Ethan's 1st Birthday!

Two days ago, on Monday February 25th, was my little Ethan's first birthday! I cannot believe he's already a year old! This past week I have been very nostalgic thinking about a year ago, when I first held him in my arms. He was so tiny and helpless, it's hard to believe he's the same little boy who's running everywhere and trying to get into everything! We had a party for him on Saturday, and a lot of family and friends came. It meant a lot to both PJ and I that so many people were there to celebrate with us! Sarah, Gary and Aiden came up from Texas, and PJ's family drove down from Logan. We ordered pizza, watched Ethan open presents, and ate cake! The funnest part was watching Ethan eat his cake. I don't think he knew what to do when I wasn't stopping him from making a mess. He went really slowly at first, just putting his hand in the frosting, but when everybody cheered, he started to get into it! He, of course, was spoiled beyond belief! I'm still trying to figure out a place for all of his stuff! I'm not complaining though, I won't have to buy another thing for him until Christmas!
On Monday, his actual birthday, PJ had to work, but I was lucky enough to get to spend the day with him! I got all of my homework done early, so I wouldn't have to think about it, and we played a lot! We decorated the house, which Ethan loves. He will point to the balloons and say "Wow!" We also got him another cake, and my family came over that night to eat dinner, cake, and watch Ethan open a few more presents. It was a nice, relaxing day! Now, I'm back to real life and trying to squeeze in time for everything, but it's okay. I've still got wonderful people who help me everyday, and the best little family I could ask for!

Valentines Day and Aiden's Birthday

We spent the night of Valentine's Day flying on a plane to Texas, so PJ and I celebrated a little early. PJ surprised me by taking me to a comedy club where Joel McHale, the host of The Soup and one of my favorite comedians, was performing! We got to meet him afterwards! It was very fun. and a very nice surprise!
Ethan loved being in Texas because his cool older cousin Aiden was there! Ethan spent most of his time following Aiden around and playing with his toys. Aiden was very good about sharing with him, and they seemed to have a lot of fun together! We, of course, were down there to celebrate Aiden's 5th Birthday with him! We went to Cheesecake Factory on Friday night to celebrate and Chuck e Cheese's on Saturday! Everyone had fun, especially PJ at Chuch e Cheese, where he won over a thousand tickets playing games! He used his tickets to let Aiden pick out a prize. The trip was over too fast, but we're excited for this coming weekend when it will be our Ethan's turn to have a birthday! I can'r believe my baby is almost one, but it's been so fun watching him grow!

Pictures

Ethan on Christmas!




















Our Family at Universal Studios


















Ethan walking around at Grandma and Grandpa Anderson's!

Ethan is almost 1 and walking!

I have been awful at keeping up to date with this blog, but after looking through Niki's, I am inspired to write more! Over the last months Ethan has crawled, then walked, and is now trying to climb everything! We went to Texas two more times (and we're going this Thursday), and to Disney World for Thanksgiving! Disney World was so fun because we got to spend a lot of time with family, but it was also a little overwhelming for Ethan. His first Christmas was so wonderful! It's amazing how much more fun Christmas becomes when you have a child to share it with. He loved opening presents (though he didn't really care about the actual presents themselves). Everyone would cheer for him and he would look up with a huge smile on his face! Two weeks from today my little monkey will turn one, and it's making me feel very nostalgic over the past year and my pregnancy before that. He is growing into such a fun, expressive little boy! he is very busy and loves to play "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes," and "If you're Happy and You Know It!" He loves animals, especially our kitties, and spends a lot of time chasing them around the house! He also loves being outside, so I'm excited that we're headed into Spring, so maybe we can go out more (for those of you who don't live in Utah, it has snowed almost nonstop since Christmas)!
Besides that I have been busy with school. I started my masters degree in September and am now in my second semester at Utah State! I love school, and I am so glad that I made the decision to go back, though I fear I underestimated how hard it would be to do school and be a new mother. Luckily, I receive a lot of help and support from family, so I have been able to make it work! PJ started a new job installing Digis internet! It's actually been a job he has wanted forever, but they weren't hiring. The job has been great because he gets paid well, for not a lot of hours! Our little family is doing great, and just enjoying this time in our life! We're excited to go to Texas this weekend for Aiden's birthday! I will try to be better with my posting, but be patient with me!

Back from Texas

So our week in Dallas is already finished. It's amazing to me how fast something goes by when you've been looking forward to it. Ethan was incredible on the plane, he either slept, ate, or was just happy. I don't know if Heavenly Father gave him to me as my son because I couldn't handle a harder baby, but I'm grateful. We stayed at Sarah and Gary's house, which is incredibly nice. We spent the week hanging out, shopping, watching movies, and just being together as a family. It's so rare that we get to do that now, that it was just really nice. Aiden was excited to help out with Ethan, and was incredibly cute with him. We took Ethan swimming for the first time on Thursday, and though he was a little apprehensive, I think he enjoyed it. Posted is a picture of Ethan and Aiden in their matching swimsuits. We came home Friday, and now we're having Collin stay with us for a couple of days. Ian's having surgery and my parents will be at the hospital with him for the most part. So Dallas was a nice getaway for everyone before poor little Ian has to have yet another surgery.

Well, I'll hurry and give a little update in my life. PJ and I are very happy adjusting to life as parents. We have a great little home, that's perfect for our family. PJ was selling cars, but the time commitment verses the pay was not really great, so he is now being a house doctor to my parents. He's trying to find a new job that will allow him more time with us and to go to school. Speaking of school, I will be heading to Grad. school this Fall! I'm very excited and nervous. I'm still deciding which school I want to go to, but I will most likely go to USU because of their excellent American Studies/Folklore program. This Sunday we're headed to Texas for a week to visit Sarah, Gary, Aiden, and Jake! It should be pretty fun, but I'm nervous to take Ethan on an airplane. I hope he does well, and doesn't scream the whole time. Either way, we should have lots of pictures to share when we get back! I'm going to the gym now, I'll post again soon! Love Always, Kate :)

Ethan at 3 months

Hi Everyone! I've been meaning to do this for awhile, so I can keep people updated on what's going on in my life. Especially those of you who live far away. Ethan is growing so fast! Yesterday he turned three months! He is smiling and cooing, and he can almost role from his back to his stomach. I spend most of my time being a mom, but take a little time to work out. PJ and I even got to go to a movie on Thursday (Pirates)! It's the first one we've gone to since he was born and it was kind of weird leaving him. My mom watched him for us, which was very kind of her. It's crazy how when you become a mom it consumes your whole life. When I'm not with Ethan, I'm thinking about him, and missing him. I don't know if those who don't have kids can have any idea of the absolute love it brings into your life, at least I didn't before I was one. Here is a picture of Ethan at 3 months, isn't he just the cutest thing!