The Klawer Family

Owen's 1st Visit at the Park

2010-10-12T16:19:00.000-07:00

Today was Owen's first visit to the park. One of his many girlfriends, Piper (7 months) met us there.

Owen slept most of the time.

Palm Springs

2010-10-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

October 8-11, 2010 - This weekend we went to Palm Springs for our friends Matt & Lauren's wedding. My due date with Owen was October 15th so we had to RSVP no. I later found out that while I was in labor back on September 19th, Dan was texting with Matt letting him know that we were going to be at his wedding. Here are a few photos from our travels.

Owen on his first vacation

We went to an amazing children's museum while we were there. Here is Ethan painting an old Volkswagon bug.
Standing on his tip toes.

Riding a police motorcycle

They had a cute little grocery store. Ethan loved it! However, he would pick up a box of cereal, shake it, and yell, "It's empty!" He couldn't understand why all the boxes were empty. He refused to buy anything that wasn't full.

He was so serious about this grocery store. Here he is paying the checker for his groceries.

They had a pizza shop too!

I wish this museum was closer to home cause we would be there all the time! I don't know what our problem was but we didn't get any photos of the wedding!? Boo!

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. McPherson!!!

Track Suit

2010-10-07T15:56:00.000-07:00

I remember Ethan wearing this velour track suit when he was a baby. It looked just as cute on little Owen.

Daddy's Birthday

2010-10-05T23:42:00.000-07:00

Today for Dan's birthday we went to Disneyland & CA Adventure. It was a perfect day to go. It was raining but it was also empty. We left Owen at home with Dan's mom for the day. We had so much fun with Ethan...he definitely needed the alone with mommy & daddy time.

Trying to keep Ethan dry.

Ethan with Chip or Dale
Ethan and Pluto

Ethan & the birthday boy!

The three of us with Pumpkin Mickey.

Ethan with the Army Guys from Toy Story

How cute is he?

We had such a fun day! It was so nice for me to be back there around all those people. For once I loved the crowds after being confined for so long. We even stayed to watch the World of Color show at CA Adventure. It was amazing! Happy Birthday Dan! Hope you had a fabulous day!

Brotherly Love

2010-10-03T15:40:00.000-07:00

Ethan cuddling Owen. Just precious!

Owen's First Bath

2010-10-02T22:33:00.000-07:00

Owen's umbilical chord finally fell off so he got his first bath tonight. I think he really liked it.

Here he is before...fast asleep in Momma's arms.

During the bath...fast asleep.
Woke up as soon as that cold air hit his wet skin.

Happy guy once again in Momma's arms.

Owen's 1st Photoshoot

2010-10-01T23:31:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos from Owen's photo shoot I did at home. I think he thoroughly enjoyed himself!

Upset!
Huh?

Cute!

Adorable!

He was exhausted after all of that!

Bedtime Stories

2010-09-29T23:29:00.000-07:00

This was the happiest moment! Cuddling with both boys is the best!

First Day of School

2010-09-27T23:25:00.000-07:00

Today I took Ethan to his first day of school with Miss Stella. It is a mommy and me class and Owen is able to come along. Ethan was so happy to go out again with mommy!!!

Cute Owen & A Night Out

2010-09-25T23:22:00.000-07:00

Just a couple photos of our cute little Owen!

Fast asleep in Mommy & Daddy's bed...his favorite place to be.
Being on bedrest for 7 weeks I was dying to get out of the house. Tonight was our good friend Preston's 30th birthday party and I couldn't wait to go. We left both boys at home with my parents and headed out for a night on the town.

Four Generations

2010-09-24T23:21:00.000-07:00

My grandma has been in town and got to meet Owen before she headed back to Florida. Owen is 5 days old in this photo.

Our Little Glow Worm

2010-09-22T23:15:00.000-07:00

Our little Owen has really bad jaundice so we had to be sent home from the hospital with heat lamps that he has to stay in at all times except for while he is eating. His little body gets so hot!

All curled up
Very content

Big brother Ethan holding Owen for the first time!

So cute and hairy!

Owen's 1st Few Days

2010-09-20T22:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of Owen's first few days of his life. Enjoy!

Baby Owen with his new hat on.

Daddy with his boys.
Owen gave his brother a present: a Mr. Incredible suit!!!

Ethan is truly in love with his brother now!

Jenn feeding Owen

My chubby hairy baby.

My friend Melissa was one of our many visitors.

Due to Owen's bad jaundice, he became our little glow worm.

In his first outfit, ready to go home. Ethan wore this home from the hospital too except it was a little too big for him.

Daddy & Ethan admiring Owen.

Daddy & his boys again.

Owen in the car seat.

In the car on our way home.

Our life as a family of 4 is ready to begin!

Baby Owen's Birth Day

2010-09-19T22:43:00.000-07:00

The time has finally come! I couldn't be more excited than I am right now. All this pain will be over and I will have a precious baby in my arms! I am currently 36 weeks and 2 days. I went off of my medication to stop contractions 2 days ago. My doctor said I could go off of bed rest too but that didn't happen as I could barely move my body was in so much pain.

My water broke at 7:30 this morning. It is 9:00 am and we are ready to head to the hospital.

Our last photo as a family of 3!

The crowd in my room waiting for Owen to arrive!
Ethan, the amazing big brother!

My sis got to be in the room while I delivered Owen. She lives in San Luis Obispo which is about 3 hours away. We called her the second my water broke at 7:30. She packed her bag and hopped in the car with her hubby. They got to the hospital at 11:30.

Owen's heartbeat kept dropping so I had to wear the oxygen mask.

After pushing for 11 minutes, Owen was born at 1:26 pm.

Uncle Travis trying to keep Ethan occupied in the halls while waiting to meet Owen.

My TWO boys!

I am in heaven!

Ethan was so excited that Owen was finally here!

The biggest preemie ever!

8lbs 4oz & 21 inches

I am in shock at how big my baby is!

The cousins hanging out together.

Ethan helping me feed baby Owen.

He did such a good job. I just love the determination on his face!

Baby Owen in his crib at the hospital.

What a wonderful day it was today! Everything went so well. My sister made it in time. I was no longer in pain. Baby Owen came quickly. He was healthy. Dr. Nish was amazing! Today was such a blessing!

Hospital Visit #2

2010-09-12T22:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I am back in the hospital for the second time. I am 35 weeks this time & my doctor is still going to make me hold off until 36 weeks. This baby wants out so bad! I was having horrible pains in my lower abdomen...so horrible that I could barely walk or sit up. My doctor told me to go to the hospital to get monitored and they ended up keeping me overnight. I got to sleep in a delivery bed which was the most uncomfortable thing ever! I think I would have been more comfortable sleeping on the floor with a few pillows. I truly felt like I was being held hostage. I wanted to go home so bad but they kept making me take painful walks around the hospital with my IV & in my beautiful hospital gown. Fun fun! The best part was having Ethan & Ginger bring me lunch from Chick-fil-A so that I didn't starve to death...who in their right mind would eat that nasty hospital food?

Ethan was so excited to see me. He just couldn't understand why I was in the hospital and Owen hadn't come out yet. Ask Dr. Nish!

Family & Friends Baby Shower

2010-09-11T22:10:00.000-07:00

Today my lovely friend Kelly threw me a beautiful baby shower with my close friends and family. It was such a wonderful party and it was SO nice to get out of the house that I have been confined to for weeks!

The adorable diaper cake that she made for me.

The pretty decorations.
Aja, me, & Alison
(friends from elementary school)

Meghan, me, & Kerry

(Meg was our flower girl & Kerry was one of my bridesmaids at our wedding)

Nicole & Nichole

(friends from high school)

My fashionista friend Lindsay & me

(high school friends)

The cake

Miss Delaney helping me open the presents.

The beautiful bassinet filled with goodies!

Cousin, Sis, & Friend

Christine, Jenn, & Jodi

My friend Nicole's mom made beautiful embroidered burp cloths for Owen.

Jodi, Jenny, me, & Lindsay

The Klawers

Jade, Autumn, Ginger, & Kimie

My amazing photographer friend Karen & me.

Bam!

The party thrower Kelly, me, & Jen

Grandma, Jenn, me, & my mom

Me & soon to be grandma of TWO!

Jackie, Miss Delaney, and me

I haven't gotten to watch Delaney since I have been on bed rest so we were very excited to see each other!

My mom, Jenn, me & Christine

The beautiful burp cloth cake my sister-in-law Jade made me!

www.acutebutton.com

Thank you Kelly for opening your home to all of my friends and family. You did such a beautiful job and I felt so loved. You are amazing!

Disneyland with Daddy

2010-09-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

After breakfast this morning Dan went upstairs to get ready for work. He then came down the stairs with his Mickey Mouse shirt on and said he was going to take Ethan to Disneyland. I was so excited for them to spend father/son time together but I was so sad that I wasn't able to go with them. I got to lay on the couch all day instead. Luckily my sister was in town for the day to keep me company.

Ready to go to the happiest place on earth together!

They got to see the Pixar Parade at CA Adventure which is the best parade ever! Ethan got to see his friend George from Monster's Inc.
And of course his other friends, the CDA.

Ethan told Dada today that Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is his new favorite ride.

Cutest kid ever on the teacups!

Dan & Ethan on the Buzz Lightyear ride. Ethan is actually pretty good at this! He must take after his Dad!

More Bedrest Fun

2010-09-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

I have now been on bed rest for 3 1/2 weeks. Ethan has seriously been having the time of his life! Here are a few more photos from his daily adventures.

Julia & Spiderman watching a movie together.

Ethan is so excited that GG brought him his own Starbucks! It's the pink milkshake, not the cup of coffee!
Ethan got to spend the night at GG & Papa's house with all of his friends.

He got to play with his buddy Hayden today. How cute are they as Buzz & Woody?

They are so good at taking turns!

And here is a photo of my giant bowling ball for you. I am 34 weeks. I only have 2 more weeks on bed rest!!!

My lovely friend Karen took these photos.

Ethan's New Haircut

2010-08-30T16:45:00.000-07:00

Dan has been dying to shave Ethan's head for over a year now. I always won that discussion...until now.

Before After

Bedrest Adventures

2010-08-27T11:06:00.001-07:00

I am 33 weeks today and have been on strict bedrest for almost 2 weeks now. I haven't really been enjoying myself but Ethan's life got way more exciting! Everyday he goes on a new adventure at a different friend's house. Now when he wakes up in the morning he asks, "Who's coming over?" He definitely knows that his days are different now. Here are a few photos of his activities over the last 2 weeks.

On the "up & down" with Daddy!

On his way to spend the day at Dylan's house.
Being Buzz Lightyear at Hayden's house.
Julia the dragon and a sad Iron Man with a golf club.

Cake Head Iron Man playing with Mr. Potato Head.

Spiderman relaxing.

TWO Spidermans - Dylan gave Ethan this Spiderman costume for his birthday but it didn't come in the mail until last Friday. Ever since he got it he kept asking if Dylan could come over with his Spiderman costume. He kept saying, "I want to play 2 Spidermans!" There was finally a break in Ethan's busy schedule so Dylan, I mean Spiderman, came over to play. They had a blast!!!

Look at those muscles!

A little more flexing...

Then it was time for a break. They made smoothies and sat on their cars drinking them. How cute are they?

Cheers!

I have made it to 33 weeks! Very exciting since this baby has wanted to come out now for quite a few weeks. Every day that this baby stays inside, the healthier he will be!

Thanks to everyone who has taken Ethan in and entertained him and fed him. I truly appreciate it. And thanks too for sending me photos of his adventures! I love receiving them!

The doctor's goal is to keep this baby inside me until 36 weeks. If the baby hasn't come by then, I will be taken off of strict bedrest and my medication to stop my contractions. Pray that whatever happens, our guy will be a strong and healthy baby. Thanks everyone!

Ethan's 1st Dentist Visit

2010-08-11T10:43:00.000-07:00

Today Ethan had his first dentist appointment. I was way more nervous than he was. He did such an awesome job. No tears. No complaining. I think what really helped was we read a bunch of "going to the dentist" books for a couple of weeks before we actually went. However, we read a "Little Critter" book and it talked all about having holes in your teeth & the dentist drilling. Everyday Ethan would have me look in his mouth to see if he had any holes. Poor kid was traumatized from a "Littler Critter" book!!! Anyway, here are a few photos from Ethan's experience.

Does he look mad at me or what? At least he had otter with him to keep him company.

A hygienist cleaning his teeth. Ethan picked cherry flavored gloves for the guy to wear. How cool is that?
What a trooper!

Then it was the dentist's turn to look in Ethan's mouth. It looks like he is still giving me dirty looks!

I would definitely recommend Dentistry for Kids & Adults with Gina Dorfman. It was a great place for kids!!!

Ethan's 3rd Birthday!

2010-08-05T16:19:00.000-07:00

Today is my baby's 3rd birthday! I can't believe how fast these last 3 years have flown by! They have definitely been the most fun 3 years of my life. This morning started with a lovely song & dance in Ethan's room by his mommy & daddy...I know, it should have been recorded.

Then we walked down the stairs where Ethan saw this huge inflatable birthday cake to which he said, "Oh my gosh!" Um, did he turn 15 overnight? Ethan had options for breakfast since his daddy the cook was home; pancakes, French toast, eggs, anything. All he wanted was Apple Jacks for his birthday breakfast.

I thought that Ethan would love to spend his birthday at the fire station since he talks about it all the time. When we visited Fire Station 126 back in February, Ethan fell in love with Fireman Andy. Ethan has a little ride-on firetruck and fire hat and zips around the house pretending to be Fireman Andy all the time. So I scheduled a visit and Andy's shift just so happened to be working today! We had about 12 kids total join us and it was a fabulous tour. One of Ethan's friend's brought him this yummy cookie.

My little 3 year old very excited to go into the fire station.
The start of our tour. Ethan & his friend Mason held hands through most of it.

The smile on his cute little face just melted my heart.

Ethan & Mason listening to every word that Fireman Jack said.

Mr. Attitude! I know I'm a little obsessed with taking photos but geeze, I never thought my 3 year old would treat me like a paparazzi!

During our tour the firemen got a call to an emergency & had to leave quickly. Here are Mason & Ethan covering their ears because the siren was so loud.

And off they go! Lucky for us the captain stayed behind & continued our tour.

The kids enjoying all their lazy chairs.

Yay! Fireman Andy finally got to join us! Ethan couldn't believe it!

One happy guy in the fire engine!

Fireman Andy dressed up for all the kids. He was a huge hit!

Ethan got to try his heavy hat on.

A group shot with some of the kids and the firemen.

Ethan was very serious because he new that the tour was almost over.

Not happy about saying goodbye.

"Did Mama just say Chick-fil-A? I'm coming!"

After the fire station we went to Chick-fil-A for lunch; Ethan's favorite restaurant. This was our first time eating at the restaurant since the grand opening. I'd say Ethan had the best birthday ever!

Hot Air Balloon Festival

2010-07-31T16:11:00.000-07:00

This evening we went to the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Santa Paula. Ethan loved seeing all the pretty colorful balloons and it made me realize that I had never seen one up close before. I have seen them in the sky from miles away but never up close. They were huge and extremely beautiful when they were all lit up. Here are a few of the pretty photos we took.

Ethan got to touch one while it was on the ground being inflated.

All of the balloons all lit up at once.

Chick-fil-A's Grand Opening Campout

2010-07-28T15:51:00.000-07:00

Today was the day before the Grand Opening of Chick-fil-A. The first 100 people that showed up this morning at 6:00 am and stayed until 6:00 am tomorrow morning got 52 free meals - that is a meal a week for a year. Ethan & I were going to do it but they kept changing the date and at the last minute I decided not to do it. However, my mother-in-law Ginger, sister-in-law Jade, brother-in-law Mike, and baby Autumn all decided to do it. They set up camp and played games all day. Ethan & I went to visit them after naps and hung out and enjoyed the evenings festivities...and some free food!

GG teaching Ethan how to play cribbage. Ethan found a new use for the board though - a racetrack for Lightening McQueen.

Ethan trying out GG's bed.
Autumn napping in her makeshift bed.

Ethan was dying to play this game with all the big people and then got stage fright. The goal was to get the basketball into the hoop without using your hands.

Poor guy

We are excited about Chick-fil-A finally coming to our town!

The cow came out to say hello right before we headed home. Ethan couldn't believe that the cow didn't have a name.

View of the parking lot.

Now every time we drive by Chick-fil-A Ethan asks where GG's tent is!

Doctor Ethan

2010-07-26T14:18:00.000-07:00

Please ignore the graphic parts of the photos and just focus on how cute Ethan's face is. Today at my doctor's appointment, Dr. Nish let Ethan pretend he was the doctor. Here are a few photos from our visit.

Ethan very excited about helping the doctor.

Pure joy & excitement on his face!
Ethan making sure the doppler works before sticking it on my blob of a stomach.

Ethan found the baby's heartbeat on his first try! I think Ethan likes hearing the heartbeat as much as I do.

Alright, now move on to the next post.

Carpinteria Beach Once More

2010-07-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

We went to Carpinteria Beach again today with all of our friends. Ethan just loves the beach. He refuses to stop playing to eat or drink anything and thoroughly enjoys throwing sand at his friends.

Here is Jonah & Ethan playing together!

I just love this photo!
Here is Ethan annoying Jonah. Every time Jonah would run down the beach pulling his boogie board Ethan would jump on it. This "game" did not make Jonah too happy.

My little beach bum!

Ethan always wins the prize for the kid covered in the most sand.

Goofy Boys

The Aquatics Center

2010-07-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

Today Ethan and I joined a couple friends at the Aquatic Center for some water play. This place has been open in town for many years and I have never been there. The weather was just perfect and Ethan had so much fun.

The Group - Ethan, me, Isabella, Amelia, Nicole, and her two friends.

When we were at Hurricane Harbor a couple weeks ago Ethan got to wear a life jacket. They were optional today but Ethan wanted to wear one so bad. I guess it made him feel like he was back at Hurricane Harbor.
Mama & Ethan
(and my big belly)
Ethan thought these sprinkler things were the funniest things!

Packing Kids

2010-07-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

We are moving in 2 days so I have been doing a lot of packing. Ethan & Delaney were having a blast today playing in all of the empty boxes. How cute are they?!?

Locks of Love

2010-07-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

Today I was extremely sick of my long thick hair constantly making me extremely hot all the time. So, today I went and got 11 inches cut off and donated it to Locks of Love. Locks of Love uses the hair to make wigs for sick kids. It's a great feeling being much cooler & being able to help others in need at the same time.

The Before

And the After

July 4th in Pismo

2010-07-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

July 3 to 5, 2010 - This weekend my mom, dad, Dan, Ethan, & I went to Pismo to visit Jennifer & Travis. We had so much fun celebrating Travis' birthday and America's birthday. Here are a few photos from our trip.

Ethan playing peek-a-boo at Travis' birthday dinner in San Luis Obispo

Gosh he is so handsome!
On July 4th we went to a carnival at a park right around the corner from Travis & Jenn's house. Ethan had such a fun time. Knocking down the pins with a beanbag was definitely the highlight of Ethan's day.
Putt putt golf came in second. We couldn't pry him away!
This one was a little trickier. He had to bounce ping pong balls into glass jars. He didn't win but he got a prize anyway.
Ethan got to do Spin Art! This was one of my favorite art projects when I was a kid. Ethan loved it too!

Ethan's masterpiece

He was so excited about getting his face painted. I couldn't believe he just sat there with his eyes closed while the lady went to town!

The finished product -

Ethan the Super Hero

Mama & Ethan

Ethan got to drive the biggest & nicest fire engine I have ever seen!

An artsy family photo

Time to stand in a bubble

Pismo Beach - Everyone was waiting for the fireworks to start

The family freezing our bottoms off!

Hurricane Harbor

2010-07-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

Today Ethan & I went to Hurricane Harbor. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos cause I was scared that my camera was going to get ruined since water was flying everywhere in those kiddy play lands. Ethan had a blast though and I think next year when he is a little older will be even more fun. His favorite part was shooting water out of pirate cannons at people walking by. He would die laughing every time he shot someone. What a fun day with my little man.

Carpinteria Beach Again!

2010-06-30T15:52:00.000-07:00

Today Ethan and I went to Carptineria Beach again with a bunch of friends! We had such a fun and relaxing day in the beautiful weather!

An awesome photo one of my friends took of Ethan.

The large group of kids - and I don't think all of them got in the photo!

Ethan's 1st Sleepover

2010-06-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

Today Ethan's cousin's Evan & Alex came over to our house to play. They haven't seen each other in quite a long time so they all had a blast together. The boys didn't want the fun to end so Ethan got to go to their house for a sleepover...Ethan's 1st! He is such a big boy! He had a great time playing with all of their toys and sleeping in their room.

Evan showing Ethan how to play his Nintendo DS.

Alex, Ethan, & Otter cuddling on the couch before bed.
Evan, Ethan, & Alex ready for bed.

Oh my gosh, how cute are they!?!

In the morning they got to make pancakes together.

Thanks Christine for a fun evening for Ethan and for a lovely evening alone for Dan & me. Thanks too for all of the great photos!!!

Magic Mountain with Lily

2010-06-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

Ethan & I just got a season pass to Magic Mountain since we no longer have a pass to Disneyland. Magic Mountain is right down the street so we can make a quick little outing out of it. The only bummer is I can't go on ANY rides since I am pregnant...not even the merry-go-round! So when we go, we have to go with someone because there are rides that Ethan can't go on by himself. This time Ethan's friend Lily, her mommy, and baby sister came along.

Ethan in the Tweety Bird cage

Ethan & Lily on the Percy rollercoaster which Ethan did NOT enjoy!
Ethan lovin on Tweety

And here is my belly at 24 weeks.

Carpinteria Beach

2010-06-23T15:08:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Carpinteria Beach with a big group of friends. It was Ethan's first time fully playing at the beach this summer for the entire day. We were there for about 6 hours! That is an eternity for his mama who really doesn't enjoy the beach all that much. I remember last summer constantly brushing sand off Ethan, not wanting him to get dirty. Ha! This time Ethan had a blast rolling in the sand & throwing sand with his buddies Oliver & Jonah. He was covered in sand from head to toe.

Oliver & Ethan

The boys hard at work.

Father's Day

2010-06-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day Dada!!!

We had a lovely day today! We started out at the Egg Plantation for breakfast with GG & Papa. Ethan had fun being silly.

Family Photo
After breakfast we headed to Underwood Family Farms to go strawberry picking again. Dan has never been so Ethan & I were very excited to show him around. Here we are on the tractor ride out to the strawberry fields. The weather was beautiful!

GG & Ethan picking some strawberries.

Ethan & Dada having fun in the fields.

Ethan's done picking & ready to play at the playground.

Ethan & Dada at the top of the hay pyramid.

What a fun day! Happy Father's Day to the best Daddy around! We love you!

Toy Story 3

2010-06-19T14:59:00.000-07:00

Today is the big day! We are taking Ethan to see Toy Story 3 in the movie theater. He has been talking about this for weeks. "Is Toy Story 3 open yet?" has been the question that I hear daily! Ethan has never been to the movie theater and he is beside himself with excitement. I actually don't really know if he even knows what a movie theater is but he is excited anyway.

Here is Ethan on the morning of Toy Story 3 when I woke him up. He had Rex, Woody, and Buzz and sleep right next to him while wearing his Toy Story pjs!

This was a huge event! We had 11 people total: Mema, Papa, GG, Uncle Kent, Auntie Kimie, Mama, Dada, Julia (his favorite girl friend), and her mommy and daddy. Here is Ethan with his 3D glasses on. It was a killer trying to get him through all the previews...he just wanted the movie to start NOW!
Dada with his cheeseball.

I think Ethan was more excited about eating popcorn and drinking lemonade!

What a fun experience!

Woody Dropped By

2010-06-18T14:55:00.000-07:00

To get "ready" for our big outing to the "moobie feater" tomorrow morning, we had a little surprise for Ethan. We bought him a Woody doll. I unwrapped it and put it on the front porch and rang the doorbell. Ethan was in total shock that Woody came to live with him!

Pure excitement on his face!

One happy little man!
He couldn't believe that Woody's boot said ANDY on it!

He even had a pull string!

We can't wait to take you with us to the movies tomorrow Woody!

Pool with Cousin Autumn

2010-06-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

Today Ethan got to go swimming with his cousin Autumn. It was her first time swimming. I just love love this photo of Ethan, Auntie Jade, & Autumn.

Pictures of Baby #2

2010-06-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple photos of Baby Boy Klawer #2. I just love profile shots!

17 weeks

22 weeks

Hodgepodge Post

2010-06-11T14:27:00.000-07:00

We had a fun day today. We started out with a water play date with Ethan's friend's Julia & Brennan. Here is Ethan sunbathing.

In the evening we went to another Dodger game. Here is me & my belly at 22 weeks along. Ethan is definitely getting more excited.

Water Fun in the Backyard

2010-06-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

Last year at the end of summer I bought this ball on clearance and forgot all about it. Ethan found it in the garage today and wanted to play with it. He had no idea though that water was going to squirt out from it. He had such a blast.

When he got too cold he hopped in the jacuzzi with it.
My little water lover!

Bowling with GG

2010-06-07T14:22:00.000-07:00

Today Ginger took Ethan for the entire day. I went and got a massage and a pedicure and went shopping. It was funny how I really didn't know what to do with myself the entire day without Ethan. I got so much done! It was so nice & relaxing though. Thank you Ginger!

GG decided to take Ethan bowling for the first time.

Ethan could barely hold the ball! GG helped him get started.

GG said that he would sit down and watch his very slow ball go all the way down the lane.

Just a cool dude waiting for his ball to come back.

This time he decided to relax a little.

Descanso Gardens with GG

2010-06-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Descanso Gardens to celebrate GG's birthday a week late. The gardens were so peaceful and beautiful. Ethan had fun running around the whole place. He walked by himself pretty much the whole time. He did such a good job.

Ethan in a pretty tunnel.

One cute kid on a bench.
The Thinker

Ethan's favorite part - the mini train tracks!

Such beauty!

Watching the fish swim by.

Mama & Ethan at the pond.

Ethan wanted to relax in the "museum."

Ethan was so excited when he saw the globe...

cause there is one in Toy Story 1.

My favorite plant of the day.

Strike a pose.

Looking intently at the map with GG.

Mama & Ethan by some pretty flowers.

Oh my goodness! A "ding ding ding" just Ethan's size!

Ethan's Snazzy Outfit

2010-05-30T16:24:00.000-07:00

When Ethan woke up from his nap today he wanted to go with Daddy to the market. I told him he needed some shorts and shoes on before he went. He ran upstairs and came back down wearing this...

Here I am at 20 weeks - half way!

Strawberry Picking at Underwood

2010-05-27T16:15:00.000-07:00

Today I organized a strawberry picking event with my MOPS group. Even though the weather was iffy, we had an amazing turnout...about 60 people! The weather was great while we were picking our strawberries and then started to rain as soon as we were done. It was fun getting a little dirty!

Ethan on the tractor ride out to the strawberry fields.

The BEFORE...
And the AFTER!
Ethan actually didn't put any strawberries IN his basket. Every single one he picked went into his mouth...or all over his face.

Us on the tractor ride back...Ethan is still chowing!

Ethan & his friend Danica...Ethan couldn't stop eating for a photo.

Ethan's 1st Dodger Game

2010-05-20T15:52:00.000-07:00

My aunt Annie is in town visiting from Pennsylvania so we thought it would be fun to take her to a Dodger game. It was Ethan's first baseball game and the poor kid thought that we were going to the stadium to watch HIM play. Little did he know that he was going to have to sit way up high and watch other people play. He did such a good job though...especially once him and Daddy shared a cotton candy!

Ethan ready to go to the game

Me, my mom, Ethan, Auntie Annie, & my dad
Ethan riding on Papa's shoulders all the way up to the top!

Ethan seriously sat like this the entire game. He thought for sure that he was going to catch a fly ball.

It's another BOY!

2010-05-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

This morning we got to find out that we are having another BOY! Dan and I are very excited but Ethan truly thought we were having a girl. He keeps saying, "I'm the boy!" I think he wants to be the only boy in the family. I think he will appreciate having a little brother once the baby gets here. Poor guy, cheer up!

A Busy Saturday

2010-05-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Ethan's friend Dylan's 3rd birthday party. The theme was monster trucks which Ethan loved.

Dylan & Ethan eating lunch "together."

Pretending to be Iron Man
Ethan ready to catch some candy out of the pinata.

Our little Ethan got to go first since he was the smallest kid.

Ethan with the amazing monster truck cake.

Helping blow out the candles.

Chowing down on cake.

After the party we went to Ventura to play on the beach for a little bit. Boy was it cold!

Ethan & Dada playing in the water.

Toddler Class at the Zoo

2010-05-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

Today we took a Toddler Class at the LA Zoo. We got to go in the zoo before it opened to the public which was pretty cool. The class was all about teeth and every kid in the class got a little backpack with pictures of the animals we were going to see as well as one of their teeth. Ethan really got a kick out of them!

Here is Ethan with his backpack on.

What a big boy!

Ethan showing you an alligator tooth.
My belly exploded this week. Here I am at 17 weeks.

San Luis to visit the Bobbitts

2010-04-24T15:49:00.000-07:00

April 24th to 26th - Today Ethan and I headed up to San Luis Obispo to visit Jennifer & Travis for a couple of days. Delaney & her parents were visiting some friends in Pismo so we hitched a ride with them. Ethan & Delaney had a blast annoying the heck out of each other the entire three hour ride. Fun! Fun!

Ethan & Uncle Travis coming back from the park. This morning Jenn had to work so Travis took Ethan to the park for a couple hours. I had the whole morning to myself with no one talking my ear off. It was pure bliss! Thanks Travis!

My prego belly at 15 weeks.
Ethan & me...um, does he desperately need a haircut or what?

April 26th was my sister's birthday so Ethan helped make strawberry pancakes for her for breakfast.

Playing at the beach.

Thanks for a great mini vacation guys!

Thomas the Train

2010-04-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

Thomas the Train was in town this weekend so we went for a visit. It was train overload!

Us with Percy

Ethan playing with all the trains.
Ethan & his friend Dylan concentrating hard.

Ethan & Sir Topham Hatt

Once Ethan discovered the putt putt golf booth he was so over all the trains. Trying to pry him away from this to ride Thomas was quite difficult.

Ethan, Dylan, & Thomas

Thomas, Ethan, & me

Back to putt putt golf.

Dylan & Ethan on Thomas the Train

Looking out the window and the train yard.

Our Last Time for Awhile

2010-04-14T17:58:00.000-07:00

My season pass to Disneyland expires on Saturday so I decided to take Ethan to Disneyland one last time before that happens. It was kind of a sad day for me. This is probably the last time Ethan & I will be at Disneyland just the two of us. Once the new baby comes I don't see us going there very often. We had such a great day together. When we walked into the park we saw about eight characters! That is the way Disneyland should be every time! Throughout the day we probably saw about 13 or 14 different characters. When we were done doing everything there was to do at Disneyland we headed over to CA Adventure to watch the Pixar parade. If you haven't done this yet, it is a must! Ethan just loves this parade...he gets to see all of his "friends" in action.

Here is Ethan and Chip (or Dale)

Ethan and Donald Duck
Pluto and Ethan

Crazy Goofy and Ethan

Ethan's new favorite ride, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

For those of you that keep up with our blog and have heard me talk about George from Monsters Inc., here he is. Ethan was jumping up and down yelling George! It was like he just saw the most famous celebrity ever!

Another one of Ethan's favorites, the CDA.

This was such a special trip to Disneyland with my little man. I will remember it forever.

Fillmore Fish Hatchery

2010-04-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Fillmore Fish Hatchery to feed some fish. I'm glad we did it because I have heard about it for years but this was a one time deal. Ethan had more fun throwing rocks at the ducks.

Ethan ready to go get some fish food.

Ethan feeding the fish.
Ethan and the 5 girls

Practicing Piano

2010-04-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo of Ethan practicing his chords...

Just kidding, though he does look like he is really concentrating on those fingers!

Nice Outfit

2010-04-05T17:48:00.000-07:00

Today was just one of those long days at home. I let Ethan pick out his own outfit since we weren't going anywhere. Here is what he chose...a white guitar shirt with black Halloween pants turned capris and his Woody boots. Just lovely Ethan!

MOPS Easter Egg Hunt

2010-04-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

Today I organized a huge Easter Egg Hunt for my MOPS group. Ethan had a blast being my little helper.

Here he is shaking all the egg that came in.

And he's off to hunt!
He completely understood what he needed to do this year.

Miss Delaney even got to join us today.

Delaney & Ethan checking out what they got.

My handsome man posing with his basket.

I've got my hands full!

Trip to Pismo Beach

2010-03-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

March 28 to 30 - My mom, Ethan, and I went up to Pismo to visit my sister Jenn and her hubby Travis. I absolutely LOVE Pismo and we really enjoyed our relaxing visit.

Here is Ethan at one of the neat parks we went to.

Enjoying the rocking horse.
And enjoying the swings.

My handsome little man.

Mama & Ethan

Mine and Jenn's classic photo together. Whenever the three of us take a photo together we always capture the back of Ethan's head.

I just love profile shots.

Another cool park we found. Ethan on Shamu!

I just love this photo!

At this park Ethan found a ladybug. He picked it up, put it in his hand...

...and it crawled all the way up his arm and sat on his shoulder. He talked to it all the way back to the car and even brought it home with us.

At one of our favorite places, Avila Barn.

Playing on the beach!

He just gets cuter and cuter!

Ethan and Travis

Ethan & Jenn

Thanks for a fun and relaxing trip guys!

Hope to see you again real soon!

Ethan's New Favorite Place

2010-03-27T21:26:00.000-07:00

Ethan's new favorite place to visit is Hart Park. We discovered a couple of months ago that they have a bunch of animals there that you can visit with and now Ethan wants to go there everyday! It doesn't help that we have to drive by the park every time we head home.

Ethan and the pigs.

This is so cool. If you go there around 2:00 it is feeding time. The geese get moved from one pen to another and they just waddle right past you. The lady also hands out food to all the kids that are there to give to the animals.

This cow's name is Norman. Ethan tells me that this is his best friend. Every time we drive past Ethan yells out, "Good morning Norman!" He would love to hang out with Norman everyday if he could!

Ethan trying to feed Norman.

Dan's Graduation

2010-03-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

Dan graduated at work back in December but we finally got to celebrate here in March! We went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Pasadena for a lovely evening. Congratulations Dan! We are so very proud of you!

The dessert that they brought out for Dan.

The group: Dan's parents, me & Dan, Kenny (one of his managers), Terry (another fantastic manager) & his wife Stacey, and my parents.

CA Adventure

2010-03-17T17:27:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Ethan & I thought it would be a perfect day to head to Disneyland & CA Adventure. It was a Wednesday. The weather was beautiful...about 90 degrees (sorry my east coast family, yes, it was 90 degrees today). But once we got there, we noticed that everyone had the same idea. The place was SO crowded that we took a couple pictures with Ethan's favorite "actors," went on 1 ride, then headed home. Needless to say, E was not very happy about that.

Ethan & Frozone (from The Incredibles)

Ethan with Elastigirl

Riding Horses and Trains, Oh My!

2010-03-11T21:12:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Griffith Park with my MOPS group. Ethan just loves it here because he gets to ride a horse and a train.

Here is Ethan in the middle on the smallest horse they had!

Then it was time to ride the train!

Then it was back over to the horses for one more ride. And once again, they gave my little man the same horse.

We went back over to ride the train again but we just missed it. Ethan was satisfied with just waving to all of the passengers.

Mammoth

2010-03-04T20:56:00.000-08:00

March 4-7, 2010 - The three of us headed to Mammoth for a couple days to play in the snow and hang out with some good friends. It was Ethan's first time in the snow and he loved it! Here are quite a few photos from our fun trip.

Ethan all dressed up and ready to play!

One happy guy in the gondola to visit Dada and our friends for lunch half way up the mountain.

Us on the gondola.

At the middle of the mountain with Dada.

We then took the gondola all the way to the top of Mammoth Mountain.

The group of us at the very top.

Ethan wanted to ski SO bad, especially since watching the Olympics for the last couple of weeks. Elaine let Ethan "ride" on her skis for a little bit before they all went down the mountain.

On a different gondola ride. Here is Ethan pointing out all of the snow. He kept saying, "It's everywhere!"

Happy on the gondola ride.

Happy & ready to play in the snow!

Another family photo in the snow.

Sledding with Mama!

Now it's Dada's turn!

Then Ethan got to go down all by himself!

Ethan spotted this snowman at the top of the sledding mountain. I love how Ethan is trying to look like the snowman in this picture.

Once I showed Ethan that he could eat the snow, he wouldn't stop!

Ethan and Dada built this snowman together.

Our last day with our friends.

Ski Jumping

2010-03-01T17:25:00.000-08:00

In case you don't follow Ethan's endeavors on Facebook, he is obsessed with the Olympics! Hockey, skiing, skating, ski jumping, you name it, he loves it! And, he insists on reenacting every event he sees. When he was watching the ski jumping he decided to jump off the couch and landed on his face. When watching hockey he started slamming into all of the walls. Here is a photo of our little man ski jumping using his puzzles as skis. I love how he has his hands behind his back and how he has such a determined little look on his face.

Fire Station Visit

2010-02-25T17:14:00.000-08:00

Today we went to a fire station in town for a tour with my MOPS group. I organized the event but I had no idea that about 100 people would show up. The poor firemen were a little bit overwhelmed. Everyone had fun regardless...especially Ethan. We started the morning off on a bad note though because Ethan didn't have a firetruck shirt to wear. He was very upset about that. I told him he could wear his fireman boots and jackets instead. Then, all was well with the world again.

Here is our cool dude ready to go in.

He had brought his (pretend) camera with him and was taking shots of everything at every angle!

Fireman Andy letting Ethan try on one of his helmets.

Fireman Andy then put on his entire fireman suit. Ethan thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Our happy guy in the front seat of the firetruck.

The cool firemen brought out the hook & ladder firetruck and put the ladder all the way up. All the kids had a blast watching Fireman Andy climb all the way to the top.

The entire group!

Thank you Fire Station 126!

Mustache Fun

2010-02-24T22:08:00.000-08:00

So today Dan came home from work today with a fake mustache that he bought out of a vending machine and decided to wear into a few customer's to get a few laughs. The second Dan came home with it on his face Ethan said, "What's that Dada?" We put it on Ethan and he went to town posing with his cowboy hat on. What a ham!

Our Little Snowboarder

2010-02-21T17:03:00.000-08:00

This afternoon Dan got out all of his snowboarding gear to get ready for our trip to Mammoth in a couple weeks. Ethan had so much fun putting on all of Dada's gear.

Scuba Diving on Dry Land

2010-02-14T17:30:00.000-08:00

This afternoon my dad and Ethan went scuba diving on dry land. Ethan had a blast putting on all of Papa's scuba gear. He only had one complaint. He kept asking, "Where the water go?"

I love his little smushed face in this photo!

Yee Haw Cowboy Ethan

2010-02-13T16:27:00.000-08:00

Today was my friend Annie's son's 1st birthday party. His name is Ethan too! Our Ethan couldn't wait to go to the "barn" party. He loved dressing up like Woody and playing with all the other kids. This was one fun birthday party!

Here is our little cowboy!

Ethan on the pony ready to go for a ride.

Ethan was so funny, he waved to us the entire time he was on the horse.

Waving some more.

Could this cowboy be any cuter?

Enjoying his piece of cake in the barn.

So, our little guy turned 2 1/2 on February 5th. On that day, he turned into a different kid. He is so outgoing now and talks all the time. I don't know what came over him but while he was jumping in the bouncer he decided to tackle this kid that was much bigger than him. Look at that face!

And they are down. Ethan acting like it was no big deal. And the poor kid wondering what the heck just happened to him!

Look at this little boy next to Ethan. I have no idea who he is but OMG, could he be Ethan's little brother or what? Look at the photo above too. They look so similar! They both had plaid shirts on, the same color hair, and the same little wave in their hair. So cute!

Ethan is very into imitating everything and everyone. Here he is being George from Monsters Inc. Go watch the movie and look for the orange monster that keeps getting touched by human articles and you will know exactly what he is doing.

Happy 1st Birthday "baby Ethan!!!"

Thanks for a really fun party Preach family!

Bouncing and Buzz

2010-02-10T16:14:00.000-08:00

Today we had a fun filled day. We started out at Sky City Bounce with some friends from MOPS. Ethan hadn't been here in a couple months so he was very excited about bouncing around and sliding down huge slides.

Here he is on one of the huge slides.

After Sky City we went over to Hayden's house to play. Ethan was in heaven with all of the Toy Story toys Hayden had to play with. Here is Ethan with the Buzz Lightyear wings on. They did a great job taking turns being Buzz.

My Little Photographer

2010-02-09T16:14:00.000-08:00

Today I took Ethan to Picture People for his 2 1/2 year old / Valentine's Day photos. He did a great job and while we were waiting for them to print out our photos he wanted to be the photographer. He told me where to sit, gave me a prop, and then sat in the same spot that the photographer sat. He kept turning his "camera" just like the photographer did. I just love this little man's imagination! There definitely is never a dull moment with this guy.

My Little Reader

2010-02-08T15:57:00.000-08:00

Here is my little bookworm reading in the car. This man reads every chance he gets and trying to talk to him is just out of the question. I think this photo is hilarious because the book is bigger than he is!

Playing with Hayden

2010-02-03T16:45:00.000-08:00

Ethan & Hayden had a fun time playing outside today. What cute boys!

Toddler Boogie

2010-01-29T15:16:00.000-08:00

Today I took Ethan to try out a dance class called Toddler Boogie. He was very weary at first but GG helped him warm up and then he was dancing his heart out in no time.

Ethan wrapped around my leg.

GG helping Ethan get into it.
Flying around the room like an airplane.

Excited about his yellow tambourine.

He will kill me some day for this photo.

Trying to dance with a bean bag on his head.

After every song everyone would take a bow.

Here is Ethan's big bow.

Dancing around the sombrero with maracas.

Trying to pop all the bubbles after class.

As soon as class was over Ethan ran over to me and asked for his cookie...the bribe I gave him to get him to go to Toddle Boogie this morning.

Disneyland in the Rain

2010-01-26T14:30:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Disneyland with Daddy! We got there around 2:00, right when it started pouring! The bright side to being at Disneyland when it is raining is the park empties out. It felt like we had the whole place just to ourselves. We walked on every ride and Ethan got to go on Peter Pan for the first time. Peter Pan usually has the longest wait in all of Disneyland. We had a wonderful day and didn't get too wet. After we went on Pirates of the Caribbean, we went over to the Blue Bayou, the restaurant where you need to make reservations weeks in advance. We asked the hostess if they had anything available and she said that they did. She said she has never had room for a walk up at dinner time in all the time she has worked there. We were seated right away and got to eat dinner with the pirates. Ethan was in heaven! The children's menu turns into a very cool pirate hat.

After dinner we went over to Toon Town. We were the only people in there! We walked all through Mickey's house and at the end was a very lonely Mickey Mouse. Ethan got one-on-one time with him and Mickey even did the Hot Dog Dance with him.
Our family with Mickey
Ethan driving Donald Duck's ship.
We had such a fun time today. It was so nice having Dan there to see how much fun Ethan has at Disneyland. We can't wait to go back!

Play Date with Danica

2010-01-25T14:23:00.001-08:00

Today Ethan and his good friend Danica got to play together. Ethan doesn't know how to pedal a bike just yet so Danica was happy giving him a ride around. How cute is this photo?!?

Jodi's Baby Shower

2010-01-24T14:14:00.000-08:00

Today I went to my friend Jodi's baby shower. Her and her husband are expecting TWINS in a couple of weeks and it was so much fun watching her get two of everything! We are very excited for them and can't wait to meet their TWO little boys!

The beautiful tables.

The food spread was amazing!
Jodi showing off two adorable sweater rompers for her little guys.

My friends Melody, Jodi, & Lindsay (she is prego too!)

What a fun afternoon!

Play Date with Dylan

2010-01-20T13:45:00.000-08:00

Today in the pouring rain we drove down to Dylan's house to play for a little while. The boys haven't seen each other in a long time so Ethan was very excited. He got to play with all of Dylan's new toys from Christmas. Needless to say the boys had a wonderful time playing together.

Here is Ethan on Dylan's Sit n Spin. This toy was one of my favorites when I was a little girl so of course I had to get a photo of Ethan playing on one for the first time. He got the hang of it right away and was spinning in circles in no time!

The boys eating lunch together with their matching cups and Cinderella chairs.
Thanks guys for a fun time!

An Exciting Rainy Day

2010-01-18T09:58:00.000-08:00

Rain, rain don't go away. Let Ethan's imagination come out and play! Wow! Today was quite the day for Ethan's imagination to run wild. It was our first day back from being gone for 8 days. He was so excited about seeing all of his toys again and of course watching Monsters Inc. again from an 8 day withdrawal. It was the first thing he asked to do this morning when he woke up. Since it was pouring with rain today I did not want to go anywhere. Ethan was completely fine with that. He wanted to dress up as any character he could get his hands on. He started out as one of the monsters from Monsters Inc. You know the one that keeps getting touched by human articles and has to constantly get decontaminated? Here he is as that monster with a sock stuck to his back just like the monster had in the movie. He even walked around the house exactly how that monster walks. He was so proud of himself that he "made" this costume all by himself. Next he was Mickey Mouse, then a dragon, then Bob the Builder.

Then, he was Mr. Incredible. I have been thinking about making him a Mr. Incredible suit for a while now since he wears his "Mr. Acredable" boots all the time. So I took some felt and some tape and made him a Mr. Incredible suit. He was beside himself. He was so excited when I put it on him that he started shaking!
He wanted an action shot too!
When he finally calmed down he got the movie out and looked at all the pictures on the case. He looked at me all sad and said, "Ethan need orange seatbelt (that is what he calls belts that hold your pants up)." Then a couple minutes later he said in an even sadder voice, "Ethan no black unaware." I'll get right on that.

Vacation in Cancun

2010-01-17T21:43:00.000-08:00

This week we went to Cancun to celebrate Dan's graduation at work. He graduated from a Rookie (in training) to a Veteran. Ethan and I are very proud of all of his hard work. We had a fun week despite the bad weather. See this beautiful pool, we went in it once. The weather was so cold and windy but we had a nice, relaxing week anyway. Here are a few pictures from our travels.

The view from our room.

Our lovey Ethan ready for bed with his otter.
Me, Ethan, my mom, & my dad waiting for the bus.

Mommy & Ethan on the beautiful beach.

Swinging in the hammock.

Making s'mores on the beach.

Mayan ruins in Chichen Itza.

Ethan loved saying Chichen Itza!

Ethan and the iguana.

Daddy & Ethan on the ferry boat.

On a dock on Isla Mujeres.

Enjoying the beautiful view on Isla Mujeres.

Daddy & Ethan enjoying the water slide on the last day during a break in the clouds. The pool was freezing! We hopped on a plane a couple hours after this photo was taken. So sad we didn't get to enjoy the pool more.

How old is this kid? He looks like he is 4!

He was so proud of his water wings.

Happy Birthday Kiley!

2010-01-09T21:31:00.000-08:00

This evening we went to Kiley's 3rd birthday party at McDonalds. Ethan had never played in a McDonald's play land before and had such a great time. We left the next day for Cancun and while we were there, every time Ethan saw a McDonalds he would yell, "KILEY!!! Donalds for Kiley's birtday! Go now?" This kid's memory is astounding!

Enjoying his nuggets with ketchup. Yummy!

All the kids eating their Happy Meals.

A Like Totally 80s Party

2010-01-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

This evening Dan and I went to a really fun 80s Party at our friends The Geetings. They really know how to throw a great party!

Dan & me ready to go. Ethan felt left out so he dressed up too. He is so 80s!

The Valencia 80s girls!
Pointy shoes in many colors!

My handsome Pee Wee Herman won best dressed guy!

Ethan will probably kill me some day for posting this photo but I thought it was hilarious! This is Ethan the next day. He was quiet for a while and when I checked on him this is what I saw.

Thanks Geetings for a lovely party!

Long Beach Aquarium

2009-12-31T23:39:00.000-08:00

This morning when we woke up we walked to the Aquarium of the Pacific. We had a lovely time exploring. Ethan's mission of the day was to find Nemo & Dory.

Ethan & Mommy on the way to the Aquarium

Daddy & Ethan out front
Ethan with the shark...he insists on posing with everything these days!

Trying to touch a manta ray, or a sting ray...I can't tell the difference!

Ethan found Nemo! This picture doesn't show it but he was really excited. The tank was filled with hundreds of Nemos and Dorys.

Did any of you see Travis Pastrana jump a car onto a barge on New Year's Eve? We got to watch them set up the ramp. It was pretty neat.

Just one of the cutest little boys around.

Precious!

Next we headed to San Diego for the night. We just love hanging out there and walking around the Gaslamp District & Old Town. We had a very low key New Year's Eve watching the movie UP in our hotel room. Lights were out at 11:30! Happy New Year everyone! We hope you all had a good one!

Queen Mary in Long Beach

2009-12-30T23:30:00.000-08:00

Dan had this entire week off from work. When he woke up he said, "Let's go somewhere." So the travel agent in me booked us a couple of days away from home to celebrate the new year. Today we started out in Long Beach and toured the Queen Mary...something neither of us have done before. Ethan had a great time running around the huge ship.

Ethan & me on the Queen Mary

Ethan pulling the anchor up with his huge muscles.
Ethan thought he was driving the ship from this little wheel.

Now off to our hotel...

A Visit to The Grove Again

2009-12-27T23:11:00.000-08:00

Today we went down to The Grove again. We just love it there and it is so beautiful this time of year. Ethan's memory just blows our mind...We pulled into the parking structure and Ethan started yelling SNOW SNOW SNOW! He had remembered when we went there last week to watch the snow fall at night. He remembered this just from the parking structure! Anyway, we had so much fun together today. Dan had a blast snapping millions of photos with our new camera while Ethan enjoyed posing for Daddy every second he got.

I think this might be the cutest photo ever taken of Ethan!
Having fun being silly.

Yep, our guy has a great sense of humor. Daddy pulls the camera out and he pretends to pick his nose. Nice. How were we blessed with such a fun & happy kid? He is seriously like this ALL the time!

Another glimpse into his adorable sense of humor. He loves making us laugh.

A Dufour Christmas

2009-12-26T23:07:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated Christmas with my side of the family. We had 14 people over for the day. Ethan had so much fun playing with all of his cousins and their new toys.

The Best Christmas Ever

2009-12-25T22:46:00.000-08:00

We had such a fun Christmas morning with Ethan. He is at such a great age and he understood the whole Santa thing. For the last couple of weeks Ethan has sat on Santa's lap several times...mainly so he could get a candy cane. Every time him and Santa were talking he would tell Santa that he wanted trains and some candy canes.

Ethan having a candy cane for breakfast...hey, Santa brought it!

MONSTERS, INC.!!!

This was definitely the most excited he got over a gift (until he saw the train table of course). He has ridden the Monsters, Inc. ride at CA Adventure several times but he had no idea that there was a movie that went with it.
Pure joy and excitement when we revealed the train table that Santa had left! We saved it until the very end.

And thank goodness we did. We couldn't pry his eyes off of it. Not even for a picture. I got a smile though!

After Ethan opened his presents we went over to Dan's mom's house for our yearly Christmas brunch. Then we went home and watched, what else, Monsters Inc. Ethan was in heaven! In the afternoon we drove to Riverside for Christmas dinner at Kent (Dan's brother) & Kimie's new house. Here is our cute little man napping in the car on the way there.

Our little Bob the Builder

The best ending to a wonderful day...Daddy let Ethan play video games with him and Kent. I think he enjoyed himself!

Did I mention that I got a pretty amazing gift as well? I think it tops a train table. My lovely husband got me a new camera!!! I have wanted a Canon Rebel for many years and I finally got one! We both are really excited about it and have taken hundreds of photos already! Thanks Love for an awesome Christmas!

Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T22:37:00.000-08:00

Today we went to The Jamison's house for a quick visit. This is my friend Alison's mom's house. I have known them since I was in Kindergarten. Here sister Abby was in town with her little ones. It was nice seeing her new baby and also seeing how different Ethan & Sophia were since they met 2 years ago. Sophia is just 5 weeks younger than Ethan. They had fun playing with a train that Abby & Alison played with when they were little.

I love their facial expressions!

They were 4 and 3 months old.

Jr. High Reunion

2009-12-22T22:31:00.000-08:00

My friend, Kami, from Jr. High School, organized a little reunion this evening. We all met at a local restaurant for lots of catching up. All of these girls went to the same high school and I went to a different one across town. I haven't seen some of these girls in like 13 years! It was so much fun hanging out with my old friends from back in the day.

Amris, Bauerle, Me, Kari, Shannon, Kami, & Sally

The Grove

2009-12-20T23:39:00.000-08:00

I have made going to the Grove the week of Christmas a family tradition. We have done it two years in a row now. The Grove is beautifully decorated and every night "snow" falls from the sky. Ethan was excited while we were driving down there but once he saw the snow it seemed like he was totally confused...since he really hasn't seen any before. We got a couple great photos tonight.

Us in front of the gigantic, real Christmas tree Daddy & Ethan in front of all the beautiful Christmas decorations.

Now it is Mommy & Ethan's turn. Could our kid get any happier? Proud once again to be wearing his scarf.

Dancing with his lemonade

The wait to see Santa was ridiculously long so our little man was happy just standing in front of Santa's huge ice cream cone.

We had a lovely evening together and we can't wait to go back next year!

Baking Cookies with GG

2009-12-19T22:02:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I know I went a little crazy with all the photos here but the lighting was wonderful and Ethan was having such a great time making Christmas cookies at GG's house.

Here is a cute video of Ethan telling you what shapes all the cookies are going to be. I understand every word...I hope you all do too! The way he says Christmas Tree is adorable!

Starting out with the red frosting. Pure concentration! Daddy helping Ethan with the green icing. Sprinkle time! Our very proud baker!

Last Day of School

2009-12-18T11:00:00.000-08:00

Today was Ethan's last day of his My Buddy & Me preschool class. We did sign up for the class again though. It starts back up in January. He will have the same teacher but will be with different students. Here are a few photos of his last day.

Circle Time

(he is in yellow) He got his very first certificate for completing the class.

Ethan has come a long way since the first day of class. In the beginning, he refused to do any of the art projects if it meant his hands would get dirty. I was always the one doing all the art projects for him. Look at him now! He has green paint and glue all over his hands. The second he is done though he asks to wash his hands. I guess I would rather have a clean kid than a messy kid!

Lucky Boy at Babies R Us

2009-12-14T22:55:00.000-08:00

Tonight Ethan and I went to Babies R Us. Someone thought it was a bright idea to place this Elmo car right at the entrance to the store. I tell Ethan NO every time we walk in the store. Today, I was able to bribe him since I had some quarters in my purse ..."if you are a good boy, when we are done you can ride it." He was really good and was so excited to FINALLY ride the Elmo car!

Visit with Santa

2009-12-12T22:54:00.000-08:00

This evening Ethan got to visit with the coolest Santa in town! I love this guy. Ethan got to sit on his lap last year too. He is known for his huge belt buckle. Check it out!

New Scarf

2009-12-10T22:10:00.000-08:00

One of my friends made Ethan his very own scarf and matching hat. He has been so proud of it. Here he is showing it off!

Holiday Book Exchange

2009-12-09T22:09:00.000-08:00

Today I hosted a Holiday Book Exchange party at our house. Ethan had ten of his little friends over to exchange books. We had such a fun morning.

Here are the little ones passing around the books.

There was silence in the room when everyone opened their books...until Ethan saw that one of his friends got a Thomas the Train book and then the silence was over!

Ethan showing me his new book.

Thomas & Isabelle's House

2009-12-07T22:05:00.000-08:00

Today is was pouring outside. My lovely friend Sara called and asked if we would like to come over and play. Of course we said yes otherwise we would have been stuck inside our house all day. Ethan's best friend Julia came too! What a fun day!

Big Boy Bed

2009-12-06T23:46:00.000-08:00

No more crib for our little Ethan! I definitely wasn't planning on it happening so soon but our friends that were graciously storing our old bed for us is about to have a baby and needed the space for their new baby's room.

Here is the last time Ethan was in his crib.

Ethan vacuuming where his new bed is going to go.

He was all about helping us out.
Ethan & Daddy reading books in his new big boy bed!

Our little man fast asleep for the first time in his big boy bed with all of his friends. I love how otter is by his side. He did such a great job!

Christmas Socks

2009-12-04T14:35:00.000-08:00

Today as we were decorating the house Ethan saw the stockings and said, "Oh! Christmas socks!" He ripped his shoes off as fast as he could and put on his new "Christmas socks." He was so proud of himself. Here is our little ham in his Christmas socks.

A Fun Day with Ali & Mr. Incredible

2009-12-02T23:40:00.000-08:00

Today Ethan and I went to CA Adventure & Disneyland with our friend Alison. Ethan was so excited to see his new hero "Mr. Acredible." My mom gave him the movie a couple of weeks ago and he asks to watch it daily. He would watch it all day long if I let him. Sorry Mickey Mouse, you have been kicked to the curb...for now. We had such a fun day!

Us in front of one of the beautiful Christmas trees.