Good stuff

Here are some recent pictures that tell some stories about life with Ethan lately...

Here Ethan is playing peak-a-boo with his Tita who is on the phone in the background.

Dada just taught him that there are pictures to look at on the back of the camera and he's smiling at the camera expecting to see something afterwards.

Dada reading books before nap time. He looks like such a big boy to me here.

Ethan loves the cars that Grandpa gave him for Christmas. I'm trying to teach him to make car sounds when he pushes them around.

Here he is making plenty of sounds. He can be so loud sometimes and it makes me laugh.

Crawling "Ethan Style." He has a unique way to move but boy does he get around!

He gives kisses often and they make me melt every time. He's even giving them to people other than Mama and Dada. It's the best even if you need a towel afterwards. :)

Peak-a-boo! He plays every chance he gets. He is starting to enjoy exploring the world a little more independently. It gives me a chance to get things done but sometimes I just have to stop and play simply because I want to. His joy is contagious.

11 months old!

Ok, so he was 11 months almost 3 weeks ago but the good news is that I actually took the pictures right about that time. He now has 7 teeth through, he's doing better with eating solids and it's amazing how much he learns every day! He definitely says mama and dada and he has a lot to say about everything else but it's hard to tell when he associates a word with an object or idea. He loves to mimic what we say. He is a boy on the move and between scooting and cruising he is all over the house with surprising speed. He is such a joy.

For Kim...

I still need to put the pictures from Christmas on here but I promised my sister that I would put some current ones. Here you go Kim (and my dad because I know he will say something).

A rare serious moment.

Playing peek a boo

And here are some from this evening:

He's blowing his grandma a kiss :)

Small Group Christmas Party

We had a great party with our small group that we meet with every other week. The babies were angelic (meaning the little ones slept well and Laekin was a playful elf even though she was up 2 hrs after her bed time). Ping pong, darts, a roaring fire, yummy food, egg nog, elf hats and a gift exchange. Good times.

Here are the girls minus baby Emily: (back) Kristin, Karen (front) Laekin, Jen, Anita & Natalie

Laekin hangin with the guys.

Here's the normal picture. (Hartman's, if you look close you can see the tacky owl you gave us last year just above Jen's head).

Here's the fun one and I promise it's not even the craziest one. :)

Let it snow!

Just before Christmas it was actually cold enough to snow! This was the view from our front door. Opposite from today's weather I might add...

College Christmas Party

Our annual Christmas party with our Biola buddies was a blast. Hazel looked like a precious little elf. Ella shared her dancing stuffed animal collection with Ethan who thought they were incredible. The only thing missing was Carrot who of course had my name for the gift exchange. He promised me a present before he leaves for South Africa. I'm holding you to it, Carrot!

My 1st Christmas tree!

I realize there isn't a picture of the tree in this post but that isn't the point. The point is that my boys are cute! We're off to go pick out the perfect tree and the weather sure felt like it was about to snow. :)

Mike's East Coast Trip

The beginning of Dec Mike had a work trip to Cape Cod and he added on a few days to visit some family on his dad's side out there. His dad and sister, Emily, joined him for a great trip!

From left, Joe (uncle), Dave, Emily, Mike and Peg (aunt) at Dock & Dine.

View of the backside of the cottage in CT on Rogers Lake where Mike has many fond memories.

View of Rogers Lake from the cottage.

One more shot...Apparently it was a little chilly because when they all woke up in the morning, everything was covered in white!

They spent a day shivering in Boston and enjoying the sites before heading home.