Little Tiger

He wanted his face painted.  We waited in line.  When it was our turn, he got shy and wouldn't show the woman, painted up as a zebra, his face.  There were other kids waiting so we moved out of the way.  He got sad.  He really wanted his face painted!  We stood in line a second time.  This time he found his bravery, sat on my lap, and got transformed into the cutest little tiger.

 Showing his paws

He's 3!!

Ethan's birthday party was a hit!  He told me his favorite part was "when the candy came down" from the pinatas and as soon as he woke up the next morning he asked if we could have another birthday party.

Ready to party down!

The Birthday Boy

A handful of the 8 dozen robot cupcakes

 Papa Dan taking a break after helping me frost our army or robot cupcakes


Jadyn, Damien and they're older daughter, Lily (who is the cutie in other pictures wearing the overalls) celebrated Ethan's 1st birthday with us as well.  Making memories:)

Taking Grammy Patti for a ride with his friend, Jose.

 Baby Nephele and her Daddy, Damien.

 3 pinatas for the 3 year old.  Jeremy designed a system so the pinatas could be moved up and down and side to side.  It looked sketchy so the kids wore a hard hat just in case.  Did it hold tight?  Yep!  I love my husband.




Gearing up while his friends anxiously await.  A thank you to Vivian (in the pretty skirt) for helping decorate.


David moves the pinata out of reach


Candy Scramble!!

A moment of hiding when it was time to sing Happy Birthday...

...and then smiles as so many of our wonderful loved ones and friends sang to him.  I love how he is beaming on his special day.

Jade, Donna, and Kaitlin enjoying cupcakes

Auntie E took so many of these great pictures.  Thank you!!


My favorite part of opening presents was when Ethan opened a pizza and cake play set and his friend Savannah (in the purple shirt) gasped with excitement.  She is adorable and the two have since had a lot of fun with it.

Nerf gun target practice.  He and Daddy shoot the mirror and then use the claw to knocked down the bullets after the party.

Crashed out after an awesome day

Getting chased by his friends

Clark County Fair

Dinner Party with Auntie E

My Aunt Elena is our new neighbor.  We are so happy to have her near us!  

An enthusiastic and well behaved dinner guest

Robot Pinata Birthday Pool Party!!

We are gearing up for Ethan's 3rd (but first) birthday party!  Woohoo!!

Posing by his birthday pinata

Work or Play

He scrubbed and then mopped the floor of the kitchen, bathroom and porch.  He is such a helper and it is so charming that he doesn't realize his play is work to us.

Hammering duplos together to make a tower

The Benefits of Having a Potty Trained Friend

Ethan takes a ride with Coleson who was rewarded for learning to use the potty with this tractor

Ethan and I Have Returned

Ethan and I had a wonderful trip to Spokane and the Tri-Cities.  Going to a water slide park for the first time was a definite highlight as well as getting to spend a lot of time with family.  The pace was quicker than our usual days and I experimented with being more flexible about his napping.  We both got pretty tired at times but it is obvious he is getting older and he can be adaptable with things like that.  I was really proud of how well he did!  I jokingly keep telling people that I need a vacation now that I am back from my vacation:)

 Cuddle selfie before we left.  Daddy missed these smiles.

Ethan's cousins, Carly and Drew.  Ethan got SO excited every time we saw them.

Ethan hadn't done much swimming until this year.  It is awesome to see how much he enjoys it and how comfortable he is.

 Wrestling with his big cousins

 After the sky ride and before a ride on the carousel at River Front Park, Ethan and Drew pose on the iconic suction goat.

Playing with Papa's tractor