Baby Ethan

The day after Baby Ethan was born, I went back to the hospital for the afternoon to get some more cuddle time with Ethan.  When I arrived, I saw him already cuddled up with Grandma Linda.

Of course she did eventually give him up, so I enjoyed holding and smelling him.  (Yes, it sounds weird now that I type it, but I LOVE the smell of a newborn baby!!!)  Keith later brought the girls back to the hospital.

Isn't he so cute???

The whole family was invited back Thursday night to eat pizza and have Ethan's "birth"day cake.  Joel had been on a business trip when Ethan was born, so he was really excited to meet him.  (Seriously, he actually asked to hold him, which is not typical of Joel.  I think he secretly wants a 4th!)

Grandpa Stan and Grandma Linda with their 6th grandchild.

We love you, Baby Ethan!

Introducing...Baby Ethan!

Keith and Kelly had their baby on Tuesday, January 10th.  No one knew if they were going to have a boy or a girl to add to their family, which already included two beautiful girls.  I was at school when I received a phone call from Holly, who said, "It's a boy!"  I responded by saying, "They had a boy?"  My whole class started cheering--and Reese stood up on her chair to celebrate.  ;)

I left school as soon as my day ended.  I just couldn't wait to meet my new nephew!

 Keith with his son, Ethan Robert.

 Isn't he precious??

 Biggest sister, Grace.

After school, I picked up my three kids so they could meet their new cousin.

Of course Ryan was so excited that they now had a boy, and Reese fell in love with him instantly.  But the one who surprised me the most was how Reid reacted.  He LOVED him!  At one point a nurse came in and had to take Ethan out of the room for his hearing screening.  She left and shut the door behind her, and Reid went to the door going, "Baby?  Baby?"  He then looked at all of us like, "Aren't you guys going to do anything??"  He came and grabbed me by the hand, so I took him out in the hallway in search of Baby Ethan.

I showed him that Ethan was in the nursery, so that's where Reid wanted to be.  After awhile, I coaxed him back into the room.  He immediately went to Uncle Keith and said, "Teef! (Keith)  Baby."  He took Uncle Keith's hand and led him to the nursery to see Baby Ethan some more.  :) 

Uncle Keith and Reid.  I think Reid was making sure they were still buddies.  :)

Grace and Ryan watching Baby Ethan (in the background).

One thing is for sure:  Baby Ethan sure has a lot of fans!

Ryan's Birthday

We celebrated Ryan's birthday with my family a week early.  It was the best time to get everyone together since Kelly and Keith were going to be welcoming their new baby two days later.  It was also a great opportunity to meet Aunt Holly's new boyfriend, Brian.  For the record, we all think he's really great!

Grandma Linda made a great meal, then brought out a cake for everyone.

 He had a little helper who was more than happy to help him blow out his candles. 

 Making a wish!

 Then it was time for opening presents.  Reid started opening them for Ryan, but he was a good sport.

 Ryan was thrilled to get a new DS game!

He also received a model car for his room that is similar to his dad's clasic car.  Reid was really excited to see the car...I think he thought it was for him!  Which reminds me, we were recently playing with the car and I jokingly asked Reid, "Do you want to get in Daddy's car?"  He gave me a look, then opened the tiny car door and tried to put his foot inside.  What a silly boy!

Interview with the Birthday Boy

What is your name?

Ryan

Are you happy with the name Mommy and Daddy chose for you?

Yes.

If you could have any other name, what would it be?

I wanted to be Jake.  (Which is funny because we considered Jacob/Jake!)

What do you love about each person in our family?

Daddy: He is so strong.
Mommy: Mommy is so pretty.
Reese: She's so beautiful.
Reid: He is so cute.
Ryan: I'm so good at reading.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Why?

I want to be a football player because I'm good at catching the ball.

How many kids do you want to have when you grow up?

Probably 4.

When do you think you'll get married?

Like 21.

Is there any special girl you know who would be a good wife?

Karstyn

What is your favorite thing to do at home?

Play the Wii and Wii Fit.

What is your favorite thing to do with your friends?

Play football.

What grade are you in?  Who is your teacher?

I'm in Kindergarten and my teachers' names are Mrs. Popovich and Mrs. Pappa.

What is your favorite thing about school?

Recess--but not when it's too cold.

What is your least favorite thing about school?

Drills.  (Fire drills and tornado drills)  Earthquake drills aren't that bad.

What is the best and worst thing about having allergies?

Best: That you get tasty foods.  Worst:  That every time I ask somebody about something, it always has bad stuff in it!

Now, for your list of favorites:

restaurant--Puccini's (we just discovered gluten-free pizza!)
holiday--Christmas
animal--giraffe
time of day--afternoon
sport--football
team--Steelers (grrrrr...it was hard to write that!  He was on the Steelers team at the Y this fall.)
TV show--Ben 10
toy--LEGOS
vegetable--broccoli
fruit--cut up bananas
drink--orange juice
cereal--Rice Chex
treat--Cool Whip with graham crackers

Ryan, you bring so much joy to our family.  I love hearing your laugh--it can sometimes make me laugh as well!  I love that you still love to cuddle with your mommy and think backscratches are the best thing ever.  I love that you still get excited when you see me at school and give me hugs in front of your friends.  I know that won't last for ever!  I love that you love to imitate things your dad says and does.  (Like, "Hey, does anyone have tickets to the big gun show?" while you're flexing your muscles.)  You love to help your dad with projects and love helping us around the house.  You often ask, "How can I help you, Mom?"  You have such a big heart!  You are so curious and ask what seems like a thousand questions each day.  You just like to learn, and there's nothing wrong with that.  Yes, you can be super ornery and drive Mommy and Daddy up the wall sometimes, but we wouldn't trade you for a million "infinity" dollars.

Love, Mommy

New Year's Eve {2011}

This year we spent New Year's Eve with Kelly, Keith, and their family.  We first went to my parents' house to watch IU beat the #2 ranked Ohio State basketball team.  This is the first time that a team has knocked off #1 and #2 in the same season, so we were thrilled and ready to celebrate!!

So was this guy!

Grace showing Reid the new elf.  Reid loved the Elf on the Shelf so much, my mom ended up buying an elf doll that the kids could actually touch. 

These kids were ready to party!

We've used this confetti since 2004, the year Keith and Kelly moved back to Indy.

Of course we put the kids to work to pick it all up. 

Or just fall over and roll around in it.

And of course it's fun to throw it again to celebrate just one more time. :)

After the kids went to bed, Keith, Kelly, Joel, and I went out for a late dinner at Riviera Maya.  Then we headed back to my parents' house to watch the ball drop.  It was such a great way to ring in 2012!!!

On the Last Day of Christmas...

...We had another party!  This time we got together with Doug's side of the family on the day after Christmas.  It is so fun now that Joel's cousins have kids, too--their kids keep my kids entertained!

 This is Jamie and Josh's daughter, Maddie.  She and Reese became fast friends.  Reese treated Maddie like she was her little sister.  As Maddie was getting ready to leave that night, she told Reese, "Just call me if you need anything."  What a hoot!  Did I mention that she's not even THREE yet?!? 

 

 Oh my gosh--Reid is actually SMILING in a picture!!!  Guess who got him to smile?

 This guy!  Brayden is Jon and Jessica's oldest boy.  He is such a cutie!  Reid kind of tagged along after him all night.  I didn't get a picture of his little brother, Logan, but is is just as adorable as his older brother.

 I had to include several shots of the cousins (minus Logan).

 I love how Reid just decided to stand up.

 Then he sat down and gave Brayden a look...

 ...not sure what that was about, but it cracked me up when I saw this!

 Silly face time!  Reid's looking at everyone like, "What are they doing?!?!"

 And finally we have a smile from Mr. Reid!  Maybe that IS his silly face?!

 Uncle David with Maddie and Brayden

Joel's Aunt Patty with Marsha

The highlight of the evening is the gift exchange among the adults.  You never know what you are going to get during this white elephant type exchange.  All of the gifts are new, so nothing is tacky or junky--but there are some that are more coveted than others.  (i.e.--the Garrett's caramel corn or the Starbucks gift cards)  It's funny to see when someone gets something really nice, they'll totally downplay it so no one else will want it.  Yet if they get something they don't want, they'll try to talk it up so maybe someone else will want to take it off of their hands.  ;)  It certainly is the entertainment for the night, and we look forward to it every year. 

We stayed one more night with Doug and Marsha, then we headed back home.  Thanks, everyone, for a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Day 2011

After opening presents Christmas morning, we headed to Fort Wayne to spend a few days with Joel's family.  The trip didn't start off too well as Reid was overly tired (therefore he was not happy), and we couldn't find an open McDonald's for two large Diet Cokes (therefore we were not happy).  But alas, Reid fell asleep and Joel and I settled for a Pilot gas station for our fountain drinks.  Then everyone was happy! 



We arrived at Doug and Marsha's house and promptly took pictures before anyone ruined his or her outfit:

Reid was finally back to himself after being sick for so long, and he sure enjoyed the extra attention from Uncle Lynn and Aunt Sharon.

I was so glad he warmed up so quickly with them!

Reid and Grandpa Doug

Lovin' the kisses!

After a wonderful lunch, it was time to open presents.  I think Reid had finally gotten the hang of it!

He loved the school bus from Grandma Marsh and Grandpa Doug.

Ryan checking out one of his new shirts.

Reese opening one of her presents.

Reid hamming it up!

Reese was sooooo happy to get Capsters!  She has been wanting to make bottle top jewelry for a long time.

Taking after his Grandpa Stan, Reid was walking around and gathering up trash.  He would say, "Trash!" then run out of the room to the trashcan in the pantry.  ;)

Great Grandma Sheets opening one of her gifts.

Reid loved his forest animal friends.

Ryan and Grandma Sheets

Reese and Grandma Sheets

This is basically all I saw of Ryan all day.  We are normally sticklers about TV/video games, but we were a little more lax since it was Christmas Day and the present was new. 

The rest of the day was really nice.  Reese and Ryan were up until 10:30 playing with their cousins, but it was great because it gave us time to play cards.  Joel enjoyed taking Grandma Sheets back to her house that night as it was a nice time to have a quiet one-on-one conversation with her.  When we were kids, Christmas used to be about the presents.  Now as an adult I can truly say it's about the little things, like just being with family.