4th of July

Our evening started out with dinner at Agave, which is an awesome Mexican restaurant. If my father likes it it must be good. After dinner, we went back to my parents' house and lit off a few of our own fireworks. I was a bit nervous. You see, growing up we never had fireworks because they were not allowed in the county I lived in...i used to watch the firework shows from the corral of horse, so this was a very new experience entirely for me. Ethan loved to watch Daddy light the fireworks and wait to see what they were going to do. Reid not so much (picture below to show the type of mood he was in by 8:45).

After our own fireworks, there were a few sparklers. Ethan enjoyed holding his and swinging it around and around. Uncle Potty enjoyed his sparkler too. He can always put a smile on my face.

After the sparklers, we hopped in our cars to see the fireworks at the Red Rock Hotel because the fireworks show at the Clubhouse was cancelled this year. However, we soon found out that it was going to be impossible to find parking or a place to view the show near the hotel. My father had a great idea to go back to the Clubhouse and watch the firework show there. We were a little afraid that we were not going to be able to see the show, but once the show started we new we had one of the best spots to view the show (the 6th hole to be exact). Ethan loved the show and Reid slept through most of the fireworks (it started at 9:30).
We had a great time at Red Rock ( minus the sleepless night for Jon & I) and can't wait to do it again next year!

4th of July dip in the Pool

The early afternoon on the 4th, we headed to the Club's pool, which ended up being at least 3 different pools and a mini water (fountain) park. Reid immediately loved the outdoors and the water. He is such an outdoorsy kid. Ethan on the other hand was very tentative about going in the water: 1) because he said he was not a good swimmer (we are working on his self-confidence) and 2) he did not want to swim if there were other people in the pool. Jon & Reid jumped in the water and well Ethan had a meltdown (picture below). He crouched on the grass for about 10 minutes crying, while I & Uncle Potty took pictures of the event (nice I know). I tried to pick him up and throw him in the water, but he jumped right back out. Finally Jon got out of the water and handed me Reid (poor Reid...he was loving the water too). He took Ethan into the water. It still took Ethan a good 5 minutes to stop crying while in the water, but after that, he was having a blast. Ethan has such a funny personality. Reid eventually got back into the water with them, and the three of them enjoyed an afternoon in the pool.

Golfing with Poppa at the Red Rock Country Club!

During the 4th of July weekend we drove to Vegas to spend the holiday with my family, which this year included everyone! On the 3rd, Ethan got to practice his putting with his Poppa. He has been looking forward to golfing with his Poppa for weeks. As we were driving there, he kept asking if we were there yet because he didn't want to be late for golfing. He got very tired very quickly due to the fact he was running around after the ball also because it was 100+ degrees outside. I hope Ethan continues to have a love for golf. His Poppa sure loves it, and it would be wonderful for them to have a special hobby that they can do together.

Another eventful experience that Ethan was eagerly waiting for was riding (or driving) Poppa's "cart", or golf cart. This opportunity came that evening. Ethan, Reid, Jon, and my Dad rode in the cart to the Country Club where we were having dinner. My Mother & I drove separately...not so exciting Ethan said. He loves riding in the cart. This was also Reid's first time in the cart. He loves the outdoors and seemed to really like the cart ride. It was a great day the day before the 4th.

Wheel of Fortune

Ethan's favorite game show is Wheel of Fortune. Perhaps because Mommy loves the show, or perhaps because it has his favorite color red and letter and words that he just loves. Ethan has to try to say the puzzle before the people say it...this is with a little help from his Mommy. One funny thing about this show however is what he thinks they win at the end. He knows that they win money, he gets that, but he will always say at the end of the show: Oh, they didn't get their family back, or they got their family back! You see during the final puzzle, they introduce the contestants family and they are standing in the audience. If they win, the family gets to run down and be with them. If not, they are not seen at all. Ethan thinks either they get their family back (they win), or they don't (they lose). It is too cute!

Surprise 30th for Briz

July 2nd is Briz' birthday, but Stacey held his surprised birthday on Saturday (this is the only picture I got of the birthday boy that night...sorry). Briz' had many friends over. There was lots of food, fun, & laughs by all who were there. Happy birthday Briz! Welcome to the 30 club.

That thing called a Bumbo

Reid loves is walker, his exersaucer, and rolling around town, but he does not get this bumbo thing, and neither does his mother. I know people rave about this thing...that is why he has one in the first place, but what his he supposed to do in this thing? I think the problem is he loves to move...heck he is almost crawling at 4 1/2 months. In this bumbo all he can do is sit...this is it, sit. As you can see in the picture above he looks quite thrilled. The only thing that this bumbo is really used for is entertaining Ethan (see picture below). He loves to sit in it...this also shows how super skinny he is...another story all together. The bumbo is a real dumb-o in Reid's and my opinion.

Look at what I'm working on!

Reid is now 4 1/2 months old. He is rolling, rolling, and rolling, walking in his walker, and beginning scooting. He is also beginning on working on sitting up on his own. He is still very wobbly and not completely sitting up straight yet, but he is well on his way. He is such a big boy already!

Guess What I Am?

Ethan has this game called, Guess What I Am? He loves to play it, and we play it with him all the time. However, on this day he thought that his little brother should get a turn. He gave the card to Jon to place near Reid's face, and then Ethan told Reid, "okay Reid, now ask your questions." It was too cute. For one, that Ethan thought that Reid could ask questions, and two, because look at that peacock face!

Reid's Walker Adventures 2

This video was taken on June 26th. Reid's getting a lot better!

4 1/2 Month Stats.

Reid's well baby appointment was on Thursday, June 25th. He is 4 1/2 months old. He weighs 15 pounds 12 ounces and is 26 1/2 inches tall. He is in the 50th percentile in weight and 90th in height. He received 4 shots this time. He did not cry for the first two, but after that he cried and cried. I gave Tylenol per Dr. Metsch for the DPT shot. Reid was a little bit more fussy than usual for the next 3 days or so. Poor little guy...shots are no fun!

The Matching Shirts

I was so excited to find shirts for the boys that were so similar, since they are almost 4 years apart in age. This is what they should have worn at the zoo, but the weather had other plans. I love my boys, aren't they cute?

Father's Day at Disneyland

On Father's Day we decided to head out to Disneyland. We went on the regular rides like Small World & Pirates. However, Ethan also tried 2 new rides that he is now tall enough for. The first new ride that he went on was Splash Mountain. He got to go with Daddy, while Mommy feed Reid and put him down for a nap. Ethan loved the ride! He came off the ride smiling and saying that the birds were very mean to the bunny. We almost bought the picture, but there were too many strangers on the ride too make it worth our wild, but someday E we promise.

The second new ride that he went on that day was Big Thunder Mountain and he got to go on this ride with Mommy. He was so excited to go on a train ride.

However while on the ride his excitement turned to fear. The ride was a little too fast for him. He got off the ride and started to cry. The cry always makes Jon & I laugh because his head goes up like he is a Peanuts character. He said that he did not want to go on that ride again.
Our stay at Disneyland was short, but we had a great day trying new things on Father's Day.

San Diego Zoo

The day before Father's Day, we headed down to San Diego to go to the zoo. We had the boys in matching short outfits. When we got out of the car, we realized that the weather was not going to cooperate with their attire. It was cloudy, drizzling, and cold. I really wanted to just get back in the car and drive home, but Jon being Jon, he looked at me like suck it up, so I did. The first thing we did when we got in the park was go into one of the shops and buy the boys sweatshirts. For Ethan, I bought a child's small and I bought Reid the smallest size they had a 2T. I thought for sure that the sweatshirt was going to drown Reid, but I was wrong. I struggled getting the sweatshirt over his head. The shoulders and the length fit perfectly. The only thing that looked too big was the length of the arms, which Reid did not mind since he loves to chew on things. I could not believe that my little 4 month old could wear a 2T sweatshirt...crazy.

It continued to drizzle and Reid was due to eat, so I feed Reid while Jon took Ethan to see the giraffes. After the giraffes, Ethan was very hungry. The boy does not like to eat breakfast (he is so like his Mommy), so he was hungry and wanted a hot dog. He ate the whole thing in less than 5 minutes. We then walked around and saw the koalas and wallabies. Then we got to see get an up close look at a camel. Ethan said it felt like S, which was my parents' horse. He did not want to feed it, but I did. We both laughed when the food of choice was celery...we both thought that was a little strange. We then walked and walked and walked until we got to Elephant Odyssey. Ethan loved this place. He played on the display animals and looked at the elephants for well over 30 minutes. He loves elephants.

While we were at the elephants, we met up with Stacey, Taylor, and Brennan. We continued to walk around the zoo. We saw polar bears, flamingos, monkeys, and hippos, but Ethan really wanted to see the lions. We tried to find them before lunch, but our bellies were growling louder than the lions, so we decided to eat. As we were all eating, it began to drizzle again. After lunch, we looked at all the snakes. I was surprised Ethan was not afraid, since he is afraid at the pet store. After looking at all the snakes, we decided that it was time to go since it was still cold and wet. Ethan never got to see his lions, which he is still talking about. We do however have annual passes now, so we will be back and he will eventually see those lions. Even though it was wet and cold, we had a fun-filled day at the zoo!
Ethan's sad face because we could not find the lions...too cute!

Happy Father's Day!

The boys love you, & so do I. Thank you for being an amazing father and husband!

Anaheim Angels

On June 13th, Jon & Ethan met up with Bret & Genevieve at the Angel game. The kids had a blast being kids and eating a ton of junk food & popcorn. The Angels won, a lot of home runs were hit, so Ethan got to see a lot of fireworks. Everyone had a great time, and I'm glad Genevieve & Ethan got to spend some time together. Go Angels!

Daddy & Ethan Day at Disneyland

On June 12th, Jon & Ethan spent the day, just the two of them, at Disneyland. This was Jon's last day of paternity leave, and we wanted to make sure that Ethan got some alone time with his Daddy before he went back to work. They were able to go on all the rides that lately he could not ride because Reid was with. His first ride was Toy Story Mania. He of course loved it!
He also went & saw the Playhouse Disney show & also got to see the new Aladdin show. Ethan was super excited to see this show, since his new favorite movie is Aladdin... the cave of wonders being his favorite character...strange I know. Ethan is now 40" tall. So apparently, to Jon, this meant to take Ethan not on Thunder Mountain, not on Splash Mountain, not on Space Mountain, and not even on Soaring, but this meant to take Ethan on the Tower of Terror. The name alone should have told him that he was not ready for the ride. Ethan actually enjoyed the drop, but not the scary parts of the ride including the people that say good-bye to you( that's what he told me when he got home). After the ride, he cried a little and Jon promised not to take him on that ride for a while. Ethan quickly agreed. They then met up with Brennan & Sirimal for lunch and a few rides at the Disneyland side of the park. Before they left for the day, Ethan was allowed to pick one thing to get for the park. He picked a lollipop! He looks like he is in pure heaven in the picture; however he must have not loved it too much because the lollipop still looks brand new in the cabinet in our home...oh well. Ethan overall had a great day with his Daddy, minus the Tower, and can't wait to have another Daddy & Ethan day!

Amma's Birthday is Finally Complete!

My mother's birthday was on June 2nd; however she did not receive a cake on her birthday. Ethan was very sad and did not understand why Amma did not have a cake. Everyone gets a cake for their birthday, right? He promised Amma that he would make a cake for her. On June 11th, Amma's birthday was finally complete because Ethan (along with Jon's help) made her a chocolate cake with pink frosting, sprinkles, and candles. We sang Happy Birthday and everyone ate a piece of cake except for Ethan. He hates cake remember...well so does Amma...shhhh don't tell Ethan... (& Uncle Potty for that matter...so that's where he gets it). Ethan beamed from ear to ear with pride that he was able to give his Amma the one thing that she NEEDED for her birthday...cake. It was too cute.

Reid says Mama!

I was able to capture Reid saying Mama for the first time on June 8th.

Pixar's UP!

On June 6th, Jon & I took Ethan to see Pixar's UP. My Mom was kind enough to watch Reid for us, so that both of us could go with Ethan. We have seen every single Pixar film together since Ethan was born. His first movie in a theatre was Cars when he was 11 months old. It has become a family tradition to see Pixar's new film each and every year. Jon & I loved the movie. I got teary eyed at least 2 times. I knew I would. Ethan loved the movie as well. Kevin being his favorite character, which was slightly surprising since he doesn't even talk. It was a great movie, and both Jon & I enjoyed the one on one time we had with our Ethan. We love him so very much!

Reid can Move!

Also on June 5th, we put Reid in a walker for the first time. This kid is amazing! I can't believe the things that he can do at 4 months old. I'm a happy & proud Mommy!

First Taste of Solid Food

On June 4th, Reid turned 4 months and that means solid foods!...AND...it was bananas...AND...well he hated it!

Birthday Dinner for Amma

On my Mother's actual birthday, we went out to dinner at P.F. Chang's. She likes it there. I don't think it is her favorite favorite, but she knows it is somewhere that we all enjoy including Ethan. Ethan was very excited that it was Amma's birthday. He couldn't wait to give her her present. However, he was very concerned that Amma never got a cake. Everyone needs a cake with candles for their birthday. He knows that it is just necessary...even if you do not like cake (like him) you still get a cake. He kept asking, Where is Amma's birthday cake and candles? He was very worried. This went on long after my Mother's birthday. We had a great dinner. Happy Birthday Mom...I love you!

Taylor's 50's/Swim Birthday Party

The Sunday before Taylor's actual birthday was her birthday party. She wanted to have a 50's birthday party & a swim party. So Stacey got all the decorations and had the party at her parents' house so the kids could swim. The kids swam and swam and swam...that is except for Ethan. He refused to get in the water. I think it was because there were so many people that he did not know...again being very cautious. Taylor had a great birthday party, and I think that little girl got at least 10 new barbies to go into her growing collection. I know her mommy must be very happy about that...not really. Happy 4th Birthday Taylor...it was fun!

Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!

June 2nd is one of the most important days of the year for me because it is 3 of the most important people in my life's birthday: My Mother, My Aunt, & My Goddaughter
Happy 55th Birthday Mom! You are the best Mother in the entire world. You are the most kind individual that I know, and I thank God every single day that you're my mother...I love you! Happy 55th Birthday Auntie! A lot of my fondest childhood memories have you in it. I love you very much!

Happy 4th Birthday Taylor Rose. I love you soooo much. You are the sweetest little girl in the whole world!

Disneyland with Friends

On June 2nd, Jon took the boys for the first time without me to Disneyland; however he was not alone. He met up with his friend Amy and her two children Mason & Avery, and he also met up with his friend Lee and his daughter Allison. They went on many rides during the day. While Jon was watching Avery & Reid (they were sleeping), and Amy & Allison went on a roller coaster, Lee took Mason & Ethan on Monsters Inc.. Ethan enjoyed the ride with Lee & Mason it was the one thing he kept talking about when he got home. They enjoyed a pizza lunch, and I think all my boys enjoyed a day out with friends. They all came home with smiles on their faces! Jon & the boys had a great time at Disneyland. I'm glad that Jon has great friends that he can spend time with.

Ring Toss

The next Sunday we went over to my parents' house so the boys could swim. Jon & I would really like Ethan to know how to swim without floaties by the end of the summer, so it is very important that he swim, swim, swim. It is also important for Reid to continue to enjoy the water. During this swimming experience Ethan loved swimming with his Poppa & could not get enough of jumping off the diving board. He really is getting more daring in the water, and that is good for him since he is so cautious about everything. He is well on his way to swimming without floaties.