My First Sewing Project - I did it!

I have always wanted to learn to sew, so last Saturday, I took a beginners sewing class at a local craft store.  It was fun to learn and meet people with similar interests (some of the other girls there crochet, too, so that was fun talking about different patterns, etc).  On Sunday, Mom gave me a sewing machine that she found in the basement. 

A couple of months ago, I found a pattern to make an Infant Car Seat Canopy and I kept it as  "Favorite" hoping that one day I would be able to make one. Well, the instructions looked easy enough even for a newbie like me, so I decided to try it out and make one for a friend in the ward who is having a baby girl any day.  I went to the fabric store and picked out really cute fabric and yesterday I sat down to begin my first sewing project.  Although it is far from perfect, I am happy with the end results... and like my mom always says - the mistakes make it unique and give it character:)

Here is a picture of what I made:

So I don't have a carseat yet, so I put it over a baby swing, but you still get the idea:)  Not too bad for my first sewing project - hope my friend likes it!

Ultrasound Follow-Up

This morning I had my follow-up ultrasound to check on Baby's kidneys.  We were so excited to see him again!  The sonographer was really nice and told us everything she was measuring.  He now weighs 3 pounds 1 oz (according to my book he should weigh 2.5 pounds!) and the doctor said everything looks great!  The baby is already head down and facing backward (and being a bit bashful), so the sonographer had a hard time getting a picture of his face, but she did mange to get one:) 

I can't wait to meet this little guy!

Face ... we need to turn that frown upside down!

spine

 hand

foot

Easter 2011

We woke up to Ethan coming in to tell us that the Easter Bunny did not come to our house.  We told him we would go downstairs with him and eat breakfast, and as we walked downstairs, he saw his Easter basket (and a couple of Easter eggs for the Hunt) - he was so excited!  In his basket he got a chocolate bunny, crayons, the new Narnia movie (we are reading the series right now), Moon Dough, a book, etc.  He finished the egg hunt in record time, too!  After church, we went to my parents house to visit my grandma and family.  The Easter Bunny visited their house, too!  It was a smaller Easter than we have had in the past, Grandpa was there in spirit, and Meghan and Bobby are in the Dominican Republic.  Mom did an excellent job cooking the food and we all left very, very full!

Spring Break 2011

This is the first Spring Break that I have been home with Ethan.  In the past, he has gone to daycare like any other day - I just had to pay $100 more for that week for him to be there all day, every day.  I have been looking forward to spending more time with him and wanted to make sure that he had fun.

Monday:  I had a dentist appointment in Vienna, so we went there and then went to my friend Shasta's house who lives nearby (and was in our old ward).  It was so good to see her again!  And she graciously gave us a lot of baby toys for Baby! :)  We then had lunch at McDonalds, went to Kohl's to return some things, Michaels (to get yarn for Ethan's blanket he wants me to make him) and then to Target.  After a busy morning and afternoon, we came home and relaxed.  In the evening, we went to the park and Josie and I watched Ethan run around and play with his friends.  Good day!

Tuesday:  This morning we made bugs with the Creepy Crawlers Bug Maker - Ethan had so much fun making a spider with it and then having it "stick" to the wall! After lunch, we went to Aldie, VA and met Meg at a nail salon where we got pedicures (Ethan was so good at the salon and sat patiently and played his DS!).  Then, we went to my parents house for a little bit and Meg and Bobby joined us and we all went out to dinner to celebrate Meg's 30th birthday.  We tried a new Japenese Steak House... good times!  The staff were really nice and when they found out it was Meg's birthday, they sang to her, gave everyone (except Ethan and me) saki, and topped it off with a peice of cheesecake with a candle.  Aftwerards, we went to Mom and Dave's for ice cream cake and presents  It was a great day and I hope Meg had a great birthday!!

Ethan making a spider

Out to a small Japenese Restaurant to celebrate Meg's 30th birthday

Meg's Yummy Birthday Cake!

Wednesday: I cleaned the house in the morning and then my good friend Annie came over.  We went out to lunch, followed by a trip to Costco.  I love that store almost as much as Target:)  After coming home and relaxing for a little bit, we went to a friend's house who lives nearby - she has four kids and her son is about Ethan's age.  The kids had so much fun playing and it was nice to get to know Kim better.  Sean came home tonight since he is taking the second part (out of four) of the CPA exam tomorrow morning.

Hangin' Out

Thursday:  Sean left very early to take his exam and then go into the office and Ethan and I met some friends from our old ward at a fun little park in Vienna.  It was so good to see them and their kids!  Afterwards, we came home and relaxed.  Sean surprised me and sent me flowers to celebrate our six month wedding anniversary:)  He also came home early from work (4PM) and we all went to our neighborhood park for a little bit.  Then, to celebrate even more, we went out to dinner - yum!

Kiddos at the Park in front of the fort they made

Friday:  Today we decided to take it easy, especially since it was raining outside.  We went to see the movie HOP (I ended up falling asleep during it, so sorry-I can't give you my personal review on it, but Ethan liked it!).  We went to a theater in Old Town Leesburg, and it was old and had the "old fashioned" feel to it, but it made it a little more fun. 

Life Update

Here is a quick update on what we've been up to...

Ethan:  Ethan started basketball through our rec center and he LOVES it!  I really like the coaches and they teach the kids the basics, as well as let them scrimmage.  We got his report card last Wednesday and it was great:)  He is still above the reading level, so his teacher is still adjusting his reading assignments to keep him challenged.  Now that the weather is getting warmer, we have met more of our neighbors and the neighborhood kids.  Ethan loves going to the park and playing with Nurf guns with the other boys and also playing kickball with them.

Baby Prince:  Baby Prince is also doing great!  He is moving a lot, and its so fun for Sean and Ethan to feel him move.  You can also "see" him move if you look at my tummy while he's moving.  I have another ultrasound on Monday (April 25th) to check on his kidneys, and also another regular check-up and I will be tested for gestational diabetes (where I have to drink a lot of yucky tasting stuff before the appointment!).  His baby bedding has been ordered and I'm anxiously waiting for it to be delivered.  I'm so excited to get his nursery set up!  We have decided on the crib and dresser we want to get for his room, but I want to sell my old dresser (that is currently in his room) before we buy the crib and stuff.  Does anyone want a really nice light-colored, solid wood dresser?!  ;)  We are all very excited to meet Baby, but are being patient as he continues to grow!

Sean:  Sean is a busy man!  He is still traveling Monday morning -Thursday nights to Charlotte, North Carolina for a project there.  Hopefully the end to this project is soon!  He is also studying for his CPA exam.  He has taken one of them and passed with flying colors (you need a 75 or better to "pass" - Sean got a 90!) and has the other three sections scheduled, so hopefully he will officially be a  Certified Public Accountant by July 1st.  Aside from work and travel, Sean is enjoying playing basketball on Saturday mornings with other guys from our ward.

Me:  I'm adjusting to life as a stay-at-home mom:)  It has definitely been an adjustment-I've worked since I was 16, so it's weird not going to work.  I miss the socialization of work the most, but often I meet my friends for lunch and have made some friends in the neighborhood.  I have also been busy with my long project list...  working on Holly's scrapbook, crocheting Baby Prince's baby blanket (which I finished on Saturday!!!  Now Ethan wants me to make him one, and we just found out this morning that one of Sean's sister's is having a baby in October, so I have a lot more crocheting to do!), decorating and constantly cleaning the house, etc.  I can't wait to get the nursery set up and decorated!  I have also been enjoying cooking and trying more and more new recipes.

Josie:  Josie, Josie, Josie... She has been in our family for about six weeks now. She LOVES being wherever anyone is (so during the day, she is literally my shadow) and is just as sweet as can be.  When we come home, she greets us with a happy 'dog smile' and a bum wag (she doesn't just wag her tail, but her entire back end!)  We were told she was spayed when we adopted her, but come to find out, she is not.  So, the last three weeks I have learned more about that than I ever wanted to know!  But thankfully, the shelter is going to pay for her to be spayed soon (apparently you have to wait 2 months after a dog goes through heat until she can be spayed).  Josie is so patient with Ethan - she lets him pull on her tail and ears, and generally annoy her - and she still follows him around! 

Yesterday we were all very busy - I taught my cute Sunbeams during the third hour of church (Sean taught the Youth during the second hour), the missionaries came over for dinner, and Sean and I spoke at the Youth Fireside.  It was a great day!  I was really nervous about talking at the Fireside... I've never been to one, let alone speak at one!  No one was asleep when we were done, so I guess they liked us;)

So there you have it... what we all have been up to!  Hopefully I'll post some pictures tonight to add.

Another Cute Conversation with Ethan I Don't Want to Forget

[setting: Ethan is going upstairs to take a shower, I am cleaning the dishes from dinner]

Ethan:  Mom, did you go to the temple today?

Me:  No, I didn't make it today...  Why?

Ethan:  Because you look gorgeous!

<3

Even though lately he has started acting out more, he is still so sweet!  Also, during dinner, the baby moved around higher (and closer to my ribs!) than he has before.  It totally caught me off guard and I told Ethan that his brother was moving.  He got a concerned look on his face and said, "did it hurt?"  I told him it didn't, and he said that when it does hurt, he will help me and cover my tummy with Jelly (his favorite blanket).  :)

Ethan's Future Plans

So on Friday Ethan came home with a whole bunch of stuff from school.  I always love seeing the things that he did in school and reading the things that he writes!  Here are two things that he brought home that I'm definitely keeping in his school portfolio!

Good News/Bad News

This one says:

Good News!  My mom let me watch TV!

Bad News! My mom said 5 more minutes!

Good News! I don't have a watch!

Bad News! Mom does! :(

Good News! Tomorrow I will!

I honestly laughed out loud when I saw this!  

Ethan's (Life) Plan

1. Get Born.

2.  Get baptized.

3.  Get a phone.

4.  Get my drivers license.

5.  Get a job.

6.  Get married.

7.  Be a volunteer.

8. [Get a] Bonus and get a child.

I was pretty happy with all of those things that he wrote down!  He included getting baptized (yay!  We've been talking a lot about that, especially during Family Home Evening), and getting a phone - which he has asked when he can get a cell phone (I told him w he can get one when he is 16, has a job and pays for it).  Going to college isn't on his list, but that better be in his plan, too! :)

Baby Update!

Today I had my 25 week check-up.  Baby Prince is doing well!  Everyone always says how small I am and that I'm not showing that much, but the doctor assured me that the baby is ok-that it is because I don't have any fat and because I am tall so he can stretch out:)  The doctor also brought up the kidney issue that the ultrasound pickd up - she again reassured me that it is ok.  She sees it all of the time and that it is always normal, especially since his kidney was only a little bit bigger than the "average" size and that the specialists always follow up on anything that is out of the "average" range.  Whew!

He is definitely an active baby!  He has been moving so much these last couple of days, it's fun for Sean and Ethan to feel it, and if I'm still, you can see him move - it's pretty neat.  Luckily he isn't big enough to reach under my ribs yet, so it isn't painful, just sometimes catches me off guard. 

We're still debating between names - I really like one name but Sean doesn't like it at all:(  So, we have it narrowed down to two names that we both agree on, so we'll see!  I'm still keeping my ears out for name possibilities just to make sure:)

A Riddle, by Ethan

[Setting: Ethan is walking around aimlessly and occasionally antogonizing Josie; Sean is making pancakes; I am at the table eating cereal]

Ethan: Do you want to hear a riddle?

Sean:  Sure.

Ethan: A man rode into town on Friday and stayed for three days.  He left on Friday.  How did he do it?

Sean: He had a time machine.

Me: I have no idea.

Ethan: No!  His horse's name was Friday! Wasn't that funny?!

Sean: [looking at me] Wow, I haven't heard that since, well, elementary school!

:)