Thursday, December 31, 2009

Firsts...

This Christmas Bill got me my first sewing machine. It is awesome to say the least. Yesterday I was making Ethan's bed and there was a hole in his sheets so I sewed it up and then made his bed. That is the first time I have ever been able to do that.
Last week I decided I wanted to try making a rag quilt for the lil' little guy, I picked up the fabric at Walmart on Monday. Actually I got a pack of receiving blankets that had 4 different designs and then got some plain fleece in colors to match. Off and on since Tuesday I have been working on it excited to see the final outcome. I pulled it out of the dryer about an hour again and I love it!! My first rag quilt, sewn on my first sewing machine. I think this is also my first quilt I have made completely on my own. I have so many things I want to make now, we will see how much actually gets done before the lil' little guy is here.

Here are my progressive pictures!

Laying out the pattern...

Sewing all the squares into strips...

Sewing all the strips together...

Everything sewn together...

After all the snipping and washing...



The back...

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Christmas 2009

It was a very different Christmas for us this year. We decided to stay home and have Christmas as our little family. We missed having all the celebrations with our wonderful families but at the same time it was nice to just relax and enjoy the time together. We had a great time giving the presents to each other and watching as they were opened. It was a great Christmas.











Thursday, December 24, 2009

Making Cookies

Last night we made sugar cookies. Normally the big thing is frosting and decorating the cookies but since I'm the only one that likes the cookies with frosting that is a little hard. So instead Ethan helped me roll the dough out with his roller. Lets just say all the dough he was rolling went in his mouth before it was properly rolled out. He loves helping and eating any dough.




Monday, December 14, 2009

Ward Christmas Party

This past Saturday was our ward Christmas party. Instead of doing the traditional dinner and program they decided to have a breakfast and activities. The breakfast was awesome, Ethan was in heaven with his 6 banana pieces and a pancake. They had a casserole that was great (Alison I will be asking for the recipe!), ham, all kinds of fruit, muffins and yogurt. Needless to say it was wonderful.
After breakfast everyone went over to Bagley's elk ranch for a visit with Santa and a sleigh ride to see the elk. No, we didn't get Ethan on Santa's lap but he gave him a high 5 and talked to him so we are making progress. If you want to know how big the elk were call Bill. I'm sure he would love to tell you. They were really pretty though. Ethan loved being pulled by the big horses.
After the sleigh ride we pulled the tubes out and went sledding in "Bagley's Pitt". Luckily it snowed the 6 inches we needed the night before. There were a ton of kids and parents having a great time. However I think Isaac and Ethan got the best deal of all. All they had to do was sit in the sled or on the tub and go down with everyone else. Bill and Bryan were the pack mules hiking everyone and the sleds back up each time. They got quite the work out. Everyone had a blast. Ethan didn't want to go so Bill pushed him in the tube the whole way to the car and then the melt down started.



Thank you to Alison for the picture!






Thank you to Becky for the additional pictures!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Christmas in the air

We got our tree up last week and finally finished getting all the other decorations up through out the main rooms. Apparently last year I had the thought to put it away still lit. That made this year a cinch to put up. All I had to do was fix a couple branches it was great! Bill and Ethan helped put the ornaments on the tree. It always makes me smile to see a tree with the lights on.


It isn't a very good picture. I will try to get a better one tonight.

Fun in the snow

Since it has finally started snowing, Ethan loves to go out and help Bill snow blow the driveway. This year he is loving the snow, every time it snows he asks if he can go out and play.





Christmas Cards

Bill and I bot decided we did not want to be in our Christmas cards this year and thought it would be fun to have the (soon to be) two kids. Here are some of the attempts:




And finally the one we chose:

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

California Vacation

We had our annual Ellett family trip to California over the weekend of the 13th. It was so much fun. We put a lot into 3 days but it was worth it. We flew out to CA Friday and met up with everyone that drove.

Ethan loved the airplane. He put his hands in the air as we took off, it was so cute. He also figured out a way to get the tray table down without our help. He used his foot and unlocked it, then pulled it down with both feet. He also could put it up by himself. It was hilarious to watch. I recorded it on my phone, so as soon as I figure out how to download it I will post it.






Saturday we ate at In-n-out (O the deliciousness!) and headed to Huntington Beach to play around on the sand and in the water. Andrew, Dixon and Ethan were the only ones that really wanted to go in the water. Andrew and Dixon had boogie boards and had a blast. Ethan just ran in the water and had a great time getting soaked. Bill did a little bit of everything. Played in the sand, and walked around with Ethan in the water. Everyone else played with the frisbes and football up on the beach. Of course I didn't pack any extra clothes for Ethan so we had to run to Walmart and get him some new clothes to wear the rest of the night. For dinner we went to Luigi's. It is a family tradition ever since I can remember. Anyone who has been to CA with my family has been there. Great food! It was a great time.

I will update with pics as soon as I get them.

Sunday was race day. The Drag Racing Championships in Pomona, CA that is.



Everyone headed to the races in the morning except Ethan, Kim and me. After previous experience we thought it would be better to not try and have Ethan there the whole day. While everyone was at the races we did a little shopping and tried to get Ethan to take a nap. That didn't work out so well as Kim and I were the only ones to take a nap. Instead Ethan woke us both up when the movie was over. After a little lunch we headed over to the racetrack. We got there in time to watch the semifinals and the finals. It is always an experience you can't describe very well. Unless you have seen the races in person you would never understand the volume of sound that comes from them, not to mention the way it shakes all your insides when they hit the gas. Truly one of the neatest experiences you can have. After the races we met up with my cousin Jim and 2 of his kids for dinner. We ended up at Chili's so we could watch the Colts - Patriots game, GO COLTS!

This was after the top fuel cars hit full throttle. No better way to describe the feeling.


Uncle Bubba and Aunt Kim


Aunt Lisa and Uncle Andrew


Grandma and Grandpa


Grandpa and Dixon





That night we played Phase 10. It was one of the funniest games I have ever been a part of. my stomach muscles were so tired from laughing so hard, but every time I laid down so I could relax I got the hiccups. Bill won, but was also the one that got skipped the most. Dixon only played for 3 rounds then went to sleep so in our giggly moods Kim and I toilet Papered him. It was hilarious.




Monday was Disneyland! Ethan's first trip to Disney. It took a little bit for him to really understand where we were and how much you could do, but once he got it he wanted to do so much. We first headed into California Adventure park and went on Soaring over CA. Unfortunately Ethan was a little too short to go on this one. The guy was trying his hardest to get him tall enough but in the end he could still fit his whole hand between Ethan's head and the bar. Aunt Lisa stayed out with him and they headed to check out the Cars shop. It was a good indicator for his height as most of the rides had the same restrictions as Soaring over CA. Ethan and I sat outside in the shade playing while everyone went on rides and yes, it was very hard knowing I couldn't go on most of the rides and all the rides I love. Luckily the park wasn't too crowded and the weather was wonderful.
Grandma and I decided we needed a break from walking so we took Ethan on the train that runs around the park. I was secretly hoping he would fall asleep and give the others more time to hit the rides they wanted without them feeling like we were being left out. Yeah that didn't happen in the slightest. He loved every part of being on the train. We ended up going around the park twice before we met back up with everyone. After getting something to eat everyone wanted to hit Splash Mountain before the sun set and it got too cold. This was one of the rides we really wanted Ethan to go on but it had a 40" height minimum. So we rolled up some napkins, loosened his shoes and stuffed them in. luckily it made just enough of a difference that the worker couldn't get his hand in between and let him on. It was so fun to see them as they came around the corner after going down the big hill. He was grinning from ear to ear. When they got back up to unload there wasn't anyone in line so they got to go again, but this time Ethan decided he wanted to sit by himself so he moved to the empty seat in front of Bill. Bill let him stay there until right before they went down the big hill, then he pulled Ethan back by his side so he could hold on to him. For the rest of the night all we heard was "go on the boats again?". We took him over to Whinnie the Pooh while we were waiting for everyone. After we got out Ethan said "go on the boats?" Even after Pirates of the Caribbean he asked if he could go on the other boats.
The last ride everyone wanted to hit was Indiana Jones so Ethan and I stayed outside and waited for them. As soon as I got Ethan in the stroller it took all of about 3 seconds for him to fall asleep. He didn't wake up the rest of the night. Through the fireworks, all the people leaving, taking him out of the stroller to ride the tram, the drive home, getting in pajamas, I'm not even sure he was awake when he went potty before laying down for the night.
We had such a great time, I can't wait to take him again.