Many a Sunday is spent eating dinner at my mom and dad's house, usually with the whole family in attendance. We try to take some Sunday's off just to have our own Sunday afternoon's occasionally, but family dinner is fun and I would miss it if we ever moved away. Sunday we celebrated Ethan's birthday, again (we always celebrate on the Sunday closest to whoever's birthday instead of trying to get together during the week). Since Ethan isn't old enough to have a favorite meal, or care that we're not having his favorite meal, we had
my favorite meal which is my mom's homemade chicken noddle soup. I've tried to make it myself, it's never the same.
Mmmmm, look at all that butter, no wonder I have so much junk in the trunk. This is how we all (except Rich) feel about mom's chicken soup... Rich likes it ok but is not big soup guy.
And this is my cute mom who makes the chicken soup, seriously, don't I have the cutest mom?
She is growing her hair a little longer these days and I love it! The crossword nerds, Rich and April look like this every Sunday...
They are the only two in the family smart enough to do the crossword, with the occasional help from my dad. Later we had the real cake and ice cream since on his birthday we were all candied out from Halloween and so Ethan just got a cake wedge to himself. We sang to him again, and he blew out candles, again. And he loved it, again.
I included this picture, because it just makes me laugh, could these two look any more alike?
Sheesh, like father like son, same expression, same eyes, same lips, same EARS, oh my. No milk man's baby in this family. The only thing I didn't get a picture of is the dinner table itself with everyone sitting around talking too loudy and quoting movie lines and laughing, a lot. If I would've tried to get a picture of this, Jake would've flipped the camera the bird and Jason and Brandon would've made goofy faces. As it was, they were alreasy teasing me about the chicken noodle soup pictures.
"are we going to see those on your blog on Monday?" No smart allecks, I didn't get around to blogging these pictures until Wednesday, so there. I love my loud obnoxious family and I love my mom's chicken soup. Good times.
He had a field day taking pictures of her and she isn't shy about posing, so these are just a few of the twenty or so that he actually took. After my kids slaved at our house for the entire morning and into the afternoon, they went to my mom's house to slave some more, only she gives them money for their sweat so they don't mind so much. My mom said they fought over who would get to use the leaf blower, honestly, I wish I had a picture of Taylor handling that bad boy, I'm sure it was quite a sight. As "part of their payment", my mom took them to Su Casa for dinner which they love, especially with Grandma, it's kind of our Grandma & sometimes Grandpa place to eat. One time she took them there and when the check came she pretended to the kids that she didn't have any money to pay for dinner. Really worried like she said, "you guys, I think we're going to have to wash dishes or something, I forgot my money". All the kids fell for it, bad, they were worried the cops were going to come and take her away. After a few minutes of worried torture she lets out her dr. evil laugh and the kids all roll their eyes. Does this sound like a sweet little old grandma to you? :) That's because she's not, which is why the kids love her.
I printed "DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!" as a note to myself that I could possibly get carried away and forget. I vote where Spencer goes to school and since I was there twice yesterday to pick him up and drop him off for a Dr.'s appt that would've been my perfect opportunity, but no. In picking him up I was of course running a few minutes late so no time there. At the dr.'s office I kept seeing people with there cute read "I voted" stickers and started to feel a little naked to be honest. 
When I dropped Spencer at school after the appt my bladder was so full that I knew I couldn't take the long line just then and peeing in the public school bathroom? I don't think so. On the way home from Taylor's choir concert I told the kids to wait in the car (don't be angry at me, they're older children and it's ok to leave them in the car) and dashed into the voting both just before closing time. I never even thought to take a cool picture like Jill. Next time. There are advantages to voting early, you get to wear a cool sticker all day not to mention crossing the item off of your mental list. By the time I voted there were no stickers left! Last night I had a dream that I was headed into a busy mall with tons of people and there was a lady wearing a voting sticker asking everyone if they had voted today or not while she checked for their sticker. She angrily asked me why I had not voted and I said, "but I did vote, just now!" She glared at me and said, "then where's your voting sticker?!" I had no idea the sticker was that important to me, actually I think it's the deeper message about how important voting is to me, but next year I'll be sure to vote early so I can wear one all day long.
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Two years and two days ago, I was looking like this...(yikes)
Two years and one day ago, I got to do this...
Yesterday was Ethan's second birthday, and all day long when anyone asked, "is today your birthday?" he would clap and smile! (in retrospect, his "numbero uno" shirt was probably not the best wardrobe selection)
No talking of course, but he knew it was a special day somehow. We celebrated by going to Toys R Us to pick out a gift, I love this age where you can pick out presents for them while they're in the shopping cart and they don't notice! He probably didn't notice because all he wanted to do was ride (sit) in this cool race car...I think he thought it was Lightening McQueen.
Later I had to stop at the school for some additional Sally Foster work, which by the way, that name is starting to sound like a curse word to me, and we played at the playground while we waited for Allie to be done with school. 
It was appropriate that he ran over to the stairs and then just slid down the slide with no fear, the day he turned two. When we first started our Tuesday play dates with the cousins, he wouldn't slide by himself, I had to talk him into it and I had to be waiting at the bottom to catch him. Here were are, two months later and he has grown up so much. His new haircut is not helping me either, he just looks like a little boy now and it's kind of breaking my heart, I'll be honest. I was shocked during our family rendition of Happy Birthday to you, that he was trying to blow out the candles, which he did all by himself at the end!
We must have had enough birthdays lately that he knew what to do, it was awesome! Ethan has been such a blessing to our whole family, I dare say that there is not a baby more adored than this little guy! Happy Birthday Ethan!
and Allie was out with a large group of friends from all over who will all be together next year in Jr. High, they can't wait. I blew getting a great picture of Allie by herself, her and Kayla dressed up as sock hoppers and they looked soooo dang cute. Unfortunately they're standing in the back so you can't see their cute skirts, courtesy of Kayla. Love those glasses though!
The cousins all came over to trick or treat with Ethan and Rich said he loved knocking on all the doors which I believe because he came home jumping around all excitedly.
Tons of loot for weeks of sugar intake and Ethan is too young to care that the Snicker's bars are missing from his bucket already. Jerry Seinfield once said something like, "as a kid you hear about this holiday called Halloween where you dress up scary and strangers are allowed to give you candy, and you say to yourself, 'could this really be true'? I love Jerry, and I love Halloween, next year I think I'm going to have my camera ready to take pictures of my favorite costumes. My favorite part is seeing all the neighbor kids that I know dressed up, and I've always wanted to have a sort of costume contest. Maybe next year I'll give it a try.
and thought maybe if I could grow it out just a little then that hair style would be within reach. Well, after he was mistaken for a GIRL a few times this last week, I gave up and took Ethan to get his hair cut today at Randie's. Randie has cut my boys' hair since Spencer had that bowl style and she has a little boy who is only 10 days younger than Ethan so she can handle a good case of the wiggles in the hair chair. We love her, she also has chickens in her backyard which gives her more points on the cool scale. Ethan was pretty good as long as he was on my lap which explain why I don' thave any during the hair cut pictures. Anyway, so, here we go. Before...
And After...
He wasn't thrilled about the cape either, so I stripped him down to a diaper. He ended up driving home comando (no diaper) because the old one was super hairy. He also got a bath in Randie's sink, I told her she should offer that as a service from now on, "shampoo and cut" or "cut and bath" either way you like it. :) His hair ended up WAY shorter thanI really wanted it but it will grow out thicker which is good and since he turns TWO tomorrow, I guess it's ok to let him grow up a little right? Darnit.
It took me most of the day but it feels GREAT! In my organized state of clean, I was able to finish Sally Foster in-putting and work on some photo editing. I still have a stack of those, but because my office is clean I feel like I can actually get stuff done in here! And maybe, maybe I'll be able to actually scrapbook this week! Does anyone remember scrapbooking? I hope I still remember how. Apey came over with her kids so we could get some Halloween shots knowing that today would be too crazy to try. Makenna is in that worried smile stage, but I did get a cute shot when April made her laugh.
Ethan was a pill and wanted nothing to do with having his costume on or standing still for the picture. Luckily I got a couple of ok ones.
So Ashton wins the cute baby prize for the day, isn't he cute? But he had his moments, these are classic, and probably my favorite!
I'm such a mean auntie!
Monday was the day that Rich stayed home from work and we were trying to think of something we could do as a family that didn't cost a lot of money. I know there are probably a million things to do around this place for free, but we were all stumped for what to do. We finally decided on swimming at the Rec Center, not my first choice, but the kids were excited. So we got everyone dressed and packed only to get there to find out that Ethan wasn't allowed in the pool because he wears a diaper, it's even a swim diaper but they said NO! We drove home totally disappointed and back to square one trying to think of something to do. Taylor says, "let's have a Guitar Hero family tournament", kind of joking and everyone cheered, YAY for Taylor! 
If you have not played this game, you must give it a try. If you are not a regular gamer, you will still have a blast because it will remind you of your 80's heavy metal stage when you played air guitar to all your favorite songs. It's seriously that much fun. We recently acquired GH3 and so a second guitar which meant we can now have rock-offs, two people competing on the same song for rocking bragging rights.
So fun, Rich was the champion but Spencer was a close second and he is wins the prize for the most fun to watch, dancing and jamming to the beat, check out that tongue, you have to hold it just the right place to be as awesome as Spencer. I do worry a little about some of the lyrics of those cherished 80's hits, we try to censor as best as we can. A little Guns & Roses never hurt anyone has it? My favorite part is Rich telling the kids, "c'mon, you gotta play it in the key of rock!" (jack black, school of rock reference) It did not take me long (one song) to figure out I would come in last which was fine because my parents came for dinner and I had some cooking to do in the kitchen. While we love having whole family get togethers, it was nice having just my parents this time, maybe because I'm selfish and enjoyed not having to share them with anyone. :) 
They stayed to play our family's favorite, UNO and Spencer is rejoicing because he just won the hand. Good times, good times.
It was just a little intimidating, especially the large swans that were biting the necks of the little ducks who were trying to eat too! Yikes! Thank goodness we had a lot of bread and hopefully they all got a belly full. 
I was surprised how unafraid of the noisy ducks Ethan was, he just threw bread to them and tried a few times to touch them, but Rich was afraid for his fingers and stopped him just short of a hungry duck's bill. As soon as the ducks saw that we were out of bread, they all went to the water (Rich said, they only loved us for our bread) and Ethan thought maybe he would follow them, luckily we have three older children to help keep this kid in tow or we would be in trouble. 
At the playground the older kids rode the merry go round for so long, that Spencer did this in the grass for the rest of the time we were there...
Duh is all I have to say, except you have to say it like du-ah. 
Allie has been begging to braid my hair lately, so I finally let her that morning and so that's why in these pictures, I look like someone trying to be younger than I really am.
I thought I would not bring my big camera today so that I could enjoy actually playing with my darling family rather than shooting them. So, I brought along my little point and shoot and I regretted it all day long. I am just never satistfied with the pictures that I get from my point and shoot, I'm spoiled I guess.
The weather and light were too perfect for photographs and I found myself longing for a better camera to hold all day. I love beautiful fall weather, is there anything better than just needing a light jacket and breathing the crisp air? Nope, not for me.