Growing Up

This summer whenever Ethan has woken up in the night crying, all I would have to do is go into his room, pick him up and hold him like this-

I loved it! Even in the middle of the night it melted my heart that he would just melt into me so sweetly! He would only need held for a minute or two and then I could lay him back down and he would go to sleep. I really did love it even though I could have been sleeping. I always had the thought he won't always be little enough to do this.

This past week he has woken up twice crying really hard in the night. When I went in to pick him up he laid on his belly and just needed me to scratch his back for a minute and then went back to sleep. Both times he didn't need me or even want me to pick him up, it made me a little sad. He's growing up so fast.

Swingin'......

On a desperate night not long after Ethan was born Clark was sent rather forcefully to the store to buy a baby swing. Our little baby would not sleep, someone suggested a swing and we went for it in a hurry! Ethan loved his swing, it soothed him. He pretty much did the majority of his sleeping in that swing for the first 5 months of his life.
He still loves to swing. However, when he is swinging he is so reverent. He doesn't squeal or scream or giggle like he does on all of the other park equipment - he just has a cute little peaceful smile and very quietly enjoys the swinging.
There is a park a couple miles from our house that we walk to a lot. First Ethan likes to swing in the baby swings, then he likes to swing by himself on the big kid swing, then he likes to swing on the big kid swing while sitting in my lap. Everytime he tucks his little head onto my shoulder and gives me the biggest hug. He can stay like this for 5 mins. (which is a long time for a kid that never sits still). I absolutely love it! The swinging motion almost puts him to sleep, I think it is hynotic to him. It makes me wonder if he will outgrow it, or if one day I will get a phone call from his elementary school telling me he broke his arm falling off the swing because he fell asleep while swinging.

The other day my friend Margaret came over with her cute baby girl. We were working on our quiet book project so I got the swing out for baby Shannon. Ethan was fascinated with it and the baby. After a while Margaret took her baby out of the swing and we were in the kitchen talking. It was pretty quiet in the living room where Ethan had been playing. I peeked in and this is what I found-

He had climbed onto the couch and from there climbed into the swing. He was pretty proud. He loved it and wouldn't get out for awhile. He looked huge in it compared to how he looked in it as a newborn. He is a swingin' little boy!

Any Resemblance?

(not in personality of course)

Duck, Duck - Goose!

Ethan loved feeding the ducks and the geese...
until a goose ate his french fry right off of his stroller tray.

Giving the ducks a real lecture

I loved watching him feed the ducks and the geese...
until he picked a piece of our moldy duck bread off of the goose poop lawn and ate it.

My favorite part was when he tried to share his drink with one of the geese. These geese are really tame and the goose tried to nip at his straw.

Don't Tase Me Bro!

So today I almost got tased!
It was a close call...
It all started a couple of months ago with my first encounter with Ms. Shirley at the DMV in Kansas that I blogged about in July.

It has taken a few months but we finally got all of the paper work in order so that we could register our baby Sebring and drive it legally on the roads.
So with a smile on my face, a pack of Skittles to keep myself and Ethan happy and all of my paperwork I ventured to the dreaded DMV.
I took a number and mangaged to keep Ethan under control for 45 mins. until our turn. As I sat there I kept thinking Iowa really is a nice place, the information lady was so kind and helpful, there was even a quilt hanging for decoration. When I got to booth #3 the kind lady was so apologetic, but I was missing one form that needed Clark's signature. I very kindly said, "no problem, I will go and get his signature and come back, thank you for your help."

I came back and still had a smile on my face, took a number and waited another 45 mins. This time Ethan wasn't so happy about it and kept making a really high pitched screech over and over again. I finally decided to pace the halls and wait for my number.
My number came up and I went to booth #16. I smiled and handed the lady my paperwork. She took one quick glance at the title and walked away with it. "Oh dear," I thought. "This cannot be good." She came back and said, "You aren't going to like me, but it is obvious you have tampered with this title and changed the odometer reading, it looks like you switched a number 7 to an 8."
I was shocked! I most certainly have not tampered with this title. Just because my little brother (the seller of the car) has a bit of shaky handwriting doesn't mean fraud! She informed me that I was going to have to take the title back to Idaho and apply for a new title and try again.
Oh my, that was not what I wanted to hear, I am ready to have 2 cars again and was not ready for another 2 months of waiting for the DMV.
Well I pleaded, I begged, I tried desperately to show that the 8 looked just like the other 8's on the page. The supervisor then joined our heated conversation. I asked her what possible motivation someone could have to make their odometer reading higher than it is. She looked me in the eye and said, "I don't know why you would change the title." That ticked me right off. I do not like being accused of something so stupid that I really did not do. With embrassment I admit there were some tears and a little intense conversation on both sides of booth 16. That is when the supervisor said, "ma'am if you don't calm down we will have to call security." Security! Do I look threatening with my sage green stroller holding Ethan's sippy cup? After that I gathered up my papers and left, and I may or may not have yelled "freaking morons" as I exited the room.
Oh my, I just hope there was no one there that I know.

When I got out to the hallway I looked at the title again, clearly the number 8 was a number 8. I mustered all my courage and marched back in, took a number, waited 30 mins. and went up to booth #13. All I wanted was a license plate! This time I pleaded to talk to a different supervisor, I just knew someone else would see clearly that it was an 8! Well the second supervisor wouldn't give me the time of day because the first supervisor had written a big note on my title that it was fraud. While I was trying to get a few other questions answered the original supervisor came over to see what I was up to and gave me the look of death. I told her to have a nice day and got out of there before she tased me.

I'm not a fighter, I'm not a mean person, I don't say "freaking" and I don't say "moron" - how did I let the DMV bring it out of me like that? That was not a good example of letting my light shine. What have I done to make DMVs in all states conspire against me? I have never even been pulled over?

GOOOOOOOOOO Cougars!

All the way home from the game tonight Clark was singing the Cougar fight song. In his car seat Ethan got so excited during the ra ra ra ra ra ra part.

Clark got to attend a Denver Broncos game this weekend (that they won) and now BYU beats Oklahoma - Clark claimed, "this is the best weekend of my life"...then quickly after seeing the look on my face said, "besides our wedding of course." Nice save.

Life is good when BYU wins!

Mulle, pronounced "moo-lay"

Dictionary: red·head (rěd'hěd') n.
A person with red hair.

From Wikipedia: "In various times and cultures, red hair has been prized, feared, and ridiculed. A common idea about redheads is that they have fiery tempers and sharp tongues. In Anne of Green Gables, a character says of Anne Shirley, the redheaded heroine, that "her temper matches her hair."

In Romania natural redheads are rare and considered to be extremely smart - almost genius. When my Romanian friends found out I was marrying Clark they told me I was very lucky because he had red hair.


Ethan's red locks are admired wherever we go. He is constantly getting compliments on his lovely locks. It seems that everyone has/had a grandson, nephew, or son with curly red hair just like him and they love the reminder that Ethan provides. Unfortunately Ethan's hair has caused him to be confused for a girl a few times recently.


Since it was starting to get into his eyes again I decided he needed another little trim. It is really hard to cut the hair of a moving target!

Dictionary: mul·let (mŭl'ĭt) n.
A hairstyle that is formed by cutting the hair short on the the top and sides and allowing it to grow longer in back.

From Wikipedia: "In the mid to late '90s the "tail" of the mullet was occasionally "permed" with loose or tight curls adding even more internal composition contrast to the hairstyle. This is often called a French mullet or a Mulle (pronounced moo-lay)."

So after clipping a few accidental ringlets - I guess Ethan officially has a "moo-lay."

I'm so sorry Ethan.

But at least you still are all business in the front:

and party in the back!