Seattle Vacation Day 2

We spent the night at my aunt and uncle's home in Seattle and were also able to visit with my cousin, Allison, and her family the first evening we arrived.  We took off pretty early in the morning and headed to the Pacific Science Center.  We were able to get in for free with our museum pass which was awesome.  The boys loved it, there was tons for them to do and explore and it was a fun way to spend the morning.

We walked around the corner and found quesadillas for the boys and Thai food for us then headed toward the Space Needle area to explore some of the sights and take the boys on the monorail.  There were some Star Wars characters downtown and the boys were in heaven.  We were given tickets to go up the Space Needle but found out they were void since they were removed from the coupon book so Ben was a bit sad.  The star wars guys helped cheer him up though.  That and ice cream, which always cheers me up :-)  After squeezing our family and stroller onto the monorail (we received soooo many funny looks towards our 3 blonde little boys riding together on the stroller) we headed to the International Fountains for some playtime.  I remember coming here on my vacations as a kid so that was fun to be there now as a mom.

If only the boys were having a little fun??  Day 2, you were great :-)

Seattle Vacation Day 1

We decided to get out of town for a little bit as a family during the summer before Ben started school.  So we headed off to Seattle.  It's not that far of a drive, my Uncle graciously let us stay with them so it made it a really easy and affordable place to get away for 3 days.  The boys were soooo excited and really, we were too.

We took off in the morning and our first stop was to visit my Grandmother, my dad's mom.  She had recently been moved to an assisted living facility after learning she had cancer and although she's doing well now, at the time we weren't sure how long she had.  It was great to see her, it had been since Benjamin was 6 months old since we'd seen her last time.

After we visited with Grandmother, we headed to downtown Seattle for the afternoon and evening.  We had plans to take the boys on a ferry ride, eat some Ivars and enjoy the fun vibe of being downtown.  There was lots of construction along the waterfront but we still had a blast.  The ferry ride was just long enough to keep the boys attention!

The boys loved throwing their remaining french fries to the seagulls after enjoying dinner outside at Ivars.  Someday when the boys wouldn't terrorize the other guests, we'll eat inside the nicer restaurant....hmmmm, yummy salmon and halibut :-)

We finished the fun day with a carousel ride for the boys and ice cream for us all.  Pretty much the best day ever for the boys.  What a wonderful first day!

Ethan - 12 Months!!

Ethan, you have to forgive your mama for not keeping better stats for your first year of life, but you can always know that I just adored you and was too busy having fun with you!!!  Here's a few things to remember for your 1 year old self.

Weight:  about 27 lbs

Height:  about 33 inches

Likes:  You looove being outside, love riding around in the push car.  You love animals and balls.  You've started to like watching Elmo and like watching Baby Einstein.  Your dog Floppy never leaves your side.  You love wrestling with Daddy, coloring, vrooming your cars.

Dislikes:  Napping consistently, ha ha.  You're finally better about riding in the car.  You would prefer to have undivided attention but unfortunately buddy, that's not always possible.  You also tend to scream when your brothers are too much in your personal bubble :-)

Eating:  You switched over to whole milk right about 12 months after having nursed for about 10 months and formula for months 10 and 11.  You aren't really picky and eat most anything.

Sleeping:  You aren't a great sleeper but not awful.  Naps aren't always consistent but you sleep through the night from about 8pm to 7:30 or 8am.  You take one nap a day and will quickly be learning to adjust to a new schedule when Ben starts kindergarten when you are 13 months old.  You sleep with your Floppy and sound machine and usually suck your fingers.  You stopped taking a paci around 6ish months.

Personality:  You are our most social boy and don't seem super shy with strangers.  You definitely can scream to let us know you want something.  But you are the most goofy, ornery, attention loving, funny little boy.  You are a bit of a mama's boy but light up when Daddy comes up.  You scream when your brothers pick on you but you try so hard to do what they do.  You haven't started walking yet, but you take your first steps just shortly after turning 13 months.

We love you Ethan, we can't remember life without you and love you to pieces.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ETHAN!!!!

Ethan Samuel, you are such a wonderful addition to our family.  You have tons of personality and bring us so much joy.  Your first year of life seemed to just fly by and though there were definitely some long, slow days I have truly enjoyed you my sweet boy.  Your brothers adore you, your Daddy is simply smitten with you, and you are just a gift from God that we are so grateful for.

For your first birthday, we were actually in Seattle (more on that soon!) but we did celebrate a bit early while we had family visiting.  Of course, you loved the cake and loved the attention from everyone.  You love the little lion on the quilt in your nursery and always make the lion animal noise so I thought it would be a good choice for your first birthday smash cake.

Happy Birthday Ethan Samuel, we love you!  No, no, no, we love YOU!  :-)