Ethan's Birthday Bash-Part 1: The Decorations

Ethan recently celebrated his 1st birthday! (Feb. 25th)

Saturday, we threw a birthday bash for him at Nana and Papa's house.
It was so much fun to plan. But I gotta tell you, parties STRESS ME OUT! I don't know how professional event planners do it.


Here are the decorations from the celebration!









Stay tuned for the next Birthday Bash installment!

Family Fun

At the end of January (yes, this is majorly LATE), we took a mini vacation and visited my cousin and his sweet wife Amber. My mom's side of the family wasn't able to get together during Christmas, so this was our time to catch up and visit. It was a fun weekend!

Here are some pictures of the trip...

I was so excited to see Ruthie Jane! I hadn't seen her since May and I knew she'd grown like crazy! She's such a funny little girl!

All the other family members stayed at a nearby hotel. We had the privilege of staying with my Preacher Man cousin, Amber, and Ruthie Jane. It was wonderful! Amber was such a great hostess!

In the guest bedroom, Amber had a cabinet filled with lots of goodies!
She made sure we had everything we needed!

Yesssss...I love magazines.

Ruthie Jane made sure Ethan had a little basket of his own, too!

Excited about his gift!


After we all settled in, we headed over to the church's fellowship hall and had a super yummy dinner. You see that basket of hamburger buns? Amber made those!
And they were oh, so tasty!!


I'm tellin' you what, I could've drank ALL of this Sweet Peach Tea! It was heavenly!


Homemade Pecan Pie....scrumptious!

RJ playing around after dinner. She's so much fun!


My Preacher Man cousin getting a big smile from Ethan =)

He started getting a little sleepy.....crying followed shortly thereafter.

After dinner, we all gathered in the living room and played some Family Feud. And let me tell you, there were some serious feuds going on...but that's the fun of playing games with family! THE GIRLS WON! (Of course!)

Ethan still wasn't in the best of moods....he had a bit of a meltdown, so my cousin volunteered his time with my little cranky boy and gave me a nice break!

Preacher Man read to Ethan, sang to him, played with him. He was a happy little boy by the end of the night!

RJ and Ethan playing a little before bedtime. They're a hoot!

The following Sunday, we went to church with Preacher Man and family. It was a wonderful service, and my cousin sure knows how to proclaim the Word of God!!

I'm so mad that I didn't even get a picture of Amber and myself! I started getting sick on the way there, and by the time we headed home I felt horrible. So, it's probably good I didn't get a picture with me in it...I would've ruined it for sure!

Thank you Preacher Man cousin, Amber and Ruthie Jane! We had a fantastic weekend getaway!!
Love you guys!

If you haven't met Amber yet, make sure you do!
Three Meals & A Baby

Happy Birthday Ethan!

It's hard to believe it's been a year! But a wonderful year it has been!!

Happy Birthday, Ethan!
You are incredibly precious to mommy and daddy!
You have filled our lives with so much joy!!

One Year Ago Tomorrow...

I gave birth to our precious son, Ethan!

And one year ago today...Bob and I headed up to the hospital so I could be induced.
I was 5 days late, and oh so ready to have our baby!!

Here we are, right before we walked into the hospital.
I was sooooooo nervous!

Just waiting...
A horrid picture--but this is what I looked like, nonetheless.

Tomorrow morning at 9:14am, all the waiting (and excruciating pain) would be well worth it! We'd finally be holding our little baby boy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just some reminiscing...

It's amazing how the first few weeks, even months, of Ethan being home seemed to drag on, and on, and on.

It's crazy how sleepless nights can affect a person's life.

But now, all of a sudden, our little bundle of joy has grown into a little man! He's just shy of 26 lbs, and loves getting into anything and everything he can get his hands on.

I love how his whimpers and cries have been replaced with smiles, giggles, and "talking".
I love that we can interact with Ethan, teach him things, feel the pride when he learns something new.
I love walking into the nursery every morning, knowing I'm going to get a huge grin from our little sleepy head's face.

He's not perfect. He has his days of fits and tantrums. And this mommy gets frustrated.

But the joy I feel when I look at Ethan, when I pray for Ethan, when I see him figure something out for the first time, when I watch him sleeping peacefully...and when I look ahead and wonder what kind of a great man he's going to be....all that frustration slips away.

I'm trying to treasure every moment I have with him. Because as fast as this first year flew by, I'm afraid he'll be grown and out of the house before I know it.

Thank You, Jesus, for our treasure of a son. You've blessed us richly, and we look forward to many years of teaching him just how great You are.

Library Love

I have a whole new relationship with the Library these days.

Long gone are the annoying days of walking through the aisles, searching for some weird book I had to do a report over.

I get to choose the books now.

I'm even in the Adult Winter Reading Program (How nerdy is that!?)

I revel in the silence of the Library, because it's a rare commodity these days.

I love how when I check out a book, it kinda gives me the thrill of buying something. We're on a budget, and I need to get my spending "fix" somehow. This is the perfect way!

I totally enjoy crawling into bed with a cold bottle of water and a great novel to read.

I don't, however, enjoy staying up until 4:30am because I just "couldn't put the book down", and still having to wake up when my alarm (aka Ethan) goes off! It makes for one tired mommy.

Yet, I do it all over again the next night.

Library Love.

Homework

When I was in college, homework was the bane of my existence. I detested the stuff. But after reading the following song, supposedly written in the 1940's, I've found a new love for a totally different kind of homework: Housework!

"Homework"

I'm so tired of working in an office
And it's making me blue
There is work that don't require an office
That I'm anxious to do

Homework, I want to do homework
Instead of an office, I want to work home

Staying at home and crocheting
And meekly obeying
The guy who comes home

A cozy kitchen to be in there pitchin'
Is the thing I'm longing to do
To be there learning when a steak needs turning
And just what goes into a stew

Homework, I want to do homework
A genius who sits and plans with pots and pans at home
A genius who bakes a pie that keeps a guy at home

[2]
Homework, I want to do homework
Instead of an office, I want to work home

Messing around with French dressing
And slightly impressing
The guy who comes home

I long to settle with a steaming kettle
And a frying pan and a pot
And be the keeper of a carpet sweeper
That's the one ambition I've got

Homework, I want to do homework
A genius who has a way that makes him stay at home
A genius who has what takes that makes or breaks a home

[3]
Homework, I want to do homework
Instead of an office, I want to work home

Patching his trousers and matching
The part that keeps scratching
The guy who comes home

A table wiper who can change a diaper
Is the thing I'd like to be best
And be the master of a mustard plaster
When the cold goes down to his chest

Homework, I want to do homework
A genius who does her part so he don't start to roam
A genius who earns her keep that makes him sleep at home

(I found this song on Domestic Felicity, an awesome blog definitely worth checking out!)

The Simple Woman's Day Book

"The Simple Woman's Daybook" originally started at http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/ . Check it out!

FOR TODAY...
February 1st, 2010

Outside my window...the ice and snow are melting!

I am thinking...about how I can't believe our son is going to be ONE this month!

I am thankful for...sunshine

From the kitchen...I'm trying to remember the last time I cooked. How terrible is that!?

I am wearing...red pajama pants and a basketball t-shirt. Going fancy today ;)

I am going...to watch the Bachelor tonight.

I am reading...nothing at the moment!

I am hoping...to finalize Ethan's party details soon!

I am hearing...the quiet noise from Ethan's baby monitor.

One of my favorite things...is seeing a good chick flick with girlfriends.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Visits to the library and grocery store.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

Bob and I are celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary this summer and I would LOVE to get away to this place for that weekend!