One Year Ago Today

One year ago today, I received one of the best gifts I could have asked for...

Happy 1st Birthday to my little man!!

Then...

and Now....

First walk...

So happy that my mother-in-law, Sue, got this on tape!

So much to be thankful for....

In honor of my favorite holiday...

Just a few things I am thankful for this year:

1. God and that I know He loves me and watches over my family and I.

2. My amazing husband, whom I can't imagine experiencing this life without.

3. My baby boy Ethan, who has given me the most important & fulfilling job I will ever have.

4. My family, who are a constant source of love and support.

5. My friends, who are always there when I need them.

6. The health of my family and I.

7. My job, since so many out there don't have this blessing.

8. A beautiful new cousin, Alexander, (who was born this morning!! Happy Birthday!) who has wonderful parents to raise him.

9. A new house to move into in a few months, that we can finally call home.

10. And something Elliott & I are extra thankful for this year are my In-laws because without them, we don't know where we'd be or what we'd be doing right now.

Hope everyone has a Great Thanksgiving this year and has as much to be thankful for as I do!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

180 Degree Turn...

Just something I've been thinking about for the last couple of days...Isn't it funny how when you have kids, you're life completely revolves around them....you're either playing, feeding, changing, or just watching them constantly. And when you not even around them and they're spending the day at Grandma's house, you constantly thinking about them. You even blog about them whenever you get a chance to get on the computer and blog....lol. And even though they've only been around for such a short time.....1 year out of 28 years of your life....you can't imagine what life was like before you had them. I have to say, parenthood is definitely not a job for the selfish because when you're a parent, you never come first and your first priority is your children because that's what comes naturally to you now. Having kids definitely takes your life and turns it 180 degrees and takes you down a path that you didn't know existed....a path of more worries, bumps and bruises, and alot more grey hairs...lol.....but it's definitely worth it for those that want to take up such a big task and responsibility...just ask the Moms and Dads around you. :o)

Spooktacular Halloween

This was Ethan's first Halloween , so we took him around to all the Grandma's and Grandpa's houses (with the exception of Grandpa Mark, who lives in Colorado) and showed him off in his costume. He was a green dragon and poor Ethan was probably happy at the end of the night when he no longer had to wear that costume, only because every time we drove to another person's house, we had to take the costume off and put it back on when we got there. So he was probably in and out of that costume half a dozen times! The reason why was because he had wings and a tale and he couldn't fit in his car seat with the costume on...lol. But it was well worth it, for us anyway, because he was super cute and he got some candy, that daddy, mommy, and Uncle Ray have been eating! Hope everyone had as much fun as we did this Halloween!!!

9 Months and Counting...

Today was Ethan's 9 month checkup .... even though he's basically a week away from being 10 months. Ethan was such a good boy at the doctor's office today. He laughed and smiled at all the nurses and his doctor. He didn't even get upset when we had to strip him down to his diaper, which he usually doesn't like too much. He got all his measurements ... he weighs 21 lbs 6 oz, he's 28 1/2 inches long and his head measures 18 1/4 inches. He's between the 50-75% in weight and length and the 75% in head circumference ... which shouldn't surprise anyone who knows the size of Elliott's head ;o) On a side note, that was one of my biggest worries after I found out I was pregnant .... knowing that I would have to deliver a baby with a big head if they took after their daddy at all .... and this still applies to any other children we may have in the future. So anyways, all-in-all, the visit went well and Ethan is doing great, just getting over a cold but no ear infections .... Yea! Our next routine visit is in 2 months when Ethan's 1 year old ..... WOW.... crazy to even be saying that, how time flies!

A Whole New Perspective...

I want to start off this post by saying how thankful I am for the people in my life and everything that God has given me. I am reminded of what a great life God has blessed me with and how easy I have it everyday, but I was truly reminded of that tonight. This evening my brother, Ray, and El went to the movies and Sarah came over and we basically enjoyed some girl time spent with Ethan. I've missed Sarah so much since she's been in school in Utah the last couple years...she really is one of my closest friends. I feel like I can talk to her about anything and we have so much in common. I really got to sit down with her today and talk to her about everything that has been going on in our lives....the main subjects were Ethan and her strokes. I do have to say what a strong person Sarah is....having two massive strokes and being so positive and upbeat is such an awesome quality that she possesses. Hearing her talk about everything that she went through is just heart-breaking. God really must have been watching over her through everything that happened since she is lucky to be alive. Thinking about it brings me to tears.... You don't realize how easy you have it and everything you take for granted in you life until you come across someone who's had to go through everything she's gone through. But the whole point of this post is to say how proud I am of her and how any person would be blessed to have even alittle of the determination and strength that she possesses. I remember seeing a video of her trying to walk in the hospital when Ray went and visited her in May and to see how well she is doing now is such a testament to how far she has come. I am so happy that she will be home in Michigan for the next month and will hopefully be spending alot more time with her before she has to return to Utah. Hopefully the rest of her recovery is swift and her rehab progresses and she returns home permanently in just a short while so we can enjoy her company on a daily basis... We love you Sarah!!!

Happy 1st Father's Day El!

Happy Father's Day!!!

Just wanted to tell my husband, Elliott, what an awesome husband he is and what a great dad he has become. I can't imagine a better father and am glad it's with you I get the privilege of raising Ethan with! Today may have been your 1st father's day but we can't wait to celebrate every father's day with you for many years to come! Hope your day was filled with love, laughter, and fun....xoxoxoxo. Happy Father's Day #1 Dad!

And for your viewing pleasure...here's some pictures of how we celebrated Father's Day...

Taking A Little Nap...

Usually every Tuesday, Ethan spends his morning and early afternoon with Great Grandma Ann and then Grandma Sue picks him up around 4pm. He then spends some time with Grandma Sue at her house and when Elliott & I get off of work, she brings him home. Well, today right after I pulled in the driveway after work, Sue pulled in with Ethan. So I decided to help her carry some stuff in...and this is what I opened the door to:

My little sleeping Angel!

I Love this Face!

Better Late Than Never...

Posting this alittle late....but like the title says, better late than never. I feel as though the past couple of months, I've been slacking on blogging. I think it's a combination between thinking I don't have anything interesting to write about and that I often forget. But hopefully this summer I keep up and continue to blog about everything that's going on with us and Ethan. So, with that said...This year we celebrated Memorial day with my family since it was also my mom's birthday. We actually celebrated with El's side of the family on Sunday at his Grand parents' house and on Monday with my family. On Monday, my brother grilled steaks and hamburgers. We also had corn, broccoli, salad, and baked potatoes. And after dinner we had cake and ice cream, which wasn't a part of my new diet but it as good none the less. Dinner was great and it was nice to spend time with my family for my mom's birthday. We had a really good time but the weekend went by too fast like it always does. Here are some pictures we took:

Happy Mothers Day/Dedication!!

All I have to say is that I had a Great Mothers Day today. I got to spend it with Elliott, Ethan, and both of our families. And it was extra special because Ethan also got dedicated at Cornerstone today! He was such a good boy when we stood in front of the congregation...he actually slept through most of it! Our families came to Cornerstone and then after church, we all went to Sue's house and had lunch. My brother grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, and brauts. We also had pasta salad, cheesy potatoes, fruit and vegetable platters, and a big cake that said "God Bless Ethan" on it, among loads of other stuff that everyone brought. It turned out to be such a great day...it was my very first Mothers Day and we got to celebrate it by dedicating Ethan! Ethan was a spoiled boy like always and got lots of presents and I was one lucky mommy and got a beautiful watch from my sweet husband! How lucky am I...I think very!

Please Read...

Just a quick note...I wanted to ask everyone to keep my friend and brother's fiance, Sarah, in your thoughts and prayers. I just found out today that she had a stroke yesterday. She's at school in Utah and we don't really know many details yet but right now she's in the hospital in ICU and they're running tests. My brother told me that he talked to her today, so we are thanking God that she's able to talk (albeit, I don't how well she's talking) but she's unable to use either of her legs. Just please pray for her, her family, and my brother. Thank you.

Happy, Happy Birthday!

Well, today is Elliott's 27th birthday! I have to say, I think this past year has been a life changing one for both Elliott and I mostly due to the fact that we found out 3 weeks ago last year that we were going to be having a little baby. I can't say enough how proud I am of El and what a great dad he has become! He's such an awesome husband and can't wait to spend another year with the man I can't imagine my life without...and I can't wait and see what this 27th year of life brings for Elliott, Ethan, and I! Happy Birthday Baybo!

Ethan's New Friend

So, today Elliott and Ethan spent the day together, since he had the day off. And here I am at work this afternoon and I get a text from Elliott to check my email and this is what was in there waiting for me, with the caption "Ethan has a new friend." Too cute and they're practically the same size!

Checkups With Ethan

So, Ethan went to his four month checkup yesterday (even though he isn't quite 4 months yet) and we're pleased to announce everything is great! Ethan is growing really nicely and he got a clean bill of health. Unfortunately, he also got his second round of shots but he did really well and didn't cry too much. He now weighs 14 lbs 12 oz, is 24 1/2 inches long and his head measures 16 3/4 cm around. We were also given the go ahead to start feeding Ethan cereal and next month, to start him on mashed vegetables...so that's something new and exciting for him. :o) All-in-all it was a very good doctor's visit and he has another one scheduled for the end of June.

Vacation Time

This past weekend, we took Ethan on his very first mini vacation up to Traverse City where we met up with my mom and her husband, Kevin. We left Friday night after work around 7 pm and arrived there around 11 pm. Ethan was actually pretty good the whole way up there. He fussed a little bit in the car after he ate but fell asleep right after and slept pretty much the rest of the way up. Saturday we basically just bummed around downtown and shopped and went to the Grand Traverse mall where Ethan got his picture taken with the Easter bunny! (So cute...I'll have to scan it) Then we went back to the hotel and took naps and then went out to dinner. We went to this place called "Boone's" and Elliott had a 22 oz prime rib. It was huge! And I'm not exaggerating when I say that it had to be at least 2 1/2 inches thick! We probably could have rolled Elliott out of there...lol. We headed back down to Detroit on Sunday around 11 am and all-in-all, we had a pretty good time. The weather was pretty good on Saturday....cold but sunny, but on Sunday, we woke up to tons of snow and ice, hence the reason for our early departure on Sunday. Ethan got tons of presents from mommy and daddy and grandma and grandpa...so he made out like a bandit!
The view from our room Saturday morning




The view from our room Sunday Morning...what a difference a day makes!