Toys Toys Toys

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone. I finally got around to posting some pictures of our Christmas: Part 1. Since Will's parents and sister were out of town at Christmas this year, we were with my family only on the 24th and 25th. Tomorrow, New Year's Day, we celebrate with Will's family. It is kind of nice because Christmas went so quickly but I thought, Well, we still have another celebration to look forward to. It was definitely fun this year now that Ethan's bigger and can enjoy his toys more. We didn't spoil him too much, but we did get him a few fun things. Here are some of the highlights:

This is Christmas Eve day when we gave Ethan our big item, a tool bench I found on Craigslist. We love that it is a recycled item, and it's in great shape. There is a power drill he especially likes.

This is the annual cousin picture that we started doing a few years ago. It's really amazing to look at it from year to year and see how we've grown and changed. I can't believe how grown up my young cousins are. Charlie is 15 today! They are all close, too, which is fun to see, and we have a lot of fun together.

Here was a cute scene where Ethan crawled up on the couch to sit next to Will.

Here is part of the family in Aunty Laura's living room while we did our present exchange.

More of the family...we can't really all fit in the one room, so many of us are spilled into the hallway and kitchen.

Lisa and family came over to my mom's Christmas morning to exchange gifts. Matthew's wearing the Santa outfit that Ben, Drew, and Ethan have all worn as well.

Ben and Drew pose with Aunt Malia (Moe) with their new Indiana Jones whips. I think Will and Brian wanted to play with them more than the kids.

Ethan plays with his Melissa and Doug tool kit.

Another shot with the tool kit. Hopefully, he'll be more like his Great Uncle Johnny the carpenter and less like his non-handy parents.

Will really wanted to get Ethan his front loader truck, which is pretty neat. There's a lever to pull that opens a door on the bottom for things to fall out.

One of his favorite gifts is his ball popper from Aunt Moe.

Here he is mastering the lever and filling his truck with the Mega Blocks from Aunt Lisa, Uncle Brian, and the boys.

He's so talented he can play with his eyes closed!

This was when we were getting Ethan ready for bed on Christmas day. I'm not sure if this is before or after he peed on the tile floor on the other side of the room, something we only discovered because he later slipped in his puddle...yikes!

Ethan has a new thing for trying on Will's boots. It's really funny.

Poor Ethan in his sled after most of the snow melted from the random 60 degree day. He doesn't understand that we can't pull him in it now. Will resorted to pulling him around in the grass yesterday because he wouldn't get out of the sled.

We caught Ethan reading to himself the other day, which we think is so adorable. He looks a bit confused here. Not a good sign since he's reading the book Praying to God.

I will post more pictures after our festivities tomorrow, I am sure, including a family picture, hopefully, since we forgot to take one on Christmas.

Happy New Year!!!

POP!

Our latest obsession:

Merry Christmas!

Softened Butter is for Suckers

I could certainly be wrong about this, but I think most women, if given the choice, would rather bake cookies than cook a meal. (Please, feel free to weigh in in the comment section -that means you, too, Mom!) Everybody loves cookies, and cake, and muffins, and cupcakes, and other sweet treats. And I am no exception. But, unlike many women, I HATE baking. I'll make the occasional batch of cookies and I'll make easy box brownies, but only once a year will I subject myself to the torture that is a full day of baking. Even continuous Christmas music piping through the house did little to brighten my baking mood. The only fun part was letting Ethan help with the mixing since he gets a big kick out of my Kitchen Aid. But, really, as much as I will enjoy eating the fruits of my labor, I wish I was a person who felt okay about buying all their Christmas cookies. Alas, since I'm a glutton for punishment and must bake my own cookies, I will simply complain about the woes of baking.

Let's start with the title of this post: softened butter. How annoying is it to soften butter? It always takes way longer than expected, so the baking schedule gets thrown off. And don't even try rushing the process by microwaving or putting the butter on a preheating oven. All this does is give you liquid butter that yields mediocre cookie dough. That, or a very messy stove top. Trust me.

Another frustrating aspect for me about baking is the measuring. Everything has to be just right or your cookies don't taste right. Have you ever used baking powder instead of baking soda? News flash, Michelle: They're not the same! Mess up one ingredient and your family will be eating rock hard, dry, salt-cookies.

And the idea of no substitutions brings me to what brought me to the ledge yesterday: running out of ingredients. Mid-preparation yesterday, I realized I was out of brown sugar. I had done a check of flour and sugar the day before but forgot about brown sugar. Since I knew substituting was a big no no, I had to run out the store. To avoid the grocery store, I walked to 7-11 on the corner only to find that they did not have brown sugar. So, I walked home, got in the car, and went to Dominicks. I came home, almost a half hour later, only to find out later on that I was about out of vanilla extract! God, I hate baking. Luckily, I had enough to make most of my cookies, or I might have lost it.

The mess of baking is another frustration for me. I don't mind messes in the kitchen while cooking, but the mess you get from baking sticks around for a long time. There is a dusting of flour over every surface in my kitchen, including inside drawers. And I can hear the sugar crunching under my feet as I walk through the kitchen today. (As if hardened sweet potatoes on the floor isn't enough.) And the mess extends further with baking, since I have to use the kitchen table for the baking racks. What I wouldn't give for more counter space and an island.

While trying to clean up some of the mess, it's very easy to accidentally ruin some of the cookies, too, by keeping them in the oven 30 seconds past their timer. Nothing burns faster than cookies. And if you don't get them out at exactly the right moment - give or take a half a second - they are practically ruined. Some squirrels, if they were desperate enough, will be surviving the bitter cold of winter on my burnt chocolate chip cookies thrown in the yard.

The funny thing is, I didn't make anything fancy yesterday. I made chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal raisin, an easy sugar cookie, and no-bake marshmallow wreaths. I planned to make spritz cookies, but after hours of baking, I knew my testy spritz cookie maker could be the thing to force me off the aforementioned ledge. Plus, I wasn't sure if I had enough vanilla! My mom and grandma make all these cookies and then at least 5 more different kinds. And they seem to do it effortlessly.

I guess I'm just not cut out to be a baker. Maybe it comes from my natural tendency to prefer dinner to dessert. I like sweets, but I don't love them. Those of you who know me well, know I'd much rather have a steak and potato than a piece of cake or pie. I've just never had an ultra-sweet tooth. But I do love to be in the kitchen and have said that my dream job would be a personal chef. I guess I will have to find someone like me, though, who likes a good, home cooked meal and would rather have seconds than dessert. While cooking a meal, you can substitute for all kinds of ingredients and skip the measuring cups all together. Simply taste your work often. Plus, when you cook with butter, you can take it right from the fridge (or freezer even), put it in the pan, and let it melt right away. None of this softened business!

Here's my little helper adding some flour mixture to the dough.
Done!

GA! And Other Words

Ethan, while I know he understands just about everything ("no" being the exception, it seems), does not use verbal language all that much. He is starting to use words more and more, though, and I have a feeling that within the next two months his language skills will take off. With this thought in mind, I thought I'd take this opportunity to archive his language at this point in his life with a dictionary of sorts.

Ga - Ethan uses "ga" to mean just about anything and everything. Everything he points to is "ga." He uses it has a declarative statement (Me: Where's the kitten? Ethan: Ga.) or as a question, typically combined with a pointing gesture (Ethan: Ga? Me: That's a leaf.).

GA - While not many would hear a distinction, "GA" is quite different from "ga." You see, "GA" indicates Daddy. Will has been GA for some time now. We say Daddy a lot but if I say to Ethan, "GA's home," he will run to the door to wait. Or if I say, "Where's GA?" Ethan will run out to where Will is, point, and scream out, "GA!"

Mama - You guessed it. He does know Mama. But, he doesn't really call me anything yet. If he wakes up in the middle of the night, he does not cry out "Mama!" I'm halfway hoping and halfway dreading that day. As cute and heartwarming as that pathetic cry will be, how will I ever resist it? He uses mama mostly to indicate that something is mine since I will often tell him, "No, that's mama's." For example, he really wanted to use the big shovel to shovel the driveway instead of the small one he has. I kept saying it was mama's and the other day when we went out to shovel he pointed to it and said, "Mama."

Caah - This is probably Ethan's favorite word. It stands for car, and he says it like he's from Jersey. I love it. Whenever a car goes by when we're outside, or he's in a parking lot, or he's in our own car looking out the window, he is constantly saying "Caah!"

Boo - Boo means, simply, "Boo!" In the book If You Give a Moose a Muffin, there's a part where the moose puts a sheet over his head and screams, "Boo!" Every time we get to that page, Ethan yells out "Boo!" even before we get to the word. Ethan also loves to hide in our sliding door closets. When he closes it on himself, I always say, "Where's Ethan?" and he will burst open the doors and say, "Boo!" with a great big smile on his face.

Boo - Ethan's other "Boo" means boot. From a very young age, Ethan has loved footwear. He can play in my closet for hours, taking out shoes and putting them back in. When winter came and I broke out my boots, he learned the word. I ask him to bring me my boots, and he will. He doesn't bring shoes if I ask for boots; he brings the boots. And now he has a pair of his own to show me, too.

Sue - No, he's not a future lawyer. Sue is Ethan's word for shoe. It may have even been his first word, that's how much he likes them.

Sssaaah - And what shoe is complete without a sock? "Ssssaah" is sock in Ethanese. He really draws out that s. I love it.

Shhhhi - Not sure if I spelled this one quite accurately. To be clear, this word sounds an awful lot like shit. And it's Ethan's word for fish. We go to the library every Monday, and there is a fish tank there. Whenever we get to the children's section, he runs toward the tank screaming "Shhhhi!" And it really does sound like he's cussing. It cracks me up. I've gotten a few looks. He seems to have mastered the sh from the end of fish but hasn't quite figured out that the f sound comes first.

Pop-Pop - I'd say "Pop-pop" has the best story behind it. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, were were at Gram and Grandpa Meuer's house. Ethan and his Grandpa were playing with a jack-in-the-box, which Ethan just loves. Grandpa would sing the song and then say "Pop goes the weasel" at the end. We slept over there that night and the next morning, when Ethan saw Grandpa for the first time, he said, "Pop-pop." A new nickname was born that day, I think. And, just the other day, he pointed to a picture of him and said, "Pop-pop." It was so cute. When I showed him a picture later of my family, he pointed to my dad and said "Pop-pop," too. So both grandpa's might be Pop-pop. That could get confusing, but I think it's so cute.

Mmmoooo - Half of the books we read to Ethan have a moon in them, so "Mmmoooo" is Ethan's word for moon. I'm pleased that he seems to understand that moons aren't always round but can look like fingernail clippings sometimes, too. He calls all depictions of moons the same thing.

Go - Here's another word, like the first "boo," that means exactly what it should: Go! Whenever it is raining, we would rush out to the car and I would say, "Ready? Go! Go! Go!" as we ran. Now, whenever I ask him if he's ready for anything, he replies, "Go! Go!"

Teey - I'm pretty sure I've heard Ethan say "Teey" to indicate a tree. The y at the end may be confusing, but that's the way I hear it.

Aaah gaah - For quite some time now, I've been trying to teach Ethan to say "All gone" when he's through with a meal. His communication of choice, though, is grunting and writhing in his high chair, or, like today, flinging mashed sweet potatoes onto the wall. But, when I turn off the hair dryer or vacuum, he tells me, "Aaah gaah." He's still learning.

Moh - Months after I stopped using the sign for more, Ethan put his fingers together in the sign one day and said, "Moh." I thought he hadn't picked it up, but I was wrong. Typically, he just parrots the word when I ask if he wants more. But the other day, he ate a waffle and banana for breakfast, and when he was done, he said, "Moh." He was a hungry boy that day.

Baaah - Another early word, "baaah" = ball. Really, any round object becomes a "baaah" and he likes to run up to either Will or I yelling, "Baaah!!"

Those are all the words I can think of right now. There are probably more, but these are the ones we hear often. It's not the same seeing them on the page as hearing them in his cute little voice. I'll have to try and get some video of him using some words. Or you can come over. :) Or you can do your best to picture him saying some of these words in these recent snapshots:

Here he is checking out our first big snowfall.

I don't think many things are cuter than a little guy in footy pajamas.

Donning his fabulous London Fog snowsuit (Thanks, Lisa!), he looks like a character out of A Christmas Story. He really likes it, though, and can move fairly well in it.

This is the shot I got of him being naughty. He sneaks into the office to play with the computer mouse. When you catch him he laughs and starts pushing the mouse around like a maniac. It's hilarious to watch. He's so proud of himself.

Ethan's really concentrating on his birthday drawing for his GA.

Here's GA himself, last night, eating his birthday dinner of turkey meatloaf and mashed sweet potatoes. Ethan really liked the turkey meatloaf but wasn't so sure about the taters. See how well he's using his fork?

Thankful

It's not quite Thanksgiving yet, but since I'm already listening to Christmas music (sue me - I love it!), I figure I better have a post on all the ways I am thankful. There are so many things I have to be thankful for, but here is just a sampling:

*For Ethan's health after a case of croup and then a terrible fall down the stairs. Easily our scariest parental moment to date, Ethan came out of the fall with just some small scrapes and bruises. And thanks to the thorough staff at Hinsdale Hospital who ordered x-rays and a C-scan just to be sure. Thank God he's okay!

*For new friends in the area. Last year, I longed to find some stay-at-home mothers in the area. Now, I have the women in playgroup as well as classes, and I finally feel like I have a nice network of women near to lean on and with which to have fun as well. (Book Club, here I come!)

*For a date with my husband. With finances being pretty tight this year, I was very thankful for a coupon to fancy french restaurant, Mon Ami Gabi, as well as leftover Lettuce Entertain You gift cards, which allowed us a "free" meal and rare date at a scrumptious eatery.

*For Ethan's latest sleep patterns. While he certainly is not a perfect sleeper, Ethan has been taking good naps and sleeping in until around 7 most mornings. And since he's content for a while after waking up, I can lounge in bed for a bit longer, feeling pretty spoiled for our lazy mornings. Between 7-8 am is a lazy morning in my family, sadly enough.

*For the LaGrange library and LaGrange Park District, both of which provide weekly morning outings for Ethan and I. Even though Ethan spends most of Library Story Time trying to escape or open the fridge in the room, he does really enjoy it when I sing the Itsy Bitsy Spider to him back at home. And he now wakes up marching in his crib thanks to the Dinosaurs Marching song.

*For a husband who works hard all day and then comes home at a decent hour to allow me to get to tutoring and/or PT appointments. After speaking to many moms around here who's husbands are not home until after 7 pm and often out of town, I realize I'm very fortunate to have married a teacher who is able to get home earlier and help out.

*For family and friends. We may not get out much on our own, but Will and I do have a fairly lively social calendar, getting together with our friends and family often. We're lucky to have many nearby.

Really, there is so much more and so many teeny tiny tidbits I could report. I could have one long post each about Ethan's funny marching, his obsessive compulsive habits, his toothy grin, his grocery store hugs, his shoe fetish, and his unfortunate food throwing. But I'll have to let this be enough for now. Happy Thanksgiving!

11/20 Addendum: ***For President Elect Obama. God, it feels great to say that. Thank you, thank you, thank you America! (Thanks for the reminder, Annie!)

My favorite thing about his costume was the way it made him say "Buzzzzzz" over and over.

The first attempt. He finally took a piece from the basket...and the another, and another. Then, at the next house, he reached into his own bag and tried to put one of the candy bars into the bowl. We'll work on it.

Lots of candy made him thirsty!
We made a stop so grandma could see Mr. BEEthan.

This is Ethan the day of his tumble. It's hard to see, but he has a round bruise on the right side of his forehead (his right). Amazing it wasn't worse.

BOORACK THE VOTE

A PUMPKIN WE CAN BELIEVE IN

On the Lighter Side

I'm taking this from my best friend's blog. All one word answers...here we go!

1. Where is you cell phone...here
2. Where is your significant other... school
3. Your hair color... contemplating
4. Your mother... help
5. Your father... goof
6. Your favorite thing... hugs
7. Your dream last night... Kazor!
8. Your dream goal... chef
9. Room you're in... office
10. Your hobby... blogging
11. Your fear... winter
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years...here
13. Where were you last night... couch
14. What you're not... rich
15. One of your wish-list items... boots
16. Where you grew up... Illinois
17. The last thing you ate...doritos
18. What are you wearing... casual
19. Your TV... off
20. Your pet... soon
21. Your computer... lifeline
22. Your mood... good
23. Missing someone... always
24. Your car... embarrassing
25. Something you"re not wearing...nailpolish
26. Favorite store... Trader Joe's
27. Your summer... travel
28. Love someone...lots
29. Your favorite color... green
30. Last time you laughed... today
31. Last time you cried... today

To all the Joe the Plumbers out there

Dear Joe the Plumber,

I've been thinking a lot about you since the debate last Wednesday and ever since I saw you on Good Morning America. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeX3zfvIwAA) You seem like a very nice man, and I admired that you did not say who you were voting for and chose not become a McCain (or Obama maybe) spokesperson. You cleared things up a bit, too, and let the world know that, in fact, you do not make $250,000.00 a year. Your question to Obama at a rally was hypothetical, something along the lines of "If I were to start my own business and start making over that much, would I then have to pay more in taxes?" Fair enough.

What I've been thinking about most is your argument against having to pay more taxes. Your position, and that of many Republicans, is that you should not be penalized for being successful. Diane Sawyer asks if you feel the same about the very rich, those who make millions and can clearly afford to pay more in taxes. You said that these people, too, should not be penalized. I guess one of my problems is the word penalized. I mean, is paying taxes really a punishment? We pay taxes on a lot of things, and I never thought of it as a punishment. Annoying? Sure. Expensive? Sometimes. But punishment?

Everybody, or most everybody, pays taxes, right? It's just a necessary part of being an adult, right? So what would you suggest, Joe the Plumber, we do? Pay no taxes? That hardly seems doable. Should everybody pay the same amount? And what amount is that? What if we took the bulk amount of what the US takes in in taxes and divided it by the number of families in the United States and charged everyone that same amount? I wonder how that would go over? Probably pretty well, actually, since those with money would love it and those without money do not have a voice to say anything. They're always the losers, aren't they?

The way I see it, those with a lot of money should absolutely have to pay more in taxes. Certainly nobody should have to pay so much that they lose a business or go bankrupt, but is it fair that those making a ton of money are getting tax breaks while those in the middle/lower class are not? I just don't see how people that make three times or more in a year than most average families justify not wanting to pay more in taxes. Joe the Plumber said that he works hard, long days. Don't a lot of people work hard, long days and make barely enough to stay afloat? I keep hearing McCain talk about how proud he is of his supporters, how they are good, decent citizens - the salt of the earth! And many of them are. (Some of them are my close family!) But if you're really good and decent, do you complain about paying more in taxes if you know it's good for the country, takes the burden off those less fortunate, and you can easily afford it? That just seems wrong to me.

A family making $250,000.00 a year is doing pretty well, aren't they? They are going out to eat 2 times a week or more. They are taking family vacations. They go to Starbucks and don't blink an eye a their $5 latte. When the want something, they buy it. Sure, these are generalizations and not all these families live extravagant lifestyles, but they certainly sleep okay at night. (At least they did before the recent financial crisis.) So why should they make a big fuss at paying a bit more in taxes and helping out those families who do not have that peace of mind at night? Our tax dollars go to government funded programs meant to help people. Yes, some of these programs are flawed. And, yes, some of our tax dollars are misspent. But some aren't and our tax dollars go to programs that absolutely need to be funded. (Programs for education come to mind...)


I suppose the tax question represents a fundamental difference between Democrats and Republicans and goes along with the idea of smaller government. Smaller government is a GREAT idea...in theory. But the reality is that smaller government is just not enough sometimes. There are far too many people in the US and certainly far too many who are disenfranchised. We need good people in Washington working to do good things for EVERYBODY, not just those with money. Money = power. Those with it, have it. Those without it, have to fight hard for it.

Now, I'm not saying that Obama is a knight in shining armor who will swoop in and save the country. And I'm not saying that McCain is not a good man. And I'm certainly not naive enough to believe that the president has all that much power, either. But I do believe that Obama, as president, will do more than the other guy to bring this country together and stand up for those who have smaller voices. After all, helping those people is how Obama got his start, working with lower income families to organize and make their voices heard. Making sure these Americans do not have higher taxes, adding to their already heavy burden, is just one way to help.

Good luck climbing higher on the plumber rungs, Joe the Plumber. I do hope you become as successful as you'd like to be. And once you're there, I hope you remember those around you who have not been so fortunate.

Warm regards,
Michelle

P.S. Will wanted me to add that Warren Buffet, the world's second richest man, has said that he pays less in taxes now than he ever has before. Warren Buffet also supports Obama.

Our Pumpkin-less Day at the Pumpkin Farm

Below, you'll see some pictures of our recent trip to Sonny Acres, the pumpkin farm I've been going to since I was old enough to remember pumpkins. Last year, Ethan was only 4 months old when we went, so it was more fun this year now that he's walking around. It was also fun to be with my parents, who, obviously, were the ones who used to take me. My mom hadn't been there in years, though, and she was amazed at how much it had changed. She said that when we used to go, there were pumpkins, hay rides, the big shop, and a pony ride. Now, there are still those four things but also a dozen carnival rides, vendors everywhere, and ticket booths. The ticket booths are of course necessary in order to have a place buy tickets. And what do you need tickets for, you ask? Everything! Will paid $2 to go down a giant slide with Ethan. And, actually, they tried to charge him $3 because going with an adult costs one more ticket (though that was not on the sign), but he indicated that he was out of tickets and they let him go. Seriously? Three dollars to go down a slide? I can almost get a Starbucks coffee for that! It saddens me to see that a simple farm that I looked forward to going to as a child has turned completely into a profit making machine. Not that I really blame the owners, who I'm sure are simply trying to keep up with other farms, some of which even charge an admissions fee on top of tickets. Sonny Acres, for the time being at least, does not charge an admissions fee. Luckily, Ethan's young enough now that we did not have to take him on a lot of rides. He went down the slide, on a train with grandpa, and in a little play area. That was $7 worth of fun right there, so I can't imagine what the families with multiple children were paying, especially if they were buying their kids any of the highly nutricious snacks like elephant ears or butter with corn!

Maybe I'm extra sensitive now because we're living on a pretty tight budget, but I just remember loving Sonny Acres simply because I could climb on what seemed like a mountain of pumkins to pick the most perfect one. (The mountain doesn't exist anymore, most likely for fear of litigation from the parents of a clumsy child.) Last Saturday, we didn't even pick out a pumpkin because the price was so ridiculous, we knew we could get two or three from Jewel for less. So our odyssey to the pumpkin farm ended, and we departed without the traditional fall pumpkin we had set out to find.

I realize that silly spending money for traditional outtings is necessary at times when you have kids, and looking at the pictures I remember the fun we did have. But I hope to be the kind of mom who finds creative, fun, and FREE things to do with their kids. I think I already am that mom, in fact. Last week, on a brisk day, Ethan and I drove over to the grounds of the McDonalds corporation, which is close to us (just in Oak Brook), free to get into, and has a ton of trails to walk. With the fall colors just emerging, this was a great outting for my curious little boy. We had a great time. My sister and I have found out about all the free museum days coming up and marked them on our calendars. We've already been to the Museum of Science and Industry on one of our "Culture Days," as we like to call them. It is not always easy to find free or inexpensive activities around here, but it's certainly not impossible either. I know that getting out of the house is important for my sanity, so I've just learned to be a bit more creative in how we choose to spend our time and shake things up a bit. Any suggestions are welcome.

The four above are from our walk in the McDonald's Headquarter's grounds. Do you see the crane in the last picture? Pretty cool.

Here's Ethan eating one of the last of the cookies we made.

I guess this face makes it all worth it, huh?

Recipe for a Great Day

1. Preheat day to between 55-60 degrees. Brisk, yes, but sunny.

2. Add in some outside time in the driveway with sidewalk chalk.

3. On a clean, dry surface, mash some new playdough and make fun shapes. Do your best not to eat the dough.

4. Next, bake some Nestle Toll House cookies. Be sure to turn the mixer on high right when you put the flour mixture in bowl.

5. Sprinkle in a nice, long nap and dream sweet dreams.

6. Fold in more outside time and ball playing.

7. Add more playdough to the mixture and let rise.

8. Finally, incorporate a dash of crayons.

9. Place entire day in memory bank and cook until imprinted in heart.

10. Enjoy.

I'm Still Here!

I've taken a bit of a hiatus from blogging lately. The bottom line is that Ethan stopped taking two naps so much of my free time during the day, for now, is lost. Until his one nap extends a little longer, it will be difficult to find the time to blog. The little time I do have these days is spent cleaning up all the messes my boys make. But here are some life highlights in pictures:

The story behind these first two pictures is that I had just said to Will, "Well, I think Ethan's getting out of his Pat the Bunny phase. No sooner had I said this then Ethan beelined it for his room and emerged triumphantly carrying the book. He's so smart! Then, of course, we had to read it 47 times.

A couple days before Will's sister's wedding, I had to try Ethan's suit on. Doesn't he look dapper?
Here are Chris and Laura at their rehearsal dinner.
Will and I pose for a picture in the bowling alley. The rehearsal dinner was held at Pinstripes, a Bowling and Bocce Bistro. It was such a fun venue!


Here's me and Courtney. I think she just said, "Yes, in fact, you are the best bowler, Michelle."
Here's Ethan with cousin Sarah Craft. And, yes, he does have his hand down her dress, it seems. Yikes!

The happy couple at their sweetheart table.

Here are Chris and Laura during their first dance...pictures are dark, sorry!

Lisa and Brian really took advantage of a rare night out and danced with us a lot.

Will and I literally danced all night. My feet hurt, but we had a blast!

Me and my mom, who I was so grateful to for watching Ethan from 1pm on Friday through the wedding on Saturday. Ethan was such a good boy for her, so that's good.

Chris and Laura share another dance later in the night.

On the dance floor still! This is at our house the next day. We had Bill, Betsy, and Grandma Meuer (all 101 years of her!) over for dinner. It was a lot of fun.

Now it's back to real life, which is just fine with me. The weather continues to awe us all, getting into the 80's all week. Truth be told, though, I'm ready for some typical fall weather. I love brisk fall weather, as long as it's not too cold and the sun is still shining. I'm looking forward to walks and playtime at the park when the weather is not so warm.