Obstacle Course

Most days during Ethan's morning nap Momma designates the time as "Caleb time" and she will play whatever Caleb wants to play for the hour/hour and a half.  One morning a couple weeks ago Momma thought she'd be a little creative and made Caleb an obstacle course instead of the normal "play pirates" that we seem to do all the time (for some reason, being a girl maybe?, playing dollhouse would just come so much more naturally than pirates!).

 

In order to get pictures of Caleb doing the different parts of the course Momma had to try and run ahead of him, turn around, and take a picture.  I think it only took us six times to get a picture in most of the spots!

 

The course began with a tunnel crawl behind the couch.

 Here's Caleb stopping for a picture.

 

 

 And through the tunnels!

...through the tent...

...hop over the penguin pillow (not pictured) and climb on the couch cushion and throw pillow mountain, slide down the other side...

 

...run back and forth through the kitchen chairs path...

 

...around the island in the kitchen (not pictured), through the sheet curtain (see the background of this picture), jump on the laundry clothes hill...

 

 

...spin four times (since Caleb's four years old) and slide under the tension rod in the doorway, and he's done!

 

 

This was such a big hit that Caleb wanted to do it over and over again.  He even talked Momma into doing it once (though she didn't fit in many of the crawling spaces and had to spin thirty-two times!).  Then he kept it up to show Grandma Jan on the webcam (Momma had to stay one step ahead of him and hold the laptop backwards so Grandma Jan could see Caleb do the course).  Even Daddy got to try it and the two of them had several races through the course.  Caleb has been asking every day since when we're going to make another one!  It was so much fun.

Cute Kids

These pictures and videos don't really "go" with anything, they're just fun and I couldn't resist putting them up for you to see.  Sometimes my kids can be just so cute!

 

Here's a video of Ethan laughing at Caleb "fake" laughing.  It's the tail end of lots of laughing, but by the time Momma ran to get the camera they were almost all worn out.  I just LOVE baby laughs, though, so I thought I'd share.

Ethan still adores his big brother so much!  And Caleb adores Ethan, so it is definitely a match made in heaven!  (Thanks God!!)  Here the boys are both "sleeping" on Caleb's pillow in his big bed before rest time one day.  Just so sweet!

 

When it is close to naptime/bedtime but not too close Ethan gets very "slap-happy" and will laugh at the silliest things.  One day he was laughing at everything, so Caleb and I thought we'd test him and said, "The sky is blue."  Which at the time was the funniest thing in the whole world.  Ethan's a lot of fun when he gets silly like this.

 

 

 Some parents are really good about putting cute bibs on their babies so that the constant drool doesn't soak through their clothes and to their skin.  I am not one of those parents!  I never think to put a bib on my child.  So all of those adorable bibs that people give us just sit in the drawer.  To be sure Ethan at least gets his picture taken with a couple of these sweet gifts, we started putting a bib on him when he "drinks" his water.  This one was from Grandpa Brandon for Caleb, though Caleb didn't wear it much either.  It's Grandpa's favorite driver.  (He's trying to boost Jeff Gordon's fan base at an early age!)  Look at that adorable face!

Aunt Aurea sent this one.  It has some adorable turtles on it, but the face in this picture was just too cute to pass up!  And yes, Ethan does love his aunt!!



Not to be left out, Uncle Rob also sent a cute bib for Ethan.  He gave us lots of funny expressions while we tried to get a photo, and then found the tags on the side and started pulling them.  Maybe it was his way of saying that he loves his uncle too!

In Sunday School Caleb made an Ark of the Covenant complete with angel stickers on top!  He and Daddy re-enacted the Israelites march through the wilderness.  Caleb made a point of telling Daddy that he couldn't touch the box, ONLY the stick handles, as they marched around.

 

For those of you who don't know, Mike is a HUGE Rugby fan.  He loves to watch and play the game!  Caleb is not such a fan (he just likes commercials) but he does enjoy watching the New Zealand All Blacks "Haka".  A war cry/chant that stems from the old tribal preparation for battle to put fear into the opponent before attacking.  They do this at the beginning of every game and it is quite impressive.  Mike had the Haka as his ring tone for a long time and Caleb would call him from Momma's phone just to hear it!  This is a little video of Caleb's rendition.  (Neither accurate OR scary!)  If you're interested in what it should really be, email Mike.  I'm sure he can direct you to a video clip of it!

 

 

Firsts

This post is titled "Firsts" and though this would be accurate several weeks ago, many of these things are "old hat" now for Ethan!  That's what happens when Momma is too busy to juggle everyone and everything at once!  (Especially on very little sleep!!)  Ah well, the pictures and videos are still great.

 

Ethan is now learning to get himself around a little.  One day (now several weeks ago) he was placed on the blanket next to the couch and ended up under his swing.  Being curious he had to grab everything he could see and wahla he could grab the back of the strap and get it to his mouth.  He was very proud of himself.

Ethan has also learned to roll.  He only rolls one way, but will roll himself right onto the game that Caleb and Momma are playing.  Caleb thinks it's pretty funny when Ethan lands on the board and everyone's pieces go flying!  Then we rush around getting all of the dangerous pieces out of his reach and Ethan safely back to the other side of the room.  That is until he rolls again!

 

 

This (rather long) video really epitomizes Ethan's style of rolling.  "Roll to tummy, complain that I'm on my tummy.  Roll to my back, want to get farther.  Roll to tummy, and repeat!"

 

 

 

Ethan is a HUGE fan of the sippy cup.  What an amazing thing to get chilled water out of a "chewable" toy!  Though he is not really a fan of the taste of the water, it's still fun to play with and drench his shirt with too.

 

Now that Ethan is (almost) an unsupported sitter we have moved him to the little tub sitter.  He LOVES it!  He no longer has to spend his bath trying to sit up, he can actually do it!  He still needs someone close by, though, because he gets so excited and wobbles over a bit.  The nice thing with the tub sitter is that he can't wobble out of it! (At least we don't think he can!!)

 

"Bath time is so much more fun now that big brother, Caleb, can be in the tub with me!"

 

Another "first" for Ethan is eating baby food.  He was SO interested and excited to try eating real food.  Unfortunately, he's not really a big fan of food once it's in his mouth!  We haven't found anything that he likes that he doesn't give a sour face for.  (This includes the fruits!)

 

Stop and smile at Momma.  There's always time to look cute for the camera.

 

 

When Daddy got the Jumperoo out of the closet, Ethan was in heaven!!  Not only can he feel like a big kid in it, but it also has things to chew, grab, light up, and make sounds.  If his little legs didn't wear out, he'd stay in it all day.

 

Caleb wanted to be a part of the action and learned that if he jumped first, he could get Ethan to mimic him and start jumping too.  I love this new way that the boys can "play" together!

This is the face that we see every night no matter if the food is a repeat taste or a brand new one.  It does make feeding time VERY difficult!

 

Like every other baby, Ethan wants to help hold the spoon and then keep it in his mouth to chew on the spoon.  I'm pretty sure he likes the spoon better than the food on it!

Ethan at Six Months

 

Ethan is now half-a-year old!  I wouldn't say that the time has flown by, because it definitely has felt like it's dragged, but God has done some amazing things in HIS perfect timing with our little one!  I marvel day after day what an awesome God we have who has thought of such infinite details in His creation.  Just think, babies are small and flexible...perfect for when they are learning to sit and crawl and walk so they don't have as far to fall and can bend in so many fun ways as they are learning!  They are absolutely adorable which makes you WANT to take care of them even though they are demanding and their crying gets on your nerves. :)  Their brains soak up so much information that they learn an immense skill set in such a short amount of time.  I could go on and on!  God is just so wise!

 

Ethan has definitely become an infant now and no longer a newborn.  His little personality is just blossoming!  He will smile and "talk" to lots of people, though he does seem to need to warm up to them first (this only takes about a minute, but this is longer than Caleb was).   He's becoming a lot more opinionated when he's not happy and has learned to throw temper tantrums.  You would really think he was two the way he flails his body, kicks his legs, and screams when the bottle isn't coming fast enough or he wants his pacifier.  We will have quite the little firecracker on our hands when he reaches toddlerhood!  On the flip side he can be SO agreeable and happy.  He will laugh and coo at Caleb's funny antics just egging big brother on to do more and more.  His favorite is when Caleb fake laughs.  It can really get him going.  He is very ticklish, especially closer to naptime when he's tired and the slightest things can get him giggling. 

 

We have found that we need to be a little more careful with where we leave Ethan, or what we leave in his path.  He has now discovered how to move, well, roll really.  Though he will only roll in one direction and so will roll across the room until he bumps into a piece of furniture and gets stuck.  He just refuses to roll the other way.  Being on his tummy is still not pleasant, though, so when he rolls onto his tummy he immediately begins to complain and then rolls onto his back.  Then he reaches for something and finds himself back on his tummy again and the process repeats.  The funniest is when he rolls onto one of Caleb's games while we're playing.  All the pieces go flying and he thinks it is SO much fun!  We also have noticed that he likes to scoot on his back by lifting his bottom with is legs and pushing off.  Kind of like an upside-down army crawl.  Silly kid!  Ethan has also finally discovered how tasty his toes are.  Though he always prefers his pacifier, when it's not handy a toe will do!  This puts him rather off balance when he's sitting up, though, because putting your toes in your mouth makes it WAY too hard to sit!  He can sit for very long stretches of time unsupported unless the toes are too tempting, a toy is just out of reach, or someone does something behind him and he turns to see what it is.  Then he begins to tumble!

 

The high chair has been pulled out of the closet and cleaned for the much anticipated time of feeding him baby food.  Caleb is really the only one who is anticipating this, because Momma and Daddy remember how much extra work it is to feed a baby!  We'd rather just not start down that road, but Ethan's ready and six months is here!  We have given him his first taste of water in a sippy cup.  The look on his face was priceless as he tasted the water.  It definitely does not have the flavor of formula!  The cup does not always get to the mouth, but it is definitely fun to play with.

 

Sleep is still hit and miss.  We are now taking much better naps during the day.  Yay!  This gives Momma time to play with Caleb in the morning and get a few chores done in the afternoon.  It's been great.  Unfortunately, we still haven't mastered that sleeping through the night on a consistent basis.  He'll sleep most of the night one night and then not do it again for a couple of weeks.  We know he CAN do it, he just doesn't seem to want to yet.  We're praying that he starts wanting to sleep all night, every night.  Momma and Daddy need their sleep!!!

 

Ethan is such a joy and delight in our lives.  We are loving watching him grow, learn, and become his own little person.  God has blessed us so richly! 

 

Aunt Amy Visit

We were blessed to have Mike's sister, Amy, stay with us for several days during Mike's first week of school.  Aunt Amy is AMAZING!!  She had tireless energy to play with Caleb and loved to help out with Ethan.  Kati was able to clean the house from top to bottom while she was here and take Ethan to his six-month check up without big brother.  Thanks Amy, for being such a blessing!

Creative Aunt Amy indulged Caleb's love for Chuck E. Cheese's by creating the games we played there into physical games at our house.  Caleb asked her to create more games every day and she did a fabulous job figuring out how to make them work and be fun!

 

Amy and Caleb with the monkey game.  (Momma thought this one was the best out of all of them!)

 

Amy loves to cook just like Mike does, so Mike had her help out making homemade pizzas from scratch.  Even the sauce and crust was homemade!  Here Amy and Caleb are adding toppings.

 

 

Mike's latest pizza craze is basil pizza with "real" mozzarella cheese.  It is delicious!

Aunt Amy with Caleb and Ethan.  (Someone forgot to tell Caleb to smile!)

 

Ethan loved having Aunt Amy here to hold him whenever Momma was busy with something.  He would give her the biggest smiles!

 

Back in the kitchen...we made a couple of things out of the Dora Cookbook Caleb got for his birthday.  One was a different recipe for monkey bread than the one Kati makes.  We had to blend the two recipes since we didn't have all of the ingredients, but it turned out fabulously!  Kati is definitely changing her recipe card!

 

The finished, yummy, product.

We even got to play outside some!  The night before this one Amy and Caleb played in the sprinkler system, moving as a different set turned on.  This night there were no sprinklers, so they played on our beautiful new patio.  (Which we are LOVING!!  It is ten degrees cooler under the patio all day long and it's so nice to still be able to play outside when it is pouring down rain!) 

 



 

Here they are playing pirates and buried treasure in the sandbox.  Caleb wants to play "Tinkerbell" with pixie dust the next time they play in the sandbox.  (Thank you library for opening up the world of fairies to our four-year-old!  Even his cars and trucks get pixie dust now and fly around the house.)

Thanks, Aunt Amy for a fabulous couple of days!  We all appreciated your help and company.

Patio

The school year is already swamping us!  Mike is spending late nights and EARLY mornings getting things ready for school.  Though I completely understand that he wants to get stuff done and off his "thought radar", I'm missing him!  I guess the good thing for all of you is that I'm actually getting my blog entries done and posted!  I think I'm finally up-to-date.

We are nearing the end of having a beautiful, working patio.  For those of you who remember the raised, wooden decking, here are a couple of pictures of the past week's progress.

Mike pulled up all the old deck and he and Caleb started digging the dirt down a bit so it will be ready for the concrete.

We also needed this little bit fixed since the rain seems to back up against the house right here.

After the first day of construction crew coming, Caleb and I watched them finish digging dirt, tamping down the dirt, build the frame, and run the metal poles.  It was interesting (though noisy!) work.

Day two they brought in the cement mixer (one of Caleb's favorite trucks!) and poured the floors.  Once again, it was a fascinating process.

Yes, one of the workers left his water bottle in the middle of the floor!

Day five they came back and cleaned up the gritty stuff and where the concrete splashed on the house and posts.  Here is the (nearly) completed patio!  Just one more fan to install where the old patio was and arrange all the toys and furniture.  What a beautiful addition to our home.  Thanks for all of the hard work Mike and Kendall (Mike's dad!)

High Chair vs. Swing

We pulled out the high chair to get Ethan ready for his big step into "solid" food at six months.  He is loving being up where he can see everyone and Momma is loving that he can't slip sideways out of it like he does the Bumbo!  He does look pretty little in there, though!  So which is his favorite place to play?  The new high chair or the swing?  Hard to tell.

Look at all these fun toys he has to choose from (or throw on the ground!)

One breakfast Ethan sat like this the entire time.  He had to have woken up sleepy, because no toy is EVER used to rest on.  They are only meant to shake, chew, and throw!

I had time to zoom in and take another picture.  See how he didn't even move??  He definitely woke up earlier than his little body wanted to!

What a happy little man!

Since Ethan has begun to kick so hard in the swing we have to make sure he's belted in.  So we decided to raise the swing to the more vertical position and put the toy bar on.  Ethan loves it!  Though I must say, this little boy hates to recline at any angle!  He'd much rather sit straight up whether he's in the bathtub, swing, chair, or your lap.

The swing, as you remember, was left by Uncle Kyle's renters, so he let us borrow it.  It has been SUCH a blessing, though I must say that it leans to one side.  We straighten it and the next thing we know it's tilting again.  These pictures do make it look a lot more dangerous than it truly is.  No worries, Ethan is safe!

Our curious, adventurous one has been trying so hard to reach this mobile and now that the seat is tilted up, he can!  He was so proud of himself!  (Though Mike tried to get this picture a dozen times and every time Ethan heard the camera he'd put his hand down like he was "caught".  Mike had to get sneaky in order to get the shot!)

Snuggle time for Momma and Caleb.  It was a long night for Momma with Ethan up every hour and Caleb agreed to pretend to be asleep for this picture.