Brothers

"I love you well, my little brother, and you are fond of me; let us be kind to one another, as brothers ought to be. You shall learn to play with me, and learn to use my toys; and then I think that we shall be two happy little boys."
--Mother Goose

4 Weeks old....

I can't believe that Ethan is already 4 weeks old. It seems like we just brought him home from the hospital. In the last 4 weeks, Ethan has grown so much and we have enjoyed every minute of getting to know this new little boy. So here is a look at our latest photo shoot:

Double digits....

My Baby boy is 10 years old today! I can't believe it! Erik informed me that his age is now in the double digits! So in honor of Erik's special day here are....

Ten things that I love about Erik:

1. Your cute smile. You are growing up into a very handsome young man!

2. I love that you look after your brothers. You are a great big brother!

3. I love that you love Legos! You are a great designer

4. I love that you share your Lego creations with me and each and every one of your designs has a story. You are very creative.

5. I love that you have been on the honor roll and Principals list all year for earning straight A's. That took a lot of hard work on your part! Good job!

6. I love that you are so smart (even if you correct my grammar and tease about not knowing as much as you do.)

7. I love your strong desire to CTR. You are my boy that likes to follow the rules.

8. I love that you love to read. It is fun to see you snuggled up in your bed each night enjoying a good book...no wonder your so smart!

9. I love your creativity and your imagination.

10. And last but certainly not least (this list could go on and on), I love that you are my son! I am so grateful that you are in our family and I am very proud of all that you do!

Happy Birthday my 10 year old boy!

We have a little garden...

And check this out....


Strawberries!

And check out our peach tree, it's bursting with fruit!


Wow those roses bushes look amazing...good thing someone dead headed them...Thanks Jed (Oh, and sorry you had to use the $1 clippers)

And look who we found hanging out amongst the flowers

Super Austin!

First Bath

The first of many firsts to come!





Ethan had his first bath last Sunday. It was a big event! All of his brothers were there to witness the momentous occasion and as you can tell, Ethan wasn't loving it.

This blog has officially become...

the Ethan blog! More pics that brighten my day.




These pics of Austin holding Ethan made me laugh. I love my boys!

Someday I will get back to posting crafts (I have a few projects waiting to be completed) and other goings on, but right now my family and this new little boy have my undivided attention!

Waking up...

Mom, this video is for you...


Little Ethan trying so hard to wake up!

Random thoughts

We received some beautiful flowers in honor of baby Ethan's arrival...

From Mom and Dad (thanks, it was fun to have these delivered to my hospital room):


From Brett's work:




and this sweet bouquet was freshly picked from the neighbors giant clover patch (which is spreading dangerously close to our yard) by my cute boy Cameron. How sweet and thoughtful is that?!:


Austins latest get-ups:
This little outfit (or lack of one) was all about the hotwheels slippers!


Austin "Mom, look, I'm a cowboy!"


Brotherly love...

Austin was playing the little piggie game with Ethan's toes and he started out by saying..."This little Piggie went to Target"


Last but not least,
as I was looking at the pictures on our memory card, I came across this sweet picture that Brett took of his arm at 2:30 in the morning after finally arriving home after Ethan was born. What a proud dad he is! I love this picture!


How's that for some random thoughts?!

(Hopefully this post makes some sense. Just remember that I am one tired Momma, but it's a good tired!)

Life is good....

I am so grateful for this sweet little boy. He has already brought so much love and joy to our home. I feel so blessed to be the mother to my 4 sons (I am still getting used that). As I was sitting on the couch snuggling up with this cute little guy, I was literally counting my blessings today and I wanted to make a list while it is fresh in my mind what it is that I love about having a newborn in my home again.

I love the little grunts and noises he makes
The baby smell
His soft skin
His little hands and feet
The way he stays curled up in a ball when you pick him up
I love how he crinkles his brow
I love when his eyes are open and you can just tell that he is taking everything in
The love that his brothers have for him. They are always checking in on him to make sure that he is ok and they love taking turns holding him.
I love watching Brett hold him
I love his little movements...the kicks and squrims and stretches.
I love his little cries and how easily soothed he is when you pick him up and cradle him
I love the sweet features of his face, his round cheeks (that I just have to kiss) and little nose and his tiny hands and feet.
I love his soft, fuzzy head
I love the sweet, peaceful look on his face as he sleeps
And most of all I love that I am his Mom and that he is a part of our family!

Happy Birthday to...

Ethan Charles

Born June 1, 2009 at 12:00am and 30 seconds. He was almost a May baby.

Weighing in at 7lbs. 5 oz. and measuring 20" long.

We are so happy that he is finally here!



Lots of love for our new little guy!

Happy birthday sweet boy!