Ethan's First Camping Trip

We pretty much always go camping during Spring Break, and last weekend was no exception.  We were so excited to take Ethan!  I was a little bit nervous too.  Packing for this little trip was kind of crazy and had me wondering how I would ever do it with more than one kid.

We certainly enjoyed ourselves once we got there.  I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

My Little Model

Confession time.  Sometimes I take pictures of my little boy just because he's cute. . .and because his outfit is cute.  Here are some examples.

3 January 2011

This one wasn't so much that I thought the outfit was cute, but it was too funny not to take a picture.  We bundled him up to go on a walk, and this was the smallest warm outfit we could find at the time.

15 January 2011

 Admittedly this one is a little reminiscent of Elvis.  But who can resist a polo shirt that's a whole outfit?

21 January 2011

I'm rather proud of my DI find.  How cute is that argyle sweater?  Only made cuter by its wearer, of course.

24 January 2011

 This one is documenting some gifts sent from afar.  My mother-in-law has a friend in Australia who sent a couple of tank tops and a pair of socks that she hand smocked.

26 January 2011

Please note the way he is holding out his hands in his sleep.  Anyone else's kids do this?

9 February 2011

This outfit seems so comfy.  Plus it has bears that are camping and it says Little Explorer on it.  Perfect.  Sadly, he has already outgrown it. It didn't fit him nearly long enough.

25 February 2011

Little surfer dude. With matching socks. 'Nuff said.

4 March 2011

My Little Fox wearing a little fox.  My mother-in-law searched high and low for this outfit.

10 March 2011

The cuteness kills me when he's got the hooded jacket on.  He looks ready to go for a jog!

10 March 2011

 He fell asleep the second I put him in the stroller.  This outfit was the result of an exceptionally warm and sunny day.

11 March 2011

 And finally, I had to get my handsome boys in their coordinating outfits.  Would you believe Terral was a chubby baby too?

17 March 2011

Grabbin' the Bull by the Horns

Ethan has been pretty good at grabbing whatever happens to be within reach when he feels the need, but his skills recently took a little leap.  Since he enjoys munching on burp cloths so  much, I recently introduced him to a little cow blanket. 

On Monday, I set him in his swing and put the cow blanket on his stomach.  When I checked on him a minute later, it was just in time to see him look at the cow with intense concentration and very deliberately reach out with both hands to grab both horns.  The purpose in his eyes kind of blew me away.

The following is a picture of the tail end of a reenactment later that day.

On a side note, Ethan has also developed some mad spit-bubble blowing skills.

Blessed Boy

Three days after Ethan's blessing, we had a little photo session to document the special event, and of course, the outfit.  I think it ended up to be a perfect mix of sentimentality. The jumper suit and hat were what Terral and his brothers were blessed in.  The pants and shoes were lovingly made by me.  I had to make the shoes twice because they turned out too small the first time.  It was the first time I had sewn shoes, so I was rather proud of the final product. The socks were a gift from one of my mother-in-law's friends.  She hand smocked them and sent them all the way from Australia.

Ethan's Blessing

On the 6th of March 2011, our son was given a name and a blessing.  It was a wonderful day.

Ethan behaved beautifully.  He was upset while we were getting ready, but he calmed down after we got him in the car seat.  He slept during some of the meeting, but was just quietly alert the rest of the time.  He even allowed both of his parents to get up and share their testimonies.  He really was just wonderful the whole day.

Here is his blessing, pieced together from notes that Rachel and I took.

. . . The name which we have chosen to give him is Ethan Cameron Fox. Ethan, we bless you that you’ll grow strong in the church and that you’ll grow strong in your body. We bless you to be able to fulfill all the responsibilities Father in Heaven has in mind for you. We bless you that you’ll be a strength and a standard to your family and those around you and your acquaintances. We bless you that you’ll help others, give service, and aid to those who need it. Ethan, you are a special spirit in our family and you’ve come at a good time for us. We bless you that you’ll be good and true. Bless you that you’ll get the strength and the support you need from those around you. Ethan, we bless you to go on a mission when you are of age. We also bless you that you will find a worthy woman and take her to the temple when the time is right and begin to have a family of your own. . .

My dad told Terral after the blessing that he had had an impression that service was to be an important part in Ethan's life.  I feel so blessed to have so many worthy priesthood holders in our family.  Ethan will have many examples to look to.  I'm so grateful that this wonderful little boy is our son!

After sacrament meeting came the part that had stressed me out--the luncheon.  In spite of my preparation and lots of help given me, I just wasn't sure that everything would work out, but it all did!  By a series of small miracles we had a place to gather as a family (which was way more difficult to find than you might think!), I was able to complete Ethan's blessing outfit, all members of our immediate family were able to come as well as some extended family members, and we had enough food for everyone.

Here are some pictures from the luncheon, which was held at a dance studio thanks to some generous people in our ward.

Holy Hunt Eyebrows!

I'm really bummed that this is the closest thing we got to a family picture.  I totally didn't even think about it.  :(

The younger boys were really cute with Ethan.

After lunch was cleaned up, the kids ran wild!

 

. . .while the adults talked about stuff like reunion plans.