our latest obsessions...

thought it might be fun to chronicle what we are all about these days...including me!


ethan (32 months):
* still anything Thomas the Train! we did find some new favorites while on our trip back east - gordon and the breakdown train were a huge hit!

* tractors, truck and trailers. if he has a truck or tractor it MUST have a trailer. we found these great ones from tonka that even have a lowering back gate to drive the tractor up on. he is in love with them.

* super cute little box of Thomas board books. it is a little box with a handle. got them at wal-mart for our trip and he hasn't let go of them since...even sleeps with them.

* watermelon. he could eat a whole one if we let him.

* milk. he is, and always has been, a huge fan of milk. he isn't even particular about what kind, could be regular, ovaltine, chocolate...as long as it is milk, he is happy.


miles (13 months):
* sippy cups, especially those that are not his. i can see that i am going to have to make sure we have lots of matching sippies.

* fruity cheerios in his snacktrap. these are a MUST for all car rides if i want it to be anywhere near quiet.

* anything ethan has. yes, we are definitely entering the grabbing stage. anything ethan has tends to be way more interesting than anything anyone else offers.

*the stairs. he can get up them so fast and does a great job. of course, he cannot go down anything yet, but loves to climb up.

*baths. he gets so excited when you put him in the water. he will splash around and try to swim. LOVES it! and even if he is kind of crabby, the bath will cheer him right up.


beth:
* slub cotton from j.crew. i don't even know what slub cotton is, but it is so incredibly soft and drapey. love it. they even have it in crewcuts and i had to have some for ethan.

* starbucks mochas. i splurge on one a week and it is sooo good.

* the twilight saga. i just finished the fourth and last book sunday night and i am kind of sad. i have been a bit consumed by them and now i will have to find something else.

*farmville. ugghh, it is horribly addicting and i cannot seem to stop.

* leopard print. i have always loved leopard print and wore it regardless, but i am so glad it is back this season. i am on a quest to find the perfect pair of shoes as my current ones, from several years ago, are wearing out.

bathtime with ...FOUR!!

a bit crazy to say the least, but lots of fun! it took my sister and i standing next to the tub the whole time to keep this from getting too out of hand. we did this several times on the trip and all the kids loved it. it was basically a non-stop laughfest...well other than this first picture. the little ones weren't quite sure they wanted to be in the bath. they did warm up and have a great time, but we weren't too sure from the start. and it is SUPER hard to get a pic of the 4 together, so that first one was the best i could do.

after the bath, ethan and abbey had some fun with the towels. ethan has started this thing where he'll say "mama, take my picture" and then give a huge grin, but close his eyes. he thinks it is hilarious.

mee-maw & grampies!

it was wonderful to get to visit with my parents (as well as my sister and her family of course) this past week. i know the boys loved getting to see mee-maw and grampies again. it had been much too long since they were out here over christmas. hopefully it won't be so long until our next visit.

they were a HUGE helping in getting us to the plane on wednesday and here are a few pics* while we waited to board.

thanks again for all the help, mom and dad! we loved getting to see you and had a wonderful visit.

*and yes, you'll notice the binky. desperate times call for desperate measures. now ethan is allowed to have the binky in bed AND the airport/airplane ;)

a day (or two) at the park

the weather has been perfect the past 2 days, so much cooler than in oklahoma, that we have made 2 trips to the park.

day 1, we went into frederick and were able to visit with sue, a friend from my mom board, and her adorable daughter gabby. we had a great time and the kids were able to feed the ducks. the ducks were so excited for the corn and we became overrun quickly!

sue, gabby, ethan and i. miles wasn't the happiest little guy that day so he spent a lot of time in the bjorn with mee-maw.

abbey and emily - love how they always match!!

silly faces!

day 2, we spent in a park near my sister's house. we started off the trip with a walk up to a train exhibit. unfortunately, you couldn't climb in train, but they had fun looking around outside. afterwards, we spent some time on the playground. i love being able to be outside at lunchtime, the weather is just so much cooler than we are used to.

fun in the rain!

morning rain shower = best outdoor fun! they had such a great time playing outside and splashing in all the puddles. it was the first time ethan had played with an umbrella, and even though he had a princess umbrella, he thought it was the best thing ever!

mee-maw and miles

a trip to the east coast

a trip to maryland and miles' first plane ride! and mine alone with the two boys!

the boys did great. thankfully, since our normally 3-hour flight was stretched into 5 hours due to bad weather on both ends. i was so proud of them. and we even received a compliment from a passenger sitting in front of us who said the boys behaved better than his kids would have. i was thankful to hear that since by the end of the flight i (along with my two guys) were starting to lose it. all in all a good flight...makes me not as scared for the return flight, especially if it is only 3 hours.

the boys are having a great time with their cousins. it is like a built-in playdate all day long. looking forward to the rest of our week out here and lots more playtime. we don't get out here as often as i would like and i love for the kids to have such a great time visiting family. we surprised my parents, who arrived today, and they were very excited to see the boys. ethan and miles are loving the time with their mee-maw and grampies who they hadn't seen in 9 months. much too long!

miles' 12 month stats

weight: 18lbs, 12oz.; 10th percentile

height: 28"; 10th percentile

miles had his 12-month well baby visit today and did well. he did lose 2oz from about a month ago, but the doctor wasn't too concerned and said it might be because he is more mobile now. he said we'd keep an eye on it. he did grow 2 inches from his 9 month appointment, so he is finally getting some height to him. and that is also why he is starting to skinny down. and as much as i always thought he was my chunky baby (he did always look it because he was shorter than ethan ever was) he is actually smaller at 12 months than ethan was. i guess he just grew really fast in the beginning.

we got the go ahead to switch to regular milk. just need to monitor and see how he is doing with it. i am glad we can try something new and i hope that it will help out with all the tummy issues he had on formula. if it doesn't seem to be going well, the doctor said we'll look at other options like soy milk if we need to. and can go ahead with all table foods now. we've tried quite a few new things this past month, but haven't found tons he likes. he seems to be pickier than ethan was. he does like all things carb (who doesn't?) and also likes watermelon, canteloupe and grapes.

he had one shot, chicken pox, and will be scheduled to go back sometime between 15-18 months.

birthday party!

happy birthday, miles!

what a fun party! we celebrated miles' first birthday at the lake. had some friends and family out for some swimming at the dock and lots of food. we were going to take the boat out, but it ended up being too windy, so we just stayed put. i think that ended up working better anyway.

miles slept through the first half of the party, but enjoyed being held by EVERYONE when he woke up. he was not a fan at all of the cupcakes or the singing, but he perked up when we opened some gifts and he could play with the paper.

it turned out to be a wonderful party, but i am glad that it is done...it was a lot more work than i intended, but it was worth it.

here are some pics from the day!

decorations and food set-up. i made his first birthday banner like i did for ethan's party.

the weather was perfect and everyone was able to spend some time swimming off of the dock.

miles wasn't overly excited about his cake and i think he got a little scared by all the singing. actually he didn't even taste one bite of it. but i enjoyed it :)


everyone else enjoyed the cupcakes too...especially ethan!


he perked up when we opened gifts though.

the treats i made: decorated sugar cookies; red, white and blue cupcakes, and mini pocket pies.

Happy FIRST Birthday, Miles!

happy birthday, little guy!

i have thoroughly enjoyed the last year with you. watching you grow and change and play with your big brother.

you are such a happy, snuggly, sweet baby and i can't imagine a time without you.

thank you for all the wonderful memories you have given me over the past year and i know that there will be so many more in the years to come!

and while, i am sad that you aren't technically my little baby anymore, i am excited to see you growing up and being a big boy with your brother. i know that you two will just be the best of friends. finding frogs and bugs and playing in the dirt and all sorts of "boy" things.

i never imagined myself with one boy, let alone TWO, but it has been such fun, even if i have had to hold bugs in my hands (eek!!), fish them out of certain boys mouths (EEK!!) and play in the mud.thanks so much to you and ethan for making me a mom. i couldn't have asked for anything better.