My Ethan

Ethan has been growing up so fast. He's 3 1/2 but is wearing size 6/7 clothes. 

We got him a new big boy bed with a slide on it. 

He loves Super Hero Squad and pretends to be a different character every day

He knows his ABC's and numbers 1-10

He plays PBSkids.org and Nickjr

He's fully potty trained now

He can dress himself except for shirts frustrate him sometimes

so he'd rather just be naked

He tries to sneak things but when you ask him what he's doing he'll tell you

He loves to play in the mud and ride his tricycle

He used to have nightmares but I put pictures of Christ and church stories up on his wall by his bed and now he uses the flashlight at night to look at the pictures and feel better.

He doesn't take naps anymore but every now and then he comes and sits on my lap and wants to cuddle

I cherish every time he wants to hug and be close

And he still uses his pink blankie. :)

Love you my son

I didn't want to let him go

But eventually my arm fell asleep and I put him in bed. 

Here's his Halloween costume, complete with built-in muscles

He's been sleeping in it every night since we got it. 

I think it's going to be a big hit

Marching Season

Samuel is in his Sophomore year and is loving it. 

The band teacher asked him to play the tenor sax this year, 

so he now plays clarinet, saxophone and is working on the piano. 

Clark High School football games

This is Samuel's life every weekend till November

Getting ready to take the field

Their show is called Nautilus and the marching is very intricate 

and the music is dramatic, think big sound

He's in there somewhere

In the stands

With his friends

He's the third saxophone from the left

Standing in the middle, getting last minute instructions

He's on the right cheering for the team

Such a stud! We are so proud of him. 

Sophie's Birthday

Just woke up, so happy

Samuel had a leadership meeting at the stake center,

so we went to visit the temple while we waited for him.

My cuties. 

I can't believe they're mine.

Squishing together

Playing in the backyard

Homemade Thor hammer and shield

Doing Sophie's hair

Birthday Girl

Just a family party.

 Thanks for the gifts you sent Grandma Marcia!

waiting for her gifts

Ethan helping her un-wrap

 Princess dolls and a little purse

Ethan picked out this little baby doll for her and it's her favorite.

She carries it with her everywhere and gives it kisses.

Dolls from Grandma Marcia

Cupcake time! 

Vanilla with Cherry frosting and sprinkles

Yummy!

Happy Girl!

After all the sugar she crashed and slept for hours. 

Then we met up with a photographer friend who offered to do her birthday photos. 

This is the family picture we are going to use for Samuel's adoption coming up next month.

What a blessing you are to me

Already you are standing on your own

With each step you grow older 

You are beautiful

You are strong

My birthday girl. 

She's Walking!

Sophie started walking while holding on to things at 10 months. 

After much practice she was walking freestyle by her 11 month mark.

Getting some good practice in

She would get stuck when she came to a wall or obstacle. 

She would just stand there like this waiting for someone to come and turn her around.

Ethan showing her how it's done

She loved the mobility

And there she goes!

Now we can barely keep up with her. :)

Day at the Beach

One Saturday I felt the urge to go to the beach.

We hadn't been in over a year and I wanted to go before school started.

We all piled in the car and drove three hours to Mustang Island.

It was Sophie's first time.

Here she is eating some sand. :)

Samuel was without his electronics so was a little bored, 

but boredom is the building blocks of ingenuity and creativity. 

That's how it was when I was a kid.

 Needless to say he had to use his imagination and self-entertain. 

Such a good break from the electronic age we live in! 

Ethan and I playing in the waves

Lots of sand castles!

  

Ethan probably swallowed gallons of salt water

The waves were crashing

Ethan liked getting knocked down by them, 

but about gave me a heart attack every time he went down. 

But we survived, with sand covering everything and sunburns we would feel for weeks! 

Totally worth it.