago Ethan was just making his big debut!! It's even harder to believe that in 2 months he is going to be 1. Well this has been a big month for this little guy. He's officially had his 1st cold, he's trying so hard to get his upper teeth to come in, and he is just a non-stop ball of energy!! Ethan still however, wants nothing to do with self-feeding. We have tried everything.... he just doesn't want to put anything in his mouth... and if you place something in his mouth he looks at you as if it is the worst thing EVER!! We'll keep trying though... maybe one of these days he will realize that there are a lot of other yummy foods out there if he just is willing to try them!

Ethan is practicing his walking skills more and more. He walks all over the house holding onto everything. He stands independently as well and it seems like any day he will try walking all on his own! He loves his baths and as soon as he hears the water he is right next to the tub ready to jump in. He also loves to play with all of his animals and read books with his daddy!

Our little baby is getting bigger faster than we want.... but at the same time it's so fun to see him change and grow. It's amazing how one day he can't do something and then by the next day he's doing it independently!! CRAZY.

So it's official the party planning has begun! We can't wait to see what he has in store for us this month!

Always has a smile for you!

Veterans Day!

This year for Veterans Day we decided that it would be nice to go to the Riverside National Cemetery and leave some flowers and a few flags for my grandpa. He passed away in 2003 and we haven't been by since then. We went out with my parents and Ethan brought along his American Flag. It was nice to spend some time there, but sad at the same time. My grandpa passed away in his 80's and was able to live a long happy life... however, now at the national cemetery's you see lots of young families who are visiting because they have recently lost a loved one in Iraq. It really makes you think and reflect about the sacrifices these young men and women make.

Ethan sat on the grass and waved his flag the whole time. He looked quite patriotic! I am very glad that we took the time to visit. It's definitely something we need to do more often.

Pumpkin Carving

Ethan was totally into carving his pumpkin this year. He was so curious about the whole process. Ethan just watched Jeff every step of the way and was not afraid to get his hand into the pumpkin to check out what was inside. He was super cute.... but I guess we always think that!!