The Zoo

Have I ever mentioned that I love where I live? I love it! It’s a 10 minute walk to the grocery store. It is a four minute drive to downtown. And it is a one mile run/walk to the zoo.  And the zoo is where we spend most of our mornings. During the hot summer we would run to the zoo, walk around for 20 minutes just hitting the highlights, and then run home before the heat really set in. Now that it has cooled down a little we can take our time. Ethan loves it!

Thanks to the zoo Ethan has his animal noises down. He can roar like the lions, tigers, and bears. He can hiss like a snake. He can howl like a monkey. And he can moo like a giraffe? Not sure where he came up with that one :)

 

I love the zoo, because it is the perfect precursor to nap time :)

Just a Few More…

I thought that I would share a few more pictures from the weekend. We spent the weekend up in Keystone. We spent the weekend swimming, hiking, and watching conference. It was a relaxing weekend, and a perfect getaway.

Mountain Man

I love the shots that I took on the day Ethan turned 18 months. They are the real everyday Ethan in just his basketball shorts and t-shirt.

We spent this last weekend up in the mountains. I thought since we surrounded by beautiful scenery that I would take some more 18 month shots just for fun!

Love this little guy!

Baking

I have been asked if I forgot the flour on the floor pictures. Well, I didn’t actually get any photos of that particular moment. I apologize if yesterdays post was confusing. I do have some photos to share about what lead up to that flour event.

Ethan and I spent an afternoon baking.

We were baking zucchini bread, and apparently the grated zucchini looked too similar to corn on the cob.

And then while I was cleaning up the baking aftermath, that is when Ethan decided to add to the mess.   

What I Took Away From Obama’s Speech

This isn’t a political post. In fact, it wasn’t even supposed to be a post. As I was looking through pictures for a different post, I came across these photos that I had forgotten that I had taken. I have gotten in the habit now of always having the camera out. I take so many pictures these days that I forget about a lot of them. I love capturing all of Ethan's moments. As mundane as they may seem there is something special in all of them.

Take this afternoon for example. Ethan knows nothing about the current economic climate. Heck, he doesn’t even understand what a job is.

But when they stood up, he stood up.

When they clapped, he clapped.

I loved this afternoon, because I loved Ethan's optimistic spirit. For him, everyday is full of excitement and endless joy. I love the fact that he sees the good and the fun in everything that he does. That includes everything from watching the president speak…

… to discovering the existence of flour. Oh how I relish in his innocence, and his use of the word “Wow!”

“Wow!” I can open this bag of flour!

“Wow!” Look at what happens when I turn this bag upside down!

“Wow!” I get to sweep the floor!

I want to bottle these qualities up and keep them forever- for him and for me. I think that optimistic and innocent spirit is what gets me through those flour floor covered days, it is what teaches me most days, and it is what reminds me about why I love being a mother.

Goodnight

18 Months

Ethan turned 18 months yesterday. I still can’t believe how fast time fly's with this guy.

I thought that I would get him in a decent outfit and try to take some cute 18 month shots. In the end, I decided to take the camera out while Ethan was playing in the backyard yesterday. I let him tell all about his 18 month old self. And this is what he said...

I adore my blanket and I take it with me everywhere.

I can always find a stick bigger than I, no matter where I go. And I will more than gladly hit you with it. If it is not a stick that I am hitting you with, than it is my…

golf clubs! My favorite words are bath, book, ball, out, outside, food, cheese, bottle, baby, dog, and bird.

I will fall onto the ground at least 10 times a day just to roll around, because I think this is hilarious.

My favorite foods are cheese sticks, oranges, and noodles. Good luck getting me to eat much else.

With only 12 teeth, I still drool like crazy!

I always have a smile on my face!

I love hugging, running, dancing, reading, climbing, making music, making messes, and having fun!

I also love rocks, balloons, chalk, and baths. I am afraid of bubbles and vacuums.

That is our 18 month old Ethan.