ethanopia

Oh, Mexico

2009-02-22T18:40:00.000-08:00

We are hoping he likes the place as much as the song.

My 2-year-old...

2009-02-17T10:45:00.000-08:00

...likes to party.

... is obsessed with trains.

... smiles most of the time.

... blows his birthday candles out by fake sneezing. "Aaaaachhoooo" works just as good.

... finds frosting to be delightful.

... is a lollygagger until he knows I need him to stay close, like in a parking lot or a crowd of strangers. Then he makes a run for it.

... always eats his entire hamburger.

... is not so terrible - yet.

Funny snow day

2009-01-28T11:04:00.000-08:00

It was cold yesterday and we were bored, so we pulled out some old baby toys and played away.we decided to head outside...

... because Ethan had been begging all morning to "make snowman balls!!!"

We made just snowballs - be we had a lot of fun.

Grandma Maughan goes to Washington

2009-01-22T11:27:00.000-08:00

We were so lucky to have my mom come visit this last weekend. She got killer plane tickets because she left the day of the inauguration.
Ethan trying to impress Grandma right off the bat by flexing his oh-so-humongous muscles.
We planned on driving up to New York City on Friday, but Ethan's body temperature clocked in at 103.9 degrees the night before, so we canceled our hotel reservations and stayed home. It was a definite downer, but we found our own fun here. Like at the American History Museum, where we took photos of nothing but ourselves:
The First Lady exhibit was awesome (though brief). No photos allowed.

It was so cold here that we spent much of our time in our little apartment, sewing. I know, fun vacation right? Ethan tried his best to entertain.
Making faces at each other.
Action shot.
This is inside the Paper Source in Old Town Alexandria, where Ethan formed an instant bond with the fake bears. He kept hugging them and backed into their arms for photos.
Maybe we enjoyed a little too much of the molten chocolate dessert at the Chart House in Old Town.

We miss you, Mom!

Christmas in Arlington

2009-01-08T10:23:00.000-08:00

We stayed here for Christmas and had a really great time. Weeks before Christmas, we would ask Ethan what he wanted Santa to bring him and he would say, "bring Thomas." Neither of us remembers teaching him that so we knew he really wanted Thomas for Christmas.

A few days before Christmas I realized I hadn't been so excited for the big day since I was 10. I could not wait to see Ethan's reaction.

Santa didn't disappoint. And neither did Ethan. He was so excited about Thomas the Tank Engine.
Every morning since, the first thing Ethan says when I get him up is, "play Thomas."
These photos aren't in order but I'm too lazy to move them. On Christmas Eve, we went ice skating on the sculpture garden fountain. It was a beautiful night and the setting, sandwiched by the National Archives building and the National Mall, made it perfect. I was shocked to see little skates just Ethan's size. We took him out and he loved it. You can't really tell by his facial expression when he is skating (or Ryan is dragging him by his belt loops - see video) but the moment we stopped skating, he started kicking his feet and screaming like we were kidnapping him. So we skated (despite our hurting backs from leaning over the kid) until close.

And, of course, Ethan was not happy to go.

After skating, we went to see the trees and trains at the White House. There were too many people there, but it was still fun to be out doing stuff on Christmas Eve. We also went tubing that weekend. Tubing was not Ethan's favorite activity, but I'm blaming the extremely sticky man-made snow on that.
More photos will follow. We are having issues since we lost our camera charger and I accidentally erased every photo on our computer ;(. I'm still getting over it, but once I do, I'll be a blogging fiend.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T11:21:00.001-08:00

Ethan loves St. George and cousins!

2008-12-10T10:15:00.000-08:00

We visited St. George for Thanksgiving and had so much fun. Ethan's favorite parts were......throwing rocks/jumping in puddles. He could spend all day doing that and would have had I not lugged his screaming body back inside every once in a while.

... hanging with cousins, especially Chase. Ethan would beg for Chase and try to play with him. But when it was the other way around, when Chase showed interest in playing with Ethan, he would run to me, terrified of Chase. This, of course, diminished as the trip wore on and I think Ethan finally got used to his awesome cousin, Chase.

... riding scooters. There was this paved little hill between condos that he loved speeding down. I will attribute this to his new obsession with Caden, his 12-year-old cousin, who hauled down that hill as fast as he possibly could (by himself, of course). Ethan still asks for Caden.

...playing on the rocks, though it was more like tripping on the rocks. At one point, someone said, "Whose child is that?" and I looked up the hill to see two little feet sticking straight up in the air. Aunt Robin went up and found Ethan laying at the bottom of a pile of rocks.

I can't stop thinking about this awesome trip. A big thanks to Ken and Judi for the awesome condos and to the entire Roe family for the great company!

Somebody got a haircut

2008-11-24T12:03:00.000-08:00

Fun times with Grandma Roe

2008-11-22T11:56:00.000-08:00

Ryan's mom came to visit this month. We had so much fun with her! Ethan still looks for her around the house and asks for "Gamma." Fortunately, we will see her again on Tuesday!

Our little puppy

2008-11-12T11:29:00.001-08:00

We were outside the Washington D.C. Temple visitor's center eating lunch when Ethan dropped his peanut butter and honey sandwich on the concrete, fell to his hands and knees and ate the food off the ground like an animal.

I would have stopped him but...

I couldn't put my camera down.

What do a cowboy, a cat and a man with two heads have in common?

2008-11-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

I know, my costume isn't the most creative, but Ryan's more than makes up for that, I think.The two-headed man a la Michael Scott... sort of. Ryan made his twin head by himself with balloons, paper mache and paint. He won the "funniest costume" award.Ethan bull-leggedly stomped around all evening, like a true cowboy. We have no idea how or why he decided to walk this way but it fit his costume well.

Meganopia

2008-10-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

I started my very own blog. I was getting sick of posting about myself on Ethan's blog. Click the image on the right sidebar to view it.

Hooray for fall walks

2008-10-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

There is no better time for site-seeing, discovering and crunching things under your feet.

Learned this one the painful way

2008-10-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

Ethan doesn't wake up in the middle of the night often, but when he does I become a super grumpy mom. I try to be civil, so I enter his dark room and lift him out of his crib, lay him on the bed nearby and lie down next to him. My mood transforms as he reaches around my neck with his stubby arms and pulls my face to his. He places my cheek to his cheek and we lie there, breathing in each other's hair.

We were locked in this embrace a couple of mornings ago and when Ethan finally let go of my neck, I noticed that my cheek was wet. In the dark I traced around his face with my fingers and noticed that his ear was also damp. I imagined that tears had fallen into his ear as he was crying when he first woke up.

Ethan talked and sang but never fell back asleep, so after a couple of hours I finally decided to get up for the day. When I reached for my son I noticed his ear was still wet. I picked him up, turned on the light and felt my stomach twist.

Out of my son's ear and reaching across his cheek was one of those humongous worm boogers that hang out of kids noses while they are playing outside in the dead of winter. Only this was no snot, and when I gently pushed on the outside of his ear, more of the gooey stuff flowed out.

I immediately knew I had failed my child. Earlier that week, I had decided that at 20 months he had already reached the terrible twos and that would explain his extremely whiny behavior. I remember thinking he must just be really tired when he was grabbing at his ears. I had wondered why, during his recent baths, he had freaked out when we laid his head down in the water. And after who knows how many days of my ignorance and inaction, Ethan's eardrum - under the extreme pressure of infection - had finally ruptured.

I thought he would be deaf and angry with me for the rest of his life. But the doctor acted like it was no big deal. We just need to give Ethan some antibiotics for a couple of weeks and his ear will heal!

The bad news: there is still puss oozing out of his ear and getting all over everything. More good news: without the earache, my kid is pretty happy now so I think we still have a few months until the terrible twos.

Bodily functions one-oh-one

2008-10-15T09:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon Ethan belched. After a few seconds he looked at me like he'd just discovered America and began to yell, "Fot, fot, fot!"

"Close Ethan! But that's a burp, not a fart."

Fall on the farm

2008-10-12T20:41:00.001-07:00

We harassed the chickens,
drank freshly-pressed apple cider,
conducted a large wooden train,
conquered our fear of tunnels -
and of animals our size -and picked out a "punkin." Check those off our list of fall activities.

Down at Fraggle Rock...

2008-10-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

Today we visited the Jim Henson exhibit on the National Mall and viewed many of his creations, including Kermit the frog and Burt and Ernie. Oh, and we saw our friends from Fraggle Rock, which not only transported me back to the days when I loved that show, but also reminded me of the time in 9th grade when my friend Jory took my fragile adolescent self esteem and sat on it by telling me that I "look just like those little workers on Fraggle Rock!"
Can you see the resemblance?

My kid loved the exhibit, as well as the awesome little play area at the end of it. Unfortunately, I couldn't document that because no photos were allowed. So here are some photos we took at lunch:

Found some literary gold at Goodwill today...

2008-09-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

Drinking, video games, flashing...

2008-09-23T18:18:00.001-07:00

Recently, two people have let me know that my kid looks like a frat boy. Yeah, probably not the look I was going for. But he's beginning to show the early signs...

And don't worry, I may have thought it, but I didn't tell them that their child looks like a balding pentagenarian.

Mmmm

2008-09-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

My mouth waters for this fabric.

I long to clothe all my furniture in these organic prints by New Zealand-based artist Leanne Culy. The warm gold and cool blue hues would harmonize well with my ugly brown couch (and maybe make it look not-so-ugly).

Too bad this lamp shade costs more than a week's worth of groceries...

...and these fabulous fabrics cost anywhere from 85 to 122 American dollars PER METER!Maybe we could go hungry for a few weeks.
Or maybe I'll just dream about them for now.

Introducing

2008-09-12T04:52:00.001-07:00

Arlington's
newest
CPA!

In memory

2008-09-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

Seven years ago, I gaped at the television monitor in my high school classroom in Utah and watched this unfold.

I was roughly 1,920 miles away. I was in one of the safest places on the planet. I felt violated.
Today I live just a couple of blocks away. It's a constant reminder of the lives lost on this day.

Ethan has been up to...

2008-09-04T12:06:00.000-07:00

...drawing all over himself and everything else with hidden writing tools.

...watching kayakers plunge off waterfalls at Great Falls.

...riding on the back of Uncle Bert's bike.
...deciding he is tired at inopportune times. He does this in the parking lot and the street outside our door, too.

TMI - but I can't resist

2008-09-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

Ever haphazardly sent an embarrassing text message to your in-laws? Well now Ryan can check that off his list of "100 things I hope to never do before I die."

Tonight, while on a run to Target to pick up some supplies - including some boxer briefs for Ryan - my dad called me. He told me that he received a text message from Ryan. He was perplexed because it was sent to his land line so it came in the form of a computer voice sounding out the words with incorrect inflections. He was also confused by the message, which he insists he didn't understand. It was clear the text was meant for my cell phone.

The computer had unabashedly read aloud these words to my father: "Don't forget my whitey-tighteys."

Bored, bored, bored

2008-08-27T05:20:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when I do the same thing every day. My blog becomes very boring. I know, your eyes glaze over when you even think about clicking on my blog link because you might just lose half your brain to numbness if you have to read another commentary on the Olympics.

I'll let you know if I do anything cool... ever again.

Entertained... but terrified

2008-08-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

You know that girl in your 7th grade P.E. class who you always purposely served the volleyball to? You know, that girl who would dive after the ball like it was a chocolate cake about to be spoiled on the athlete's foot-infested gym floor, yet still couldn't hit that ball back over the net or to the closest teammate. That girl who was unable to get even two UNDERhand serves over the net during Ms. Anderson's serving test, yet still got an A because Ms. Anderson understood that there was no physical way that girl could do it. She was terrified of the tall girls, especially the 8-foot blonde viking chic who didn't talk but could serve with both right and left hands and still get the ball to that girl's shaking hands every single time. And the short, feisty gals made that girl nervous too. She was the weakest link on every team.

I know that girl well and watching May and Walsh sort of makes my hands shake again.

Should be an interesting race

2008-08-11T19:35:00.001-07:00

This evening, after watching the Americans take gold and silver in the 100m backstroke, Ryan turned to me with his eyes wide open and said in the most sincere voice possible, "You know what they should do? They should do a race with their feet forward."

Is there a correlation?

2008-08-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

Sacrament meeting was noticeably less packed today. Could it have had something to do with this?

Arlington County Fair

2008-08-09T07:33:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love a county fair? Well, ours was a little different than the ones I'm used to. It was missing livestock (except for the imported pig racers) but I guess I understand since there is nothing like a farm anywhere near here. It was still fun to check out the booths and flirt with the carnies (right JB?). ;)
Riding the carousel.
Channeling Kanye with these killer blind shades. Love the sign in the background.
The huge blow-up sheriff.
Ethan terrified of the huge blow-up sheriff.
Waiting for the pig races.
Julie participating in the pig races.
The pigs, ready to race. No pictures of them actually racing - sorry.

Deeeeeep thoughts

2008-08-01T21:01:00.001-07:00

Ryan and I went on a date tonight. That occasion itself is blog-worthy considering the last time we got out sans Ethan was probably around Christmas. So we went to Batman, which I was expecting to hate. I say this because any time a movie is especially hyped up, I am usually disappointed when I see it.

Take Titanic, for example. My mother would not allow me to go see Titanic with all my girlfriends and since I couldn't drive at the time, I was powerless. I cried for days. The movie broke records at the Oscars. I viewed it years later on T.V. and could not believe the cheese-fest. I don't think I ever thanked my mom for saving me the $5. By the way, it cost the two of us $20 to go to the movie last night and that is with a student discount!

So I was not expecting Batman to be anything spectacular. Here are my thoughts on the matter:

* I don't care about allegations of assault against his sister and mother. ;) Christian Bale is a hottie.
* Maggie Gyllenhal was a much more convincing Rachel than airy-voiced (and probably -headed) Katie Holmes.
* I love how Bruce Wayne purposely appears to be this total rich loser in public, but is really brave and incorruptible when he is in private or dressed in a bat suit.
* I know what you are thinking - that I'm totally crushing on Batman - and you are right.
* Believe everything you heard about Heath Ledger as the Joker. I had to cover my eyes every time he got close to someone's face. He was creepy and hilarious at the same time. Amazing.
* I loved, loved, loved Aaron Eckhardt as Harvey and I can't wait to see him in the next Batman.
* I love Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman.
* I'll admit, I rolled my eyes during a couple of particularly lame parts.
* I thought the movie couldn't go on after an unexpected, heart-breaking moment. But it did, and kept me entertained the entire time.
* If you couldn't tell already, I really enjoyed this movie.

* Sorry Ethan, that your blog has turned into movie and television show reviews. Do you think it's time for a blog name change?

We need a new ride

2008-07-30T06:09:00.000-07:00

Our friend Michelle took me and Ethan for a ride in her new red convertible. I'm thinking a red convertible should be our next big purchase. ;-)

Help!

2008-07-25T09:16:00.001-07:00

Does anyone have any advice or books on how to get my kid to stop whining all the time?

I'm trying real hard to be on your side, Project Runway

2008-07-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

There are a few things that didn't survive past the 90s (and for good reason):
You should see her now.
Those creepy Furbys were definitely a short-term fad.
If you didn't own a pair of Girbauds you did not exist in the 90s.
They tried to make a comeback with their 1998 hit "Cruel Summer," but record sales just couldn't top "The Sign's" success.
I got one of these in every Arctic Circle happy meal I purchased.
And finally, the one-sleeved asymmetrical mini-dress with lace-up sides.

But wait! This monstrosity earned Stella a spot in the top three on last night's episode of Project Runway. That's right, I typed "top three," not "bottom three." I was sure this unsightly cocktail dress would send the hard-edged 42-year-old Cher look-alike home. I have no clue what Heidi Klum, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia were thinking. You could tell guest judge Natalie Portman was not a huge fan of this design, but I guess she didn't have much of a say. The real bottom three were pretty hideous, but don't you agree this dress is straight out of the 90s?

I still have sand in my ears

2008-07-21T10:02:00.001-07:00

Have you ever been slapped by an ocean wave so hard that it spanked you backward, ground your elbows into the sand, then sent your feet flopping over your head? You finally jab your foot into the sand so you can stand yourself up only to feel the subtle undertow lure your knees back out into its next curling wave. Stinging salt water floods from your nostrils and mouth as you giggle, all the while trying to find those sunglasses somewhere in the churning deep and tug that swimsuit back to covering all the important parts. You spot your friends and family, equally disheveled and finding their footing in the water, gearing up for that next big wave. You scream and laugh and secretly hope it happens again.

Later, while drying off on your towel in the sun with a bag of Chex Mix in your hand, you watch your child with bewilderment, wondering just how long that sand will entertain him. But it does, for most of the day, and at the end of all the snacking, lounging and laughing that accompany a trip to the beach, you feel a little sunburned - and so satisfied.

Losing another friend to the dreaded move

2008-07-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

Another good friend moved halfway across the country today and now I have an excuse to visit Kansas (because I promise you, I would never go there if she didn't live there). I am so sad to lose Rebecca. She is a great mom, a hilarious woman, a true friend and a thrift store queen (as evidenced in the photo below - Julie and Rebecca trying on some hot tranny shoes at our favorite thrift store). I will miss those big item pick-up mornings with you, Becc!

Utah

2008-07-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

And I thought there was nothing to look forward to after my Utah trip

2008-07-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

Two of my favorite things start this week! First, the fifth season of Project Runway begins at 9 p.m. Wednesday. It's going to be FIERCE (I couldn't resist).

And second, it's been a tradition in my family for all the females to attend the opening day of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale each year. I am really going to miss those gals while I hit it up on Friday (I cried in the shoe section last year because they weren't there with me). So this is an open invitation to anyone who would like to join me! Call, e-mail or leave a comment.

Future best friends

2008-07-14T15:33:00.000-07:00

Ethan is two months older than Chase, but our little guy is still terrified of his Vegas cousin.

Quote of the day

2008-07-06T13:25:00.000-07:00

"Let's move to an apartment with a gym. I think if a group of girl scouts wanted my wallet, they could easily get it."
- Ryan Earl Roe

Heading to Aggieland

2008-07-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

I'm headed off to Utah and I have made several plans for my trip. 1. I will devour the coconut shrimp tacos at Cafe Rio. 2. I will relish a ham and funeral potato meal at Juniper Takeout. 3. I will feast on a dish of my choice at Le Nonne (everything is good there). 4. I will consume a burger and raspberry shake at LaBeau's in Bear Lake. 5. I will make a trip back to Cafe Rio for a pork burrito or salad. 6. I will ingest that creamy chicken and mushroom fajita thing at that Mexican restaurant in the old train station (the name has already slipped from my mind). 7. I will maybe stop over at Firehouse and get my chicken cordon bleu pasta on. 8. I will enjoy a scoop of Aggie Ice Cream!

Just kidding family, my plans with you are more important than my plans for my stomach. And I probably won't eat all of this food. But I'm still super excited for all the culinary pleasures ;) that Cache Valley offers!

Friends

2008-06-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

Our longtime friends and fiercest Speed Scrabble competitors, Kipp and Ashlee, are selling security systems (Do you feel that your home is unsafe? Click here and leave a comment.) in the Baltimore area so we get to see them often. Last weekend, we visited Baltimore with them. This week, they came and toured the Jefferson Memorial and the Holocaust Museum. We love hanging out with them. Ethan and Ryan are posing for the camera in the Baltimore harbor and Kipp is ready to bomb someone.
Kipp touching the sky surrounding the Washington Monument.
Remember that rare black squirrel I spotted at the National Cathedral? Well there's an albino one near the Jefferson Memorial.

Please help our little McKay

2008-06-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

Our nephew McKay is a miracle child and a blessing in the lives of everyone around him. For detailed information about McKay (and a chance to cry your eyes out), click here.

This is from his Web site, Miracles for McKay:

McKay Roe teaches us everyday and continually reminds us of that which is most important. For not being able to speak, McKay has an uncanny ability to always draw attention to his beautiful blue eyes calm expressions, and the magical gift of life. He is such a sweet boy and has a special influence on all who meet him.

McKay was born with a severe medical condition wherein a brain malformation has caused cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, seizures, hearing loss, cortical blindness and other physical disabilities. He does not talk, has never cried, but will randomly coo. He is fully dependent on others for his personal care and is confined to a wheelchair. McKay lives at home with his mom, dad, two brothers, and a sister.

This year, McKay celebrates his 8^th birthday. Due to his growth and physical development, his needs are becoming greater. He is growing out of his car seat and his wheelchair is too heavy for his mom to lift in and out of a vehicle. As friends, we have noticed the family’s need of a handicap accessible van which, due to high expense, is a purchase difficult for them to acquire alone. It is our goal to raise enough money to help this family afford what has become to them a necessity, a full size handicap accessible van. McKay and his family all deserve this miracle.

If you are interested in donating, please send to:

Davis Education Foundation
Miracles for McKay Fund
PO Box 588 Farmington, UT
84025-0588

All cash and check donations to the
Davis Education Foundation
must specify the
Miracles for McKay Fund.

Lauding the little

2008-06-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

The upside to spending 12 hours a day every day with someone who poops his pants is that small things are magnified. Things that are so simple to do every day, like say, turning off the light or saying the word, "please," are crowning achievements for our little guy. We have become praisers. "Good job, Ethan," is uttered probably more than 50 times a day in our house. I get excited when he zips up a zipper or gets his shoe halfway on his foot. Or when he points out a big truck.

The only problem is that when I am with people taller than 2 1/2 feet, I forget that these tasks may not be so monumental. Like last week when I pointed an airplane in the sky out to Ryan and he muttered, "Yeah, an airplane. Thanks." Or last night when Ryan turned the switch on the lamp and I exclaimed, "Good job!" and had to hold myself back from clapping.

I heart the Olympics!

2008-06-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

I got so into the gymnastics Olympic trials on t.v. this evening that I teared up while watching some of the routines. (OK, so I also sort of cried watching a weird preview of American Gladiators and I have never seen that show, nor intend to ever watch it, so crazy hormones may be partially to blame for my emotional gymnastics-viewing experience).

I can't wait for the Olympics. And I decided that the U.S. and the rest of the world are in serious need of some wins right now - even if they come only in sports.

Gladiator woman

2008-06-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

I would feel cute - and able to hold my own - in any of these shoes. Which ones would you buy?

A great week

2008-06-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

The day after my little brother left on his Mormon mission to Philadelphia, I cried in front of my editor and lost my appetite completely. I had never felt that blue before and have not since.

So seeing Al (he was technically still Elder Maughan) for the first time in two years was so great. He's not so different and seemed a little more mature (only a little, though, Al).

We traveled up to meet him and my parents, who flew out to pick him up. We had so much fun seeing the good and the really bad of Philly, meeting some of the awesome people he taught and served, eating fabulous food and touring a little bit around D.C. with my fam. Don't tell Mrs. Obray from my AP United States History class, but I really didn't know what the Liberty Bell was when I went to visit it. I did pass my AP history test though, so there.
Here is a completely abandoned building with graffiti all over it. The letters on the side said, "bone thugs 4ever" (wink, wink to those who saw it). I took this photo to show how most of the area in Philadelphia in which my brother served, looked. Unfortunately, I didn't get more photos of some of the places we went. At one point I was sure we weren't in the U.S. anymore, but in a third-world country across the ocean. I have never seen anything like it. Apparently Philly is surrounded on all sides by miles of slums. In Al's apartment building, the elder before him found a murdered body in the elevator and another elder saw a murdered body being wheeled down the hallway. Surprisingly, Al was never mugged (most elders he knew were) and he said he was never scared (Apparently he picked up lying on his mission; he also said walking around in high-90-degree heat plus 100 percent humidity in his church clothes didn't bother him).
The Smurf car my parents rented and the amazing city hall in the distance.
Against my brothers' wishes, we went to Geno's cheese steaks while he and my parents visited an elder in the hospital. I guess the cheese steaks at Geno's are not up to par with Al's tastebuds, though it is a tourist favorite (trap, as Al calls it). We think the food would have been good had we been able to taste it. Unfortunately, we put some of the hot sauce on it and couldn't feel or taste anything for the rest of the night.

All you need is LOVE... and a fat policeman in your photo.
I'm not even sure what river this is, but the Philadelphia Museum of Art (think Rocky steps) is behind us.
Looking down on the museum from the top of city hall in Philadelphia.

Feeling the brotherly love in the city of brotherly love. Don't be alarmed by the orange fuzzy thing on the left-hand side of my photo. Most of my childhood photos have my mom's fingers in them. ;)
Al's favorite Philly cheese steak. It was delicious. And it was in Delaware.
Ryan in a rare moment of reflection.
Where to get Al's favorite Philly cheese steak sandwich.
We went to Ocean City en route to Salisbury, Md., another place where Al taught the gospel.
My favorite thing about Ocean City was a new (to me, at least) treat called "water ice" (pronounced "wataeyes."). To my relief, there is a water ice joint in Alexandria!My 'rents at Mount Vernon.Fam at Mount Vernon.
Ryan played in a basketball tournament in downtown Washington Saturday and we went and watched a couple of games. His team ended up finishing in the top twelve (there were around 96? teams) but the tournament was canceled when it started to rain. We are sure his Crystal City Ward team would have taken the tourney! lol.
I have a new appreciation for sports photographers. I couldn't get a photo with both Ryan and the ball in it.
If you look really hard, you can see Ryan dribbling the ball.Pulling Ethan faces at the National Cathedral.Sitting in the Bishop's Garden at the National Cathedral.
A black squirrel. Very rare. I know, it looks brown in the photo. It's black though, I promise.
Aren't we just soooo cute?
My mom is hoping to have her backyard look like the Bishop's Garden by some time next year.
Ethan and Uncle Rob.Al at the World War II Memorial. This is right before my camera battery died. I'm sure you are all devastated that you won't see any more photos of my awesome week. ;-)

Thanks Mom and Dad, for the awesome trip and for visiting us way out here. Thanks for waiting to go home Al, so you could hang with us for a few days! We love you and are so proud of you!

Four years

2008-06-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

Surprise cupcakes

2008-06-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

As per Raelynn's request, here is my favorite cupcake recipe:

Mix and set aside:
1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 c. sugar
a pinch of salt
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a separate bowl, make a devil's food cake mix according to instructions on the box (I know, that's cheating).

In cupcake cups:
Fill half full with cake batter
Spoon 1/2 T. of cream cheese filling on top of cake batter
Cover the filling with more batter

Bake at 375* for 15-20 minutes.

Cool and then frost with this:

Mix:
1 8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar

Not really sure what to title this one

2008-06-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

My aunt Susan and her darling family visited Washington this week and we got to hang out with them! The kids kept Ethan's attention and pushed his stroller the whole time, so I had such a great time visiting with Sus! It was so fun to see them!

Ethan and I decided to bail out of touring with them early Friday and go home and take a nap. We stopped at the corner of 15th street and Constitution because police officers were blocking the intersection. Then, after several motorcycles and black SUVs drove through, I noticed the flags - one American, one presidential seal - on two large black cars and realized it was the president en route to the White House. As the second car slowed around my corner, I saw President Bush in the back. Though the windows were tinted, I could tell he was looking at me (also because there was no one else in my vicinity). And then he waved. Then I waved. We totally shared a moment! ;-)

I know people who loathe George W. Bush and I know people who adore the guy. I'd have to say I'm somewhere in the middle (I know, what a stance to take, huh?) of those two positions. And I know some of you fellow bloggers see him all the time, so this is nothing to you. But it was pretty awesome for me to see that controversial man so close up.

Uprooted

2008-06-04T20:03:00.000-07:00

While I was shopping at Costco today, Ryan called to ask how the weather looked. He was considering hitting some range balls after work.

"It's sunny," I assured him.

I walked out of Costco to clapping thunder and pouring rain. Ryan called to tell me that the power was out at work and all he could see out of the windows of his high-rise office building were black clouds.

Then I happened upon this:

This sizable tree is about 100 yards away from our apartment.

And now we are under a "tornado watch." I've been watching and there is hardly a breeze right now so I'm not too worried.

I'm expecting...

2008-06-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

... to get some pool passes soon! ;)

Apparently we were not denied pool privileges because of my tirade regarding pool rules - or because no one wants to see me in a swimsuit (though I wouldn't blame them if that was the case). It seems that my landlady's condo fee didn't go through last month. She assured me all is taken care of now.

If you are confused by this post, read the last part of the previous post.

Family time in C'ville

2008-05-31T15:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend, the Roe family visited Charlottesville, the most tree-infested place I have ever been (but I've never been to South America or Hawaii).

This place was cool for a number of reasons, besides the greenery and abundance of people with southern drawls. It is home to the University of Virginia, a school founded by Thomas Jefferson. His beautiful estate, Monticello, is just outside the city. And historic downtown Charlottesville was a really hip little place to eat. Squinting in front of the Rotunda, Jefferson's architectural masterpiece on campus.Ethan climbing the Rotunda steps.Stacking jelly packets at a C'ville eatery.
Cheesing it at the home of our third president.

We asked this guy to take our photo in front of the house and, in typical tourist fashion, he got all of us and none of the house.
The flowers at Monticello were beautiful. Some are believed to be descendants of the flowers Jefferson (or his slaves, sadly) planted.
We left Monticello feeling like we learned a lot about Thomas Jefferson.Here's Ethan at the hotel, somewhere near the swimming pool, though there was no swimming to be had.

We would work on his fear of swimming in a pool but now may not be the time, since we got home from our little vacation this afternoon and found an envelope from our apartment manager containing this:
Could this have something to do with a recent post of mine?

Farewell to a first friend

2008-05-29T09:12:00.001-07:00

A year and a half ago, I received a phone call from a complete stranger. The person on the other end of the line said something similar to this:

"Hi, we've never met before, but I heard that you are new in town and I go to your church. I just wanted to know if you need anything. I've been in this area for quite some time and know my way around. Do you need to go anywhere? I'd be glad to take you, or just help you find what you need?"

I was shocked for two reasons: one, no stranger had ever gone out of their way to call me to see if I needed help; and two, I needed help!

How did she know that Ryan and I had driven all over the area looking for the dang Home Depot that Mapquest said would be there, but it wasn't? And how did she know that I was scared to venture out and look for it again, since the only car available at the time was a stick-shift and I had never learned to drive one and I was terrified of driving it in this mixing bowl of freeways and roads? I found out later that she called as part of her job at church (she was on the "new member committee"). But the phone call still meant so much to me.

"Yes, I really do need your help. My little nursery (I was 8 1/2 months prego at the time) is currently a shade of concentration camp gray and I need to paint it. And I can't find Home Depot!" I said to her.

Later that week, the stranger came to pick me up and take me to the darn store that I had driven past probably 10 times. And that's how I met Shane, one of the coolest gals and greatest friends ever.

From throwing me an impromptu birthday party on the ellipse to taking me to the big scary car auction, Shane has been like a big sister to me out here. We love her and her fabulous daughter Emma, the smartest and spunkiest little 2-year-old.

That's why we were devastated by the news that they are moving to ARIZONA! Husband Jason will be working at Arizona State University (congrats Jason), and while we are so happy that they will be close to Shane's family in Tempe, we are going to miss them so much!

Notice a trend?

2008-05-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

He really is posing for the camera in this photo below. Hilarious.

Ethan has become quite the poser. The instant I whip out the camera, he tilts his head back, squints his eyes and flashes his newly acquired teeth.

Us Megans and our hair

2008-05-23T08:37:00.001-07:00

We go to a nearby park nearly every day and kids always come up to me and Ethan and introduce themselves or demand that we watch them walk up a slide or see what they made in the sandbox.

Yesterday, Ethan and I met Joaquin. He was a very sweaty little boy who spoke some words in English and some words in Spanish. He ran around with a little girl in a dress who couldn't say her R's.

"This is Megan," he introduced us to the little girl.

"Oh wow," I said to her, "Did you know that my name is Megan too?"

"Yes," she replied simply and without hesitation.

I sat for a second, then said, "How?"

"Because I saw your hair."

Saved by saved by the bell

2008-05-22T06:10:00.000-07:00

Ethan wakes up at 7 a.m. That's much too early for me to wake up so I often ask Ryan to get the child. He has to get ready for work anyway. So I usually wake up at about 7:45 a.m. to find Ethan on the ground, propped against pillows, sipping on milk and intently viewing Saved By the Bell.

I know you are all wondering what kind of mother would leave babysitting responsibilities up to Zac Morris and A.C. Slater. Maybe not the best role models for a young, impressionable child? Well during today's episode Ethan learned something that may prove valuable to him in this world of high-rise apartments and elevators.

Today (well it was years ago; these are re-runs, of course) Zac safely delivered the baby of Mr. Belding's wife (a totally wimpy pusher who had the easiest delivery ever) in a broken down elevator.

Life lesson learned.

Farenheit 104.4

2008-05-20T17:50:00.001-07:00

Ethan has already discovered a way to get out of going to church: get feverishly sick every Sunday.

For the last month of Sundays, one of us has had to stay home or we have left church early because Ethan has had a fever. Two days ago, Ethan's body temperature hit 104.4 - an all-time high for the little guy. I'm sure he would rather go to church than feel like that (pictured above - I love how he is trying to smile for the camera but he really doesn't have it in him).

Rules of the pool

2008-05-10T13:46:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the seriously lame rules at my apartment's pool:

2. CHILDREN IN DIAPERS (it's in all caps like that) are not allowed in the pool.
Shouldn't we all be a little more concerned about swimming among the little kids without diapers?

6. All bathers must shower prior to entering the pool.
I know this is a common one, but has anyone ever followed this rule?

7. When using the pool, only greaseless suntan lotion should be used, rather than an oil-based lotion.
Can anyone tell me where I can get my hands on some grrreasy suntan lotion?

12. Smoking is permitted in the pool area.
Why is this in the rules? Aren't rules usually things you CANNOT do?

13. Spouting of water, expectoration, nose blowing in the pool, etc., are not allowed.
Ok, I stand behind this rule, but it's kind of funny.

14. BEACH BALLS, TOYS, WHEELED VEHICLES (yes, once again in all caps), etc. created safety hazards. For this reason, they are NOT PERMITTED.
Because we all know that TOYS are a lot more dangerous than SECOND-HAND SMOKE.

16. The use of musical instruments or radios, or other sound-emitting devices without earphones is not permitted in the pool area.
I love swimming with my earphones in.

17. Shirts or robes and appropriate foot wear must be worn to and from the pool area.
I would love to see the person(s) who inspired this rule.

The list goes on and on. It was the same last year and I made sure to break a few of those rules several times, so we'll see if I keep my pool pass the entire season this year.

Congrats Phat

2008-05-08T08:55:00.001-07:00

My good friend and bridesmaid Natalie is getting married today and I am sulking in my bedroom at least six states away missing her best day.

New favorite binge item

2008-05-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

I go through about three boxes of this a week. It is so good in milk and even better as a snack. And it's a dollar less than the Honey Nut Chex (another fav) at your local Harris Teeter.

Wrong side of the bed

2008-05-07T06:45:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I woke up this morning on each other's side of the bed. We are totally perplexed, though I did dream last night that we had to swim through crocodile-infested waters to get to a really amazing ski hill. Could that have something to do with it?

Three strikes

2008-05-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

As I fished through my purse at the Target check-out I felt what have become some familiar check-out feelings: embarrassment and annoyance. For the THIRD time in as many months, my wallet wasn't in my purse. So, for the THIRD time, I told the cashier that she would have to cancel my large order (which included some much-needed supplies), because I had no money. And, for the THIRD time, I marched back to my car, drove home and decided not to go back to Target because my impatient (but darling) child absolutely could not handle another trek through Target.
And it's all thanks to Ethan, who, because of an obsession with my credit cards, often pulls them out of my wallet then hides it under a pillow or deep inside a closet.

You're welcome to leave nasty comments about my parenting below

2008-04-29T06:45:00.001-07:00

The fire alarm went off at 12:30 a.m. today, reminding me of the last time that ungodly noise ripped through our hallway and into our apartment, waking us up in the middle of the night and causing one real dilemma: we had to wake our sleeping child.

Only a parent of a child who had difficulty sleeping through the night for the entire first year of his life will understand why the number one thought on our minds was not the fact that our apartment, which holds every single item we own, might be incinerated in a matter of moments. Or that we might have to hoist our little Ethan out of our second-story window with bedsheets if the fire got out of hand. No, the most important question was whether or not we dared wake the child and risk staying up the rest of the night with him.

Last time we decided to take him out to see those firetrucks - mainly because there were trace amounts of smoke in the hallway.

Last night, however, was a different story. At the sound of the alarm, I jumped out of bed, pulled some clothes and shoes on, grabbed my phone and walked out the door, leaving my son and husband slumbering in their beds. After joining the rest of the pajama-clad residents in the street, one of my neighbors gawked at me when I told her I had left my child inside. I called Ryan to tell him there was no smoke billowing out of the windows. He hung up on me.

The firetrucks arrived and after sauntering in and out of the building for a few minutes the firefighters told us to go back to our apartments and go to sleep. Only we couldn't, because they had difficulty turning the alarm off. Amazingly (and sort of ironically), Ethan slept through all the ringing. And when I finally did get under my covers, I was glad I didn't wake him up.

Throughout today though, I have wondered if I was being cavalier with my son's life for a little extra sleep. What would you have done?

Jazz addiction

2008-04-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else have to pick their husband back up after a Utah Jazz loss? Mine was threatening to stay home from work today and decided not to shave.

photo: SL Tribune

Watch out Christie's, here we come

2008-04-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

This week I was enlisted by my sister - a Utah resident - to drive to Elkridge, Md. to participate in a live bid auction for a natural gas burning Chevy Cavalier. Purchase of said vehicle was super important because, in her words, "there is a ton of natural gas here out West and so you can get them a lot cheaper in the East," and "natural gas is like 63 cents per gallon." Her husband has finals and she was threatening to wean her baby and fly out here herself if I didn't do this for her. "But," they told me, "don't feel too much pressure." They were only asking me to get a winning bid among veteran bidders and spend all of their money on a car that they had never laid eyes on.

And though their request put me under complete mental duress for much of the week (I still love you guys), I agreed to dig up all the courage I could find in my shy self and go up there and bid my little heart out.

Because no children are allowed near the auction, I dragged my dear friend Shane and her daughter Emma along to take care of Ethan and give me some much-needed moral support. Thanks Shane, you are awesome.

My spending limit was $6,000, but my sister asked me to try not to go over $4,000 as these cars blue-booked at $3,500. I was pretty sure that it wouldn't be too hard to get a low price on a Chevy Cavalier. I was so wrong.

As I checked out the 15-or-so CNG Cavaliers up for sale before the auction, I noticed that the other people (almost all men) inspecting the vehicles were looking at the very same cars as I was. I met several people who flew out from Cache Valley, Utah just for the CNG cars and I'm guessing they heard about the auction from the same person my sister did.

The auction began with two loud auctioneers simultaneously spitting burning numbers off their tongues. The first car was a 2001 Cavalier with only 7,000 miles on it. I was ready to bid and I about raised my hand, then realized that the price had shot up to $7,000 before I could decipher what the large crimson-faced auctioneer was yelling. The first car sold for $9,900. I soon learned that that would be the least expensive Cavalier sold that day, with one sold for $13,500 - nearly four times the blue book price. They are so hot right now. :)

After getting caught up in all the excitement I was quite disappointed to leave the auction without bidding a single time! But I ended up enjoying the auction process. Now I'm considering a career in buying and selling. ;)My competition.
E-man and little genius known as "Mookie" (short for Muqtada al Sadr).I should have bought them this for putting me through all of this stress.

Formerly blonde FBI agent turned auburn-coifed mommy Shane.

Lowest bidder and Super Mommy (right, Shane?). Sorry about the too-close-for-comfort squeeze shot.

Funny boy

2008-04-21T18:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some things Ethan has been up to lately:
- He throws everything.
- He constantly reorganizes Ryan's closet.
- When I offer to give him a hand and help him walk, he slaps it and says, "No."
- Today he said "boo" to his foot as he pulled it through his pant-leg opening.
- He immediately grabbed a wet-wipe that I dropped this afternoon and started cleaning the very dirty kitchen floor with it.
- He relaxed on the couch for nearly an hour just watching Ryan play Wii.
- He gives us "loves" every chance he gets and we end up covered in slobber.

Proof

2008-04-16T12:50:00.001-07:00

Here is evidence of Ethan's evolution into bipedalism.

Next to walking, Ethan's favorite new activity is standing on his feet and looking between his legs. Enjoy his rolls while they last (we're hoping they go away before he reaches the sixth grade).

Finally

2008-04-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

For the last few months I have been imagining how it will be when Ethan takes his first steps. Well today it happened. He took six or seven steps at a time from me to Ryan and back several times. It was so cool!

Night with the Nats

2008-04-12T11:31:00.000-07:00

One of Ryan's awesome co-workers let us use her Nationals tickets Friday. They were great seats in a brand new ball park. Despite a loss to the Braves, it was still so much fun. Here are some of the highlights:

* Getting photos with Honest Abe and General Washington.
* Discovering that Ethan likes Washington and hates Lincoln.
* Watching the presidents race (my favorite part of Nats games).
* Downing humongous Coke floats.
* Observing the people around us pay $7 each for bottles upon bottles of beer.
* Waiting in line to use the "family bathroom" (with international symbols of woman, man and baby WITH A DIAPER ON just outside) only to find a large single bathroom without a changing table.
* Sitting in the same seat with a 14-month-old.
* Enjoying the beautiful weather - overcast and in the 70s.
* Loving the post-game fireworks show.
* Feeling a large man's belly in my back on a cramped Metro ride home.
* Finally getting Ethan to bed at 11 p.m.!

Almost there

2008-04-10T19:10:00.000-07:00

Everyone has a story of a baby they have had or that they know who didn't walk until he/she was 14-20 months old. And they always tell me that story after I explain to them that my 14-month-old isn't walking yet.

I know, I really shouldn't mention the fact that despite all of Ethan's extremely athletic genes ;-) (stop thinking about my inability to play sports) he still isn't walking. And I know right this minute you are all thinking of how I shouldn't be discouraged and lose all hope of future Olympic glory.

But seriously, I kind of feel like I need to constantly mention the fact that my toddler is still a quadruped because I guess I'm a little insecure about it. So when progress happens, I'm going to let everyone in on it.

Ethan now stands up for several seconds at a time without holding on to anything! I keep trying to catch it on video and he decides to do something else by the time I finally get my camera out. Here is the tail end of one of Ethan's no-hands moments. I wish you could have seen the whole thing. We are so proud of him and just pray one day he'll decide to take a step alone.

Life of Ryan: take two

2008-04-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

Today is Ryan's 26th birthday! In honor of his special day I have decided to let you know more about the man we affectionately call Ryno:

* Ryan LOVES country music, especially the classic, 90s country music. This is why I keep having to skip over songs by Travis Tritt and Keith Whitley on my ipod.

* He often "retires" certain dishes that I choose to make often for dinner. If you ever feel a craving for chicken roll-ups or Parmesan chicken, don't come knocking on our door because I am not allowed to make them - ever again. ;-)

* He is the fastest ten-keyer in the commonwealth of Virginia (so they've never actually had a ten-key competition, but if they did, Ryan would win it).

* He is an accountant, but I recently found out he is also a great writer. Very well-rounded.

* He thinks he could run a marathon without training a day.

* He received every grown-man's dream gift this morning when he opened the Wii that I finally found - thanks to my sister - after searching for months for one.

* He has no free time to play his Wii. He works until 4:30 p.m., eats dinner, goes to class or studies at 6 p.m., then comes home or finishes studying at 10 p.m.

* He would much rather watch a Jazz game on the television than go to a party.

* He acts like he doesn't remember how to play Runs and Bunches every time we play, then he always goes on to win it.

* He always wants to be the one to get Ethan when he wakes up in the morning.

* He tells the funniest stories when he gets home from work every day. I always look forward to hearing them.

* He often has dilemmas with his hair and recently said that he can't wait until he goes bald (thanks to his brothers, we know it will happen sometime soon). I bet I'm the first and last wife to hear that.

Ethan says Happy Birthday Dad!

Cherry blossoms

2008-03-30T05:14:00.000-07:00

Ethan has been sick for the tail end of this week so we have been couped up in the apartment. We finally decided yesterday afternoon to see the famous cherry blossoms surrounding the tidal basin.

I have funny memories of doing the same thing last year, only Ethan was barely a month old then. It was the first time we had ventured out into a public place (other than church and the store) with him and I just remember being so stressed out about trying to get that child to stop screaming (he was quite colicky) and how to nurse him in public.

Yesterday was a much more relaxing stroll despite the ravenous ;) crowds. It's amazing how things have changed in just a year.

Insane weekend

2008-03-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

I know you are all dying to read about my weekend ;-) so here is a little recap:

Friday night we decided to do what everyone else in the D.C. metro area decided to do - camp out on the Ellipse in front of the White House to get tickets for the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday. We got there at 7 p.m. and were surprised to find the entire Ellipse already surrounded by tents. We pitched ours on a grassy area to the side of the Ellipse and were really concerned that we might be camping in vain since a SS guy told us our chance of getting tickets was iffy.

But we stuck it out and the fabulous ladies in my ward (and some friends in other wards) threw me a little birthday party. After braving freezing temperatures (I finally broke down and wore my sleeping bag as a coat); camping near a skull-crushing hammer-laden crazy lady who ended up sleeping in one of our tents; fighting off attempted line-butters (don't you dare mess with me at 4:30 a.m.); and bouncing between sleep deprivation and a sugar-induced coma, we got our tickets at 8 a.m!
I got home and decided to do nothing the entire Saturday.

We woke up Sunday morning and decided that our house was the messiest it had ever been.
Sunday afternoon we were invited to a little Easter party at The Haws' home. The food was delicious, the company superb and Ethan even enjoyed the Easter egg hunt (despite his unwillingness to walk).Monday was the White House Easter Egg Roll. It was fun to be on the lawn of the White House dancing to the music of the Jonas Brothers and getting photos with Clifford, the big red dog and Grover Cleveland. We're crossing our fingers that Ethan will choose to walk by this time next year, so he will be able to participate in the actual egg roll and hunt.
At the Jonas Brothers concert
Hanging with Mr. and Mrs. Grover Cleveland

Foxy Mom Turns 24!

2008-03-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

Today is Megan's 24th birthday and she is out doing what she does best at the Pentagon City mall. Actually, she is returning the clothes I bought her because I guess I don't know what size she wears. She is a great wife and mom. Ethan and I love her so much. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGALOS!

My helper and hinderer

2008-03-20T09:41:00.001-07:00

My mom always told me that as a mom, your biggest fear should be silence. Silence is what clued her in to my siblings playing in flour or emptying the contents of a large bean-bag (70s-era luv sac) in the other room. This is how I found Ethan the other day after I noticed that things suddenly got real quiet. He helps me clean out his closet often.

In other Ethan news: He used to be terrified of the vacuum cleaner. I would turn it on and he would scream so loud and high I could hear it over the roar of the vacuum. I would turn the machine off and he would just glare at it.

Then Ethan got to the point where he would laugh nervously when I would turn it on. It was the kind of laugh that I make when I'm watching a scary movie like, say, "I am Legend." I try to giggle during the parts when a very lonely Will Smith attempts to find his dog in a lair of slimy, rabid humans, so I'm not scared to death. It was that kind of laugh.

He still screams when I hit the switch now, but it's a shriek of pure joy. He loves the vacuum cleaner so much now that he chases it around and crawls in front of it like it's chasing him. I think he thinks of it as his pet. I keep almost running over his little fingers and toes because he tries to touch it as I'm cleaning the carpet. When I turn it off, he slowly caresses it while making an "oooooo" sound. It's super funny but really difficult to get things done around here.

One down, three more to go

2008-03-20T04:48:00.000-07:00

Ryan asked me to delete this post. Sorry that you weren't able to read it.

An affair to remember (and to forget a few things)

2008-03-17T08:36:00.001-07:00

Highlights and lowlights of NYC (in no particular order):

* Taking the first road trip with girlfriends in almost four years.
* Arguing over whether the outer casing of a corn kernel can be called a husk as well.
* Walking the "runway" at Bryant Park.
* The fabulous shoes and handbags at Saks.
* The word "fabulous."
* Wishing we had the dolls and accessories at the American Girl store.
* The street hot dogs, pretzels and cashews.
* Seeing the Project Runway designs at the Hershey's store and thinking they look horrible in person.
* Trying to get my photo with the entire Empire State Building right next to the Empire State Building.
* Walking from Grand Central Station to Battery Park, then limping from Times Square to Mormon Temple.
* Realizing that I might never walk again.
* Seeing the original manuscript of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road." Thanks to Julie, I know what that is.
* Trying to find Rachel in Chinatown among a throng of large African (I mean, straight off the plane from Africa) men whispering, "Coach, Chanel, Prada."
* Buying knock-off handbags in Chinatown just to be able to say that we bought knock-off handbags in Chinatown.
* Finding out that DSW in New York has the same shoes as DSW in Arlington.
* Feeling humbled at Ground Zero.
* Singing "The Scotsman" in the middle of Battery Park at the top of our lungs in an effort to get the Statue of Liberty men to dance.
* Taking my first cab ride!
* Eating the absolute best gelato "in the land" (as Julie calls it) at il laboratorio del gelato.
* Eating some OK pizza.
* Losing Rachel's cell phone somewhere in this space of time.
* Finding a dead rat on the side walk as we searched for a cab. Classic.
* Seeing the beautiful flower outfits on models of iconic models in the windows at Macy's.
*** Deciding at the last minute to jump in the same section of Macy's revolving door as Julie and Rachel.
* Tearing up in laughter after all three of us (we were a very tight sandwich) struggled to keep that revolving door going.
* Laughing until we couldn't speak anymore in bed at 1:30 a.m., remembering that cozy revolving door situation.
*** Screaming the entire way to Times Square in a petty cab (guy named Omar in bicycle with chariot behind him).
* Watching Julie jump into the arms of the Naked Cowboy.
* TBS.
* Taking my first shaky steps the next morning and realizing that I might just be able to walk again.
* Holding Ethan again only to find him reaching for Ryan.
* Knowing my husband and my son bonded during my short furlough.

When Doves Cry

2008-03-15T07:23:00.000-07:00

Megan went to New York this weekend with her friends. I'm sure we'll get along..... somehow.

Another sad goodbye

2008-03-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

Ryan's parents headed west yesterday after serving a 1 1/2-year Mormon mission at the Washington D.C. Temple Visitor's Center. It has been so wonderful to have them here during Ethan's first year of life. We loved seeing them so often and will miss them so much!

Walking and crashing

2008-03-07T05:57:00.000-08:00

I watched this video after posting it and I have to admit, it's kind of a boring video. Really this is for my mom and dad, who miss seeing Ethan in action. Sorry it's sideways. I am technically inept.

Can't wait to say Happy Birthday!

2008-03-03T19:17:00.001-08:00

Every year on March 3, Ryan's brother Jim calls to wish him a Happy Birthday. Only March 3 isn't Ryan's birthday. During that phone conversation, Ryan always tells Jim that his birthday isn't for another month and they laugh and talk about other things.
A year passes and March 3 rolls around again - and so does Jim's phone call.
We'll be looking forward to it next year.

Hot Fudge Sauce

2008-03-01T08:15:00.000-08:00

My aunt Susan made me a beautiful book for my wedding and inside it is a recipe for Hot Fudge Sauce. I made it last night. It is so easy and it turned out to be really tasty.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients-
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cube butter
1 can evaporated milk
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Melt butter and chocolate chips in a heavy sauce pan. Add evaporated milk and powdered sugar. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Pour into quart glass bottle. Sauce will thicken as it cools. Refrigerate after using.

Typical day

2008-02-28T07:56:00.000-08:00

This morning Ethan:
* Pulled all of his diapers out of the plastic bag and scattered them across his room.
* Knocked the wooden train, block letters of his name and all the photos off of his dresser.
* Pulled all of Dad's socks out of his sock basket. He put some back.
* Screamed and squirmed and hit and kicked until I stopped trying to dress him.
* Enjoyed his time with just one arm in the onesy.
* Whined every time I went in the kitchen.
* Crawled up to me, put his arms around my neck and his cheek against mine, sighed, then crawled away. That made cleaning up the messes a lot easier.

Project Runway addict

2008-02-28T05:31:00.000-08:00

Is there anyone else out there who is glad that Project Runway's drape-happy designer Rami made it to the final three at fashion week? He may have a thing for Grecian dresses, but he is much more fashion forward than Hawaiian-shirt-sporting Chris, whose creations are straight out of the 90s. Though I have been a Jillian fan from the start, I think Rami's final collection is fabulous. Of course, all of their final collections are really fun.

I miss my mom!

2008-02-25T19:21:00.000-08:00

It has taken nearly an entire 13-by-9-inch pan of brownies to make me feel slightly better about the fact that my mom left for home in Utah this afternoon after visiting us for the weekend.

Chocolate helps, but I still miss my mom. We had such a great time with her.

Handsome

2008-02-20T20:26:00.000-08:00

Ethan had a little photo shoot last week. Andrea Hatch came to our home and shot so many amazing photos that it took me several days to pick which ones I love best. Here they are:

2008-02-20T20:23:00.000-08:00

2008-02-20T20:21:00.000-08:00

Bobblehead

2008-02-20T11:15:00.000-08:00

"Look at his head! He has an enormous head," were the first words out of Dr. Elliott's lips as he delivered Ethan.

Well one year and a few days later, we heard a very similar phrase from another doctor, his pediatrician.

While Ethan's body has become more normal - he is now 50th percentile in both weight and height (he used to be 99th in weight) - his head continues to amaze us. It is in the 91st percentile.

We're thinking that Baby Einstein video (ahem-babysitter) is really doing its job ;).

Party!

2008-02-19T09:22:00.001-08:00

Even Ryan, who has spent most of his life pooh-poohing big birthday extravaganzas, admitted how excited he felt on Ethan's first birthday. And though almost everyone has a first birthday, it was definitely monumental for our little Ethan to turn 1!

We had a family party for him, where he enjoyed eating green (only food-coloring they had at the Harris Teeter) frosting and playing with his awesome new toys. He laughed when my parents called him to sing "Happy Birthday" and beamed when we sang it to him again before I blew out his candle (which took me several tries).

I decorated some very awful-looking cupcakes (I decided not to post that photo) that made us all feel like we were at a St. Patty's Day party. No one (except Ethan) touched them. The second batch looked a little better (last photo) but made us all feel like we might be at a little girl's party.

So the party was great! The dessert - not so hot.

About a one-year-old boy

2008-02-14T19:52:00.001-08:00

I failed to mention that the last three photos were taken by Andrea Hatch. I'm not that talented.

Cheesy Valentine's love

2008-02-13T10:24:00.001-08:00

Ryan is completely anti-this-sort-of-thing so I thought it would be fun to write a little something up about him.

He loves sports and he is extremely competitive. He makes a new enemy every week at stake basketball. ;)

He has this insanely dry sense of humor and people often don't get that he's joking until they've known him for a long time. I still sometimes don't catch the sarcasm in his voice.

He is the hardest worker I have ever met. He studies like it's fun. He only enjoys things if they present a challenge for him. His favorite jobs are things that require him to learn as he goes.

He is obsessed with ears. We'll leave it at that.

He loves to be clean. He wouldn't last more than a day in the wilderness because there are no showers there.

He is always thinking about what he can do for me and Ethan.

He will endure eating disgusting food instead of having to actually cook good food.

He's not a huge fan of large art galleries.

If it's good weather outside, we have to be at a park somewhere playing Frisbee.

He loves a good surprise and enjoys surprising people.

He's the best husband and father in the world (sniff, sniff) and we love him so much!

First time playing tag

2008-02-12T10:36:00.000-08:00

When I started this blog, I decided that I didn't want to respond to tags. I would begin filling in the blanks of tags, but as I wrote in "5 things about me" or "4 places I have lived" I realized that my life is uber-boring. I just didn't have anything new to report about myself. And it's really hard for me to pick a favorite of anything. I love a lot of things.
But Carole, a good friend and woman who helped raise me through middle and high school, tagged me the other day and I decided that I should just get over it and PLAY TAG!

So if you are totally over the whole tag thing, just skip over this post. Otherwise, here is a little bit about my exciting self:

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Tele-surveyor at Western Watts for two weeks
2. Bagger/Checker at Macey's Food and Drug
3. Cleaning lady
4. Reporter at The Herald Journal

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. About a Boy
2. Mansfield Park
3. Stranger Than Fiction
4. Raising Arizona

Four places you have lived:
1. River Heights, Utah
2. Wellsville, Utah
3. Logan, Utah
4. Arlington, Va.

Four TV Shows that I watch:
1. Project Runway
2. The Office
3. Chuck
4. I just watched the last two episodes of "Lost" and am embarrassed to report that I got chills. So I think I might start watching that (though it might be at the same time as "The Office," now that the writer's strike is over - is it?)

Four places you have been:
1. Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
2. Kirtland, Ohio
3. Alberta, Canada. That trip was beautiful and really cool, though my parents would never know I thought that because I was in those weird teenage years and had, well, let's just call it an episode after a 13-hour drive with my 6-member family in a cramped mini-van.
4. Playa del Carmen, Mexico

People who email me (regularly):
1. Rachel (good friend)
2. Shane (good friend and visiting teacher extraordinaire)
3. I get a quarterly update from my aunt Leslie
4. My dad always sends forwards ;)

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Crab cakes
2. Anything Thai
3. Cafe Rio (I know, you Utah people are rolling your eyes right now. I have to admit, I got really sick of it when I lived there. But there is nothing even close to that here and I often crave the coconut shrimp tacos and pork barbecoa burrito or salad. And it's just not the same when I make it.)
4. French toast at Carlyle. It is heaven.

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Ohhhh Mexico
2. I've always wanted to go to Greece.
3. Asleep in bed
4. New York City

Things you are looking forward to this year:
1. Ethan walking and talking
2. Ryan passing his CPA exams!
3. Going on vacation (I have a few places I'm pushing, but no concrete plans yet.)
4. Visiting family in Utah

I tag my sister, McKenzie.

Mom's little helper

2008-02-08T18:14:00.000-08:00

Ethan put his socks away.

Locked out

2008-02-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

While living in an apartment has its obvious disadvantages, one thing I like is the trash chute just down the hall from our door. No walking through blizzards to take the trash out or forgetting to drag that large black thing to the road every Monday.

Yesterday I took the trash out. I left Ethan on the floor with his toys and slipped out the door to do something that would take less than a minute - or so I thought.

No, I didn't throw my keys or cell phone down the chute - though I'm always paranoid I'll do that.

I came back to my door to find it locked.

I instantly remembered the building engineer, who had, earlier that morning replaced some baseboards in my apartment. He had come the day before as well, and I noticed when he left, he locked the bottom lock. We never lock the bottom lock - the one that only locks on the outside. Apparently he had done it again and now I was locked outside of my apartment while Ethan was inside.

My second thought was an image of Ethan sticking the toilet brush in his mouth, pulling my lamps off the tables and doing everything else that's absolutely off-limits.

I remembered that our manager had the day off and my landlady did not have my keys so I started knocking on my neighbors' doors to call someone (like Ryan, who was 30 minutes away at work) who had my keys. No one answered their door.

On a whim, I took the elevator down to the bottom entry. As I walked out of the elevator, a maintenance man was walking out of the other door, on his way home. I told him about my situation, and though he didn't have my keys, he found them quickly. I was just glad I took the elevator when I did.

I ran back to my apartment to find Ethan covered in flour. Just kidding. He was still just playing with his toys on the floor. He looked like he had no idea I was missing for 10 minutes.

About an amazing man

2008-01-29T20:28:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed reading this short column. Check it out.

Fun in a box

2008-01-28T16:38:00.000-08:00

Who didn't love being pushed around in a box when you were little?

It was always fun until your older sister pushed you down the stairs in the box, right? (Sorry Robin, Ryan told me to add that little blurb, but I have a vague memory of doing the same thing to my little brother)

Blech - another super long blog entry

2008-01-24T10:49:00.000-08:00

Warning: you may not enjoy reading this entry if you have a weak stomach.

Last night Ethan and I attended a Relief Society function at our local Noodles & Co. (blech). I started to eat my pesto cavatappi and noticed that it was quite dry and not as good as it used to be. But I ate it anyway. Ethan kept reaching for my plate, so I gave him a few noodles to try.

Nearing the end of our party, I began to feel a little nauseous. I thought it might be because, at that point, I was walking around visiting with other women with a 23-pound baby in my arms and 3 1/2-inch heels on my feet. That can always make you dizzy. But after I sat down again, I still felt odd. My friend Rachel inquired upon my meal and I told her it wasn't so hot, but I couldn't complain because it was quite inexpensive.

Well now I'm complaining.

I felt absolutely horrible when I reached my apartment. Ryan was still in class so I quickly put Ethan to bed and laid on the couch. Suddenly, my mouth filled with warm saliva and I knew that I needed to get to the toilet fast. I ran and pulled up the lid just in time for my pesto cavatappi and a pizza I had eaten earlier in the day to slide right back out. I felt a lot better for about 10 minutes. I drank some water and ate a few fruit snacks.

Then I heard Ethan cough. Then I heard him spew.

I ran into his room to find him covered in puke that looked a lot like mine. I stripped him down and tried to clean him off the best I could, but I was feeling terrible at this point and couldn't do much other than hold him. We watched T.V. for a while while he drank some water. Of course, he vomited again, but this time on the carpet. I felt so wretched that I crawled over to grab some napkins and just put them on top of the mess and hoped some of it would absorb.

I pulled the second pair of pjs off of him. We continued to lose all that was in our stomachs. At one point, Ethan had just thrown up all over me and I started to vomit into a nearby bucket. He was screaming and covered in nastiness, but I couldn't help because I just kept puking.

Ryan walked in to see this calamity and SAVED THE DAY. He gave Ethan a bath, cleaned up the vomit that covered countless towels, the carpet, the sheets and everything we had touched. He talked to the doctor, rocked Ethan to sleep, then slept by our son the rest of the night. That left me to wallow in misery in the entire bed. He stayed home from work for much of the day today to give me some time to sleep it off. He is such a wonderful husband and father.

I think together, Ethan and I spewed at least 12 times. We are feeling a little better today (minus our loss of appetites and achiness all over) but that won't stop us from tarnishing the name of Noodles & Company!

Ethan loves toys and Dad

2008-01-23T09:39:00.000-08:00

You know you live next to a freeway when...

2008-01-23T09:36:00.000-08:00

... your child, who is barely learning his animal sounds, can mimick the high pitch of a police siren with precision.