birthday.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Dear Ethan,

3 years, bud. And I'm not crazy yet. Well, maybe a little. You are so infuriating but then you go and do something totally cute and melt my heart and I make it through one more day. This year has been a big year for changes in your life - most notably, becoming a big brother. And with a few exceptions, you've been a fabulous big brother. You're such a good helper when you want to be, and when you think I'm not looking, I see how sweet you are to him. I know he's not a whole lot of fun now, but he will be, quicker than we all think. And then he's going to pay you back for all the times you've beat on him, and I'm just going to laugh and say I told you so. :)

You constantly amaze me with how smart you are. Every 5 minutes you're asking me what different words are, or what number somebody is, or why we do something or why something is the way it is. I can almost see the wheels turning in your head when you're trying to figure something out, and the look you get on your face when you finally do is priceless. I love how excited you get about the smallest things - a new car-car, reading a word, going to the park, playing with friends. And it's so cute how every other kid, everywhere we go, is your friend. I hope you always make friends so easily.

I know I get upset with you a lot, and I know it's been hard for you to not have my full attention anymore. But I promise that it'll get easier as we go along. Even the best boys have their moments of insanity, and you're definitely one of the best boys in my life (your brother and daddy share that honor with you). I thank my lucky stars every day that I get to wake up and make your waffle and banana and get you some juice and milk and water and juice and milk and milk and water and juice. Did I mention that you're very indecisive?

I love you, goofball. From your always messy hair, to your sticky cheeks, and your big round belly and cute little butt, to your always dirty feet. What would my life be without you to exasperate me and make me laugh and make me cry and make my heart fill up with so much love it almost bursts? Happy, happy birthday, my big 3 year old love. Be a good boy this year, and eat your vegetables, and don't hit your brother. No, really, don't hit your brother. I really mean it. Do it again and you're going to time out. ETHAN!

All my love,
Momma



P.S. I don't know what it is about you and New York, kid. You spent your first birthday there, and today was the last game ever played at Yankee Stadium. Somehow I think NYC is going to play a big part in your life.

And it begins.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Today we started potty training. Full-on potty training, that is. We've been putting him on the potty occasionally for months now, but today we started the day in underwear and going potty every 20 minutes. He had a few accidents when I couldn't get to him right away because Logan was eating, so we went to Pull-Ups instead. It still worked really well - he's a champ at getting them pulled down and is very excited to sit and pee when the timer dings. :)

I have a feeling this is going to be more than a couple days' process, but that's OK. He's very proud of himself and I'm very proud of him too. :)

Tomorrow is his very first day of preschool. It's a 2 day program for an hour a day, and I'll go with him. I was hoping to get him into regular drop-off preschool, but his birthday is 21 days too late for that. Sigh. But I think this will be good for both of us - it's a more gradual introduction to something new for him, and I hope to get ideas of activities to do with him at home.

In Heaven there is no Beer...

Saturday, September 13, 2008

...that's why we drink it here, and when we're gone from here, our friends will be drinking all the beer! GO HAWKS!!

Happy 5th Anniversary to me and Shawn! With all that has changed in our lives these past 5 years, it's kind of funny how today is so similar to our wedding day. Lots of rain and a Hawkeye victory over the Sucklones! Couldn't ask for a better day. :)

Shawn has been on vacation all week, so I've got a lot of pictures to upload and share. That'll be a post for another day, though, as we're going to head out and celebrate! Shawn's mom is here to watch the kids, so we can have a nice date night. I'm very much looking forward to it. :)

Fitting...

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Welcome to my blog! I've decided to get away from board-based journaling and keep everything in one spot. Not that I make any promises about frequent updates, mind you.

If you're new to my life, I'm Lacie. I've been married to Shawn for almost 5 years (our anniversary is 9/13/03, this Saturday!). We have two kids, Ethan and Logan. Ethan turns 3 on 9/21, and Logan is 3 months old today! The above picture refers to Ethan - he's a very, shall we say, spirited kid. He drives me crazy on a good day and drives me out of my everloving mind on the bad ones.

Let's see, what can I say about Ethan? He's wicked smart. Doesn't miss a thing. He's working on reading at the moment - he recognizes a ton of words, and tries his best to sound out unfamiliar ones. He gets them right sometimes, too! He loves NASCAR and can name quite a few drivers. Jr. is his favorite, of course, and he also likes Jimmie Johnson. He's also an Iowa Hawkeyes fan, as any child of ours darn well better be. :) His favorite thing to do is stand on the top rung of his slide and look over the fence to see the po-pos, ambulances, fire trucks, and semis go by. He's in gymnastics and has a blast with that - this is the last session where we go with him, and then he'll be in a class with just a teacher and other kids! Very exciting. He also starts preschool next week! I go with him for the first half of the year, and then he'll go by himself in January.

Logan is my little sweetheart. He's very much a momma's boy, probably due in large part to the fact that I possess the boobies, and the boobies are his very favorite thing in the world. He's quite the fan of his big brother, regardless of the constant poking, hitting, and general pestering he has to endure from Ethan on a daily basis. He's a very smiley boy, and is starting to laugh, though his laughs sound a bit like a donkey at this point. He loves tummy time, and swinging, and looking at himself in the mirror. He's also quite a fan of cuddling with Daddy, and the crook of Daddy's arm is a guaranteed napping spot.

I hope to keep this blog updated as a record of their childhood - I've kept journals since I was pregnant with Ethan and I love having all of that to look back on and help me remember. It's amazing how much I've forgotten about Ethan's babyhood, though it was only 3 years ago. And being that it's me that's writing, I'm sure there'll be some complaining, because that's what I do best.