Ethan's 1 year pics-take 2

All of Ethan's 1 year pics are now available at:

http://www.meredithraephotography.com

Click on "clients" in the bottom right corner, and type "ethan" as the password. Meredith, what you can do with a camera is such a special gift, and I'm so glad to have you recording these memories for us. These pics brought me to tears! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Ethan's 1 year pics

Today we met Meredith, Jackson, Wyatt, and Logan at Missouri Town for Ethan's 1 year old photo shoot. As always, Mere does an awesome job, and although she won't have all the pics edited for a few days, you can see a preview at:

http://www.meredithraephotography.blogspot.com

Also, AS ALWAYS, Mere you do an awesome job. You have such an artistic and creative talent. I can't wait to see the rest of them. My baby boy is starting to seem all grown up!!

Cancun

Last week Dillon and I, along with our friends Kendra and Todd, took a MUCH needed vacation, and headed to Mexico (Yes, we did brave the swine flu, and believe me it was worth it)!!

This was the view from our shuttle after a 10 minute drive from the airport.

The water is such an amazing shade of torquoise.

This is my friend Kendra and I in the Dallas airport waiting for our flight to Cancun.

We requested a top floor corner suite so we basically had panoramic view and both sunrise and sunset. This was the view South from our balcony.


The sunset over the lagoon.
Testing the waters for the first time. The water was pretty choppy most of the time, but that never stopped us.

Enjoying the sunset on the patio in the 24 hour lounge...

...and drinks in the lobby bar.

We ate lunch one day at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. They had great food and the coldest beer we could find, plus is was right across the street from our resort.

Another great sunset.

We went on a pirate cruise one night with Kendra and Todd. Steak, lobster, unlimited drinks and a great show.

We obviously had a great time, and we will definitely being going back to Mexico again and again!

BAD, BAD, BAD Mommy!!

YES!! I know I haven't done any blogging in awhile (and then awhile before that), but with full time school, work, and parenting I haven't even really thought about blogging. I have taken some really cute pics of Ethan mostly, because Ava thinks she is camera shy, unless of course it's a professional photographer, and then she's a ham! So if it seems like I never put any pics of Ava on here, it's because she won't let us!!

Ethan helping Daddy put together equipment for the lawnmower. He loves playing with tools and boy toys! He is definitely ALL boy!

Just a cute pic :-) Look at all my teeth, Mom!

He just loves climbing around and exploring things. We can't keep him out of the kitchen cabinets for anything.

Yet again, climbing on, in, up on things he knows he not supposed to be in!!

And...we started climbing up the stairs a few weeks ago. I ran up to the kitchen to grab something, and when I turned around to go back downstairs, he was already two steps from the top of the stairs!!! Of course, my heart stopped beating, but he thought it was the best thing ever!! Since then, we have broken out the baby gates, and now he just stands up, holds onto the baby gate, and shakes it back and forth very annoyingly until we let him climb the stairs. Lord, he is getting so big! Now I know why people have so many babies. They grow up too darn fast!!!

Just a few randoms...

I feel like I haven't had anything blog worthy in a while, so here's a few random pics of the kids we've taken over the past week:

Ethan and Maddy (she was one of our kids, before we had kids).

See my teeth mom!!

Would you please let me get that camera?!

I love his little Mohawk, but Dillon's been wanting to shave it off for awhile now. I know before long I'm going to have to cave in and let him do it, but it's so cute!

Everything in our mouth...

and a little on our nose!

Ava and Bailey...she loves getting the dogs to lay down on the rugs in her room while she plays. If we let her she would have them sleep in her bed! Boxers are so good with kids. Well, I guess they can just tolerate a lot of pulling ears, tails, collars, being ridden like a pony, and used as a step stool up to the couch, but I really don't think they mind. They would be lost without each other.

Pizza night!!

Ava playing in the tub. She is obsessed with organizing, stacking, and lining things up, and she spends many hours "having tea" in the tub.

Ava walking around in mommy's heels...Lord knows I haven't been able to use them recently! On Friday I was finally cleared to go back to work with no restrictions...YEAH! Although, I will probably have to wear a brace to prevent re-injury for many more months. At least now I have all the prosthetic devices I will ever need if, and when I sprain it again.

On the bright side I did complete all my courses 3 weeks early, which will give me about a month to work some major overtime before next term.

The 1st of many to come...I'm sure of it!

Yesterday, we were all downstairs in the family room just hanging out, and Ava runs up to Dillon and I while we were watching John & Kate + 8 (on a bad day, this show makes me realize that my two energetic kids aren't really that bad), and states, "Ethan is getting my colors!" Right then and there I knew this was a life changing moment. For the next few decades I will repeatedly hear the words "Mom! (blank) did this to me!" or "Mom! (blank) took/stole/broke/has possession of my (blank)!" Maybe Dillon really does have something with the idea of keeping it to just two kids:)

Tendinitis!!

Okay, so I go back to the ortho after wearing this lovely boot religiously for two weeks, and now I have developed tendonitis in my ankle from the immobilization caused by the boot...which I thought was the whole point in wearing the thing. So, now they tell me to take the boot off a few times a day and do excercises to decrease the inflammation. I may be crazy, but you would have thought they would have told me that the day they fit me for the boot. Maybe something like:

"By the way, you should take the boot off several times a day and do full range-of-motion exercises so you don't develop tendinitis in this ankle from the immobilization."

That would have made too much sense, I suppose, so I'm now delayed in getting back to work, starting PT, and being NORMAL again. Thank you, Cheryl, for making me realize that this is God's way of making me realize that I really don't hate my job, and I really do want to work this next year until I start clinicals.

Yes, more time off work sounds like a blessing with me being in school, but with no PTO or disability (b/c I have only been back from maternity leave for 5 months), and the amount in our savings account falling quickly, I NEED to work. Not only for financial reasons, but also for my sanity. I miss all you girlie's and hopefully I can get Dr. Blake to let me come back at the end of the week!! and, if not, maybe a second opinion...