Sent from Heaven

I heard Ethan say, "Yay!" and when I peaked in he had given the mop handle to AJ. "Yay, she's helping!" he said.

Ethan loves to watch AJ, and is a strong supporter of her tummy time

I love our kids!

First Girls Night Out

The following story is true....just let your imagination go wild!
Friday afternoon Ethan and Brian went camping! I was so tempted to do 'catch-up' work around the house, but I decided if I didn't start a new tradition now...it'll be harder to start it later. So...I waved to Ethan and Brian until I couldn't see them anymore and then I raced back inside the house, scooped up AJ and our fun night began!
First we went shopping! I had the freedom to look, look and look at everything around me. (It's hard to do that with a little boy who has 'grabby' hands) AJ didn't mind...she just merely mentioned when she was getting a little bit hungry. So we bought what we needed and went to spend a fun-spa-night-at-home...after our dinner & dessert, of course.
AJ lounged in a hot bath, while I massaged her head, hands, feet, tummy, and back. She got a manicure AND a pedicure! After so much pampering AJ asked to sleep in my bed, to which I complied... This was definitely a sleep-over as we both got up for a 'midnight' snack (TWICE!), and then slept in until our tummies grumbled for breakfast.

Seriously, it was much more fun than any 'chores' I had to do!

bathing beautie

First Fathers & Sons campout!

I just sent off my 2 year old and husband to their first (of many, I hope) Fathers & Sons camping trip. Oh, how I would love to be invisible and watch them both!

We were prepping Ethan last night and this morning that he would be 'sleeping outside', going 'bye-bye' with Dad, 'Mom's staying home with AJ', etc. When Brian walked through the door all Ethan had to say to me was, "BYE!" while waving his hand. I barely got a kiss from him as he was running out the door.

I told Brian to take at least 1 picture (sometimes cameras are easily forgotten with all the fun!) preferably with both of them in it. Tonight it's just me and AJ ...another start of fun traditions as moms and daughters...too bad she just fell asleep on the floor.

Memorial Weekend=Beach

This was only a pose after I caught him trying to ride the skim board

He's dragging this out to the ocean!

Friends: Riley, Tate & Ethan

We ventured out to the beach the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Good for relaxing. Bad for potty training. My heart was pumping as I raced with him in tow to the nearest bathroom that was so far away! He hated it, and refused to go (no# 2). I myself was practically sick from the stench. He's not a big fan of visiting any public restroom (don't blame him, but sometimes you don't have a choice) so I think we'll adopt the chant we've heard our friends say with their little girl, "It's not scary, it's not scary" the next time we need one. Because I know the day's gonna come.

Potty Training Journal

Week one, day one: What was I thinking!!! (I didn't even tell Brian my decision. He was thrown into it, just like Ethan, poor guy.)
Week one, day five: He needs more underwear. I need a place to scream.
Week two, day three: Things are SO much better~just accidents here and there, with success inbetween.
Week three, day two: Traveling to UT by car! Fingers, crossed.

Happy Birthday Ethan!

This was a day I was super excited about! Ethan had sung happy birthday to his Grandma Hale, and cousin Trisha the past week and today it was our turn to sing it to him! But in preparation for this fun day Brian and I decorated the house with red, blue, yellow & green streamers (crepe paper). We had them hanging from our kitchen ceiling fan, draping the hallway and best of all we made a curtain of streamers on his door frame. We opened his door so that when he awoke the brights colors would catch his eye. He's usually up before us anyway so waking him up by singing to him will have to wait another couple of years! He loved the streamers! I heard him walk through them and I then watched him turn around and look at them, and then look up and down the hallway at the decorations hanging. This was a good way to start out the day. He was instantly in a good mood. When Brian came through the door with balloons....it was complete!

I think we sung "Happy Birthday" to him +7 times so he would really understand that this was his day. He quickly got the gist of opening presents (because his first gift...from AJ...was a Matchbox semi-truck and a thomas the train engine). He was only excited about his new shirt after I pointed out the monster dump truck on the front.

While Ethan was taking his nap I finished the cake. It turned out so great, I could hardly believe it. It feels good to attempt something you've never done and have success at it. I told Brian that I must give credit to my parents for my confidence in trying new things. I just strongly feel that they were always encouraging me to believe in my ability to succeed. (a great big thank you to Mom & Dad!) Somewhere recently I read/heard (I can't remember) that some things you cannot learn simply by reading about it. Somethings you actually have to do...in order to learn how to do it. Like playing the piano, oil painting, etc. I've just added cake decorating to that list. This is called a Frozen Buttercream Transfer. I'm excited to do another cake...

Ethan looked excited about the cake, and I think he really was excited about Super Why. He even called it "Super Why Treat!" But he certainly wasn't excited about tasting the icing. Maybe he too, was just as impressed as I was that it looked so fun!
We had a BBQ scheduled with our friends at a nearby park (Simmons Family) that we were getting ready for (the cake was coming with us) but we had one more birthday present before we left.

I should realize in the future that even though Ethan is tall for his age, and seems to be very advanced in some areas (I thought for sure he'd pick up on this bike in no time) . . . when the box says "Ages 3 - 5"...maybe it's referring to height. His legs are too short to reach the pedals! So now it's our turn to push and run and push and run this little tyke up and down the street so he can enjoy his bike. I didn't think I was signing up for heavy cardio workouts when we purchased it. Well, he'll grow, and we'll have fun until then too!
When we headed to the park and met our friends I was reminded and grateful about how simple we were keeping this birthday celebration. I watched two other families pack up their kid's monstrous birthday parties and thought "My kid will never know what that will be like! (thank goodness)" It's always great to get together with friends and bond. We had a lot of fun just chatting, eating, and soothing tears (Ethan skinned his elbow on the asphalt).

After Ethan blew out his candles, he wanted to blow them out again. ("more," he said)

At the end of the day Brian asked if I had a fun day. I told him I had a blast! He looked at me and said, "Serious?"
"Yeah."
"Good. I don't think you've had that kind of a day in a long time."
"Nope. But today was a blast!"
Guilt......gone.
Even if Ethan didn't eat his cake.

Unanticipated Success

May 8th...a day full of surprises for me (and Ethan). First of all, I've been carrying a year's worth of guilt for how we celebrated Ethan's 1st birthday. It was a busy time for us. Our YW fund raiser consisted of us baking cookies...If I remember right, I think I baked 3 batches of sugar cookies, and 4 batches of chocolate crinkles. (not dozens, mind you...batches!) I thought for sure I would have it in me to bake my son a little cake and have a little party. But I think I ate too much cookie dough, broken cookies, and (let's be honest) even frosted cookies! His Birthday was on Friday (baking day), Saturday was packaging day, and Sunday was Mother's Day. (fundraiser was cookies packages for the Mom's)

So for Ethan's birthday we didn't have cake and we didn't have candles. I think we tried to substitute it with a couple of cookies. (Lame-o mom) Ethan does not have one of those pictures with chocolate icing smeared all over his face with remnants of cake in his hair, nose and ears. Nope. And this past year (especially these past 3 months) we have particularly learned that Ethan doesn't really care for cake, cookies, icing, whipping cream, cupcakes, etc. Well...I just KNEW that if I made it enticing enough...he would be too excited to remember to say no. We were going to make a "SUPER WHY" cake! (his favorite character on his favorite show on PBS) I love the internet! You type "Super Why cake" in the search engine...and your question is answered! (Someone has already tried and succeeded in making a Super Why Cake!) Now I just needed to learn how! My eyes bulged when I read the directions and the FOURTEEN pages of comments by other readers (failed and success stories included) What was I thinking?! What was my motivation?! (a year's worth of guilt, and determination to convince Ethan to eat this treat) I actually decided to not make a cake, but instead a Cream Cheese cookie bar (on a cookie sheet) that Brian and I love. Friday was my day! I attacked the project when Ethan went down for a nap. Ran into some snags (like wheat kernals coming out of the sifter as I was sifting powdered sugar!), but the biggest 'snag' of all was when I peaked into Ethan's room to take off his mountain of covers he likes to fall asleep with. This is what I found:

His diaper by his head...and bare-bottomed in the covers (is he trying to tell me something??? Why does this keep happening???) Great! So my next challenge is to get him to the bathroom before his sheets and blankets get the soaking. I set the timer for 30 minutes and listen intently during that time for any sound of movement. Timer goes off...I open the door to his bedroom, his eyes fly open, startled and without even a "Hello!" from mommy, I'm carrying him by the armpits to the stool and open toilet bowl waiting for him. His mind was still on 'waking up' mode and he was not excited about this. All signs led to the fact that he needed to go, but was holding it (an unfamiliar, uncomfortable feeling for him, I'm sure) A little whimpering from him helped me realize I did not want this to be a tragic circumstance so I said "No pee pee?", to which he replied, "No." I said "Okay, stand right here and I'll go get your diaper" This is where is pays to have your child trust you 100%. He stood there while I went back to his bedroom. When I returned he was looking intensely into the toilet...and the yellow water. I could hardly contain my excitement. But I had to, because he was even more upset now. "What the heck just happened?" he thought...I could see it in his eyes. Who cares? I'm taking a picture anyway! This was a VERY unanticipated success story...NOT to be repeated since, of course. That's okay, he will forever have the coolest story to tell about how he went peepee in the toilet the day BEFORE he turned 2! He eventually woke up enough and got busy with having fun that we could finally talk about it excitedly and call dad, and tell grandparents, and talk about it again and again. (Talk about it enough so he won't forget when we start asking him occasionally in the future) Whew! Thank goodness for timers and step stools!

That was definitely a good sign for things to come. I continued on in my cake adventures.

Cake progress went as follows:

1. 2.

3. 4.

1.Wax paper overlay; 2. Black Icing tracing;
3. layers of icing filled in;
4. underneath the glass cutting board, before it entered the freezer.

This was my second unanticipated success. The verdict would come on May 9th, when I put it on top of the cookie sheet. But, I was rather excited with what had happened so far. Ethan was super excited to watch (and touch...so mommy had to redo the shoe tracing). He took a look at the frosting in the mixer though and wouldn't touch it. (My hopes began to diminish...but I didn't give up yet.)

Annie Jane's Blessing

The last weekend in April, family came to join us in celebrating Annie Jane's blessing. It was a beautiful occasion and a great weekend to spend together. It started out a little on the tricky side as we woke up on Saturday. I had finished nursing AJ and could hear Ethan playing in his bedroom. Peaking in, I saw him sitting on the floor trying to put a sock on. (so cute!) So, I fiddled around in our bedroom before going in to get him dressed. This time he was behind AJ's crib, where I couldn't see him, but I could certainly smell him. "Ethan, let's get that diaper off of you," I practically gagged. He appeared around the corner and laid down...his bottom was bare...and messy. (gasp!) "Ethan where is your diaper?? Brian! See if you can find Ethan's diaper in the front rooms!" I was wiping him up and noticing all the spots on the carpet where he had obviously sat that needed to be scrubbed. Brian came back empty handed. It stunk so bad in his bedroom! It had to be here! We looked in his bed, around the furniture...and in the garbage. Our frenzy subsided when we saw his diaper dumped in the trash can. MAN I LOVE THIS BOY! Who can get angry over that??? There was a new/dry diaper on his bed with a couple of smears on it, indicating he had tried to change his own diaper! I think even the wipes were on the floor. I still get warm fuzzies inside when I think of this innocent, brilliant child of mine that took his dirty diaper off (bad) and threw it away (awesome!) So...in addition to repeating myself from the last time this happened (we go poopoo in the toilet, or in the diaper, NOT on the floor) I had to add the rule of not removing the poopy diaper without Mom or Dad. Of course I added, THANK YOU for throwing it in the garbage though!!!

When that ordeal passed and everything was cleaned up, the weather on Saturday allowed us to spend the day at the beach. There was nothing to do BUT relax, fly kites, eat crackers (Ethan couldn't get enough...thanks Doug!), eat fruit, and swim. Ethan was loving the freedom and the attention. AJ was loving the snoozes. All was calm, until some exciting things started to happen...Mom Earl decided she wanted to try the skim board (!) and Doug and Brian went to fly their kites....up up up...until their strings ran out. A never before tried ordeal for Doug's kite. He was one happy camper.

After the beach, most went to hit Legoland, which is free for the last hour. Mom & Dad Hale, AJ and I went to the Carlsbad flower fields. Mom had seen them two years ago when Ethan was born and wanted to show Dad. We finally learned the names of the flowers that are planted...nearly fifty acres of Giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers. (yes, it's a mouthful that I'll probably forget how to pronounce). To top the day off we ate dinner at In-N-Out (always a favorite for everyone) and headed home. Ethan was in heaven with this many cousins. He especially had a bond with Johnny whom Ethan would call "Dada". It was a joke between him and Johnny, as Johnny would reply "I'm not your Dada!" Peels of laughter from Ethan energized this game to last all weekend....even to this day (May 10) when we talk about it he'll say, "Dada!" and laugh and laugh! He misses them a lot.

Ethan with his cousins

Sunday was of course the highlight of our weekend. I couldn't wait for this little girl to receive this special blessing from her father. She was beautiful in the morning, and smiling big (plus had an empty stomach) so I took the opportunity to do a couple of photos. Mom Earl had crocheted the beautiful pink & white blanket that is behind her.

A funny thing (that's turning no-so-funny now) happens at our church on certain days ..Father's Day (thought it was a funny coincidence)...Super Bowl Sunday (okay, it's a tricky trick)... Annie Jane's blessing day (more time with family, but oh brother!)... Mother's Day (stop! already!) I personally met Stinky Sewer and Trashy Toilet on Super Bowl Sunday. 2nd stall in the women's bathroom has a drain in the floor....I watched a spider crawl out of the drain (gross, I thought)...oh! it was trying to not drown in the black oozy water coming up behind it. (I barely escaped!) So on Annie Jane's blessing day we were excused (once again) after our Sacrament meeting. Talk about inconvenient. My parents then left for the airport earlier than planned, my cousin Alyson had brought a a co-worker with her who had been interested in coming to investigate. Ahhh well, it was still a very spiritual day. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing until I took the chance to bear my testimony. I am grateful for our Father's plan of happiness. It couldn't have been named anything else. Happiness is the best feeling of all. Since we had extra time on our hands I took Mom Earl with me to photograph Annie in some wild flowers that I love.

The weekend came to a close too quickly. The rest of the family left about 4:30PM...all was quiet once again (but it wasn't welcomed). Thank you everyone who came, and who wanted to come. Our little princess is so precious to us. Her smile radiates the purity of the heaven from whence she came. She is our littlest beacon of light, shining just as strong next to our son, Ethan.

Easter Sunday

Our beautiful children...on Easter morning
before church

Easter Sunday was unique in that we had leftovers (gasp!) (Hawaiian Haystacks)But...we also had angel food cake with fresh strawberry sauce and freshly whipped whipping cream. Based on our St. Patrick's day experience with Ethan we should've guessed how his reaction would be.


Loved the strawberries (original form)

Refused the whipping cream.

Absolutely refused it.

Refused the cake.
Refused the strawberry sauce.
My best persuasion skills didn't work either. (puppy dog eyes, sweet voice, the kind of a face a kid gives when they want something..."Please, Ethan...please, please, please?") He picked it up (plain cake only) moved it toward his mouth...studied it...looked at me and said in the sweetest, softest voice...."No"
sigh

His birthday is coming up...what to do?!

Easter Bunnies, Rain, Wind & possible snakes

It's funny that when writing a journal, no matter what form...I can't seem to 'move-on' without first 'catching-up'. Everything seems too important to skip when writing it down! It's catch-up time! Welcome to Easter Weekend

We decorated eggs Friday night...too fun to do it during the day, so we waited for Dad to come home! Ethan was intensely interested in this. They were definitely 'treats' to him. So much supervision caused us to go quite quickly! Ethan picked out all of the facial features for each egg. They were HIS eggs to decorate!

Saturday morning bright and early we took Ethan to our ward easter egg hunt. There was all this yummy food (breakfast casseroles, muffins, OJ, cinnamon rolls) But it was cloudy, threatening rain, cold and windy! AJ needed to eat as soon as we arrived, so I left Ethan & Brian and sought refuge in the church. This was a morning she spent her sweet time, so by the time I got outside, breakfast was eaten, wind was blowing, rain was falling, and kids were gathering to the lawn where the Easter Bunny had dumped his eggs (literally). Brian took the camera and captured some 'in-the-moment' pics. It didn't take too long for Ethan to figure out the 'game' :) Too bad the rain and wind chased everyone away way too early. We paused for a quick pic before heading out too. Rainy days and egg hunts just don't seem to mix!

AJ is in the pic...buried under blankets and her bunny hat

When we returned home, I was quite bummed. You see, I had our whole day planned to be away from home. There were Easter festivities in practically every city, and it was supposed to be sunny, so if all else failed (i.e. lame festivities) there was always the beach. Well, we regrouped and Brian, seeing my unhappy countenance agreed to venture outside again ("there doesn't seem to be any clouds by the ocean," I cried!) So we cruised to Poinsettia Park in Carlsbad to their "eggstravaganza". Lines were impossibly long, tickets prices way too expensive for a 'not-quite-two-year-old' so we walked around trying to enjoy the grass beneath our feet. Yes, we were still disappointed, but I was on a mission to 'have fun, dang it!' and nothing was going to stop me. These were memories in the making! While Brian ran after Ethan, I waited in line for a 'spin-the-wheel-everyone-wins-a-prize' game. A dollar a spin. I couldn't believes the $ people were feeding the money takers!! We put out $2. Ethan spun it both times. And he won a game and a chocolate rabbit. Not bad bud! Good spins! We found our way to the playground where there is always a guarantee to have fun on the twisty slide. I think he went on it 20 times..without stopping!

We left soon after, mommy having had her 'fun' outside, daddy playing the good sport, and Ethan & AJ...well, at least I'd like to think that they'll enjoy looking at pictures about a day they don't remember. (I did it for them!!! really!!) Our last laugh was this warning sign:

Not exactly the kind of sign you want to see leaving the party.

We picked up strawberries from the Carlsbad strawberry patch and went home to make strawberry freezer jam while the kids were asleep. It also was the perfect time for the Easter Bunny to come to our house. All in all, it was a fun Saturday, even with the detours! ..mission accomplished!

Ethan & AJ with their stash of easter fun!