Backlog 1

One of the reasons I decided to post every day is that I knew that would help me to do the backlogging I kept putting off.  The order will be random, and when I do a catch-up post I'll post a link to it on the current day, just so's y'all know I'm keepin' up with my goal.

I actually started this particular backlog on the date that's shown. . .I just didn't get very far.  I had a lot of pictures to sift through, and all that uploading to intimidate me.  Anyone else feel like pictures can be beastly?  I'm getting a system worked out though, which should help things. In any case, this one is done. So without further ado, I give you Ethan's First Camping Trip.

Not Quite Elephant Arch

We finally got a decent dose of the outdoors today, but it wasn't quite what we had hoped.  We set off early afternoon to find Elephant Arch, but I don't think we even made it half way there.  The clouds rolled to take the warmth of the sun, and when the wind followed behind them we decided we had better turn back.

We did have fun while our little hike lasted, though.  We were hoping Ethan would fall asleep in the backpack, but he was enjoying himself too much.  Apparently it's been too long since we last hiked.  He liked watching Coby (Chris and Heather's dog) explore, and he was very interested in the horses we met along the way.  

On the "going forth" part of our little journey, Chris informed Terral he was erasing his footsteps.  Naturally, Terral decided to make it a little more difficult for him.

Never a dull moment when these two get together. :)

On the "retreat" part of our journey, Ethan decided he had had more than enough of riding in the backpack, so we took turns carrying him for a while.  

 But he still wasn't satisfied, so Terral tried holding him upside down.

He seemed to enjoy that, but of course it couldn't last forever.

So he finally got what he really wanted.

Mini Migration

I'm posting from St. George tonight.  Heather and Chris watched Ethan for us so we could go to the temple.  It was really nice, and the timing worked out perfectly.  Ethan was just getting done with his bath when we got back.  After I put him to bed, we spent the evening playing games, laughing, eating ice cream, and munching popcorn.  And now it's our turn for bed. G'night!

What is it?

Ethan loves to jabber. He has a few words that are very clear, and some that are kind of close to real words, but a lot of what he says are seemingly random syllables that are jam packed with meaning. The past few days he has really gotten into asking, "What is it?", only it sounds more like, "Is is it?" (Imagine those words in the cutest baby voice ever, and you'll get it just about right.)

This morning, Terral was watching Ethan and letting me sleep in since I had been up with him in the wee hours of the morning.  Apparantly, Ethan was all kinds of jabberin'. He kept pointing at different things asking, "Is is it?"  At one point Ethan was sitting in Terral's lap, facing him.  He spied a bit of chest hair, pointed at it, and again asked, "Is is it?"  Terral said, "It's hair, like on your head," showing Ethan his own hair, "only down here" pointing at his (Terral's) chest.  Ethan thought for a minute, then looked down at his own chest.  His shirt was in the way, so he pulled at it and Terral unbuttoned it a bit. He pulled it open again and rubbed his chest.  Then he threw his hands wide and started jabbering in a tone that clearly meant something along the lines of, "Mine's different--I don't have any!"

Oh, the fun of discovery!

Impetus

Well, the birthday post is written, but as I mentioned before, I'm experimenting with editors and I haven't quite gotten it figured out yet.  So just in case it doesn't upload tonight, I thought I'd do a shout out to a couple of my cousins.  They both had a goal to post every day in 2011.  (Which they completed, btw!) Frankly, I thought it was a little absurd at first.  It just seemed a bit excessive.  But after a year of reading their blogs and "trying" to post a couple times a week, or even just once a week, I became convinced that following their lead would help me to develop the habit I desired. 

So now you know who to thank if you ever feel a burst of gratitude for being able to read all my scintillating (ha!) thoughts.

Seriously, though.  Thanks, guys.

Ethan's First Birthday

Well, it really happened. Ethan turned one! My baby's officially a toddler.

I stressed about his upcoming birthday at least three months in advance. I know it seems kind of silly, but it was a really big deal to me. I didn't want to do the smash cake thing, and I wanted a meaningful tradition that would last all of our kids to replace it. But I was having a hard time deciding what to do. I never did settle on anything really meaningful, but in spite of my worries, we were able to complete almost all the preparations I hoped for and just have a really enjoyable day celebrating our wonderful boy.

Grandparents Henke and Fox were there, and the Downwards and Halls were too. Once everyone was assembled, Ethan got to open his gifts. He had practice at Christmas, so he knew right what to do.

Paper sure is fun! I'm sure he would have been perfectly happy to play with that the whole time, but we kept taking it so he could find his gifts.

After gifts, we took a break to enjoy the food. Ethan loved the hummus, especially the olive pesto flavor.

The ladybug crackers were some inspiration from Christmas Eve (thanks Laura!), and I think they are so fun, not to mention tasty.

Then it was time for some fun. I made a peek-a-boo game out of a big cardboard box. It was a big hit with the kids.

The adults got in on the action too.

We all played around, visited, and just had a good time. Then everyone left except the Downwards, and we took a little trip to the park. This was the first chance Ethan had to navigate the play equipment by himself. He loved the slide and playing with his cousins!

Even after everyone left, we still kept celebrating. We couldn't help but dance during dinner.

And the play continued right on into bath time, where he got to try out some toys from his cousins.

A fun day for our fun boy! Happy Birthday, little man! We love you heaps and heaps.

So far. . .

Well, the birthday post was again put on hold.  I'm experimenting with offline editors, and half of the pictures were taken with Terral's fancy camera, which complicates things.  So, it will get done when it gets done.

As far as how things are going with my goals in general, there hasn't been a whole lot of progress in the sleep department.  We'll continue to work on that.  However, I did yoga yesterday, and Ethan and I went for a walk today. I haven't planned singing time yet this week (boo), but I have been crocheting (yay!).  I'm working on a scarf for Terral.  Technically, it was supposed to be done before Christmas.  I'm ashamed to admit that this is the third year in a row (out of four years of marriage) that I've given him an incomplete gift. 

I'm starting a couple of new violin students this month, which is exciting.  I met with one of them (and his mom) today, and unfortunately some things came up that made me feel totally incompetent.  Yuck.  They're still planning on taking lessons from me, though, so I guess there's still hope. 

Annnd. . . that's kind of how my day went.  Got some things done, but nothing really of note.  Ethan was super whiny and clingy.  I was less than my best self.  Terral was frustrated with something from work. 

How's that for lame sauce?