Testing out his new set of Wheels

If you have ever been to our house, then you would know we have a very small backyard and we live on a very steep hill. This is not good at all for a little boy learning how to ride a bike. Ethan has been practicing however. We have taken Ethan to the park, which is just a hop, skip, and jump from our house to practice riding is new wheels. He is doing very well and wants to do it all on his own. However, he rides way too fast to do it on his own. He has no fear! I know that soon enough he will be riding his bike with confidence, and then I will be able to trust him enough to ride without Jon or I being right by his side. My little boy is growing up!

Our Easter Afternoon

Easter afternoon we spent with my parents, my brother, Christine, & Cordie (their dog). We spent the afternoon talking, watching the Masters on television, and enjoying the awesome barbecue for dinner. Ethan received many gifts from my parents for Easter. His basket was filled with Mario Bros. figurines, clothes, books, Despereaux and Bolt DVD, and the highlight a bike and helmet! I was so excited to see Ethan's face when he saw the bike. The bike was actually mine as a child. My parents cleaned it up and got new tires and training wheels for it. I loved that bike! Ethan quickly got his helmet on and rode the bike around in the backyard. He did really well. Reid also got many gifts from his grandparents. He received new bottles, diapers, clothes, swimsuit, hat, & books. The adults even received gift cards to their favorite store. Thanks Mom & Dad! Ethan also enjoyed the "attempt" of flying his kite, but that was unsuccessful in the end. The afternoon ended with an Easter egg hunt just for E (only filled with money and toys since my son hates candy). Uncle Potty hid the eggs and made it near impossible for Ethan to find them. For example, one was hidden in the exhaust pipe of my Mother's car. One egg even Scott had a difficult time finding at the end. It was funny to watch him searching and searching for the egg that he had hid. Easter was a great day. The boys had a day filled with memories!
Reid's first smile (that was caught on camera)!
His new bike (yes I know he should have the helmet on).
Playing Elefun
Watching Cordie swim in the pool before dinner

Easter Morning

Easter morning Reid of course woke up before Ethan. Ethan woke up with an earache, but that did not stop him from loving his gifts from the Easter bunny. The Easter Bunny brought Ethan a Frank Track from the movie Cars, a swimsuit, a beach towel, a kid pool, a buzz lightyear kite, bubbles, a Max and Ruby DVD, a jumbo Hershey's bar, a bag of gummie bears, and two golden eggs. One egg had $5 and the other had $1. Ethan favorite gift of the morning was his Frank toy. Reid received a swimsuit, a rattle, socks, a hat, burp clothes, a bumbo, and two golden eggs from the Easter bunny. Jon was excited about placing Reid in the bumbo (which he is not ready for until he is 3 months). Reid lasted a few minutes in the seat. Jon can't wait until he can actually use the thing. He thinks he will love it! We will soon find out.

Pre-Easter Celebration in San Diego

The Saturday before Easter, we went down to San Diego to spend some time with Jon's Dad and Grandmother. It was the first time they both met Reid. Reid also got to meet all of his cousins and his Aunt Janell, Uncle Darin, and Aunt Joanna. The kids had a fun time running around the house and playing together. Jon's Dad had some fun games for the kids to play as well. Pin the tail on the Easter Bunny was my favorite. Ethan actually wore a blindfold and was the closest to placing the tail in just the right spot. The kids also had a jelly bean hunt. Ethan found the jelly beans, but after trying one (for the first time) gave his away to his cousins. There was also an Easter egg hunt. Ethan enjoyed himself very much and Reid was a very good baby. He slept contently most of the day there or he laid around and watched everyone as they walked by. We had a great time in San Diego!

Bowling with Friends

The Thursday before Easter, Ethan, Reid, & I got together with some of my Myra Linn friends and their children for a fun day of bowling. It was my first time taking Ethan bowling. It is normally and Daddy thing to do with E. Reid did very well for the (little over) 2 hours we were there. He slept quit a bit of the time. He did get fussy for a short time, but fell back to sleep quickly after he ate. Ethan loved every minute of it. He loved choosing his ball, placing on the ramp, watching others bowl, eating his icee & popcorn, and just spending some fun time with other kids (this is something he has not gotten enough of lately). I enjoyed talking with my friends. I hadn't seen them in over 9 weeks and some even longer than that! We had a great morning. Hopefully we will all get together again soon!

Our Pre-Easter Celebration

The Sunday before Easter we invited the Garcia Family and the Ratnaweeras' to our house for a Pre-Easter celebration. The kids colored Easter eggs, made an egg craft, and hunted for Easter eggs. The adults chatted, ate, and watched the kids enjoy themselves. One of the highlights that I enjoyed was watching the kids hunt for Easter eggs. It is so funny how the eggs can be in plain sight, and they will run right passed it. Sirimal & Krista also had a surprise for the kids while they we hunting for eggs. They each had a basket with their name on it with some spring goodies to enjoy. It was a great afternoon spent with our friends. We may have to make it an annual event. The kids sure like to get together and the adults do too!

Here is a great picture of Stacey & Sirimal getting hit with an egg filled with confetti!

Ethan & Taylor coloring Easter eggs

Tornado Ethan

Ethan has an obsession with couch cushions. He loves to use them and move them to create whatever is on his mind. This masterpiece is called "house". It was destroyed 10 seconds later by tornado Mommy who magically placed the cushions back to the correct locations. Tornado Ethan was not very pleased.

8 weeks old

On April 2nd Reid turned 8 weeks old. He is such a sweet baby and very strong. He can lift up his head, neck, and chest with ease when placed on his tummy. He also can turn himself around 180 degrees from where he started. He also began cooing and talking today when you talk to him. He seems to have a lot to say. He also can grab things. For example, today while on his tummy he grabbed his pacifier and placed it into his mouth...crazy but true! He is getting so big so fast.

On a Sunday Afternoon...

On Sunday, March 29th Jon & I took Ethan & Reid to the park by our house. We decided to take Ethan's Lightning McQueen with us. He has had this car since his first birthday (thanks Poppa & Amma). He has only driven it in the backyard, which is not that exciting since we have one of the smallest backyards I've ever seen. Ethan was so excited to really drive Vroom-Vroom (that is what he still calls McQueen) around the park. He went full speed throughout the park. All the other kids looked on with their parents as this crazy kid went zooming past them. Ethan had so much fun. Jon followed him around the park, while I sat on the grass with Reid asleep in his carrier. It was a great Sunday afternoon.
After dinner that night, we took the boys out for some ice cream at Cold Stone. Now whenever we go out to get ice cream Ethan never will get ice cream. This evening was no different. Jon & I each got some combination of chocolate and Ethan requested his usual: a cup of Gummie Bears. Reid enjoyed the lights and the fresh air. What a great way to end the weekend!

Ethan with his Gummie Bears...inseparable.

Nap Time

Reid is a very sweet baby, but he does have some tummy issues. If you came over to see Reid during his naps, a lot of the time this is what you would see. Yes he is on his tummy. He hates sleeping on his back. At night, he sleeps reclined in his boppy, but not very contently, but during the day many of his naps are on the carpet, on a blanket, on his tummy. He could sleep like this for hours with all the sounds of the world around him (even the vacuum cleaner).

Chocolate & Gummie Bears & Ducks...Oh My!

About a week and a half ago I took Ethan & Reid to Dos Lagos. My intention was to go get some chocolate at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and go for a walk around the two lakes. When we got to the Chocolate Factory, Ethan being Ethan, did not want anything to do with chocolate. He saw the jar of gummie bears and that was it. He wanted only that. I got a chocolate brownie and Ethan got a bag of gummie bears. We began our walk around the two lakes when Ethan spotted the ducks & the ducks spotted Ethan. Ethan had the bag of gummie bears and the ducks I think thought it was a bag of bread. They begin walking up to Ethan & began begging for food. Ethan remembered the Curious George book: Curious George Feeds the Animals and told me that it was not good to feed the animals because it could make them sick. Such a smart boy. He refused to feed the ducks. The ducks still stayed around E for awhile. Ethan even named the ducks. The one in the picture was Goldilocks. The other ducks were named Bunnyhop, Firefighter, & Duck. Too cute! We had a great afternoon together.

Working on those Fine Motor Skills

I'm on a mission about working on Ethan's fine motor skills. I know that he is where he should be with them and all, but he is so smart in other areas that I cannot accept that he is average in this department. I know, I know! He doesn't like practicing writing his letters, words, or his name with pencil and paper. So since the weather is warming up, I thought what a wonderful time to get the chalk out and have him decorate the backyard with his name! He did not see it as work at all, and I'm happy to report that he likes to write...with chalk that is.

Easter Painting Project

About 2 weeks ago I took Ethan & Reid to Paint a Memory. Since it is almost Easter, I wanted Ethan to paint something to decorate the house with. I told him before we got there that he could paint a bunny rabbit, egg, or a little chick, or something in that realm of seasonal decor. Ethan seemed excited and declared before we got there that he would paint a bunny with an Easter egg. Great! When we got there, I walked over to the Easter section and found what he described. However, he did not want that one after all. He wanted instead a little bird house. I looked at him a little puzzled. Are you sure? I asked him. Yes! He was so excited. He painted it red, blue, green, and brown. It is decorating our fireplace mantel with pride. It might not be the most Easterish item to paint, but it was made with love, and that is all that matters.

Guess Who?

Funny story about this picture. Ethan & Jon were playing a game of Guess Who. Ethan has become pretty good at this game and now "normally" does not need any help with questions or answers. However, I was walking by this game when Jon asked does your person have brown hair? Ethan answered yes. I began laughing. Two questions later, Ethan told Jon that no his person had yellow hair. What? I began laughing even harder. He could not be farther from the correct answer. Does it look like Doc has yellow or brown hair to you? Ethan of course won the game. How could Jon have won? It is so much fun watching Ethan grow and become grown-up to play games independently. Even if he is not always right.

Castle Park

On the 20th of March, Jon & I took Ethan & Reid to Castle Park for the first time. We intended to take Ethan miniature golfing, but when he saw the rides we had to change our plans. Ethan & Daddy went on all the rides, while Mommy & Reid watched from the sidelines. Ethan had a blast going on different rides. He is so used to the rides at Disneyland. He had no fear. He wanted to go on all the rides including the ride with a loop! Thank goodness for height requirements. He went on a roller coaster ride 4 times, a dragon ride, the dragon swing (sat in the very back), the merry go round, and the train. Reid & I also were able to go on the train ride. Reid did not like it at all and actually cried the entire time. Ethan had a great time and asked if he could go again the next day. We told him we would go again soon. It was a lot of fun!

6 Week Stats

On March 20th Reid had his 6 week appointment. He got another immunization for Hep. B & Prevnar. He also was weighed and measured. He weighs 10 pounds 14 ounces. He gained 2 1/2 pounds in 4 weeks. Reid has been having some spitting up issues and Doctor Metsch says he is over eating, since he is eating 4 ounces every 2 hours. He says that if we lengthen it to ever 2 1/2 hours, he will spit up less and won't gain as must every month. Reid's length is 22 1/2 inches long. He is beginning to smile more and more and loves to lay on his belly.

Preparing for Preschool

If everything goes as planned, Ethan will be attending preschool this coming fall. I think preschool is very important to prepare him for elementary school. I have tried to work with Ethan at least 3 times a week on Reading, Phonics, Fine-Motor Skills, and Numbers to get him ready for preschool. So far he is doing well with rhyming words, mazes, connect the dots, initial sounds, ending sounds, and anything to do with numbers. He is having a harder time still forming his letters, but he is getting better. He is not too fond of working, but if I give him a red marker (red being his favorite color) he will eagerly do pages and pages of activities. He has also memorized many books. His favorites are Deep Blue Sea, The Napping House, and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. He is growing up so fast. He has become quite the little boy. I'm so proud.

Happy St. Patty's Day

Not the best picture of the two of them. Actually, it is one of the worst I've seen of them, but it is all I got. Happy St. Patrick's Day for my blue eyed boy and brown eyed boy!

The Green Cookie Monster

The night before St. Patrick's Day Ethan & I made St. Patty's Cookies. He loved mixing the cookie dough and shaking the sprinkles onto the cookies. However, if you know my son at all, you would know that he does not have a sweet tooth. I thought for sure that he would want to eat one of these sugary frosted things, but no. He wanted nothing to do with them after he made them. Every time I would ask him if he wanted to eat one, he would make a gagging sound and say, yuck! Only my son.

Reid's First Trip to the Happiest Place on Earth!

On March 15th Reid and the rest of the family ventured out to Disneyland. This was Reid's very first visit to the park. The park was extremely busy, but we were able to go on a few rides during the 3 hours we stayed. We went on Small World. Jon & Ethan had already seen it with its new additions, but this was Reid's and mine first time seeing it (however, Reid slept through it). We also went on Pirates and Winnie the Pooh. Reid slept through these two rides as well. Reid slept through his entire Disneyland experience except for a short period of time while we were in line for Pirates. This is because it was time for him to eat. We all had a great time at the park. We hope to go again very soon. Maybe this time Reid will actually be awake for a ride or two.

Go Selanne!

On March 8th, Jon took Ethan to another Ducks game. He loves to go to the games. He always has to look for #8 Teemu Selanne because 8 is his favorite number. He also cheers, "go Ducks!" the whole entire game. During this specific game he ate popcorn, a hot dog, and a sprite. He also got a free puck for attending the game, which he has slept with every night since the game. Thank you Poppa & Amma for another game. He truly enjoyed it!

1 Month Old Already!

One month has come and gone already. On March 5th, Jon, Ethan & I took Reid to get his one month photos taken. He is such a good sleeper during the day, so I thought that his photos would be a lot like Ethan's at this age...sleeping. But to our surprise, Reid was very much awake during the entire photo session. In 4 weeks I can tell that he has grown both in weight and length. His newborn clothes and newborn diapers are on their final days. He will be in 0-3 months tomorrow I'm sure. The time is going by so fast. He rolled over for the first time from his belly to back when he was exactly 3 weeks old. That was very exciting to see! He hates to sleep at night in his bassinet or crib. He is the most content when sleeping in our arms at night. Which results in Mommy and Daddy getting less sleep than required. He is waking up 2 times a night and at times can stay up for 2 hours each time! He is eating 3 1/2 ounces every 2 hours during the day. He loves his milk! He loves to lay on the floor during the day and watch the sunlight through the windows.
Even though Mommy & Daddy are very tired, we love you Reid very much. You make us smile each and every time we look in those big brown eyes. You have made our family complete in every way. We love you Reid!

Your big brother also loves you very much. Even though he wishes you could run, jump, and play with him, he loves to give you kisses. He also makes sure that you are included in everything we do. If I'm going to the store, I will ask him, "Ethan do you want to go to the store with me?" And he will ask in return, "Is Reid going too?" "Do you want him to go?" YES! is always his response. I can't wait until you both become the best of friends.

Our Weekly Trips to the Park

My goal has been to take the boys to the park at least once a week since having Reid. It is mostly for Ethan. The boy needs to run and release the energy that he has and being cooped up in a house all day is not helping. Ethan loves the swings and the slide. He loves finding sticks around the trees and throughout the grass. He also like to spell and sound out words as well. I'm not quite sure why he does this at the park, but it does make me a proud Mommy when I hear my three year old say things like, "stick s-t-i-k". Now it might not be completely right, but I think he does very well for his age. While Ethan loves to play and run at the park, Reid has found another hobby that he likes to do each and every time we go to the park. And I mean every time! Reid loves to sleep. I do not even think he has an idea that he has even been to the park yet because he sleeps right though it. Now if he would only do that at night, but that's another story entirely.

Reid's Announcements

Turning the Big 3-0!

February has been a very busy month this year. It started out with the birth of Reid on the fifth, and then my 30th birthday on the 21st. Since that was to be my due date, I had always envisioned my 30th birthday caring for a newborn. Jon & my Mom made my birthday very special. Jon the night before took me out to my favorite restaurant, Panda Inn. This was our very first dinner out together since having Ethan 3.5 years ago. I know that sounds crazy, but I hate doing anything without my children. It felt weird just having a quiet dinner just the two of us, but it was very nice. We ordered an appetizer, soup, 3 entrees, and fried rice. I got an entire entree to myself Shrimp in Garlic Sauce (my favorite) because Jon is deadly allergic to shellfish. On my birthday, my Mother took me out to lunch and shopping to get some non-maternity clothing. Later that night, we had dinner at my parents' house where Scott and Christine came over and shared the evening with me. No it was not the party of the year, but it was a very special day for me.

I am extremely grateful for my family. I have a wonderful life and could not ask for anything more than what these 30 years have given me. I have a wonderful husband, two wonderful healthy boys, a home near our families, and a career that makes me feel like I'm making a difference in this world. I don't feel old...age is just a number. I always thought that when I turned thirty that I would feel old, but I feel thankful, blessed and happy.

Yes we are all in our pajamas :)

Two Week Appointment!

Reid's two week appointment was on Friday. He was weighed, measured, and poked. He now weighs 8 pounds 8 ounces and is now 21 inches long. He got is first Hepatitis shot as well. He didn't even cry...just a small whimper. Dr. Metsch was surprised to hear that he was already eating 3.5 ounces at each feeding and was eating every two hours. I have a feeling that Reid's weight won't be quit like his skinny brother's, but we will see. Reid is in the 50th percentile in weight and height, so he is right where he should be. I can't believe that 2 weeks have already come and went.

Brotherly Love

Ethan just loves his little brother. He is a little bit disappointed that he cannot do the things he was hoping he could do like: play video games and slide down the slide with him, but Ethan loves to help out with Reid. He will sometimes ask to feed him, which I let last for a few minutes or so. He also likes to take baths with Reid and help wash him off. He knows that Reid will cry the entire time in the bath, but Ethan does not mind. Ethan will walk up to him and begin to tickle his feet or just smile when Reid is looking at him. It has been an adjustment for us all, but Ethan has been such a wonderful boy and loves his new brother!

Happy Valentine's Day

What a great Valentine's Day. I was able to spent the day with the greatest loves of my life my two boys. They are truly the best and I feel very blessed. Happy Valentine's Day!

Ethan's Outing with Daddy

Ethan has been couped up in the house for over a week since Reid has been home. We have spent the time playing outside when it is not rainy, doing crafts, playing computer games, playing video games, playing store, etc., but I could tell that Ethan needed a day out of the house. Thank goodness for the weekend. Today Jon took Ethan bowling. Ethan loves to bowl. He even knows what color balls he wants. Today it was a red and green ball. They had a blast together, and Ethan even got to snack on popcorn and an icee while he was there. I am glad that Ethan has been such a great boy while we are going through the adjustment phase of a family of four. He is such a great boy and I'm glad that Jon was able to take him somewhere to do something he enjoys.