Toddler time

My baby Judah isn't such a baby anymore! It's been hitting me that he's almost 1.5 yr (18 months this weekend) and everyone would agree that isn't so much 'baby' age.....

I love that he's starting to play more like a toddler; interact with his big brother more like a toddler; start to communicate more and so much more! I adore the picture of him playing so delicately with the trains - not just throwing them around and smashing....really playing with them on the tracks! Such a toddler....

10 on Tuesday....what a Tuesday....

Oh my. Today was quite the day; my dear Ethan must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed or something! So most of my '10 on Tuesday' will literally be from this Tuesday!

1. We went to the YMCA this morning and Ethan wasn't happy with the parking spot I chose....45 minutes later we made it in the door. Needless to say I have a VERY strong willed child...but I am stronger!

2. Ethan took his sweet-ole-time getting to rest time; the time of the day we lounge on the couch and watch a movie and (most of the time) take a little nap. FINALLY he settled in and took a nice little nap.

3. We meet my mom and grandma at Dairy Queen for an afternoon treat and Ethan took a good 15 minutes deciding what he wanted - thankfully we are all patient! (He ended up picking a lemonade-slushy which was delish...I went and got one once I was done with my blizzard!)

4. Judah enjoyed quite a bit of my lemonade-slushy....a little too much....as we were walking to the van he puked all over my mom. She handled it like a pro!

5. Since it was steamy hot out we went to the beach; Ethan and Judah are both turning into little fish!

6. Leaving the beach was a different story - Ethan did NOT want to leave. Yep - he was carried screaming to the shower to rinse off. Awesome.

7. Dinner: Culver's as a special treat and dinner itself went fine - Dessert: vanilla ice cream with m&m's....ended up all over me as Ethan flipped his bowl and the melted ice cream and melted chocolate dripped down my bare leg. sweet:)

8. Went outside to finish eating dessert and I stepped in a large pile of melted chocolate ice cream - hey my sandals needed a wash anyways!

9. Came home....and Ethan 'relieved' himself in the bathroom (ie: poopy) and after that he was a different kid! All nice, kind and polite! We read books and he was cuddly the whole time!

10. While praying with Ethan at bedtime he thanked God for 'mommy'....warms my heart!

All in all - it was a crazy day with Ethan pushing many of my buttons but at the end of the day I just LAUGH it off! I love him and I know he loves me:) Most of all I know God loves me and that He won't give me any more than I can handle...even on days like today! Tomorrow's a new day...bring it!

Little Reader

Both my boys are into books....like WAY into books. Sometimes I need to tell them it's time to do something else besides read books (mainly because I am tired of reading for an hour!)

The other day we were all hanging out at home and Joe waved me over to the living room; this is what he showed me:
Judah sat down on his own, picked out a book and was enjoying it by himself! How cute! He sat there for a long time 'reading' to himself :)

10 on Tuesday

1. Ethan had 2 birthday parties this weekend: one on Saturday and one on Sunday! He was one tired boy Monday morning....

2. Judah can now successfully climb literally anything: kitchen chairs, benches, couches, beds, the list is getting longer....

3. I unclogged the toilet this evening all by myself! Joe was at class so I had to man-up and do it. And I did! **pat on the back for me**

4. I made my Vanilla Mouse Cheesecake for Ethan's Saturday birthday party and I get to make it again for Father's Day....hmmmm maybe I should make it every week! I love it!

5. I am so looking forward to the WARM SUNNY weather we're supposed to get tomorrow! Yeah for summer!

6. Ethan is now into Go Diego Go (Dora's older cousin) he's an animal rescuer and teaches about animals..not a bad thing for Ethan to like:)

7. I see my kitchen is full of dishes but instead of cleaning them...I'm typing on here. opps.

8. I signed up for the Lazyman Triathlon at the YMCA - complete all the components of a real triathlon in 6 weeks...it started June 1st and I haven't gotten as MUCH as I'd like to under my belt but I think I can do it!

9. I hope you're still reading this list because number 10 is a good one....

10. I'M PREGNANT! I have my first prenatal appointment tomorrow:) Baby #3 is due to make their appearance in late January. YEAH!

Stats

Ethan had his 3 year old well child check at the doctor this morning; he passed with flying colors! They tested his vision (which is SUPER cute with a 3 year old!) and he has great vision:) Developmentally his is doing awesome! Way to go my little man!

Here are his stats:
Height: 2'11'' (6.67%)
Weight: 28 lbs (12.96%)

He's moving up in the percentages! His doctor pointed out that he grew 10 cm in the past year; she said older kids grow a few cm a year...Ethan was sure busy getting taller this past year!

Happy Birthday Ethan

My oldest son is now 3! What a big boy!

To celebrate we went out to Noodles and Company for dinner. Before dinner I called to see if they offer any specials for the birthday kid; initially she said no but then after talking with me for a while she said 'come on in, I'll write your name down and give Ethan a free meal' so in we went.

We got there, ordered our food and she (the manager who I talked to on the phone) said that she covered our WHOLE bill and added a dessert on there! wow! What a great, unexpected surprise!

After dinner we went to the indoor park in the Shoreview Community Center; Ethan and Judah (and me and Joe) had a blast!


What a fun birthday evening for a fun birthday boy!

I LOVE YOU ETHAN!

10 on Tuesday

1. Ethan's birthday is tomorrow! Wow - those 3 years flew by:)

2. I wasn't able to (or rather was too lazy to) shower for 3 days....this morning's shower felt wonderful.

3. I think Judah had a growth spurt; he's been sleeping in a lot and looks a lot taller

4. Joe got me an iPod Touch on Saturday; never thought I'd be one of those 'apple' folk but I love it!

5. I got groceries today and at the bottom of my receipt it said "total savings: $29.71" AWESOME

6. Ethan and Judah are started to wrestle....oh boy.

7. Joe and I got a date night last Saturday; I love that man!

8. My Tupperware collection is a mess...I need a new system.

9. I accidentally threw a poopy diaper in the kitchen trash this morning (normally I put it right out in the garage) and my house now smells....I emptied the trash but it will take a while to make the smell go away.

10. I'm making cheesecake this weekend...hmm I want it now!

Look-A-Likes

We have this awesome picture of Ethan on the boat when he was around 1 (give or take a month) in a sweatshirt; with his head popping out of his sleeping spot...this past sailing trip Judah started sleeping in that same spot; with that same sweatshirt and we HAD to recreate the picture! ENJOY!Ethan on top....Judah on bottom....

Too Cute!

Ethan on top.... Judah on the bottom....

What a fun spot to sleep in on the boat!

Memorial Day Weekend Trip

We went up to my parents sailboat in the Apostle Islands for the long weekend; we've been going up there for 5 years now (years ago we had a sailboat in the Caribbean that we *my immediate family* would live on for the 3 months of summer...now they do shorter trips up to lake Superior)

Joe and I have a lot of memories up there - one of the biggest being getting engaged on one of the islands! We've been bringing our little guys up there each summer - Ethan made his debut at the prime age of 8 weeks:) This year will be so fun - both boys are very active; LOVE to play at the beaches; and enjoy boat life!

Here are some snapshots of our time up there this past weekend:

Ethan loves to look through the binoculars!
Judah was such a happy sailor!
It was a little cool in the morning at the beach...the boys didn't mind!
Once it warmed up - Ethan was in the water...
shortly after this picture his shorts fell down to his ankles:)
Precious Daddy+Judah shot! Judah was Joe's buddy ALL weekend;
Judah was eating up all the daddy time...Joe would walk away (to go to the bathroom or something) and Judah would say "da-da-da-da" and start walking after him! Daddy Magnet!

First sailing adventure with 2 VERY mobile kids=success!

10 on Tuesday

1. We got back from our first boat trip last night; it was a ton of fun!

2. Our 4 hour drive to Bayfield took 6 hours with kids - lots of stops at playgrounds:) I like that kind of roadtrip!

3. I saved over $17 at Rainbow today - dinners for the week: $41 sweet.

4. I felt proactive to do the laundry from the trip last night....it's still sitting in the dryer waiting to be folded...at least it's clean right?

5. Ethan loves to talk about his birthday.

6. Ethan's birthday is A WEEK from tomorrow! ahhh! Where did those 3 years go?

7. Judah has perfected the nod for 'yes' and head shake for 'no'; there's been a lot of 'no' shaking lately:)

8. My husband is the best. ever. I love him a lot.

9. I enjoy anything wrapped in lefse; Taste of Scandinavia makes wonderful creations with lefse:) *I had lunch there today!*

10. I can't remember the last time I painted my toenails...maybe I should revisit that soon!