September 3 marks my amazing grandfather's birthday. He showed me what being a dad was all about. He showed me that fathers can be kind, attentive, loving, patient, and that they give wonderful bike rides :)
Last year, I was lucky to give birth to an amazing little boy on this exact same day. We'll be celebrating Ethan's 1st birthday with my Opa close at heart. I hope for Ethan that he can be at least half the man my Opa was, if not more. If only Opa could've met Ethan on this earth still...
Here's a compilation of the laundry basket photos I've taken every month. What a difference! I plan on making a collage as a birthday gift for Ethan just like I did for the other 3 kids. I'll share those some time too.
A few noteworthy items:
-I really love the sweater in the 6 and 8 month shots (gift from my sister - Auntie Pet).
-And it seems like Ethan loves kicking his feet, doesn't it?
-I included his "1 week" shot to remember his difficult start in life. See here his birth story here.
-his socks are too small in alllll the pictures, sorry bud!
-he was drooling so much at 3 months that he wore a bib as part of his outfit all the time.
-after 4 months he got out of wearing pj's 24/7....hahaha
To come:
-his birthday on September 3
-his 12 month, and final, laundry basket pic.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Updates of the past week
It's been an interesting week and a bit over here...always something going on!
For starters, our hot water tank broke. So, no hot water. We used our kettle a lot! Thankfully we were at my parents' house for a few of the days (pics on those to follow) so we could shower there.
We visited the Agriculture Museum...the kids really wanted to go. I thought it was a bit redundant since we were at my parents' FARM! but oh well.
They loved it.
A really old tractor simulates what a tractor ride was like without tires.
They had a whole exhibit on bees as well...
When we got home we found this fun little guy in our front yard...digging up our grass.
I also came downstairs last week only to find a snake at the bottom of the stairs in our hallway!! A real life snake!!! UGH!!!! Yuck! Now I'm not even safe INSIDE the house. :)
This little man is pulling himself up all the time and standing all the time. He loves "driving" the window, as in trying to make the handle for the window turn. Crazy boy...
Our pool drama continues. A small venting session follows...
First it took a month (30 days) to get our pool clean. It cost a lot of money which thankfully the previous homeowners paid without any further fuss.
Second, our pool man came sometime while we were gone for holidays and left our hose on...drained the well! Thank goodness for the safety feature on our well which signals that the well is almost empty and shuts off. If we didn't have that, we'd be looking at a huge bill right now.
Thirdly, our pool guy shows up late ALL THE TIME. He was supposed to come at the beginning of July to repair a patch...the last thing on his list of things to do for us. Now it's the end of August and after repeated calls to him, he finally showed up...still late. Then he tells us that will be 75 dollars for the service call...SAY WHAT! No, it was supposed to have been done way back in July!
Fourth, he showed up without the patch!!!!
Fifth, pool man has pool guys who work for him. We've never seen them. Ian's done the brunt of the work.
So, we don't recommend this particular pool company. I won't mention any names but if you're interested I will tell you who it is and definitely tell you NOT to go with them.
Overall, we're thankful to have a pool to swim and cool down in. It makes up for all the hassle involved with it this summer.
Ethan's learned his first word too.
Yesterday I gave him a chip to try.
He reached out his hand, took the chip, studied it for a second, then grunted out loud, frowned, let out a frustrated yell, and whipped the chip on the floor. Then he glanced down at the discarded chip, looked at us, and said "Uh oh."
(This wasn't the first time he said it. He says it all the time when he drops something.)
Never a dull moment around here!
For starters, our hot water tank broke. So, no hot water. We used our kettle a lot! Thankfully we were at my parents' house for a few of the days (pics on those to follow) so we could shower there.
We visited the Agriculture Museum...the kids really wanted to go. I thought it was a bit redundant since we were at my parents' FARM! but oh well.
They loved it.
A really old tractor simulates what a tractor ride was like without tires.
They had a whole exhibit on bees as well...
When we got home we found this fun little guy in our front yard...digging up our grass.
I also came downstairs last week only to find a snake at the bottom of the stairs in our hallway!! A real life snake!!! UGH!!!! Yuck! Now I'm not even safe INSIDE the house. :)
This little man is pulling himself up all the time and standing all the time. He loves "driving" the window, as in trying to make the handle for the window turn. Crazy boy...
Our pool drama continues. A small venting session follows...
First it took a month (30 days) to get our pool clean. It cost a lot of money which thankfully the previous homeowners paid without any further fuss.
Second, our pool man came sometime while we were gone for holidays and left our hose on...drained the well! Thank goodness for the safety feature on our well which signals that the well is almost empty and shuts off. If we didn't have that, we'd be looking at a huge bill right now.
Thirdly, our pool guy shows up late ALL THE TIME. He was supposed to come at the beginning of July to repair a patch...the last thing on his list of things to do for us. Now it's the end of August and after repeated calls to him, he finally showed up...still late. Then he tells us that will be 75 dollars for the service call...SAY WHAT! No, it was supposed to have been done way back in July!
Fourth, he showed up without the patch!!!!
Fifth, pool man has pool guys who work for him. We've never seen them. Ian's done the brunt of the work.
So, we don't recommend this particular pool company. I won't mention any names but if you're interested I will tell you who it is and definitely tell you NOT to go with them.
Overall, we're thankful to have a pool to swim and cool down in. It makes up for all the hassle involved with it this summer.
I'm getting ready for the new school year. I'll be teaching Mason the same way I taught Megan and Austen...kind of a preschool thing...learning the alphabet. Plus, the kids love the routine of the calendar and weather so we're doing circle time and incorporating all of that. I'll be taking in a few kids for daycare too so it'll be a great time!
Ethan's learned his first word too.
Yesterday I gave him a chip to try.
He reached out his hand, took the chip, studied it for a second, then grunted out loud, frowned, let out a frustrated yell, and whipped the chip on the floor. Then he glanced down at the discarded chip, looked at us, and said "Uh oh."
(This wasn't the first time he said it. He says it all the time when he drops something.)
Never a dull moment around here!
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
When what you say as a parent really gets through to your child...
So Mason and Daddy were outside.
Daddy was barbequeing pork chops for Oma.
"Opa on the tractor" was just beyond Mason's ability to watch him.
He can't see.
So Daddy lifts him up.
Then Daddy has to return to the pork chops.
But Mason wants more.
Daddy's tired. He's got his selective listening ears on. Plus he's gotta return to his pork.
Finally.
__________________________________________________________________________
See. Mason DOES listen when we talk.
Daddy was barbequeing pork chops for Oma.
"Opa on the tractor" was just beyond Mason's ability to watch him.
He can't see.
So Daddy lifts him up.
Then Daddy has to return to the pork chops.
But Mason wants more.
Daddy's tired. He's got his selective listening ears on. Plus he's gotta return to his pork.
Finally.
__________________________________________________________________________
See. Mason DOES listen when we talk.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
This and that
Make-it-Monday: Straw Monsters...googly eyes and black marker to be added after the paint blowing.
Wet Wednesday: Shaving cream party!!!!
No shaving cream party for this guy...he'd put it in his mouth...although...is the alternative any better? :)
Look at me, Ma!
Yay! No more carpet! Can you imagine carpet in the bathroom withthree four boys???? Potty training......occassional overflowing toilet...
PS The previous homeowners had put carpet throughout the whole upstairs before they sold this house....so, in only 3 months we already have waterstains underneath!
Wet Wednesday: Shaving cream party!!!!
No shaving cream party for this guy...he'd put it in his mouth...although...is the alternative any better? :)
Look at me, Ma!
Yay! No more carpet! Can you imagine carpet in the bathroom with
PS The previous homeowners had put carpet throughout the whole upstairs before they sold this house....so, in only 3 months we already have waterstains underneath!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Stuff
My sis-in-law recently got involved with selling Regal products. I had a chance to look at their catalogue and there is some really creative inventive stuff in there. I'd use some of it for sure while there is also other stuff over which we chuckled...
See for yourself...
Stay tuned for the next post on "Stuff"....coming soon...more fun things!
See for yourself...
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Very inventive...kids would love it...especially Austen, my tape-lovin' son...he goes through a roll of tape a day during school hours... |
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My kids could use this! |
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Funny. |
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Really? A cot? For 40 bucks! |
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Pearls...uh huh... |
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Hilarious! |
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I'd use this! |
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This would be so useful with the kids! |
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Hmmmm...didn't expect to come across this in a household catalogue... |
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TOE STRAIGHTENERS!!! FOR REAL!!! How does this work exactly?! |
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| Could've used this when I was pregnant... |
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| OR you can take your shirt off and save 30 bucks....just sayin'! |
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I know our dog would never drink out of a portable drink container. |
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Useful...if you don't mind the dull ache of pins digging into your body.. |
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I think this speaks for itself. |
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| In the words of my friend Susan: "Creepy" |
Stay tuned for the next post on "Stuff"....coming soon...more fun things!
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Rainy Day Quiet Fun
We're finally enjoying some rainy days! More time indoors with a bit of swimming in the rain...here are some of our rainy day activities...
We're doing a little Family Olympics Day today...just the kids and us...they're loving it and it's super simple. More on that another day.
Date Thursday: Daddy & Megan Day (Going out for lunch just the 2 of them). |
FAMILY FUN NIGHT: Movie "night"...borrow a projector and insta-theatre!! |
Watching the movie... |
A scary part... |
No movie watching for this guy...nope..."I wanna climb, mama!" |
Hello! |
Tonight's feature...on VHS! |
Peek-a-boo! |
Rainy day after Family Movie Night calls for "Blue's Clues"! |
Relaxing and veggin' |
Teaching the older 2 kids how to play "Dutch Blitz"! Fun! |
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