September 11-17, 2011

We celebrated Jason's 39th birthday over the course of 3 days.  No big parties or fanfare.  But the Ethan and Zane are big enough to understand things like cake and candles and gifts.  We had ice cream cake (Jason's choice) on Sunday evening.  Zane loves to blow out the candles!  His face is so expressive; I just love it.  Monday was the beginning of my crazy week at work, so I didn't make it to Napa in time to pick up the car seat back support things Ethan and I picked out for him.  (I know that sounds like a silly gift, but his back has killed him since he drove to the beach in August.  He drives a lot for work, so I thought this would help.  We shall see!)  I had some Hostess Sno-Balls (you know, the chocolate cream-filled cupcakes with pink coconut-topped marshmallow icing - yum!), so I arranged them into a pyramid on a glass cake plate.  Zane and Ethan put on the candles just so.  We blew out the candles just as it was time for Ethan and I to rush out the door to go to the first Cub Scout meeting of the new school year.  Ethan and I love those cupcakes.  We each had one (Zane and Jason split one).  I finally made it to Napa Tuesday aftern work, so the boys gave Jason his gift then.  I gave Jason my gift -- a gift certificate to Teays Physical Therapy to get a massage.  He scoffed.  What?!  I thought it would help him, and I chose a place that other "guys" would frequent.  He's not diggin it.  I will use the gift certificate if he doesn't!




Our first Cub Scout meeting was Monday night.  Etha is a 3rd grader, so he is a Bear now.  I really want to get into the Scouts.  But it's so tough to make it to those weekly meetings.  And many times, Ethan is bored with it.  Personally, I think he only wants to stay in it for the Pinewood Derby races, which he loves and he's good at.  Okay....  Next Monday is the Bike Rodeo.  I think he'll like that.  I feel bad because there's no real flat place in our yard for him to practice bike riding other than the stretch of road in front of our house.  Sometime Jason takes him down there to practice.  Maybe Zane will get to go Monday, too;  we have to get him a helmet first though :)  He is getting better riding his tricycle he inherited from Ethan (whcih Nash will inherit from him -- hey, it was a good investment) or his Strider bike.  (I still don't get that thing though.)




Ethan continues to do well in school; he has his first science test today about plants.  I think he knows all the info, so I hope he does well!  He's been bringing a lot of books home with him each night (which reminds me, I may need to get a new backback for him!), but doesn't seem to be doing a lot of work.  He just hates homework.  Home time is his time.  I agree, but I want to instill good study habits early for him.  Tough.  Tough.  Tough.




Zane loves counting now.  He's kind of mixing numbers up (4-7-8 is his fave sequence now), but he understands we are counting things.  How cool is that?




Jason thinks Zane is color blind because he mixes up his colors.  Huh?  He's two.  He know there are different colors - red, blue, green, pink, orange.  Sometimes he gets it right when you ask him what a color is.  Sometimes he's way off.  I think his Daddy is crazy.




I don't know how many times I think about the fact that Nash is such a good baby.  He is.  He is generally so agreeable.  So friendly.  So playful.  So active (loves jumping).  So chattery.  I love it.  I just wish he would sleep better.  I'm pretty sure I've messed him up there.  I need to figure out how to do this as pain-free as possible.  For me and him.  More Mommy guilt.




Ethan received this postcard in the mail from his teacher Mrs. Basler yesterday (September 15th).  He didn't even tell us she displayed 2 pieces of his artwork at school! 

Nash loves his bath, always has.  But this week he started doing something new.  He can sit up in his tub all by himself!  He can't really do that yet elsewhere, but I guess the little bath pillow we use gives him just enough support.  He loves kicking his feet, swinging his hands in the water, and just splashing like crazy!

    

Last night after Ethan and Nash had already hit the sack, Zane had some quiet play time in the living room.  I looked over and he had lined up all these little 2x2 board books.  He said he was making a road for his trucks.  Way to make the old man proud, Zane-Zane! 

    

  

 

Nashie has another tooth!  The tally is up to 3 now.  This is a top front little sharp tooth that Ethan discovered this Friday (September 16th) morning :)




And we have also discovered that Nash can sit up his own!  Not for hours on end, mind you; but this is a big deal!  He loves the freedom of sitting on the floor all independent-like.




We drove to Parkersburg for the day on Saturday (September 17th).  Megan, Bill, Anna, and were visiting Jason's parents.  It also coincided with a food and wine festival in town (Taste of Parkersburg).  Nash and Zane did not sleep Friday night.  Oh, it was bad.  But we got up Saturday morning and made the 2-hour trek.  Zane took a 3 and a half hour nap that afternoon.  He REALLYneeded it. 

Everyone had fun playing together, especially after baths when they were in their pj's.  Anna Elizabeth is an adorable, active, happy little girl.  Who loves the camera :)

        

September 3-10, 2011

Ethan had his first test as a 3rd grader.  It was in Social Studies/Geography on the continents and oceans.  Including the Southern Ocean, which BTW I didn't even know existed until he brought his work home last week.  We haven't gotten the graded paper back yet, but I think he aced it.  One tidbit to remember:  he was getting confused with directions (like his mama -- sorry, buddy).  He remembers them with a trick Mrs. Roberts (his first grade teacher) taught him -- Never Eat Shredded Wheat for North-South-East-West.  Sounds silly, but it worked!


Nash officially has two teeth now!  He was slobbering and drooling so much over the weekend, and he was really restless Monday night.  He has two adorable albeit very sharp little front bottom teeth!!!


Zane is now sleeping in a big boy twin-sized bed in his bedroom he shares with Ethan.  We tried it out Sunday night without rails, and he fell out of bed.  Of course.  It didn't bother him too much though because we found him sleeping on his belly with his bottom in the air (his favorite sleeping position) on the floor.  Jason ended up sleeping in the twin bed with him.  Needless to say, we bought a bed railing on Monday.  Seems to work well so far!  Plus, being the packrat I am, I dug out the set of Thomas the Train sheets Ethan had.  Zane loves them!  (I fear they are somewhat of a distraction though because he likes Thomas so much :))


Ethan had to get his first filling(s) on Thursday afternoon.  Unfortunately, he has really deep grooves in the anatomy of his teeth.  The sealants that were applied on his molars 2 years ago had worn off.  Thus, small cavities formed on the surface of his two molars on top.  To be honest, I was probably more worried about this than he was!  We talked about it, and he knew a needle would be involved.  The dentist and staff were great.  He breezed through it!  (That kid has no problem with shots, UNLIKE me!)  As I sat in the dentist's office observing the filling process, I had a flashforward to what this experience could one day be like with Zane.  EEKK!  All I have to say is that Jason will be taking Zane to the dentist.


Ethan has become obsessed about 9/11.  They talked about it at school on Friday in Social Studies class (which he seems to love!) and had a homework assignment to jot down things they learned about the event on an index card.  He stayed up late Friday night to watch a special on NBC about it.  He is fixated on the United 93 flight.  (This is the one that the passengers overtook the hijackers to prevent the plane's crash into Washington, D.C.)  I think it's because the people on board were courageous everyday heroes.  That makes me proud to know he is drawn to that characteristic in people.  It made me sad to watch all the coverage again on the 10th anniversary of that horrible event, and it made me sad to realize Ethan is old enough to learn about it.  And he's mature enough to ask reasonable questions about it and discern things from the coverage he sees.  He is like a sponge absorbing all he can about that terrible day.  He even found an app about 9/11 and downloaded in on my phone!  I believe he will always remember what he has learned over the past few days.


Jason and I are realizing how Zane is facing and overcoming his fears.  Fear of things like vacuum cleaners (always terrified him) and the slide and ride-on toys in our basement.  He WANTS to help vacuum now.  He even turns it on and will hold on to it (while my hand is over his) now.  It amazes me because he would literally scream and run when we used to get it out, even just a few months ago.  He also will go now the slide in our basement that he got for Christmas.  And he will sit on his Radio Flyer car and ride down the little ramp it came with.  (He did this at Christmastime and fell off, so he hasn't touched it since then.  Until this week.)  Now he's a wild man, doing it over and over again.  I don't know what flipped the switch, but it did!  Jason is a little worried because Zane is slowly becoming FEARLESS.  That could be bad when he's like 15.

      
We had a good week. :)