Temper, frustration and success

Ewan has recently become obsessed with trying to figure out how to walk with his push toy. . . and he DOES NOT want ANY help!! Needless to say, we had a minor temper tantrum when daddy tried to give him a little help!!!

Poor cats

Ewan loves our cats (Biscuit and Honey). . . a little too much! He has not quite figured out "gentle" (actually, I don't think he really wants to be "gentle"!) and our poor cats put up with quite a lot- but they are so good with him! Biscuit just runs away as soon as Ewan gets within 2 feet of him, but Honey tolerates him for short bursts of time. Our cats had it sooooo good for a while- my how life has changed for them now!



Biscuit and Honey

Biscuit

Honey

CATERPILLAR POWER!!!!!!!!

A friend's son gave this toy to Ewan when he was born and Ewan has recently discovered it. It is absolutely hilarious to watch Ewan get all into it. Of course, Denny is loving watching his son play with a toy that is all "boy"!!! The first time Ewan figured out how to push the buttons to make all the crazy sounds, the look on his face was one of pure joy- there is absolutely nothing like it. Being a mom is so much fun!

"Li'l Squirt". . .not quite what we expected

I was oh so excited about the "Li'l Squirt baby pool" we purchased for Ewan. Unfortunately, I didn't really think things through prior to buying it. For example, almost 1 year olds really don't like freezing cold water from the hose even on 95+ degree days- apparently, the "baby pool" we got requires constant infusion from the hose- not a good thing. Also, the freezing cold water that squirts up out of the baby pool- tends to really freak the poor little guy out! At first, Ewan seemed to enjoy it, (we had let the water sit in the sun and warm for a few hours, even though it steadily leaked), but once mama got the "great" idea to add more water- fun in the sun quickly turned into not so much fun in the sun. So, apparently, a lesson learned. Hopefully, we will get some use out of this pool in a few years. Meanwhile, we made a special trip to Wal-Mart to get a more age appropriate classic baby pool- we have yet to try it out-hopefully it will be a hit!!!

Initially, Ewan kind of liked it (water still quite warm at this time!)

Sorry, big guy!!!!!!!!!!! (mama just turned on hose- big mistake!)

Held Hostage

Apparently, Ewan placed all, but one of Eden's Little Einstein's into our bag before we left for home!!! So sorry Eden!! We promise to take VERY good care of them and will send them home to you as SOON as we can!!!!!

Hanging out with Susan, Eden and Mia!

Yesterday, Ewan and I traveled to Delaware to visit my dear friend, Susan, and her two beautiful daughters! We had such a wonderful time and I loved watching Eden and Ewan together- they were so funny! Eden was so cute with him- she kept showing Ewan all her toys and was just so SWEET with him! Little Mia is just absolutely beautiful and has the sweetest little personality- I just LOVED getting the chance to hold a newborn! I also really enjoyed hanging out with Sus and catching up IN PERSON!!!!! Thanks for a GREAT day Sus!!!


Eden sharing her Little Einstein's rocket- thanks Eden, Ewan loved it!!
Eden and Ewan posingEden showing Ewan her tinker toys- Ewan was OBSESSED with pulling EVERYTHING out- sorry for the mess, Sus!!!! Cuties

Working with daddy. . .

My wonderful husband has started replacing windows in our home and Ewan was VERY interested in what daddy was doing!! Do we have another carpenter?!! Denny replaced 4 windows yesterday and they look AMAZING!! No more deep squats to prepare for hauling the window open- I LOVE it!!!!!

Beginning steps. . .

Ewan has begun showing an interest in taking a few steps while pushing ANYTHING (chairs, diaper champ, stereo speakers-whatever works!)- he still much prefers crawling which is FINE with me! I am anticipating lots of bumps on the head once he starts walking!!

Tag. . . I'm it

So my lovely sister-in-law, Katie, tagged me- so here we go!

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
Hmmm- 1998- well, it was the summer before my senior year of college, and since I had decided to change my major 4 TIMES, I was in summer classes so that I could graduate on time! I was pretty excited to be going into my final year of college as my roommates and I had rented a GREAT house off campus.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list today?
#1 Go for a walk with Ewan
#2 Make a chicken pot pie and freeze it for a later dinner (more on my NEWEST cooking project later- thanks Liz!!!)
#3 Buy milk at Bolton's Farm- not so much fun as it comes in glass and I have to lug 5 heavy glass jugs along with my 21+ lb son!!!(yes- we go through 2 1/2 gallons every 4-5 days!!!!).
#4 MOP the floors- I hate doing this and find that I often procrastinate as long as I can!
#5 Return hubby's clothes to Old Navy.

3. What snack do I enjoy?
Well-I do find almost ALL snacks QUITE enjoyable! But, I would have to say that ANYTHING chocolate will always be a hit with me. I also LOVE guacamole and nachos with cheese- mmmmm- yummy!

4. Some places I have lived:
Doylestown, PA; Grantham, PA; Glenside,PA, Perkasie, PA

5. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Donate lots to Covenant Presbyterian Church (http://www.covenant-church.org/), Moss Rehab (http://www.einstein.edu/mossrehab/ ) and the Brain Injury Association (http://www.biausa.org/ ). Finish renovating our house- then sell it and buy LOTS of land for my hubby to farm (his dream!) with a big red barn, sheep, chickens, goats, cats, dogs and have a custom home built in the style of an old stone farmhouse! Completely fix up my dad's house for him- just the way he wants it! And for that matter, completely fix up my in-laws home- just the way they want it!

Happy Father's Day!

To my dear, loving husband

It is an amazing gift to watch you as you take on the new role of fatherhood. You are a wonderful dad and live out this role with incredible love, conviction and fervor. I love to watch you and Ewan interact- what a special bond you have! Thank you for all that you do for us and for loving both Ewan and myself so well!

To my dad:

Dad, watching you over my life has truly been a blessing. You have shown such love for God and your family all while being sure to give God the glory through it all! Thank you for giving me such a wonderful childhood and for always supporting me in all my endeavors. I am so thankful that Ewan lives so close to his grampy and love watching you interact with each other!

To my father-in-law:

Dad, thanks for always supporting Denny and I and for always making me feel like one of your own! I am so thankful for the unconditional love and support that you continually provide the both of us. I am also so thankful to be part of your family- it is truly a blessing in my life. It is so fun to watch you in your role as pop-pop with Ewan!

The Beach

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

Ewan had his first taste of DQ while we were on vacation- he actually didn't seem all that thrilled (must have been because it was vanilla :)

Lounging in the pool

Ewan was a little unsure of the pool at first, but he started to enjoy it more and more as the week went on. It was heated which definitely helped (thanks mom and dad "m"!!!) and Ewan loved hanging out with daddy in the pool! I am so excited to continue the "lounging" at my dad's, especially since it is so horribly HOT right now!!!

I have realized that my sun-worshipping days are over. . .for a time, at least! But it is soooooo worth it! I absolutely LOVED watching our little guy take in all the new experiences at the beach!!!

HEART ATTACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok- so Ewan just SCARED ME TO DEATH!!!!!! He just climbed 9 steps of our HARDWOOD staircase- I was "indisposed" and had to leave him for just a minute. Apparently, we need a gate at the bottom of the steps now. He has never shown ANY interest in the stairs and of course, I figured I would wait to put a gate there- BIG MISTAKE!!!! Thank the Lord for his protection!

The drive

One of our many stops!



Daddy teaching Ewan how to drive



Our sunglasses


Diaper changes on the road!

We were quite anxious regarding the 8+ hour drive to and from the outer banks with our little 11 month old! But, Ewan was AMAZING!!!!! God is so good- this certainly taught me that worrying over such things is truly futile- as there was no way to predict or control how our little guy would react to so many hours confined to the car!

On the drive down, it took us approximately 10 1/2 hours- not too bad, considering we stopped for AT LEAST 30 minutes every 2 hours. Ewan did not sleep very much, only 90 minutes total the entire trip, but he was quite pleasant despite it! He played with his feet, babbled a lot, "read" his books and played with his toys! Katie gave me the great idea (thanks Kate!!!) to get a new little toy for each hour of the drive, so I went to the second hand store and bought 10 "new" toys. We actually did not really need them until about the last hour of the trip- and then I was tossing back a new toy about every 5 minutes!!!!! Thank goodness Ewan LOVES books, as I had also brought along about 10 board books. By the time we arrived all the toys and books were on the floor of the cab!

The drive home was a little better- just 10 hours and Ewan slept for 2 of those hours! Ewan had a rough time in the beginning and we thought we were in for a long trip, but he eventually settled in and was such a joy! He also had his first experience at Chick-fil-A and LOVED it! I have to say, this was also my first time there and I was quite impressed. The bathrooms and restaurant were immaculate, the employees were VERY helpful and friendly and the Christian music was so refreshing!!!! We will now be scoping out where Chick-fil-A restaurants are in our area!!!




Let me out!!!! (we are stopped at a gas station-not driving!)

HOME!!!!!

We've just returned home from our vacation in the outer banks- it was fantastic!!! I cannot wait to post all about it, but am exhausted, so for now, here are a few pics to get started!